National Memorial Day Museum
Waterloo pharmacist Henry Welles organized the first community-wide Memorial Day observance here on May 5, 1866, a claim the federal government formally recognized in 1966.
The observance that Henry Welles and General John B. Murray organized in Waterloo on May 5, 1866 was not a spontaneous gesture. Welles had proposed the idea the previous year, arguing that the community should set aside a day to honor the soldiers from Waterloo who had died in the Civil War. Murray helped coordinate the village-wide participation: every business closed, every flag flew at half-staff, every grave at the local cemetery received flowers. The ceremony preceded the national holiday by two years. The National Memorial Day Museum on East Main Street documents the 1866 observance through period artifacts, photographs, and the legislative history that led to congressional recognition, when President Johnson signed a proclamation formally naming Waterloo the holiday's birthplace. The museum sits within walking distance of the M'Clintock House. Two American origin stories on one main street.
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Estate lakeside tasting room with cabins on the property
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70-acre sustainable estate on the western shore
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Walk-in and boat-accessible, with an on-site bistro
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Food Drink
The winery that sold its grapes to other Finger Lakes producers for 19 years before deciding to bottle the Gold Medal Riesling itself.
Anthony Road Wine Company
Food Drink
The Martini family's Penn Yan operation since 1989, where the Riesling and Gewurztraminer program is serious enough that reservations are strongly encouraged and group size caps at six.
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Food Drink
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Glenora Wine Cellars
Food Drink
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Fulkerson Winery
Food Drink
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Toast Winery
Food Drink
A dry-vinifera operation on the east shore where the winemaking steps aside and the Seneca Lake AVA does the work.
Lakewood Vineyards
Food Drink
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