William Pryor Letchworth Museum

The park founder's personal collection, including Seneca artifacts and Mary Jemison materials.

Wyoming County

The William Pryor Letchworth Museum opened in 1913 as a repository for the collection Letchworth assembled during his 50 years building the Glen Iris estate. The focus is Seneca material culture and the Genesee Valley's 19th-century history. The museum sits near the Council Grounds, where the relocated 1765 Seneca Council House and the Mary Jemison gravesite are part of the interpretive grouping. Letchworth was unusual among 19th-century American collectors in that he treated Seneca heritage as worth preserving on its own terms, not as a curiosity. He spent decades corresponding with Seneca descendants and worked closely with Mary Jemison's grandchildren on the 1874 reburial of her remains at the Council Grounds. Don't miss: the Genesee Valley Canal room, which documents the 19th-century attempt to bypass the Letchworth gorge with locks. The canal was abandoned and its right-of-way is now part of the Genesee Valley Greenway.

Contact Info

7 Park Rd, Castile, NY, US, 14427

(585) 493-2760

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Tags

Region

Finger Lakes Region

Business Category

Culture & Heritage

Pass

Finger Lakes Heritage Pass

Town

Castile