Avon Preservation and Historical Society

06/14/2026

Celebrating Flag Day in Avon, NY! 🇺🇸

06/13/2026

What’s the AV Corps? We came across this industrious team on the front page of the newspaper in 1949 and thought we’d share a few pictures.

AV is short for Audio-Visual. If you were in school from the 1920’s to 1980’s, filmstrips were a part of your school day, and they were often supported by the AV students.

The AV Corps provided teachers with help in showing educational films in class.  Watching a movie was not as easy to do in those days. 35mm films came on large wheels and had to be fed through a large film projector. Things got complicated if you didn’t know how to run the projector!

In an oral history with the AP&HS in 2025, Ken Schafer described his activities as part of the AV Club in the 1950’s at Avon Central Schools. Ken told us:

“My job was to take movies and show them to lower classmates. At school, we always had movies at lunchtime. I used to run those films. Some of the movies went on for weeks at a time because there was a short amount of time at lunch each day to watch it. So, then tomorrow you’d watch more. The projector was on a cart that I had to roll to the classroom and set up the film, keep track of where we had stopped it the previous day.”

We’re not sure if AV clubs have survived today, but clearly they were an important part of high school, helping teachers manage their visual learning materials.

Considering the ways technology has evolved today, the young women and men captured in these photos were on the forefront of the early days of automation. Bravo to them!

By the way, the AP&HS Museum had ACS Yearbooks from 1930 to present. Feel free to stop by on Sundays from 1:00-4:00 to browse through our collection.

🌸

06/11/2026

📚 Summer reading, anyone? 📚
It’s fun to see the new books people were reading in 1950 at the Avon Free Library. Recognize any of these titles? 

Our community library has continued to expand its reach. Today, libraries have evolved into neighborhood hubs for books, technology, group discussions and learning.

As we move into summer, how lucky we are to have our lovely library as a resource for learning and growing.

🌸

06/10/2026

In honor of Big Boy 4014 rolling through our area in the next couple days -
Railroad service in the village of Avon began on July 25, 1853, with the extension of the Buffalo, Corning and New York Railroad from Wayland to Caledonia. Service to Rochester ended on September 30, 1941 and the Rochester Division passenger service ended on September 28, 1947.

In 1992, the country group Restless Heart released a single entitled "Big Iron Horses" about the trains that ran through Avon.

Music video by Restless Heart performing Big Iron Horses (Official ...

06/06/2026

📚⭐ Join us tomorrow- Sunday, June 7- for a special presentation and book release to celebrate the story of Avon’s own war hero, John H. Forsyth, who fought and died at the Battle of the Alamo. Our programs are always free thanks to our wonderful supporters.

06/02/2026

2026 marks a very special milestone in Avon’s history as three important community icons celebrate their 150th anniversaries this year! The Avon Opera Block, the Park Circle and the Avon Fire Department. For generations, these historic treasures have helped tell the story of Avon’s past and continue to remain an important part of our community today. More anniversary postings to come.

05/31/2026

Looking for something to do on this cool Sunday - stop in at the Avon Museum. There is something to see for all ages.

05/27/2026

John Hubbard Forsyth grew up on a farm off Henty Rd. which his parents, Alexander and Mercy, rented from James Wadsworth. (Now noted with a historical marker)

John Forsyth married Deborah Smith in 1822 and had 2 children. After the death of his wife in 1826, a devastated Forsyth left his son Edmund with his parents and traveled to Kentucky and joined a volunteer cavalry group. Forsyth went on to become a captain in the Regular Texan Cavalry which aided at the Alamo. Poorly equipped and largely outnumbered, all the defenders were eventually killed.

John Forsyth's mother and step-mother are buried at the East Avon cemetery. His father, Alexander, is buried at Mt. Hope Cemetery.

We are invite you to join us on Sunday, June 7 at 2pm to hear more about John Forsyth’s life in Avon.

05/25/2026

Today we remember and honor the 18 boys and men from Avon who made the ultimate sacrifice during WW I, WW 2 and the Vietnam War. We will never forget. 🇺🇸

05/22/2026

In honor of National Poppy Day!
On Friday, September 21, 1934, Mrs. Arthur Kellond and Mrs. Otto Mehlenbacher (aka the Poppy Lady) camped on the steps of the new Avon Union Trust Bank to have the distinction of making the very first deposit on opening day (Sept. 22) on behalf of the Avon Legion Auxiliary! Avon had been without a hometown bank for 2 1/2 yrs.