Children’s Educational Opportunities at the Niagara History Center

Education Brochure

For a concise overview of the Niagara History Center’s educational tours and programs, please download Education Brochure

Education tours/programs for students at the Niagara History Center

** Important Note to Teachers: Please call Ann Marie Linnabery, Education Coordinator at the Niagara History Center at 716-434-7433 to make a school tour reservation. For questions about the educational opportunities for your students, please call Ann Marie or email annmarie@niagarahistory.org.

Museum Tour at 215 Niagara Street, Lockport

Tour the Niagara History Center’s five building museum complex. Time: 1.5 hours. Lunch and Gift Shop facilities available. Admission fee: $3 per student; no charge for teachers and two chaperones; more than two chaperones, $3 each. Learn more about the buildings and exhibits here

Tour of the Erie Canal Discovery Center at 24 Church Street, Lockport

Tour the Erie Canal Discovery Center. Time: 45 minutes. Gift Shop available. Outdoor lunch space only. Admission fee: $4 per student; no charge for teachers and two chaperones; more than two, $4 each. Learn more about the Erie Canal Discovery here
An outside walking tour of the Locks District is also available, weather permitting. Time: 45 minutes to one hour. Admission fee: $5 per student; no charge teachers and two chaperones; more than two, $5 each. The tour is led by interpreters who are knowledgeable about the history of the Erie Canal and the construction of the Flight of Five locks. Students will learn why the Erie Canal was needed for transportation and commerce; how geology played a role in where the locks were built; what obstacles had to be overcome and how these were solved by ordinary people who had no formal engineering experience; what was the life and work of an average canal laborer like here in Lockport in the 1820s; how did the locks carry boats up and down the 60 ft. tall Niagara Escarpment; see the two “new” 1918 locks in operation; and discuss how the Erie Canal has impacted the history of New York State and the United States. The tour is centered on the STEM curriculum and requires answering questions and problem solving on the part of the students.

Ticket to Ride Program at the Erie Canal Discovery Center

Funded through the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the Ticket to Ride program offer 4th grader the opportunity to both tour the Erie Canal Discovery Center and take the walking tour of the Locks District (see above description) at no charge to school or student. Bus transportation is also paid for by the ECNHC. Funding is limited and is usually allocated by March 1st for field trips in May and June. Please contact Ann Marie Linnabery for more information or visit the ECNHC’s Ticket to Ride registration page at eriecanalway.org

Tour of the Col. William Bond/Jesse Hawley House at 143 Ontario, Lockport

Tour the 1824 National Register home and the oldest brick house in Lockport. Three floors of furnished rooms to the mid-19th century period. Time: 45 minutes to one hour. $3 for students; no charge for teachers and two chaperones; more than two, $3 each. Learn more about the Bond/Hawley House here

Special request programs and hands-on activities can be arranged for an additional fee.

Please call Ann Marie Linnabery at 716-434-7433 or email annmarie@niagarahistory.org to discuss possible program ideas, activities and fees.

OTHER EDUCATION RESOURCES AVAILABLE

Niagara History Center Virtual Erie Canal Teacher Lesson Plans

Through a grant from the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor, the Niagara History Center was able to create six virtual lesson plans on the Erie Canal and particularly the Flight of Five locks in Lockport. Collaboratively developed by Ann Marie Linnabery, Niagara History Center Education Coordinator, Heidi Ziemer, Outreach & Digital Equity Coordinator at the Western New York Library Resources Council, and Rich Pyszczek, Coordinator for Social Studies for the Buffalo Public Schools, these lessons meet the New York State Social Studies Key Concepts 4.6 a – f as well as a Primary Source Set. These lessons are accessible at www.nfcss.org

Teaching Boxes Available

The History Center’s Teaching Boxes can be borrowed free of charge by schools and community organizations. The Teaching Boxes include new “old” objects, books, lesson plans and hands-on activities. Topics include Pioneer Life, Civil War, Underground Railroad, One-Room Schoolhouses, Native Americans, Old-Time Toys and Games, Treasure in the Little Trunk (book by Helen Fuller Orten), Gold Lace Coat (book by Helen Fuller Orten), and Transportation in Niagara County. For more information on how to borrow the Teaching Boxes, please contact Ann Marie Linnabery at 716-434-7433 or email at annmarie@niagarahistory.org

History Center has Primary Sources to Use with the New York State Social Studies Curriculum

The History Center has a variety of primary and secondary sources related to local history that teachers and students can read and interpret as part of the NYS Social Studies curriculum for grades 4, 7 and 11. Materials can be copied and used in the classroom or at the museum as part of a field trip. Please contact Ann Marie Linnabery to discuss sources that are available to use. Call 716-434-7433 or email annmarie@niagarahistory.org

NCHS works cooperatively with these other venues that also do school programs:

Erie Canal National Heritage Corridor
P.O. Box 219 Waterford, NY 12188
1 (518) 237-7000, ext. 207

Challenger Learning Center of Orleans, Niagara, and Erie Counties.
160 Washburn St. Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 434-3196

Lockport City School District
130 Beattie Ave, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 478-4800

NIOGA Library System
6575 Wheeler Rd, Lockport, NY 14094
(716) 434-6167

Kids Education Programs

The Niagara History Center offers school holiday and summer vacation programs. All programs are offered at our 215 Niagara St. museum complex in Lockport. Call (716) 434-7433 for reservations and more information.

Visit this page often to see new kids education programs!