Big Springs Historical Society and Museum

My friend Krista saw an article in the D&C recently about an exhibit of wedding dresses at a museum in Caledonia and asked if I’d be interested in going with her. Who even knew there was a museum in Caledonia? (You might even ask, where is Caledonia?)

The Big Springs Museum is located in the same building as the Police Department, in the town of Caledonia, about 30 minutes southwest of Rochester. According to Mike, a docent who attached himself to us as we wandered around, the building originally housed a schoolhouse. There weren’t many visitors the Monday morning of our visit, but Mike proudly informed us that they are on track to have over 1000 visitors for the wedding dress exhibit, and that donations (there is no admission charge) are up 400%. They will probably exceed this figure, because the Curator told us that due to the unprecedented turnout, they are extending the exhibit past Labor Day, until early December.

those are ice skates on the wall!

The museum has a very eclectic collection of mostly local items, including vintage eyeglasses, antique tools, mounted animals, and, curiously, one resident’s donation of shells (definitely not local). Mike even let us into a room that was temporarily closed, and thank goodness, because it contained my favorite item in the museum – a one-of-a-kind bicycle built for two – I could just imagine how difficult it would be to operate! Mike explained that Caledonia had been largely agricultural (not sure why he used the past tense), and that it had also been a major destination along the Underground Railroad, and some of the exhibits attested to that fact.

bike built around 1895 in Olean NY

dress from 1890

Ann McDonald's dress

The wedding dresses were displayed throughout the upper two floors of the museum, and most of them had a story and photos to go with them. Some of the gowns were well over 100 years old, and reminded me how much our waistlines have changed since then (I recall wanting to wear my mother’s 1950’s dress for my wedding, but after she reported the waist measurement to me, I knew it was not to be…). The detail on many of the dresses was extraordinary, including, as the Curator pointed out to us, the lilies of the valley on the bodice of one 1953 gown. Not all of the dresses were white (one was gorgeous maroon velvet) and not all were bridal – there were some bridesmaid dresses as well (the most stunning was a mid 1800’s dress “worn by Ann McDonald of York at the wedding of a French count in NYC”).

lovely lilies of the valley

This quirky museum also has quirky hours: Sunday afternoons, Monday mornings, or by appointment. If you go on Sunday, it’s worth going late, since the Caledonia Inn restaurant opens at 4pm for dinner. We ended up having a delicious lunch at the Cozy Kitchen, a stone’s throw from the museum, at Mike’s recommendation. The Big Springs Museum would be a good add-on to a visit to the Genesee Country Village and Museum (which I didn't realize was so close by, but isn’t open on Mondays…).