A full 10 years after Dr. Frederick S. Parkhurst, Kenmore-Tonawanda’s first historian, began holding history society meetings in the Mang Clubhouse on Lincoln Avenue, the Tonawanda-Kenmore Historical Society and Museum (TKHS) was issued a Provisional Charter on September 20, 1935. An Absolute Charter was issued on December 16, 1943 by the Board of Regents, State Education Department, S.U.N.Y at Albany.

TKHS is a 501(c)(3) tax exempt organization which is registered with the Charities Bureau of the NYS Attorney General’s office and is prequalified to apply for and received grants through NYS Grant Gateway. 

Our mission (taken directly from our Charter) is “to promote history and historical research; to disseminate and encourage a greater knowledge of the history of the State of New York and particularly the Village of Kenmore and the Town of Tonawanda, Erie County and surrounding areas; to gather, collect, own, hold, preserve, display and make available for study appropriate historical artifacts, books, manuscripts, paper, photographs, and other records and materials; to encourage the suitable marking of places of historical interest; to bring together those people interested in history, encourage public interest in history, sponsor historical meetings, programs and events, sponsor exhibits and issue publications in any format; and to establish and maintain a history museum.”

The historical building which houses the society’s museum and collection is one of the oldest original structures in the Town of Tonawanda and the Village of Kenmore and is located at 100 Knoche Road in the Town of Tonawanda. The German Congregation of the Evangelical Church was organized in 1830 by settlers who emigrated from the Alsace-Lorraine region of France and Germany after a short stop in New York’s Mohawk Valley region. They held their church services in surrounding homes and in the barns of their farms.  They completed the building of St. Peter’s Evangelical Church in 1849, with bricks from clay excavated out of Ive’s Pond.

This pioneer group came to be known as the “Mohawk Community” or the “Military Road Settlers”.  Johannes “John” Pirson was a large financial contributor to the church. Philip Knoche donated the land on which the church was built.  Other pioneering families from the Alsace-Lorraine region include Zimmerman, Ensminger, Pfanning, Walter, Failing, Kuhn and Yockey – many of whom are buried in the small cemetery immediately surrounding what is now the Tonawanda-Kenmore Historical Society Museum at 100 Knoche Road in the Town of Tonawanda. 

Historical timeline of the TKHS museum building:

1830 Church Congregation organized
1847 Cemetery established
1849 Church erected
1871 Two Chestnut trees planted in front (one remains)
1879 Original organ purchased for $100
1930 Bronze Plaque on Boulder (dedicated at 100th Anniversary)
1967 Last Church service held (June)
1970 Building acquired by Town of Tonawanda
1976 Building re-opened as a Museum by Tonawanda-Kenmore Historical Society