About Us:

The Society was originally formed in 1957 as the Arcade Sesquicentennial and Historical Society for the 150th anniversary of the settlement of the town. In 1970 the name was changed to more accurately reflect the Society’s mission. The AHS is dedicated to collecting and preserving objects, records, and other artifacts that illustrate the history of the Town of Arcade and the surrounding area. The Society collections include a house museum with period rooms showing aspects of Arcade life from 1865 to the present with an emphasis on the 1920s and ‘30s. Special exhibits of items in the collection or on loan are held throughout the year. Also housed in this building is a small research library of newspapers, photographs and documents. 

The Gibby House is the Society’s headquarters and was willed to the Society in 1983 by a history-loving village resident, Vernon Gibby, along with the contents of the house and a portion of his estate.The Queen Anne style home was built for Vernon’s father, John L. Gibby, in 1903. Only four people have lived there: John  & Mary Gibby, their son Vernon, and his wife Marjorie. The house was designed by Buffalo architect Frederick Mohr and has changed little from when it was built, the only alterations being porch enclosures and a new kitchen. 

John Gibby was a very successful businessman. He owned and operated several  cheese manufacturing businesses in the area. His and other factories made western NY something of a “cheese capital,” receiving their raw milk from the numerous dairy farms in the area. Without fast, refrigerated transport in the late 1800s and early 1900s, milk was best used to produce cheese. Vernon joined his father in the cheese business and retained it for about a decade after his father’s death. He then operated an appliance business from the house and was an accomplished electrician, photographer and cabinetry maker.

The brick Fire Hall at 15 Liberty Street, just off of Main Street, was purchased by the Arcade Historical Society in 2009. This building was built in 1939 on the site of the first, wooden fire hall. The Society plans to use the building for archival storage, exhibits, classes, and lectures. The A&A 5oth Anniversary exhibit was held here in 2012, and the VFW 75th Anniversary Exhibit was held here in 2013. The goal for the 5 year plan is make the building accessible to all with an elevator so that more exhibits and events can be held here in the future.