Amanda Shepp, director of the Library in Lily Dale, was the recent guest speaker at the Valley Historical Society in Sinclairville.

SINCLAIRVILLE – Amanda Shepp, director for the library in Lily Dale was the recent guest speaker at the Valley Historical Society. Shepp spoke about the materials that she is sorting and doing research with in the library. The library is open many hours during the week, she said. Shepp spoke about mourning customs which may have been influenced by Queen Victoria after the death of her husband Prince Albert in 1861. Queen Victoria went into a time of mourning with her clothes, her hair, and pieces of memorabilia of her husband. This seemed to influence other cultures. Shepp said the more dark clothing one would wear, the greater the person was mourning. After a period of time, she said, the person would wear other colors such as gray or earth tone colors. A very interesting presentation was enjoyed by all.

President of the Historical Society Larry Barmore opened the meeting with the Lord’s Prayer and then the Pledge of Allegiance. Treasurer John Sipos read the minutes of the previous meeting and the financial report of the society. Barmore held an introductory go-around to have all get acquainted.

The museum building, located at the corner of Main and Lester Streets in the village of Sinclairville will be open for tours at no cost from 2 until 5 p.m. on Sundays. The museum will be closed on holiday weekends like Mother’s Day, Memorial Day and Father’s Day.

President Barmore said the annual History Fair will be on Saturday, Sept. 8 from 7:30 a.m. until 9 p.m. This is the 20th annual event.

Following the meeting, refreshments were provided and served by Mary Shearman and Mildred Griswold Simpson. For more information on the Valley Historical Society, write to P.O. Box 1045, Sinclairville, NY 14782. New members are always welcome.