Sunday March 14th, neighborhood historian and attorney Mark Peszko, and professional photographer Bogdan Fundalinski, will do a presentation about the Black Rock area, from 1 to 3PM, at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, open to the general public. 

Black Rock is the oldest part of the City of Buffalo, and Peszko and Bogdan felt it was necessary to archive and preserve the area's historical past. The upcoming celebrations of the War of 1812 will also bring this area into the limelight, since three major battles were fought in Black Rock.

"We had originally planned to do a postcard book, but decided that we have too many great photos not to use.  So we are working on a more comprehensive book as we have now gathered a large collection of approximately 1,300 photographs," said Doreen DeBoth, project chairperson and owner of ArtSphere Studio and Gallery on Amherst Street.

According to DeBoth, the project first started with a collection of photos from business owners in the area. Then they had a "call for old photos" printed in the local paper, The Riverside Review, and an exhibition of what they felt were important photos that reflected the life and activity of the area.

"We've been working on this project for a while now and we're trying our best to use as much pictures that were submitted," DeBoth says.

Councilman Joseph Golombek Jr. will introduce the event, and Sportsmen's Tavern owner Dwane Hall, also owner of Sessions Recording Studio, will videotape the event.

Text for the book, which will be available in June of this year, is being written by Mark Goldman.

Interest and response from people in the neighborhoods of Black Rock and the Grant-Amherst area has been most encouraging, as people are still bringing in photos.  If you would like more information on the efforts to preserve local Buffalo history or have any photos to contribute, contact Doreen DeBoth at 716.874.2863 or 716.510.4007.