The East Side History Project (ESHP) was a joint venture between the University at Buffalo, Center for Urban Studies and SUNY Buffalo State College, Archives & Special Collections, Monroe Fordham Regional History Center to document the history of the African American population located on the East Side of Buffalo, NY. The focus was to partner with Greater Buffalo United Ministries (GRUM), a collection of 65 churches across Erie and Niagara counties - the majority of which are located in Buffalo's East Side - to identify important/significant churches on the East Side and document the churches' histories and their importance to the community in which they are located.
The ESHP was launched to gain insight into the neighborhood's history and current development, so as to guide its future development. The project views history as a continuum from the past to present and the future, with feedback loops deepening our understanding of the past and informing current planning efforts. In this approach, understanding important neighborhood institutions such as churches, and their relationship to the community in which they reside, is critical to understanding the neighborhood's history and for giving the "voiceless" a "voice" in the community development process. Toward this end, the project collects documents and records from GRUM churches as a way to understand their historical role in the community, population settlement patterns, and family histories of people residing on the East Side.
Collections Include:
- Bethel AME Church
- Delaware Avenue Baptist Church
- First Shiloh Baptist Church
- contact the UB Center for Urban Studies to access this collection
- Friendship Missionary Baptist Church
- Hopewell Baptist Church
- King Urban Life Center
- Lincoln Memorial United Methodist Church
- Pilgrim Baptist Church
- St.John's Baptist Church
Collections without a link are still in processing.
