The Western Monroe Historical Society is celebrating its Golden Anniversary this year with the theme “Out of the Ashes.” For 50 years since restoring the Morgan-Manning House, the WMHS has served the community by preserving the home as museum and by sponsoring social, educational, and cultural events.
Betty Nibbelink was one of the early founders of the WMHS with its offices in the Morgan-Manning House on Main Street in Brockport. The home was built in 1854 and damaged by a disastrous fire in 1964. As one of the volunteers who worked on restoring the home, “Betty was there every work night with the mop-and-fix brigade,” said Eunice Chesnut, WMHS historian emerita. As a master and teacher of Early American Decoration, she helped restore a stained glass window, duplicating the delicate damaged pieces by painting on clear glass. She took the lead in negotiating with the Rochester Landmark Society for aid in historic restoration, eventually achieving Landmark status for the home. A provisional charter was granted to the WMHS in 1965, leading to a final charter in 1968. Betty was also the second president of the WMHS board of trustees.
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