In today’s History Bit, we take a closer look at a place that I’ve written a lot about, but never really featured in any depth: the Webster Museum.
Located at 18 Lapham Park in the Village of Webster, the volunteers at the Webster Museum work tirelessly to keep the people, places, artifacts and stories from our town’s early days fresh in our minds. These nuggets of history made our town and village what they are today, and should never be forgotten.
Unfortunately, however, many people don’t even realize that our town has a history museum, let alone have visited it. So today, and several more times this year, these Bits of Webster History will focus on the permanent exhibits at the Webster Museum. For some, they may be reminders of things you already know about. For others, they’ll hopefully serve as an introduction to the valuable resource that is the Webster Museum, and will spark a visit to find out more.
Our first stop, just to the left inside the front door, is the Village of Webster’s Main Street. Here you see a recreation of Witmer’s Variety Store, which for many years was one of the village’s mainstay businesses, located in the east half of 1 East Main, where Jeff’s Computer Service used to be.
The store was owned and operated by Mabel Witmer, whom everybody simply knew as “Mrs. Witmer.” It was a true variety store, selling just about everything under the sun for the home, work and school – even school uniforms.
Mrs. Witmer ran the shop for many years before it closed in the mid-1970s. The exhibit’s display cases, and much of the merchandise in the cases and on the shelves along the wall came directly from the store. They illustrate the incredible assortment of items available at Witmer’s Variety, and provide a good sense of why so many town and village residents came to rely on the shop for their everyday needs.
Make sure you don’t leave the store without paging through the binder on the counter, which has several historical photos of Main Street, including one of Mrs. Witmer in her shop.
Stay tuned for our next stop along Main Street in the next few months, when we remember another beloved and long-standing village business, the Webster Candy Kitchen. In the meantime, you can find out more about the Webster Museum on their website. Or, better yet, stop by for a personal tour.
The Webster Museum is located at 18 Lapham Park in the village, and is open every Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday from 2 to 4:30 p.m. There’s no admission charge.
* * *
email me at missyblog@gmail.com. “Like” this blog on Facebook and follow me on Instagram and Threads (@missyblog)
You can also get email notifications every time I post a new blog by using the “Subscribe” link on the right side of this page (or all the way at the bottom of the page if you’re on your phone).
(posted 1/5/2025)
webster on the web 
Leave a comment