Museum celebrates Webster's 175 years

Over four decades ago, Mary Pantas helped run one of Webster’s most popular businesses, the Webster Candy Kitchen.

On Saturday, she manned a replica storefront of the now-closed treat shop at the Webster Museum as part of Webster’s 175th anniversary celebration.

“It’s amazing how many people remember the candy shop,” she said. Her father made ribbon candy, ice cream suckers and all sorts of other confections for the shop — “It was really an art,” Pantas said.

The business closed after a fire in the 1970s, but was one of the many vintage town scenes immortalized in the Webster Museum, an all-volunteer operation meant to educate residents about Webster’s history.

The museum opened its doors to families Saturday to celebrate Webster’s 175th anniversary, complete with museum volunteers dressed in period clothing and birthday cake.

Webster was founded in 1840 after a split from North Penfield, and was named in honor of Daniel Webster, a senator and statesman in the 1800s.

Many museum volunteers have been in Webster their whole lives, or at least remember growing up there, said Tom Pellett, president of the Museum and Historical Society. The Pellett family, of which Tom is the fifth generation, were mainstays in Webster —  Pellett Road, off of Lake Road, is named in their honor.

“For a buck, you could get enough candy at the candy kitchen to be sick for a week,” he said, adding that small stores were the only places to shop, as there were no “big box” grocery stores like Wegmans in Webster at the time.

The museum brings in hundreds of school children every year for field trips, and Pellett enjoys watching kids’ eyes light up as they step back in time.

“When parents come in with them, the kids are the ones giving the tour, saying ‘Mom, look at this,’” Pellett said.

There are several hands-on exhibits at the museum, including a replica classroom where volunteer “teachers” took kids through their “lessons” Saturday, and old fashioned toys, which enthralled Amanda Price’s two small children.

“With all the technology today, those simple toys out there are actually more fun,” Price said. “I don’t want them just staring at computer screens all day.”

Volunteers were stationed throughout the museum's decorated rooms, including Kelly Corretore of Webster, who demonstrated the art of tatting, or lacemaking, in a faux parlor outfitted with a gramophone and period furniture.

“We know everything in this museum, but we still go through every once and a while to see it all again, because we love it,” she said of she and her husband David Corretore, a Webster town justice.

It was “thrilling” to see how many people attended the museum during the celebration, she said, adding that she hopes to be a part of bringing history to life for the next generation.

“I just hope this helps kids get interested in the history of where they live,” she said.

The museum is open Tuesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays from 2 to 4 :30 p.m. Admission is free but donations are welcome.

STADDEO@Gannett.com