AVOCA, N.Y. (WENY) —The Erie Lackawanna Railroad Historical Society dedicated its new archive building in Avoca on Saturday. Inside the new building holds the archives of the society, preserving documents and more from the Erie Railroad, Lackawnna Railroad, and the combined railroad.
At Saturday’s dedication, it was also announced that the building is named in honor of Eric Devinis, a local individual who was a major contributor to the project.
“It’s a great building, it’s a great location, nice town, seems like we finally found a home after renting so many facilities here and there, and now owning one thanks to the donation from Eric,” said Gerald Willis, the treasurer of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad Historical Society. “It’s nice to be home, we can call this place home.”
Several former railroad employees were also in attendance and acknowledged for their service as well.
“There’s a deep rooted railroad atmosphere and the location with the folks there, and this just happened to come along at the right time while we were looking,” said Joe Schveder, the president and archivist of the Erie Lackawanna Railroad Historical Society. “So we’re local to the Southern Tier of New York, and Elmira was very heavy into railroads down there so we’re very happy to have this as our home here in Avoca.”
The building is mainly open for members and not directly open to the public. However, if you’re not a member and you’d like to check it out or volunteer, there are no set hours for the building. Members say you can contact the organization through their website, linked here, to make an appointment.