Welcome to The Newstead Historical Society

The Newstead Historical Society was established in 1958 and chartered by the Erie County Historical Federation and the Town of Newstead and Village of Akron. We are a volunteer-based, 501(c)(3) cultural non-profit organization and currently there are nearly 400 members based all over the world.

Each year, the NHS presents free to the public Programs of historical interest. Please check back for the schedule of our speaker series for 2025. Additionally, there are two buildings that the NHS owns and maintains.

The Knight-Sutton Museum at 123 Main St Akron NY showcases all types of historical artifacts and memorabilia from the Town of Newstead and the Village of Akron. For more information about hours and the current exhibit click here.

The Rich-Twinn Octagon House, a fully restored home on its original foundation at 145 Main St Akron NY is a museum depicting residential life in 1870, with some of the furnishings on display being original to the house. More about the Octagon House here. 

Tours of the Rich-Twinn Octagon House
The Holidays are always fun at the Octagon! We will have our “Highlights of the Octagon” tours the first four Sundays in December from 1pm – 3pm. On December 1^st, Jannette Potera will be creating ornaments for our tree, which has been graciously donated by Dale and Lois Kruschke. While Jannette is working at the dining room table, she’ll be talking about the decorating customs of mid-nineteenth century America. The day of our season, December 22^nd, Tessa Metz will be offering Victorian parlor games to visitors, and Hannah Cuthbertson will be performing songs of the season. More Sunday activities may be forthcoming! Be sure to check our Facebook page for updates.So that visitors may enjoy all the activities during December, our donation price is just $5 for adults 17years and older. Youth 16 years and younger are free. Stop by to see us multiple times! For information about the building, hours, special events and to schedule private tours contact– [email protected]

For our 2024 season, we will be displaying historical outfits from the NHS collection in conjunction with the Knight Sutton Museum exhibit “Fashions from the Collection”.

Please note: Being a historical home restored to its original floor plans, there are many narrow-step staircases throughout the house included in our tours.

The Rich-Twinn Octagon House Museum is not handicap accessible.

Here is a recent look at the Octagon House with Mike Randall.