Pictured is Elizabeth Gabalski, the Fenton History Center’s new education coordinator. Submitted photo

Education is a main focus for the Fenton History Center, and their education program is growing with the hiring of Elizabeth Gabalski as the new education coordinator.

As education coordinator, Gabalski’s main tasks will be to go out into the community, connect with schools, and teach local history. Gabalski lives in Frewsburg, and her first official task will be to open communication with the local school districts and homeschool groups to determine how the Fenton can help them reach their local history curriculum goals.

Gabalski’s journey to becoming the education coordinator did not start with her seeking out the position specifically, but rather to volunteer to help out at the Fenton.

“I actually had been looking at volunteering or becoming involved in some small way and one of our volunteers put me in touch with Joni (Blackman, Fenton Executive Director), while I was at the Saints and Sinners Tour in October,” Gabalski said. “Joni said because of my past education that I might actually be a better fit for this role. So it wasn’t something I was necessarily seeking out on my own, it just kind of presented itself.”

Gabalski’s past experience includes working at Infinity Performing Arts — where she continues to work — along with being a substitute teacher at a few local schools and teaching social studies education for grades seven through 12.

The Education Coordinator position at the Fenton History Center has been vacant for a little while, so Gabalski will be using a lot of resources given to her by previous education coordinators. She praised the work of these previous coordinators to help bring her these resources and her focus will be to take these resources from the past and bring them forward into 2026 to make them more marketable for the schools.

“Things have changed a lot in terms of what the schools are looking for specifically, so my biggest goal is to reach out to them, determine what the needs are, and try to find a way that we can fill that,” Gabalski said. “The Fenton as a whole is a major resource as far as local history, genealogy and research and I think folks are less aware of what it is that we provide, so I want to bring in as much awareness as I can, be in direct contact with the schools and do my best to try and engage with a younger crowd and show them that history is not just old boring stuff. It’s actually really awesome and it helps guide the way towards a brighter future.”

Engaging with the students and younger crowd is something Gabalski said she is most excited for, specifically bringing students into the Fenton History Center. Before COVID, she said the Fenton would see thousands of students coming through their building each year for many different programs, and those numbers have decreased to a couple hundred. Some of that is COVIDrelated, she said, but some of it is also because the education coordinator position has been vacant for a few years.

“I’m most excited to actually get students in here and find out what’s most exciting to them and try to light that little fire,” Gabalski said.

Gabalski added that the Fenton History Center is not just the mansion and the exhibits there, but there is also a full research center across the yard that is “absolutely packed” with artifacts and different pieces from the local area. Gabalski said it is a major resource for people to use to determine where the community has come from and she said people who are not volunteers or members of the Fenton may not always be aware of what they do there.

“We have just so much information that I think goes underappreciated, especially by a younger crowd,” Gabalski said. “I think it’s most important that people know exactly what we have to offer; the tours, regular genealogy research that is guided by volunteers every month.”

Gabalski added there are different committees that build the different Fenton programs throughout the year, along with mausoleum tours and the Saints and Sinners tours in the fall, and a lecture series every month that begins April 21.

Gabalski welcomed anyone with a connection to a school or any interest in sharing information with her, including for homeschooling, after school programs, tutoring or mentoring, to reach out.

“I would love it if those folks would reach out to me and tell me how I can help to improve what it is that they’re already doing, and again help to get a younger group in here with an appreciation for history,” Gabalski said. “That’s the big one, I’m looking for folks to help guide me in the right direction, especially with the homeschool and after school.”

Gabalski said she has a list of some that she can reach out to, but does not know if it is up to date and welcomes anyone with connections in those areas to reach out. Gabalski can be reached by calling her office line, 716-664-6256 ext. 107 or by emailing education@fentonhistorycenter.org.