The history of Western New York is cobbled together through many purchases and development groups, particularly the Holland Land Company. The company’s desire to sell the land west of the Genesee River created the foundations of Western New York.

Ryan Duffy has been the Executive Director of the Holland Land Office Museum in Batavia, NY since 2017. He is a graduate of St. Bonaventure University and Bowling Green State University with degrees in History. Ryan served as the City Historian for Batavia for two years, and is a member of Batavia’s Historic Preservation Board. He writes biweekly local history articles for the Batavia Daily News.