Filmmaker Ken Burns and Balloonist Sir Richard Branson Praise the Intrepid

We are very excited about the praise renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and adventure balloonist and Virgin Group Chairman Sir Richard Branson are giving the historic reconstruction of the Civil War Balloon, the Intrepid which will take flight this summer here at GCV&M.
We hope you will find the comments of these gentlemen just as exciting....

"Bravo for the reproduction of the The Intrepid by the Genesee Country Village & Museum. The history of aviation is fascinating and a bit misunderstood. Long before the Wright Brothers took flight on the dunes of North Carolina in 1903; two other brothers – Joseph and Etienne Montgolfier – were the first true pilots when they took to the skies in a hot-air balloon in 1783. Between those two dates, the first military use of aviation took place during the American Civil War in September of 1861 when The Intrepid flew above a Virginia battlefield. I’m proud that my small contribution to aviation history has involved flying balloons where they had not been flown before (across the Pacific and Atlantic), and I’m thrilled that the authentic reproduction of the Intrepid will help keep the rich history of ballooning alive."

Sir Richard Branson

Chairman, Virgin Group

"I was thrilled to hear that the Genesee Country Village & Museum is building a working replica of The Intrepid - a gas balloon that flew during the Civil War. On September 24, 1861 The Intrepid flew above a Virginia battlefield during the Civil War and made history. It was the first use of aviation in warfare and, with the help of a telegraph wire, the first time artillery was directed at an unseen enemy. That modest flight was a harbinger of the horrific role aviation would play in the world wars of the 20th Century.

The mission for the Genesee Country Village & Museum states that it seeks "…to foster a deeper understanding of the past and its relevance to the contemporary world." This is exactly what we try to do with our films such as "The Civil War" and, most recently, "Prohibition." Both strive to create a strong emotional connection with history and help us better understand who we are as Americans today. I have filmed at Genesee Country Village & Museum; it's a beautiful, living slice of 19th Century America and this new exhibit is an exciting addition. I also can't help but think that this balloon is going to make a great camera platform the next time I'm filming in Upstate New York!"

Ken Burns
Filmmaker

Reproducing a Corded Petticoat



Original Corded Petticoat



After careful examination of a corded petticoat in the Ontario County Historical Society’s collection, Genesee Country Village and Museum weaver, Louise Richens, has successfully tackled the challenge of weaving an exact copy of the panels used to make the original.

Corded petticoats are petticoats with cord woven or sewn into the fabric. When starched, the cords stiffen and cause the petticoat to stick out. Worn under yet more regular uncorded petticoats, the corded petticoat provided a full skirt, a fashionable item from the 1830s to the 1860s. In the late 50s, the corded petticoats were mostly replaced by a new invention, the steel cage crinoline.



Original Corded Petticoat - close-up of cords



Two other attempts to weave the fabric used for corded petticoats have been made in the past, by Pat Kline and Rabbit Goody, but this is the first time for the Genesee Country Village and Museum. Without a weaver to weave the cloth, those who needed corded petticoats for living history had to attempt to make their own by sewing cords into cloth. This method was also employed in the 19th century, but purchasing cloth with the cords already woven in was time-saving.



Reproduction Corded Petticoat - Close-up of cords





Louise, a master weaver, says it took two weeks to weave 4 panels of 36” wide cloth. Enough for 2 petticoats. The panels are currently being made into petticoats with the addition of waistbands, ties, and hems.

Original Corded Petticoat



Reproduction Corded Petticoat

History has Never Tasted so Good!

"When they wish to take chocolate, they send for chocolate".

(The Physiology of Taste, 1854)

We invite you to taste chocolate as our ancestors did. Full of richness, layered with exotic flavors and spices, GCV&M offers you a truly authentic tasting experience with American Heritage Chocolate. With each tasting, allow your taste buds step back through the centuries while learning about the history of chocolate as it ingrained itself into our society.



Chocolate Tastings will be available during select events throughout the season.


Once you’ve fallen in love with American Heritage Chocolate, be sure to visit the Flint Hill Store to take some home with you. We offer a variety including chocolate sticks, bars and shavings for hot chocolate.

We also have chocolate graters made by our local tinsmith.

Intrepid Reconstruction Gains Backing of Filmmaker Ken Burns and Balloonist Sir Richard Branson

 MUMFORD, N.Y., March 6, 2012 — Genesee Country Village & Museum’s (GCV&M: www.gcv.org) Intrepid forthcoming exhibit – the world’s only Civil War manned balloon replica – has garnered the attention of two prominent supporters. Renowned documentary filmmaker Ken Burns and adventure balloonist and Virgin Group Chairman Sir Richard Branson are praising the historic reconstruction, which will take to the air this summer.

“I was thrilled to hear that the Genesee Country Village & Museum is building a working replica of the Intrepid,” Burns said. “On September 24, 1861, the Intrepid flew above a Virginia battlefield during the Civil War and made history. I have filmed at Genesee Country Village & Museum; it’s a beautiful, living slice of the 19th-Century America and this new exhibit is an exciting addition.”

Burns said the museum’s mission to foster a deeper understanding of the past and its relevance to the contemporary world is what he tries to do with his films such as The Civil War and Prohibition`. Both strive to create a strong emotional connection with history and help citizens better understand themselves as Americans today.

Branson was equally enthusiastic. “Bravo for the reproduction of the Intrepid by the Genesee Country Village & Museum. The history of aviation is fascinating and a bit misunderstood,” he said. “I’m proud that my small contribution to aviation history has involved flying balloons where they had not been flown before – across the Pacific and Atlantic – and I’m thrilled that the authentic reproduction of The Intrepid will help keep the rich history of ballooning alive.”

The Intrepid is being built by AeroBalloon Inc. of Hingham, Mass., with historical guidance from GCV&M and a team of prominent advisors including Tom D. Crouch, Ph.D., senior curator of the Aeronautics for the Smithsonian Institution’s National Air and Space Museum; Jim Green, director, Planetary Science Division, National Aeronautics and Space Administration (NASA); and Rob Shenk, director, Internet Strategy & Development, Civil War Trust.

The initiative’s total estimated cost of nearly $300,000 has been partially offset by a number of generous donations. As construction progresses, GCV&M will continue to seek additional financial support for the project. Its first public flight at GCV&M is expected to take place on July 4, 2012.

Science, Showmanship and Suspense: Part 2: The Final Test

Professor Lowe enjoyed the life of a celebrity as he awaited proper conditions for his final test flight before taking The Great Western across the Atlantic. He received invitations from every social circle in Cincinnati, attending parties and dinners on a regular basis. It was late in the evening at one such event when Lowe got word that the weather was right: strong westerly winds at ground level. With the winds blowing west on the ground, Lowe could provide clear evidence of consistent high-altitude east-blowing air currents (this was a theory that Lowe and other aeronauts were collecting data to support).


He went to his test balloon, Enterprise, which was already inflated, and rushed to make last-minute preparations. However, he was delayed by the local newspaper editor who was running off a stack of copies of the next day’s Cincinnati Commercial. Lowe would take these copies as proof of his point and time of origin. Once the papers were in hand, Lowe ascended alone between 2:00 and 3:00 am on April 20th, 1861.

The craft, as expected, began traveling west, until and altitude of 6,000 feet was attained and Lowe entered “the great easterly river of the sky.” The temperature dropped to zero degrees, which caused the moisture on the envelope’s surface to condense and create a miniature “sleet storm” in the basket. The heat of the sunrise caused expansion of the gas and Enterprise rose to approximately 18,000 feet. Lowe drifted over the Cumberland Mountains and ascended still higher due to buffeting air currents—what he figured to be some 23,000 feet.

After passing over the mountains, he quickly dropped in altitude, low enough to shout out to some farmers working in a field below, “what state is this?” Bewildered, the farmers looked all around, unable to locate the disembodied voice. They answered, “Virginia,” nonetheless. Lowe dropped a bit of sand from one of his ballast bags and the farmers looked up. Terror overtook them at the sight of the balloon and they fled for the cover of the trees. Lowe ascended again into the easterly current, until coming back to ground a couple hours later.

He was quickly surrounded by “several planters and negroes.” The slaves attempted to assist Lowe in wrangling the craft to the ground, but were prevented from doing so by the armed white farmers. Several of the latter made threats of violence toward the “damn Yankee devil,” so Lowe to decided to beat a hasty retreat and threw a large bag of ballast out of the basket. As he made another rapid ascent, a young farm hand called out to him, “Hey Mister! I reckon you forgot your baggage!”

The test flight came to an end as Lowe once more drifted down to the earth in a rural South Carolina village. The inhabitants of the town ran for cover; these poor whites and blacks, unlike their city counterparts, had never seen a contraption such as this. A tall young white woman was the first to emerge and lend aid to the professor. The others soon came out, “sneakily deposit[ing] their guns” to avoid embarrassment.

“Many of them still thought I was an inhabitant of some ethereal or infernal region,” Lowe later wrote. In an attempt to explain his journey, Lowe took out one of his rubber water bottles and cut it open to show the contents had frozen at high altitude. The townsfolk, however, saw this as only more evil magic. One elder declared that any Yankee capable of doing these things should be “shot on the spot where he had dropped from the skies.”

Lowe’s free flight had been a success, but he was now faced with threats to his very life. It would be a difficult, if not improssible task, to get himself back home. Not only was he a northerner (with a bundle of abolitionist newspapers, no less) in the South only a week after Fort Sumter had been fired upon, but he was also, at least to these people, a witch!...

2012 Bridal Show

Experience the

Sights, Sounds and Tastes

of a

Village of Romance

Join us for our 2012 Bridal Show on May 6th

Mingle among elegance as brides stroll throughout the reception hall

Featuring the Wedding Dress and Tux Shop

From Relaxing and Romantic to Festive and Fun,

Explore the musical possibilities

Personalized by Whirlin’ Disc

Sample Savory Beginnings and the Sweetest of Endings

Featuring D&R Depot

Keep watching our blog for many more vendor which will fill our venues.

Channel 2 News - The Story of The History Behind the Civil War Balloon

Please take a moment to watch Buffalo's Channel 2 News WGRZ's story Civil War Replica Balloon to Take Flight.