About the Liverpool Willow Museum
Our museum was the willow shop
of John and Anna Hurst, originally located behind their home at 814 Oswego
Street, Liverpool. The building was a gift to the Village of Liverpool
from John and Anna's children, Frederick G. Hurst, Wilhma Hurst Loucks, and
Kenneth P. Hurst.
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Willow laundry basket
This shop is typical of the many willow shops that stood and still stand in village back yards. The Hurst family carried on the willow business in the shop from the late 1800s until 1929, when cheaper foreign imports put most Liverpool willow makers out of business. The extended family that worked here produced utilitarian objects, such as laundry baskets, and "fancy ware" - furniture and decorative items.
As in other Liverpool
shops, men, women, and children worked together at their tasks. The shop
was both a workplace and a social center, weaving together family economics and
relationships in a way that is largely lost today. Our museum commemorates
this way of life as well as Liverpool's unique willow industry.