The Benjamin Patterson Inn Museum

Preserving a living symbol of local history

The long history of the 1796 Benjamin Patterson Inn has much to tell about the Corning-Painted Post, NY area and the people who lived there. By the early 1970's, the Inn was on the brink of fading away. But a group of concerned citizens decided that this important witness to history had to be saved. Today, as a museum complex, the Benjamin Patterson Inn is a place where local history is brought to life.

Cruz Dann Productions made "The Benjamin Patterson Inn Museum" documentary for the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society as an introduction to the museum and the Patterson Inn's role in the history of the area. Directed mainly toward school groups, the digital video covers local history from the days of the Iroquois to the present, using animated engravings and maps as well as footage of re-enactments and museum interpreters. The Corning-Painted Post Historical Society archive and the New York Public Library were the main sources of imagery. Director of photography, Renato Falc‹o, shot the museum complex in summer, in autumn and at different times of the day and night, capturing the inn's myriad faces and functions. Digital video and editing made production possible on the limited budget of this non-profit organization. Musician, Miki Navazio, who has worked for documentarian Ken Burns, composed the original soundtrack.

Certificate of Merit
2001 Rochester International Film Festival

Original Title: "The Benjamin Patterson Inn Museum"
Production Year: 1999
Written and Directed by: Leslie Dann and Guido JimŽnez-Cruz
Country of Origin: USA
Format: DV NTSC Color
Running Time: 10 minutes
Director of Photography: Renato Falc‹o
Edited by: Guido JimŽnez-Cruz
Music Composed by: Miki Navazio
Produced by: Leslie Dann
Client: Corning-Painted Post Historical Society

Full Credits

To the members of the Corning-Painted Post Historical Society, past and present, who have brought our history to life.

Written and Directed by
Leslie Dann
Guido JimŽnez-Cruz

Produced by
Leslie Dann

Editorial Directors
Carrie Fellows
Theone Gestwicki
Roger Grigsby
Suzan Reynolds

Director of Photography
Renato Falc‹o

Narration written by
Fred Lee

Edited by
Guido JimŽnez-Cruz

Music by
Miki Navazio

Narrated by
Janet S. Dann

Interpreters
Carrie Fellows
Barbara Fudge
Clint Fudge
Theone Gestwicki
Roger Grigsby
Michael Hutter
Frank Starr
Participants of the 1999 Newtown Battle Re-enactment

Narration and Sound Effects Recorded by
Bart Curtis
Robert Tate

Production Assistant
Regina Datria

Official Car Rental Company
National Car Rental

Special Thanks

Bart Curtis
Crystal Productions

Terese Cagianello
Matt Short
National Car Rental

Betsey Stierly
"The Leader"

Salle E. Richards
"The Star Gazette"

David M. Grossi, Jr.
Wegmans Food Markets

Bill Christian
WYDC - FOX TV

Image Sources

Corning-Painted Post Historical Society

Drawings by
Joyce Snyder
Jerry Wright

The Friends of Ganondagan, Inc.
Ganondagan State Historic Site

Library of Congress
LC-USZ62-31149

The Montclair Art Museum, NJ
"General George Washington"(Detail) by C. W. Peale

Newtown Battlefield Reservation

Rare Books Division
Maps Division
The New York Public Library
Astor, Lenox and Tilden Foundations

The New York Public Library Picture Collection