New Name Coming for the Finger Lakes Museum

The Finger Lakes Museum will soon be adding to its name.

As a result of a transformational gift from the Saunders Foundation, the Branchport facility will be known as the Saunders Finger Lakes Museum as of Saturday.

Phillip Saunders’ vision to improve the truck industry started in 1958 with his father’s meager gas station in Henrietta and evolved into the nation’s largest chain of truck stops, known as TravelCenters of America.  Saunders told Life in the Finger Lakes he “believes in projects and organizations that create lasting help and impacts on communities and towns. I am careful to not invest in projects that will not generate long-term solutions and impacts.”

The gift from the Foundation enables the museum to move forward with its project’s next phase which will include the demolition of the existing Branchport school structure and the start of a new Museum building in the fall.