Who Put the 'East' in East Aurora?

It's been said that East Aurora, New York is straight out of a Hallmark Christmas movie, an observation perhaps given credence after the filming of an actual Hallmark Christmas movie in the village in June 2025. It's quaint and charming, for sure, but like many small towns, East Aurora has a history of struggles as well as triumphs that have contributed to the community it is today.
Who Put the 'East' in East Aurora? is the first in a series of books that bring together nearly 20 years of historian Robert Lowell Goller's research into the fascinating history of this small town.
Among the more than 30 intriguing questions answered in this first book:
Why is there an East Aurora but no West Aurora?
What made East Aurora's celebrity horse, Mambrino King, so famous?
Which World Series champion played baseball in Hamlin Park?
How did the Blue Devil become East Aurora's mascot?
Why is the East Aurora school district "union free"?
How was Vidler's victorious in the village's 5&10 rivalry?
In addition to explaining how East Aurora got its name, Who Put the 'East' in East Aurora? explores the village's unique horse history, the development of its schools and parks, the evolution of local shopping, and the harsh realities of discrimination and racism. These are the stories of East Aurora, but they could easily be the stories of any "Hallmark" town.

Robert Lowell Goller is a public historian and former journalist who has served as the town and village historian in East Aurora, N.Y., since 2007. Through his books, monthly newspaper column and weekly videos on Facebook and YouTube, he uncovers previously untold stories of the past and places the history of small towns such as East Aurora in the context of national and international events. His television appearances have included C-SPAN and "Sunday Morning" on CBS.Who Put the 'East' in East Aurora? is his third book. He is also the author of Aurora Revisited (2011) and Legendary Locals of East Aurora (2014).A graduate of the State University of New York College at Geneseo, he launched his journalism career in the fifth grade with Goller's Gazette, a newspaper that served his neighborhood for seven years. He was a reporter at The Daily Messenger in Canandaigua, N.Y., and editor of the East Aurora Advertiser. Interviews during his journalism career included the Brown sisters of the landmark 1954 Supreme Court case Brown v. Board of Education and prominent American rabbi and author Harold Kushner. He was a member of press pools covering First Lady Hillary Rodham Clinton in 1998 and former President George H.W. Bush in 1999.In 2008, he was awarded the Mary and Gill Stott Award at Roycroft for achievement in writing, music and history, and in 2011 he was among Business First newspaper's "40 Under 40" rising community and business leaders in Western New York. The County Legislature named him Erie County Citizen of the Month for November 2019.Master of ceremonies of East Aurora's annual Christmas Carolcade since 2005, for which he has made appearances in made-for-television Christmas movies, he also satirically portrays President Millard Fillmore and the "secret singing guest" at the Aurora Historical Society's annual political roast fundraiser. He and his husband Jason live in the Village of East Aurora.