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Area Museum and Historical Society Schedules
Updated through June 2008. Museum events may now be posted to the
CLR Blog.
For descriptions by Donovan Shilling of visits to many of the museums below, click
here
ALLING COVERLET MUSEUM
121 William Street, Palmyra, New York
(315) 597 - 6737
1:00 - 4:00 Daily. June - Mid-September
No admission charge. Wheelchair accessible.
More than 300 19th-century woven coverlets, plus quilts, looms,
spinning wheels, and Sarah Bonesteele's sample rugs.
ALMOND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
THE HAGADORN HOUSE
7 Main Street, Almond, New York 14804
2:00 - 4:00 Fridays. Open other times by appointment.
Contact Lee Ryan, (607) 276 6760 or (607) 276-6781 (Friday afternoons 2-4 only)
Almond Historical Society, chartered in 1965 http://www.rootsweb.com/~nyahs/AlmondHS.html
Memberships: $8 Individual, $12 Couple, $15 Family (including children 18 and under),
$20 Business or Professional, $125 Life Membership/Single. $200 Life Membership/Couple.
A twelve-page newsletter featuring historical accounts and upcoming events of Almond,
settled in 1796, is published quarterly.
Donna B. Ryan, newsletter editor: lee_donna@frontiernet.net
The Federal-style Hagadorn House was built in the early 1830s by Jesse Angell,
a prosperous merchant, and was occupied by the Hagadorn family beginning in 1869.
The house displays period artifacts of the middle 1830s to the early 1900s.
One of the many features is the large cooking fireplace, boarded up for years
and discovered when the last Hagadorn family went exploring behind the wall.
Kenneth Wetherby Hagadorn bequeathed the house to the Almond Historical Society in 1971.
THE AMERICANA MANSE
WHITNEY-HALSEY MANSION
39 South Street, Belmont, New York 14813
(716) 268-5130
Admission: $4, Adult; $3, Senior; $2, Teen; $1, Child
May 1 - October 31 36th Anniversary Year
ANTIQUE WIRELESS ASSOCIATION ELECTRONIC COMMUNICATION MUSEUM
In the 1837 Academy Building
On the Square, Bloomfield, New York
(585) 657-6260 — Museum
(585) 657-4572 — Annex
www.antiquewireless.org
2:00 - 4:00 pm Saturdays, June - August
2:00 - 5:00 pm, May - October
Group tours: (716) 392-3088
No admission charged.
Historic wireless apparatus associated with Marconi, De Forest, Armstrong,
Edison, and other pioneers. Rare collections of telegraph, radio, amateur-broadcast,
and television equipment explained and demonstrated.
Membership brings The OTB (Old Timer Bulletin),
quarterly with news and articles on radio and TV.
BAKER - CEDERBERG MUSEUM AND ARCHIVES
of the viaHealth Archives Consortium
333 Humboldt Street (next to WROC Channel 8), Rochester, New York
(585) 922-1847; www.viahealth.org/archives
Hours: 9:00 - 4:00 Monday - Friday
Second Saturday of the Month: 10:00 to 3:00
Membership in Heritage Society brings semi-annual newsletter,
The Baker - Cederberg Notebook.
Associate member, $5 - $24 yearly.
Four permanent exhibits at the hospital
The Baker-Cederberg Museum and Archives along with The Genesee Hospital School of Nursing
Archives
collect, preserve and disseminate information about their respective institutions.
For speakers for your organization contact the office at 585.922.1847.
BAKER’S BRIDGE HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION OF ALFRED STATION
5971 Hamilton Hill Rd.
P.O. Box 13
Alfred Station, NY 14803
www.bakersbridge.org
Meeting Schedule: Third Monday, September – May, 7:30 pm;
meetings open to the general public
Dues: $15 annually
The collection focuses on the history, businesses and people of Alfred Station, NY.
BIG FLATS HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
258 Hibbard Road, Big Flats, New York
P. O. Box 232, Big Flats, NY 14814
(607) 562-7460
Open: 9:00 - Noon Tuesdays and by appointment.
During July and August from 1:00 to 3:00 on Sundays
Membership: $10.
CANAL SOCIETY OF NEW YORK STATE
http://www.canalsnys.org/
with links to canal societies in this country, Canada and Europe
Membership: $25 Individual; $35 Family (husband and wife and one child)
The Canal Society of New York State was founded October 31, 1956, in Buffalo, New York.
The Society is a forum for sharing information and ideas relevant to preserving the
history and traditions
of the canals as well as promoting ideas for continued revitalization and development of
the canals of New York State.
The Society sponsors visits to canal sites around the state.
Canal Society offers limitless opportunities for historians
By Richard Palmer
The Canal Society of New York State is an organization of both amateur and professional historians
who
share a common interest - the history of not only the Erie Canal and its branches, but that
of canals
throughout the world. In recent years the society, founded in 1956 in Buffalo, has sponsored
trips to visit canals
throughout Europe. The society, headed by President Thomas Grasso of Rochester, conducts
four meetings a year.
Two are field trips that include a detailed guidebook that becomes a handy reference. A winter
meeting is held as
a forum on canal history. Then there is the annual canal conference that focuses on current
events. Also, the society
publishes a biannual historical and technical journal called "Bottoming Out" that focuses
on a variety of subjects.
It also serves as a repository for canal documents and artifacts. The long term goal is to
have a historical center complex centered on the former Erie House, an old time canal store
in Port Byron. This will also include preservation of an Erie Canal lock which is seen by
thousands of travelers daily along the New York State Thruway. The society has long promoted
establishment of interpretative signs along the canal in cooperation with the Erie Canalway
Heritage Corridor and the New York State Canal Corporation. Members also participate in many
events throughout the year that foster canal preservation and positive publicity. New York
State abounds in canal history that dates back more than 200 years. The Western Inland Lock & Navigation
Co. canals at Little Falls and German Flats made the Mohawk River navigable. This same company
also had a mile-long canal at Rome connecting Wood Creek with the Mohawk River. This system
existed three decades prior to the Erie Canal. Besides the main Erie Canal, branches were
built to Oswego, Carthage, Olean, Dansville, Binghamton, Penn Yan and Whitehall; and a private
enterprise called the Delaware & Hudson Canal, between Kingston and Port Jervis. Over the
years, the Canal Society has sponsored field trips to various locations throughout the system.
This coming year, a section of the Canal Times will be devoted to Canal Society activities.
For further information go to www.canalsnys.org or call Michelle Biehlman, executive director,
at 315-730-4495. The society's winter meeting will be held March 1 at Monroe Community College,
Brighton Campus. More details are available on the website.
CHARLOTTE-GENESEE LIGHTHOUSE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
70 Lighthouse Street, Rochester, New York 14612
(585) 621-6179
http://www.frontiernet.net/~mikemay
Open: 1:00 - 5:00 Sat. & Sun. May throught October
Membership: $8 Seniors and Students; $15 Individual; $25 Family
The Charlotte-Genesee Lighthouse Historical Society is an all volunteer,
privately funded, non-profit organization.
The 40 feet-high stone tower was built in 1822.
The first floor of the keeper's house is now a museum with
major displays on the lighthouse, the port, and the old village of Charlotte.
The exhibit center displays early site history and archeological artifacts from the site.
CHEMUNG COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
CHEMUNG VALLEY HISTORY MUSEUM
415 East Water Street, Elmira, New York
(607) 734-4167; fax (607) 734-1565
http://www.chemungvalleymuseum.org
Email: cchs@chemungvalleymuseum.org
Office/Research: 9:00 - 5:00 Monday - Friday
Gallery: 10:00 - 5:00 Tues. - Sat.; 1:00 - 5:00 Sunday
Admission: $3 Adults; $2 Seniors; $1 Children.
Membership in the Society: $30 Individual; $40 Family;
$18 Senior Individual; $24 Senior Family brings free admisssion
to the museum and The Chemung Historical Journal (30 pages), a
quarterly (Sept. Dec. March, and June), and Banknotes
a bi-monthly newsletter with program announcements.
CHEMUNG VALLEY FARMERS MUSEUM
Robert Turner Fairgrounds, Grand Central Avenue, Horseheads, New York
(607) 722-6671 or (607) 734-4453
Displays of country life pre 1940
Hand-on demonstrations during special events.
COHOCTON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Main Street, Cohocton, New York
P. O. Box 177, Cohocton, NY 14826
Museum is open 9:00 - 1:00 on the first Saturday of each month.
The museum is not opened in the cold months.
The Society publishes 6 times a year the Cohocton Journal
which features stories from members on designated themes, articles
by the Town Historian, genealogy listings and pictures. Dues are $7 a person.
CORNING - PAINTED POST HISTORICAL SOCIETY
BENJAMIN PATTERSON INN
DeMONSTOY CABIN (1784)
BROWNTOWN SCHOOLHOUSE
59 West Pulteney Street, Corning New York
(607) 937-5281
10:00 - 4:00 Monday - Friday
Admission: $3.50, Adults; $1.50,Students; $10.00, Family
Museum is closed indefinitely until structural repairs are completed.
On the night of Tuesday, June 15, a major structural beam in the Long Room broke, bringing
the plank ceiling down with it. The failure was discovered early Wednesday morning. The c.
1830s Pennyslvania "barn frame" loom, built sturdily of square oak timbers, effectively
stopped the ceiling and connecting beam (which came loose from its mortise when its partner
failed) from crashing down. Everyone marveled at the good fortune that the loom was so placed—otherwise,
the damage could have been much greater. The loom sustained no significant damage. The artifacts
usually found in the original inn building (attic to basement) have been removed and are
stored. The office, now in the meeting room, is open for business as usual.
GLENN H. CURTISS MUSEUM
8419 Route 54, Hammondsport, New York
(607) 569-2160
www.glenncurtissmuseum.org
10:00 - 4:00 Thursday - Saturday; 12:00 - 5:00 Sunday
Admission: $6.00, Adults; $3.50, Students
Membership in the Curtiss Museum entitles free admission to museum exhibits,
and brings the Aerogram quarterly. $35 Individual; $50 Family.
"Dawn of Aviation Gallery" contains:June Bug II, full-scale
flying reproduction;
Silver Dart, full-scale reproduction;
Model E. Flying Boat, full-scale flying reproduction;
Other noteworthy exhibits: Curtiss JN4-D "Jenny", fully restored 80% original;
Curtiss Robin, 1927; Curtiss Oriole, 1919;
Curtiss Jr. CW-1, first Curtiss-Wright aircraft;
C46-Curtiss Commando
The C-46 is now positioned atop 3 concrete columns next to the entrance to the museum along
Route 54.
ELBERT HUBBARD ROYCROFT MUSEUM
363 Oakwood Avene, East Aurora, New York
P. O. Box 472 East Aurora, NY 14052
(716) 652 4735
1:00 - 4:00 Wednesday, Saturday & Sunday, June 1 - Oct. 15
Tours may be arranged by calling the above phone number.
A 1910 bungalow built by Roycroft craftsmen and filled with
Arts and Crafts Movement furnishings, and Elbert Hubbard items.
"The weaknesses of the many make the leader possible—and the man who
craves disciples and wants followers is always more or less of a charlatan.
The man of genuine worth and insight wants to be himself; and he
wants others to be themelves, also." —Elbert Hubbard
ERIE CANAL MUSEUM
318 Erie Boulevard East, in downtown Syracuse
(315) 471-0593
http://www.eriecanalmuseum.org
Museum hours: Open year-round, Tuesday - Saturday, 10am - 5pm;
Sunday, 10am - 3pm; Monday by appointment for guided group tours.
Free admission.
ERIN HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
Route 223 in the Village of Erin
(607) 739-0242
Open: Sundays, 2:00 to 4;00 During July and August, and by appointment
Artifacts of Country Life: 1800 - 1930
FINGER LAKES BOATING MUSEUM
Box 676, Penn Yan, NY 14527
Membership: $20, Individual; $25, Family
The Copper Nail quarterly brings information of exhibits and activities.
Finger Lakes Boating Museum Workshop, 733 East Lake Road
(On Route 54 south from Penn Yan, turn down
Sturdevant Road to the lake and then south a bit to 733.)
The FLBM has a growing collection of of over 40 Finger Lakes-built boats and
offers workshops in restoration and boat-building skills in the former Morehouse factory.
The Museum is seeking a permanent residence in the buildings of the Penn Yan Boat Company,
perhaps the last remaining manufacturing site of wooden boats.
THE FRIENDS OF GANONDAGAN
GANONDAGAN STATE HISTORIC SITE
1488 State Route 444 Victor, New York
www.ganondagan.org
Email: friends@frontiernet.net
Membership: $15 Individual; $30 Family
Brings quarterly newsletter, Si Wong Geh.
Visitor Center hours: 9:00 - 5:00 Tuesday - Sunday (mid-May to end of October)
Admission: $2 Adult; $1 Child.
Trails open 8:00 to sunset year-round. Free
GATES HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HINCHEY HOMESTEAD
634 Hinchey Road
Rochester, New York 14624
Phone: (585) 464-9740
The society operates the 1870's-era Hinchey Homestead that
was home to four generations of the pioneer Hinchey family. The last
Hinchey family member to occupy the house, Harmon Hinchey, died in 1998.
His son, Wolcott, sold the house to the Gates Historical Society in 2002.
The society deeded the house and acreage to the Town of Gates in 2004.
The Hinchey Homestead is the only site in the Town of Gates
listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Tours by appointment, $5 per person.
Office hours: Wednesdays, 12:00 noon to 3 p.m. at the homestead.
Membership: $7, Senior Citizen/Student Membership; $10, Individual Membership;
$15, Family Membership. The newsletter is published quarterly.
The society has released two books: Gates, published by Arcadia Publishers in
2005
and Frogleg George: The Legend No One Really Knew, self-published in 2006.
Both books are available at the society gift shop at the Hinchey Homestead.
Membership meetings are held on the third Monday of the month from
7 p.m. to 8:45 p.m. at the Gates Town Hall Annex, 1605 Buffalo Road, Gates, N.Y. 14624.
Each session includes a short business meeting followed by a speaker on a topic of
historical interest. Light refreshments following the presentation.
Guests are always welcome.
GENESEE COUNTRY VILLAGE & MUSEUM
HISTORIC VILLAGE
The Genesee Country Village contains 57 19th-century buildings restored to
original condition and furnished with period antiques.
Villagers in period dress interpret 1800s Genesee Country life for visitors.
GENESEE COUNTRY NATURE CENTER
The Genesee Country Nature Center offers five miles of hiking trails.
JOHN L. WEHLE GALLERY
The John L. Wehle Gallery of Sporting Art contains one of
the largest collections of wildlife art in North America.
Flint Hill Road, Mumford, New York
(716) 538-6822
www.gcv.org
10:00 - 4:00 Tuesday through Friday
10:00 - 5:00 Weekends and Holidays
10:00 - 5:00 Tuesday through Sunday, July 1 until Labor Day
Admission: $12.50, Adults; $9.50, Seniors; $7.00,
Children 4 - 16; Free, 3 and under.
Membership: $50,00; Individual; $75.00, Family
GENEVA HISTORICAL SOCIETY
PROUTY - CHEW HOUSE
543 South Main Street, Geneva, New York
(315) 789-5151; fax: (315) 789-0314
www.genevahistoricalsociety.com
Email: info@genevahistoricalsociety.com
Museum: 9:30 - 4:30 Tuesday - Friday; 1:30 - 4:30 Sat
Office: 9:00 - 5:00 Monday - Friday
Wednesday, April 23, 7:30 pm
"Native Americans in the Finger Lakes in the 17th and 18th Centuries."
Presented by Michael Galban from the Ganondagan State Historic Site
BALMANNO COTTAGE
583 South Main Street, Geneva, New York
Open: May - October: Saturdays 10 - 4; Sundays 1 - 5
ROSE HILL MANSION
1 mile south of US Routes 5 and 20 on NY Route 96A
(315) 789-3848
Open: Monday through Saturday, 10 am. - 4 pm. Sunday, 1 - 5 pm.
An 1839 Greek Revival Mansion overlooking Seneca Lake.
JOHN JOHNSTON FARM & MIKE WEAVER DRAIN TILE MUSEUM
Next to Rose Hill Mansion
Open: May - October: Saturdays 10 - 4; Sundays 1 - 5
THE GREECE HISTORICAL SOCIETY & MUSEUM
In the early 1970s a group of community-prided people formed the
Greece Historical Society with a dedicated goal: "To preserve the past for the future."
In 1989 a restored 1870s farm house was opened as the Greece Museum and in 1995 the
Newcomb Heritage Hall was added to feature exhibits of local history. Bridge the years by
stepping into our new museum wing and wander through our gallery of historical exhibits.
Take a look at the town's first fire wagon, imagine harvesting ice from a lakeside pond,
contemplate transportation before the automobile or study the Native American
encampment on Long Pond. Stroll through the 1870s house and
during the summer visit the many gardens in full bloom.
Admission is free; donations are appreciated.
Museum Hours: Sundays 2:00pm - 4:30pm
Group tours by appointment. Please call (585) 225-7221
Historian's Office Hours:
Mondays & Tuesdays 9:30am - 12:30am
Membership: $12, Individual; $20, Family; $10, Senior/Student,
brings bimonthly The Corinthian newsletter.
GREYTON H. TAYLOR WINE MUSEUM
8843 Greyton H. Taylor Memorial Drive, Hammondsport, NY 14840
(607) 868-4814
Open mid May through October:
9:00 - 5:00 Monday - Saturday; Noon - 5:00, Sunday
Museum displays antiquated winemaking equipment.
HOLLAND PURCHASE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
HOLLAND LAND OFFICE MUSEUM
131 West Main Street, Batavia, New York
(585) 343-4727
Fax: (585) 345-0023
www.hollandlandoffice.com
Email: infor@hollandlandoffice.com
10:00 - 4:00 Tuesday through Saturday
Landmark building erected in 1815.
Permanent Exhibits
—The Land Office Room
—Byron Dig: Includes 9-foot mastodon tusk
HONEOYE FALLS / MENDON HISTORICAL SOCIETY
P. O. Box 26, Honeoye Falls, New York 14472
Membership: $15, Individual; $5, Senior; $20, Family.
The Gristmill newsletter appears winter and summer
HORNBY HISTORICAL SOCIETY MUSEUM
County route 41 at Hornby Forks in former one-room schoolhouse.
Museum hours: 1:00 - 5:00 Sundays, July & August.
Society meets 3rd Tuesday from May through October.
Email: SJMooreHistorian@aol.com
HORSEHEADS HISTORICAL SOCIETY
P.O. Box 194 Horseheads, New York 14845
607-739-3938
Membership: $8, Senior; $10, Single; $15, Family; $20, Patron; $125, Life
HORSEHEADS HISTORICAL SOCIETY DEPOT MUSEUM
312 W. Broad Street
Museum hours: Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday from Noon to 3.
Contains many of Eugene Zimmerman's cartoons and illustrations
and local items. Exhibits changed monthly.
ZIM HOUSE
601 Pine Street
Open by appointment during winter months
The residence was designed by Eugene Zimmerman.
ZIM'S BANDSTAND
Teal Park, Main and Steuben
Concerts in the bandstand from July 1 to September 12
every Thursday evening from 7 - 9.
Eugene Zimmerman originated the band and had the bandstand built.
ROBERT GREEN INGERSOLL BIRTHPLACE MUSEUM
Museum open Noon - 5:00 Saturday and Sunday
Memorial Day through Hallowe'en
Admission: $1.00
Membership in the R.G.I. Memorial Committee brings annual Ingersoll Report.
Send $15 to Council for Secular Humanism/Ingersoll Committee, Box 664, Amherst, NY 14226-0664
The Ingersoll Chronology Project at www.funnygroup.org/Ingersoll
now lists 730 lectures and events in the life of the Great Agnostic with places and dates.
The time to be happy is now. The place to be happy is here.
The way to be happy is to make others happy. —Robert G. Ingersoll
TOWN OF JERUSALEM
JERUSALEM TOWN HALL
Branchport, New York
KANESTIO HISTORICAL SOCIETY
23 Main Street. Canisteo, New York
1:00 - 3:00 Wednesday through Saturday
Meetings: 3rd Tuesday of the month, 7:30 p.m.
Dues are $5 for an Individual; $8, Family
LIVINGSTON COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
30 Center Street, Geneseo, New York 14454
(585) 243-9147
2:00 - 5:00 Sundays, May - October;
2:00 - 5:00 Tuesdays, July & August
2:00 - 5:00 Thursdays, May & October
For group tours call (585) 243-2281
http://www.livingstoncountyhistoricalsociety.org
Membership: Individual, $10.
Saturday and Sunday, September 8 & 9
A Revolutionary War reenactment at Groveland will be taking place on
the original site of the 1779 Boyd-Parker ambush,
now known as the Ambuscade Park on David Gray Hill Rd. in Groveland.
The Continental Army lost this skirmish, and it was the westernmost battle of
the Sullivan Campaign. The Ambuscade site in Groveland, where this is being held,
has just been listed to the National Register of Historic Places in
recognition of it's importance in the Revolutionary War.
This represents years of work on the part of many local historians who lobbied for its inclusion.
This event is being done to celebrate this honor, as well as to reveal a little known fact
about
one of the participants,which has just been discovered. You can even meet a direct descendant
of
Mohawk leader Joseph Brant, as well as other Iroquois reenactors. In addition to what is
on the schedule,
there will also be an 18th century artillery/cannon demonstration each day.
Take Rt. 390 to the Mt. Morris/Rt. 408 exit. In case the event signs have disappeared, which
will lead you
directly to the site, go south on Rt. 63 from the exit, then turn immediately left onto the
East Groveland Rd.
Follow this through several bends into the hamlet of East Groveland, or Hunt's Corners.
Turn right (south) onto the Groveland Hill Rd., then turn left onto Rosebrugh Rd.
There is a sign there pointing to the the Ambuscade site. Keep going straight,
continuing onto David Gray Hill Rd., until you reach the park and parking area on the right.
It will take you about 10 minutes to get there from the Rt. 390 exit. There is no charge
for admission.
CENTER FOR MARK TWAIN STUDIES
Elmira College, 1 Park Place, Elmira 14901
(607) 735-1941
Email: twaincenter@elmira.edu
The Trouble Begins at Eight:Spring 2008 Lecture Series
Wednesday, May 7th, 2008, in the Barn at Quarry Farm, 8 pm.
How Mark Twain Changed His Very Own Mind
presented by Tom Quirk, Professor of English, University of Missouri-Columbia
One of the remarkable and often neglected facts about Mark Twain is that he had
the capacity to change his mind, even well into old age, when most of us nestle in
the Barcalounger of settled opinion. Many are of course familiar with his change of attitude
toward race (though we may have been misled about how that change occurred), but he also
changed
his mind on women's suffrage, trade unions, capital punishment, patriotism and the insanity
plea.
Tom Quirk will touch upon all of these subjects but will emphasize the last, partly because
the record
of that change is protracted and at times an obsessive concern for Twain. Dr. Quirk will
posit that
these changes were the byproduct of Mark Twain's thinking on human nature and that,
more than anything else, they were the result of careful and consistent reasoning, not some
sudden
revelation or conversion experiencd, still less of an impulse to conform to prevailing opinion.
Wednesday, May 14th, 2008, in the Barn at Quarry Farm, 8 pm.
Mark Twain: His Business (Mis)-Adventures
presented by Peter Krass, Independent Scholar
There have been many books on Mark Twain, but none have fully developed his rabid
entrepreneurial side and pursuit of great wealth in the spirit of the robber barons until
now.
Peter Krass will discuss what he discovered in writing Ignorance, Confidence, and Filthy
Rich Friends:
The Business Adventures of Mark Twain, which explores this oft-neglected side of Twain's
life.
The talk will illuminate his rollercoaster ride through America's Industrial Revolution and
Twain's
rich experiences, which were at times hilarious, exuberant, and painful, yet always instructive.
Wednesday, May 28th, 2008, in the Barn at Quarry Farm, 8 pm.
The Author-Cat: Bad Faith in Clemen's Life and Work
presented by Forrest Robinson, Professor of American Studies
University of California, Santa Cruz
After defining the key term, "bad faith," Forrest Robinson will illustrate
the operation of bad faith in Clemen's work (offerering examples from
Huckleberry Finn and The Tragedy of Pudd'nhead Wilson), and in his life
(illustrated by an example from Following the Equator), with special attention
to the vexed issue of race slavery. Dr. Robinson will explain the origin of
" The Author-Cat" and will also elaborate more broadly on the
significance of bad faith in our favorite humorist's career.
DIRECTIONS TO QUARRY FARM FOR LOCAL ATTENDEES: From Elmira College,
head east on Washington across the Clemens Center Parkway to Sullivan Street.
Turn right onto Sullivan, Turn left onto East Avenue. Turn left onto Crane Road.
Quarry Farm will be on your left. Please park on thew grassy area behind the Barn.
UNABLE TO ATTEND OUR LECTURE SERIES? WHY NOT LISTEN ONLINE?
Within a week of each lecture, go to http://www.elmira,edu/twain.
Click on The Center for Mark Twain Studies and then on The Trouble Begins at Eight.
Click on the link for the appropriate audio file. Live audio recordings of
lectures will be available (with individual speakers' permission).
Listing below of Fall 2007 lectures for online listening
Wednesday, September 19th, 2007, in the Barn at Quarry Farm, 8 pm.
Mark Twain's Annus Horribilis of 1908
presented by Laura Skandera Trombley; President, Pitzer College
Since the early days of Twain biography there have been great debates about
the nature of Samuel Clemens' final years. Scholars have speculated whether Clemens'
last decade was ruled by a growing misanthropy or if he retained his keen sense of humor
and
social commentary. The era of Mark Twain scholarship began when Clemens' last decade was
first examined in depth by Hamlin Hill in his Mark Twain: God's Fool (1973). Hill
created a
furor in Twain circles with his portrayal of Clemens as a misguided King Lear spewing
bitterness and alienating those close to him with the exception of the few sycophants
able to weather his storms. Hill's work was groundbreaking and Twain critics have
reacted to it, positively and negatively, ever since. Most recently Karen Lystra has
argued in Dangerous Intimacy (2004) that Hill erred in his characterization about
the bleakness of Clemens' last years and that this "myth" should be put to rest.
In Lystra's view, Clemens' optimism and wit remained intact until the end.
As interresting as these diametrically opposed and impassioned arguments have been,
what has misinformed them is that to date no one has ever determined what
actually happened during Clemens' annus horribilis of 1908-1909.
Wednesday, October 3, 2007, in the Barn at Quarry Farm, 8 pm.
Searching for Jim: Slavery in Sam Clemen's World
Terrell Dempsey, Independent Scholar
Searching For Jim is the ground-breaking, untold story of Mark Twain and
the world of slavery that produced him. Despite Twain's remarks to the contrary in
his autobiography, slavery was very much a part of his early life. Dempsey has
uncovered a wealth of newspaper accounts, legal documents, 19th-century abolitionist and
pro-slavery narratives, Clemens family papers, church and census records revealing
that Twain's life, from the ages of twelve to seventeen was intertwined with the
lives of the slaves around him in a world fraught with conflict with abolitionists.
Wednesday, October 10, 2007, in the Barn at Quarry Farm, 8 pm.
Mark Twain's Interviews: The Final Report
Gary F. Scharnhorst, Distinguished Professor of English, University of New
Mexico
Mark Twain's interviews, all dated between 1871 and 1910 and recently collected,
shed new light on his views on war and military imperialism, on race and racism,
and on his theories about humor. More specifically, in his interviews he was
outspoken in his opposition to the war in the Philippines and military aggression;
he expressed views on the subjectg of race consistent with those of a 19th-century
progressive; and he offered his fullest exposition of his theories of humor.
Light refreshments will precede this closing lecture. Doors open at 7:30.
Wednesday, November 28, 2007, in Hamilton Hall at 7 pm.
Mark Twain's 172nd Birthday Celebration
Escaping in Style: Gender Evasion in Adventures of Huckleberry Finn
Linda A. Morris, Professor Emerita of English, University of California,
Davis
This talk will explore the meaning of the multiple instances of cross-dressing in the
" evasion" episode that concludes Adventures of Hucklebery Finn. It will consider
the
racial and gender exchanges that emerge from the costumes the three main characters
assume in the ending, then broaden out to explore other key instances of cross
-dressing in his novel as well as elsewhere in Mark Twain's work.
Enjoy birthday cake and punch following the lecture.
Listing below of Spring 2007 lectures for online listening
Thursday, May 3rd, 2007, in the Barn at Quarry Farm, 8 pm. (PLEASE NOTE
THURSDAY)
"The War-Prayer" Revisited: A Text for Our Time
presented by Shelley Fisher Fishkin,
Professor of English and Director of American Studies, Stanford University.
"The War-Prayer," a satire by Mark Twain on a nation's invoking religion as
it goes
off to war, was written 102 years ago—but sadly it is as fresh as the morning paper
today.
First published in 1923, "The War-Prayer" remains among the least-well-known works
by
Twain as far as the general public is concerned. Indeed, educated individuals are
often startled and shocked when they are introduced to this piece,
dumbfounded as to why they never encountered it before.
This talk will revisit the historical moment in which "The War-Prayer" was written,
and will probe the significance of the ways in which Twain refined his text in his revisions
and corrections of the manuscript. It will explore the ways "The War-Prayer" lays
down the tracks
for so much anti-war writing produced by American authors in the century after Twain wrote
it.
And it will encourage the audience to ponder the question: how might American history
in the 20th and 21st centuries have been different if "The War-Prayer" had been
as familiar to every high-school student as Tom Sawyer?
Wednesday, May 16th, 2007, in the Barn at Quarry Farm,
8 pm.
Mark Twain and Spiritual Crisis
presented by Hal Bush, Associate Professor of English, Saint Louis University.
Dr. Bush will offer a brief summary of some of the material from his new book,
Mark Twain and the Spiritual Crisis of His Age. Twain's cultural achievement was
deeply
indebted to the forms of Christianity of that specific time and place in American history.
Much of
this debt was positive for Twain, so much so that he could occasionally wax eloquent about
Christianity
as "the most precious and elevating and ennobling boon ever vouchsafed to the world." Twain's
work is
also fairly shot through with evidence of the numerous religious controversies then confronting
the
American church, and Twain often commented on religion's negative dimensions. But it is the
positive dimensions that have been most ignored, and which deserve the majority of our attention.
The quasi-religious ethos of Twain's adult live—particularly in Hartford, Connecticut,
and
Elmira, New York—was marked by an intellectual, orthodox Chrisitanity,
much of it configured as responses to spiritual crises at work against it.
In addition, the talk will consider what constitutes "spiritual crisis,"
and will sketch the period during and after the Civil War as one marked by
considerable crisis for the Christian church. Much of Twain's best work can be situated
within the theological issues and disputes that characterized this era of spiritual upheaval
and dissent.
Copies of Dr. Bush's book will be available for purchase and signing.
Wednesday, May 30th, 2007, in the Barn at Quarry Farm, 8 pm
The Reverend Mark Twain: "This Career of Sparkling Holiness,
Usefulness, and Health-Giving Theological Travel"
presented by Joe Fulton, Associate Professor of English, Baylor University.
Mark Twain made a career out of what he called "health-giving theological travel."
From his 1867 masquerade as the "Reverend Mark Twain" to gain a berth on the Quaker
City
excursion to the Old World and the Holy Land to his many later trips abroad, Twain used travel
to
create the occasion for parody, burlesque, and theological dialogue. Twain embarked on the Quaker
City,
for example, to situate himself as an observer and parodist in that environment of devout
attention to the
geography of religion. Throughout the writer's career, travel served to bring him into contact
with faraway
places—and dieties—with strange sounding names. During his career, Twain's theological
travel took him
to the Joss houses of San Fransisco, to the Vatican, to the Holy Land, and to the Hindu temple
in Benares
where Twain visited with the Sri 108 Matparamahansaparivrajascharkyaswamibhaskaranandasaraswati,
the "living god." Twain gave him a copy of Adventures of Huckleberry Finn,
feeling that "if it didn't do
him any good it wouldn't do him any harm." These collisions of culture and theology
are riotously
funny even while fostering profound theological dialogue. While theological travel may, like
most travel, broaden one's views, Twain's comments typically derive from an orthodox
perspective. The privileged position Twain granted orthoxy, particularly when
burlesquing other forms of belief, remained a point of reference even while
" lightly excursioning along the primrose path of theology."
Copies of Dr. Fulton's books will be available for purchase and signing.
MIDDLESEX HERITAGE GROUP
Town Hall, Main Street, Middlesex, New York
P. O. Box 147, Middlesex, NY 14507
The Historical Society Museum in the Middlesex Town Hall is
open each Wednesday and Saturday from 9:00 until noon.
The Middlesex Heritage Group meets quarterly,the first Sunday of January,
April, July and October, at 2:00 p.m. in the Town Hall.
The Middlesex Heritage News carries reports, reminiscences, and announcements.
Four issues a year are sent the month before the quarterly meetings are held.
Dues are $7. Meetings are open to all interested persons.
The Heritage Group is raising money to pay for custom-made exact
replacement sash for the deteriorating windows in the Overacker Corners Schoolhouse.
To raise funds, prints on stretched canvas of a painting of Canandaigua Lake by
local resident and artist Florence Middlebrook are offered at $250.
The original and a print are on display at the Town Hall.
MIDDLETOWN HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF STEUBEN COUNTY
Comprising the present Towns of Cameron, Rathbone, Tuscarora and Woodhull
5775 Learn Road, Cameron Mills, New York
Membership: $15, Individual; $ 25,Family.
Membership brings the Middletown Mileposts newsletter.
Meetings are held at 7:00 p.m. on the second Wednesday of each month,
usually in Room 117 in the Addison High School.
The Society owns the authentically restored Northrup Hill School on Learn Road in
the Town of Rathbone, and the Williams School in the Town of Tuscarora
which it hopes to restore and move to a more visible site.
NAPLES HISTORICAL SOCIETY
P. O. Box 489, Naples, NY 14512
Dues: $8 Individual; $5 Senior Individual; $15 Family; $10 Senior Family.
Meetings, excursions, and potluck suppers are held several times a year
Members receive Historical Upbeat, the Society's newsletter before each scheduled
event.
NEW YORK MUSEUM OF TRANSPORTATION
6393 East River Road, Rush, New York
P. O. Box 136, West Henrietta, NY 14586
(716) 533-1113
http://www.nymtmuseum.org
11:00 - 5:00 Sundays, all year
Admission: $5 Adults; $4 Seniors; $2 Children 5 - 15.
Membership:$15 Individual; $25 Family.
Quarterly newsletter, Headend, brings news and pictures of museum activities
and progress on restoration projects, and railroad history stories.
Museum features antique rail and road vehicles, exhibits, gallery, 1908 country depot.
Delightful Donovan Shilling Period Scenes
Two of Don Shilling's "modules" are now on display in the museum.
Each is a 22" by 24" scene of the Victorian era complete with detailed buildings,
many
with furnished interiors: houses, barns, shops, commercial structures, a fruit stand, a lighthouse
all in HO scale (1 to 87) and all exquisitely conceived and hand constructed by Don himself.
Not only that, Don has a story for each scene with its human and animal characters.
His project started as a model train layout in the Shillings' basement and evolved
into a masterpiece of design, craftsmanship, representation and storytelling.
Don has generously presented his 16 modules to the museum.
ONTARIO COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
55 North Main Street, Canandaigua, New York
(585) 394-4975
http://www.ochs.org
Email: ochs@eznet.net
10.00 - 4:30 Tuesday through Saturday
10:00 - 9:00 p.m. Wednesday
Admission: $3
Membership, $30 individual; $50 family,
brings quarterly newsletter Chronicle and free admission.
Exhibits:
—Through the Camera's Eye, Portraits from the Stewart Photography Collection
—Style and Status: Dress in Early Ontario County, 1790 - 1820
OVID HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Box 373, Ovid, NY 14521
(607) 869-5222
Membership: Individual, $5, Family, $6
Society's Museum is at 7203 Main Street, Ovid, New York
10:00 - Noon, Thursdays: 10:00 - 1:00, Saturdays
PAINTED POST- ERWIN MUSEUM AT THE DEPOT
P.O. Box 516, Painted Post, NY 14870
(607) 962-0249
http://hometown.aol.com/ppemuseum/depot.html
Steuben and High Street, Painted Post, New York
The Depot Museum is part of the Corning - Painted Post Historical Society.
10:00 - 4:00, Monday - Friday; 10:00 - 2:00 Saturday; June - August
September - May, appointment only, call (607) 962-7751
Free Admission
The Museum has local history items in the fully restored station of
the Delaware, Lackawanna & Western Railroad
PENFIELD HERITAGE ASSOCIATION
For Membership information call: (716) 586-1187, (716) 377-2431, or (716) 248-3520
PHELPS COMMUNITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
66 Main Street, Phelps, New York 14532
548-4940
histsoc@fltg.net
10:00 - 4:00, Thursday and Friday
The Museum is located in the Howe House built by Dr. John Quincy Howe
in 1869 on the site of an earlier tavern and tinsmithing shop.
The house has an attached two-story privy (3 holes up and 3 down).
The Howe's had 7 children.
In 1899, son, Dr. William Howe added an office wing to the west side and
modernized the front porch He had 5 children.
Other families owned the house between 1985 and 1999 when
it was purchased anonymously and given to the historical society for a museum.
PRATTSBURGH COMMUNITY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Box 384, Prattsburgh, New York
(607) 522-4537
Memberships: Individual $5 Family $10; Business $25.
Newsletter brings announcements, reports, articles.
NARCISSA PRENTISS HOUSE
Mill Pond Road
1:00 - 4:00 Saturday & Sunday
Open throughout the summer.
PULTNEYVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
4130 Mill Street,
P. O. Box 92, Pultneyville, New York
(315) 589-9892
Open by chance or appointment.
Memberships: Individual $8; Family $10;
Sustaining $25; Patron $50. Monthly newsletter.
Meetings on the first Wednesday of March,
April, May, June, and October at 7:30 p.m.,
and dinner meetings in February and November at 6:30 p.m.
December social meeting at an announced time.
All meetings are open to the public at no charge.
Permanent Exhibits:
—The History of Pultneyville: The first 200 Years
—Inventions of Captain H. N. Throop
Working models and nautical pieces made by Captain Throop
in his quest to make lake travel faster and more efficient.
ROCHESTER AND GENESEE VALLEY RAILROAD
MUSEUM
Industry, New York
2 miles west of Exit 11 from I-390
(716) 533-1431 or (716) 427-7777 code 8011
http://www.rochnrhs.org
Membership in the Rochester Chapter of the National
Railway Historical Society, Inc.
brings the bimonthly journal, The National Railway Bulletin and
the chapter's monthly newsletter The Semaphore. Dues: $40 Individual; $52 Family.
The above two railroad museums are connected by a two-mile-long rail line,
and collaborate with programs and exhibits.
Track car rides, whenever weather permits,
take visitors to both museums for one admission price.
Admission to both museums is $6, Adult; $5, Senior;
$4, age 3 - 15; Free, children 2 and under.
ROCHESTER HISTORICAL SOCIETY
115 South Ave. Rochester, NY 14604
(585) 428-8470
http://www.rochesterhistory.org/
Open Tues. and Weds. From 10 to 3 and Th from 11 to 3
ROCHESTER MUSEUM & SCIENCE CENTER
657 East Avenue Rochester, NY 14607
(585) 271-4320
http://www.rmsc.org/
Open Monday–Saturday: 9am–5pm
Sunday: 11am–5pm
Admission: $7 Adults; $6 Seniors; $5, 3 - 18 years.
Long-range Exhibits:
—The Cabinet of Curiosities
— At The Western Door
— The Fairview Mastodon
— Face to Face: Encounter with Identity
— Certainly Science
— Being Seneca
RMSC CUMMING NATURE CENTER
Gulick Road between Honeoye and Naples
Wed. through Sunday: 9:00 - 5:00; trails 9:00 - 4:30.
Admissions: $4, Adults; $1.50, K-12
ROCKWELL MUSEUM OF WESTERN ART
111 Cedar Street, corner of Cedar Street and Dennison Parkway
(607) 937-5386
www.rockwellmuseum.org
9:00 - 5:00 Monday - Sunday
9:00 - 8:00 Mon - Sun, July - Labor Day
Admission: $6.50, Individual 18 - 59 years;
$5.50, 60+ and Student; $20 Family;
Free, 17 and under.
People, Places, and Ideas of the West.
On-going exhibits in five galleries: Cowboy, Indian, Horse, Buffalo, Wilderness, and
Remington and Russell pieces in the Remington and Russell Lodge.
SENECA MUSEUM OF WATERWAYS & INDUSTRY
89 Fall Street, Seneca Falls, New York
P. O. Box 388, Seneca Falls, NY 13148
(315) 568-1510
10:00 - 5:00 Tuesday - Saturday (year round)
!:00 - 5:00 Sundays (June 10 - Labor Day)
Admission is free. Donations are accepted.
Contains model of water-powered grist mill,
life-sized interior of canal boat cabin with objects,
full-size cross section of a 40 - 4 canal with view of canal boat,
dioramas, many pumps, foot-powered tools.
SCHUYLER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
GRAY BRICK TAVERN MUSEUM
108 North Catharine Street, Montour Falls, New York
P.O. Box 651, Montour Falls, NY 14865
(607) 535-9741
www.schuylerhistory.org
10:00 - 4:00 Tuesday - Friday
Noon - 4.00 Saturday, April to October
SOUTH WEDGE HISTORY CLUB, ROCHESTER
The South Wedge History Club no longer meets regularly.
South Wedge History Club Meeting 6:30 p.m.Monday Feb. 4, 2008
at the Highland Branch Library, 971 South Ave.
Mike Keene will give a free viewing of
Visions: True Stories of Spiritualism, Secret Societies and Murder,
This award-winning video documents the 19th-century stories of the Fox sisters,
the disappearance of Capt. William Morgan and the shocking murder of William Lyman.
The South Wedge History Club is free and open to the public.
For information about the video, contact 1-800 648-8909
STEUBEN COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY
MAGEE HOUSE
Cameron Street, Bath, New York
P. O. Box 349, Bath NY 14810
Memberships: $15 Individual; $20 Family
Newsletter Steuben Echoes carries announcements,
meeting minutes, and genealogy queries.
MaGill Room for Local and New York State History
(in the Magee House)
(607) 776-9930
10:00 - 3:00 Monday through Friday
Steuben County Historian's Office
(in the Magee House)
(607) 664-2199
Office open 9:00 - 4:00 Monday through Friday
Elm Cottage Museum
(in the Magee House)
10:00 - 3:00 Monday through Friday
Friday, March 7 at 4:00 pm. at the Dormann Library
" The Big Resorts and Hotels of Keuka Lake"
A Slide Show by Kirk House
Free and open to the public.
Saturday, March 8, Membership Meeting at 12:30 pm at the Curtiss Museum
Luncheon is $12.00. Program at 1:15 is free.
Craig Braack, Allegany County Historian presents program
" History of Transportation in Western New York"
STRONG MUSEUM
1 Manhattan Square, Rochester, New York 14607
(716) 263-2700
www.strongmuseum.org
10:00 - 5:00 Monday through Thursday & Saturday,
10:00 - 8:00 p.m Friday; 12:00 - 5:00 Sunday
Admission: $7 Adults; $6 Senior and Students with ID;
$5 Children 2 - 17; Free, Children under 2 and Members.
Current Exhibits:
—The Rochester Business Hall of Fame
—Can You Tell Me How to Get to Sesame Street
—Kid to Kid —Making Things Happen
—Making Radio Waves —What's Hot in History?
— One History Place —TimeLab
—Atrium / Diner / Carousel / Louie's Sweet Shoppe
—National Toy Hall of Fame —Lady Liberty
SUSAN B. ANTHONY HOUSE
Monday, January 28, 2008, Noon
Presentation on life and work of architect Louise Blanchard Bethune by Kelly Hayes McAlonie,
incoming president of the Western New York chapter of AIA, and Bethune scholar.
Louise Blanchard Bethune of Buffalo was a contemporary of Susan B. Anthony.
In addition to being the first woman member of AIA, and designing the landmark
French Renaissance-style Hotel Lafayette in downtown Buffalo, she broke new ground
for professional women in many ways that we will hear about on January 28.
Note that an optional, complementary tour of the Susan B. Anthony House will be provided
for all who attend.
Don't miss this opportunity for a look at the ongoing professional restoration of Miss Anthony's
home and
base of operations - in the midst of Rochester's National Register historic district.
GREYTON H. TAYLOR WINE MUSEUM
8843 Greyton H. Taylor Memorial Drive, Hammondsport, NY 14840
(607) 868-4814
Open mid May through October:
9:00 - 5:00 Monday - Saturday; Noon - 5:00, Sunday
Museum displays antiquated winemaking equipment.
VALENTOWN MUSEUM
7370 Valentown Square, off Route 96, across from Eastview Mall in Victor, NY
Mail address: P.O. Box 470, Victor, NY
(585) 924-4170
www.valentown.org
Open through October: 1:00 - 4:00 Tuesday, Thursday, Saturday and Sunday
Admission: $4.00, Adults; $3.50, Seniors and Children 3 - 12; Free, under 3
Levi Valentine built Valentown in 1879 as a shopping plaza and community center next
to land where a railroad was supposed to arrive. Unfortunately, the company that was
building the railroad ran out of funds and tracks before they could reach Valentown.
In 1940, J. Sheldon Fisher purchased Valentown, then turned it into a museum
and eventually united Valentown Museum with the Victor Historical Society.
Victor Historical Society
Membership: $20 Individual; $18 Senior; $30 Family
Brings quarterly Valentown Post and 50¢ discount on admissions and prices.
Valentown Museum is newly reopened and contains numerous objects that reflect the
history of the region:
Artifacts and documents pertaining to the founding of western New York by the Phelps and
Gorham Land Purchase of 1788; numerous items from the interior of the original 1840 Auburn
and Rochester Railroad Station in Fishers; artifacts from the local 1829 home and mill site
of the famous Mormon, Brigham Young; millinery and haberdashery shop with large display of
hats and hat forms; early musical instruments and sheet music; early pioneer hand tools and
implements; Civil War artifacts from area soldiers; an original operating country store;
a cobbler shop; a blacksmith shop; the important Locke insulator story, and a static electricity
and science show.
WAYLAND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
Corner of South Main and Washington Streets
P. O. Box 494, Wayland, New York 14572
2:00 - 4:00, Sunday; 10:00 - Noon, Monday
Memberships: $10 Individual; $20 Family.
Newsletter, Wayland Area Heritage
carries meeting announcements
stories, reports, and pictures.
YATES COUNTY GENEALOGICAL AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY
(315) 536-7318
www.yatespast.org
Email: ycghs@yatespast.org
9:00 - 4:00, Tuesday through Friday
Saturdays by appointment
Memberships: $20 Individual; $40 Family;
Monthly newsletter, Yates Past, contains
historical articles, and genealogy notes and announcements.
OLIVER HOUSE MUSEUM
200 Main Street, Penn Yan, New York
A Nineteenth Century House Museum of the Oliver Family
L. CAROLINE UNDERWOOD MUSEUM
107 Chapel Street adjoining the Oliver House,
houses the Catharine Spencer Research Center,
collections of L. Caroline Underwood, Changing Exhibits
and the offices of the Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society.
Town of York Historical Society
Telephone, 585-243-2027
http://www.yorkhistorical.org
Email: yorkhistorical@frontierner.net
Annual Dues: Individual $10, Family $20, Student $2.
Please send payment to: Town of York Historical Society,
Pat MacIntyre, Treasurer, PO Box 464, York, NY 14592
The Warren House
2431 Dow Road, Piffard, NY 14533
Open Sundays 1- 4 PM
For its new home the York Historical Society has just purchased from
the estate of the late William R. Orwen the 1830’s Samuel Warren home.
Samuel Warren, was the first commercial winemaker of Livingston County
(and possibly first as well in the entire Finger Lakes region) and the one who
first discovered in 1835 the salt that lies below the surface of the Town of York.
Documents establish that Samuel Warren planted a large vineyard on his farm in the late
1820’s and that his wine production reached three thousand four hundred gallons in
1853.
After Samuel’s death in 1863 his sons continued the operation of York Wines as well
as mills and a tile works until 1882, when the D L & W Railroad was granted a
right-of-way that destroyed these early industries.
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