November 2010

Several rooms are set up to reflect what life was like during the Revolutionary War and late 18th Century using original artifacts and reproductions. Other rooms reflect early 19th Century life, such as the upstairs bedchamber with its rope trundle bed, nightstand with candle, spectacles and bible, washstand, and young girl's cross-stitch sampler dated 1804. There also you will see some of our wonderful 19th Century quilts.

Other exhibits reflect the Huguenot settlement of New Rochelle such as the original 1689 deed to purchase 6,100 acres that became the city of New Rochelle, and a rare breech loading swivel-gun (a small cannon) used in defending the Huguenot city of La Rochelle during the 1628 siege in France.

Permanent and temporary displays feature artifacts and art reflecting our local history during the Civil War, the Black Experience, Women in History, the formation of services like police and fire, the People of the First Man—the Siwanoy Indians—and much more.

In order to accomplish this mission we preserve and encourage access to The History Center's unique collections; seek out the diverse needs and interests of our community; design learning experiences and provide services that respond to those needs; create opportunities for people to learn about themselves and their place in the world; and provide a neutral environment for public discussions that bring historical perspective to current issues.

After 10 years of progress in its State Street home, the organization catapulted itself into yet another phase of change: this time, to expand its awareness in the community and face head-on the financial strains caused by decreases in funding from state and federal sources. This led to the re-birth of the organization at The History Center in Tompkins County.

The society presents program on a wide variety of topics about New York's legal history that are CLE-accredited; it publishes a scholarly newsletter and is in the process of publishing several books; it has initiated a program to collect the oral history of former New York Court of Appeal Judges; it exhibits New York legal history in Court of Appeals Hall and the New York State Judicial Institute; and it has created a website that contains a rich and growing library of New York judicial history.

Founded in 1980, Historic Saranac Lake (HSL) is a nonprofit, historic preservation, membership organization offering professional knowledge and experience to the public in support of Historic Preservation, architectural and historical research and education. HSL is located in the Village of Saranac Lake, a year-round resort town, within New York State's 6 million-acre Adirondack Park.

The lake accomplishes its mission by sponsoring Historic Resource Surveys, nominating and listing over 170 resources to the National Register of Historic Places, partnering on and administering preservation projects such as the restorations at Union Depot and Bartók Cottage, and producing publications, articles, and curricula that highlight the lives and architecture unique to the region. Educational Events feature these sites and stories through the Summer Music Series, History Day, walking tours, and lectures, all offering a heritage tourism experience filled with outdoor, fresh-air history.

Archived materials include maps, early city records, photographs, newspapers, brochures, business records and personal papers which are stored at the Heritage Center. Some of the major collected objects include the original City of Bayfield switchboard operated by Helen Cease until dial telephones were installed in 1958, a horse drawn hearse from the late 19th century with both wheels and runners for snow, and a ten foot tall Theodore Ernst hand crafted case created for the local Oddfellow’s Hall banner which now displays Harriet Johnson’s 1937 hand made High School graduation quilt. In addition, visit the semi-permanent exhibit, the “Ray Cahill Barber Shop,” a favorite area gathering place reconstructed from Ray’s original cabinetry, fixtures and furniture.

Shreveport was the Confederate capital of Louisiana, a busy river port with an active cotton economy, the site of military industry, including ship and submarine construction, and the head of the Texas Trail. The capture of Shreveport would have allowed Union forces to enter Texas and crush the supplies moving from Texas, Mexico and western points to supply Confederate forces in the east. The Battle of Mansfield saw the defeat of Union forces under the command of General Nathaniel Banks by Confederate forces commanded by General Richard Taylor. It was the last major Confederate victory of the Civil War.

Today, the Mansfield Battlefield is under siege. The tranquil countryside and the historic site at Mansfield have suffered from years of neglect and, without a doubt, the state budgets have been inadequate to fund and preserve the historic past and the hallowed ground. The years of neglect are benign compared to the current assault on the battlefield—a power company’s lignite mining that gobbles up this battlefield with two dragline buckets scooping up soil equal to the volume of a three-bedroom home.

The Museum of East Alabama focuses on the diverse and intriguing history of the region from Indian times through the destructive period of the Civil War and ultimately to the area’s role in WWII. Some notable items in the collection are Opelika POW Camp artifacts, Indian artifacts, Roanoke Dolls, and Civil War Artifacts. The Museum features exhibits on local historic sites, such as the Covered Bridge and the Pepperell Mill Post Office, as well as on particular sets of artifacts, such as antique bottles, pine needle basketry, and bubble glass. This extensive collection allows visitors to learn about East Alabama’s monumental political history as well as the ways in which inhabitants lived their day to day lives.

In April of 1963 when Emily Rankin, the last surviving family member, passed away, the house and its contents became the Historic Cherry Hill Collection -- a completely intact assemblage of one family's material possessions spanning five generations and over three hundred years of American history.

The Queens County Farm Museum dates back to 1697; it occupies New York City's largest remaining tract of undisturbed farmland, and is the only working historical farm in the city. The farm encompasses a 47-acre parcel that is the longest continuously farmed site in New York State. The site includes historic farm buildings, a greenhouse complex, livestock, farm vehicles and implements, planting fields, an orchard, and an herb garden. The farm is owned by the New York City Department of Parks, operated by the Colonial Farmhouse Restoration Society of Bellerose, Inc. and is a member of the Historic House Trust of New York City.

The society is staffed and run by volunteers. They maintain an award-winning archive, publish a acclaimed newsletter, The Hastings Historian, run programs for the public, and manage all day-to-day operations. Together, they create an active and vibrant society.