CONTACT US
Kayla Sewell |
Event Coordination & Visitor Services | [email protected] | Phone: x 227
Karen Binder |
Bookkeeper & Administrative Services | [email protected] | Phone: x 225
Cindy Kjellander-Cantu | Design & Program Coordinator | [email protected] | Phone: x 223
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Executive Director Corner
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Dear Friends,
What are our rural heritage assets?
The History Center, in partnership with others, is exploring the idea of a county rural heritage tour. We have ideas related to Grange buildings, Barns and other agriculture related outbuildings, and rural schools and churches. We believe that such a tour would have regional interest and would be a way to celebrate Tompkins County's rural heritage. Please send your thoughts for themes to be addressed in such a tour and your suggestions for specific structures to consider (by e-mail to [email protected]).
The National Trust for Historic Preservation defines cultural heritage tourism as "traveling to experience the places and activities that authentically represent the stories and people of the past and present. It includes historic, cultural and natural resources."
Sincerely,
Rod Howe
Executive Director
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Bookstore Highlight
Girls Explore! Dolls - Harriet Tubman & Amelia Earhart
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Amelia Earhart landed where the Hangar Theatre is today.
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Harriet Tubman may have spoken at the AME Zion Church in Ithaca.
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We now have two new dolls for sale in our bookstore! Learn about each through play and accessories, including a book on the lives of both women.
Both have a connection to local history.
$24.00 (includes tax)
Mention this newsletter when purchasing a doll and get
20% off!
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Seeking Volunteers
Want to Help Us Make Ithaca Kitties?
The History Center seeks volunteers to sew and stuff Ithaca Kitties. If you would like to participate, please contact Rod Howe at [email protected] or call (607) 273-8284 x 222.
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Come Play With Us
Early Toys from the Collection
April 1 - August 20, 2016
Play is as natural to us as breathing. We begin playing with our first sight of a smiling face and wiggling fingers, and keep at it long after we are old enough to become parents and grandparents ourselves. Toys and games enhance our play, making it richer and more complex. This interactive exhibition features some of the many toys and games from The History Center's collections. Modern examples meant for hands-on exploration will accompany the artifacts to be featured. Photographs from the Sol Goldberg Collection will be on display as well, highlighting his whimsical portrayal of local people in their playful moments. This exhibition will examine the way play has changed - and stayed the same - over the years. It is a celebration of play and childhood, for the child in all of us.
Exploring Tompkins County
A Municipality Display Case
This display case is a collaborative effort between The History Center and the municipal historians of Tompkins County. Currently on display is a history of the Cargill Rock Salt Mine in Lansing.
Content loaned by Louise Bement, Town of Lansing Historian.
On Display
Our Community
A Photo Exhibit Space
The History Center's new photo exhibit space,
Our Community, celebrates the diversity of Tompkins County's people, past and present, at work and play, and in service to each other.
The newest display features a history of the Grange Movement in Tompkins County. Founded in the post-Civil War era, Granges were designed to promote the social and economic needs of farmers in the United States. At the high point of their development there were more than 20,000 granges throughout the country. Several
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The Enfield Valley Grange, 1926
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Tompkins County communities had granges, including Groton, Ithaca, Ulysses, Enfield, East Lansing, Lansingville, Dryden, and others. Our display features images of the Enfield Valley Grange and the East Lansing Grange.
Special thanks to Enfield Town Historian Sue Thompson for photographs and history of the Enfield Valley Grange.
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Juneteenth!
Saturday June 18, 2016 - 11:00 AM to 6:00 PM
(at Southside Community Center - 305 S. Plain St.)
This year's Juneteenth festival has something for everyone. As always, there will be food vendors and informational booths from local businesses and non-profit community organizations (including The History Center from 12:00pm to 4:00pm). There will be an array of outdoor and indoor activities, including a bounce castle, face painting, free workshops and more!
Historic Ithaca's Seventh Annual That Old House Tour: Trumansburg
Saturday June 18, 2016 - 12:00 PM to 4:00 PM (Trumansburg)
What: A self-guided walk/drive/bike tour of selected houses in the historic village of Trumansburg.
Admission: $15 General / $12 Friends of Historic Ithaca, seniors, and students / $10 per person for groups of four or more / Free for children under 12
Day-of Ticket Sales: 11:30 AM - 2:00 PM at the Trumansburg Conservatory of Fine Arts - 5 McLallen Street, Trumansburg
Buy Tickets in Advance: Online: www.historicithaca.org By phone: (607) 277-3450 In person at our Significant Elements Store - 212 Center St., Ithaca
Historic Ithaca's 50th Anniversary Celebration
Monday June 20, 2016 - 5:00 PM (at the State Theatre)
Historic Ithaca is holding their 50th anniversary celebration commemorating the founding of Historic Ithaca on Monday June 20th at the State Theatre at 5pm. There will be an official proclamation of Historic Ithaca Day and wine, some food, and cake along with some remarks by past board members (Kent Diebolt, Charlie Pomada, Margaret Hobbie and Carol Travis).
Sharing Our Stories for Social Change
Saturday June 25, 2016 - 2:00 PM to 4:30 PM (at The History Center)
Join us on Saturday June 25th for the second event in the series "Sharing Our Stories of Action for Social Justice and Transformation." This series, done in partnership and collaboration with the Dorothy Cotton Institute, will focus on sharing personal narratives and oral histories that highlight individual contributions towards social change across a broad range of issues and social movements. At this event, three panelists will share their work for change and address what they had to overcome and what sustained them. After the panel, all will be invited to meet in small groups to share their personal stories of work for social change. Panelists: Nancy Bereano, Martha Ferger, and Gabe Shapiro.
Generation to Generation Oral History Capacity Building Series
Please RSVP for all events associated with the Oral History Capacity Building Series by emailing [email protected] or calling (607) 273-8284 x 227.
Sharing Our Stories: Collecting the Oral Histories of LGBT Older Adults
Tuesday June 28, 2016 - 1:00 to 2:30 PM (at The History Center)
Lisa Holmes Director, Tompkins County Office for the Aging; Founder of Telling Our Stories: A Project of the Tompkins County Working Group on LGBT Aging
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First Friday Gallery Night
Friday July 1, 2016 - 5:00 to 8:00 PM (at The History Center)
Stop by The History Center to browse artifacts collected on-site at the Eight Square Schoolhouse, ask an archaeologist some questions, have a conversation with an Eight Square teacher and learn about the Eight Square Schoolhouse! At 6:30 PM, join us for presentations on
Digging into Carrie's Diary: A Summer Camp for Kids and Come Dig with Us!: An Inter-generational Archaeology Field School, both held at the Eight Square Schoolhouse during the summer.
Second Saturday Game Day!
Saturday July 9, 2016 - 12:00 to 4:00 PM (at The History Center)
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Important Notice: Closing Hours
Closed Saturday July 2, 2016.
The History Center will be closed on Saturday July 2, 2016 in honor of the Fourth of July. We apologize for any inconvenience this may cause. Have fun and stay safe!
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Welcome Cindy Kjellander-Cantu!
Design and Program Coordinator
Cynthia is originally from Texas and has been living in New York for over 18 years. With a background in Graphic Design, Photography and Digital Media Arts, she currently works in the Art Department at Tompkins Cortland Community College as an adjunct and Professional Tutor. She especially enjoys working with students involved in community based projects. Building off of the knowledge of design, her passion is to use digital technology channels and history as a way to unite and expose the cultural relationships that make up communities.
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Congratulations to
The Cayuga Heights History Project!
The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) announced that
The Cayuga Heights History Project is the recipient of an Award of Merit for
The Cayuga Heights History Project Website. The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 71st year, is the most prestigious recognition for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history. The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history. Additionally, Historic Ithaca presented
The Cayuga Heights History Project with an Award of Merit in May, 2016. Nominator Rod Howe noted that the project "has helped define the village and provided material that grounds residents in that place."
Learn more about The Cayuga Heights History Project by
clicking here.
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Eight Square Schoolhouse 2016 Summer Programs
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What's Hot on the Discovery Trail
Click the banner for more information.
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From the Collection
Paint Box
Born on November 17, 1872, in Buffalo, William Charles Baker believed that the appreciation of beauty was not instinctive, but something that could be taught. He was an enthusiastic artist and teacher who took great pleasure in introducing to others the beauty he saw in nature. He loved to paint the Finger Lakes countryside. "We live in a beautiful world," Baker once said, "and those who live in the Finger Lakes region dwell in one of the finest parts of this beautiful world." His paintings captured the area's seasonal changes and atmospheric qualities. They have been exhibited in Paris, New York, Philadelphia, and Buffalo, as well as Ithaca. Irene Castle, the well-known silent screen film star living in Ithaca, first recognized the outstanding talent inherent in Baker's work in the late 1910s. After she purchased a number of his paintings, other Ithacans became curious and felt compelled to buy their own. Some of his works include "Cayuga Lake Valley from Cayuga Heights: Winter" from the 1920s, "Creek in Cayuga Heights Area" from the 1930s, and "Apple Blossoms Near Spencer" from the 1950s. W.C. Baker purchased the paint box featured here during his 1904-05 trip to Paris. It was donated by his granddaughter, Ellen Wells. Baker died on February 20, 1958, at the age of 85. His paintings are still an inspiration to artists today.
Sources: DHS /THC accession files; Cornell University Faculty: Memorial Statements
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