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To lead and support the advancement of research, education, and enjoyment of Chenango County’s history and historically significant assets.

Membership

Why not keep in touch? Consider becoming a member of the Chenango County Historical Society. We will keep you informed of upcoming events and exhibits. You will also receive the quarterly newsletter of the Chenango County Historical Society as a benefit of membership.

To join, you must simply...
 - Download this PDF
 - Print the PDF
 - Fill out the form
 - Enclose payment for the level of membership you choose

and return to

Heritage Wall

Secure your family's place on the Chenango County Historical Society's Wall of Honor

...installed as a permanent addition to the Museum's most prominent public display area. Do not miss this exclusive opportunity to honor your family, ancestors, friends, or any individual, living or deceased, who has been, or is now a resident of Chenango County.

Thousands of annual visitors will witness your honoree's name, year of birth (and death if deceased), along with their occupation or lifetime accomplishment, as it is placed on Chenango's Heritage wall, located within the museum's premier presentation area.

Your participation in the significant historical recognition effort will enable the Historical Society to dramatically improve our current presentation methods and techniques in the future.

Through your generous donation of $100 for each name submitted for inclusion on Chenango's Heritage wall, you will help assure that part of Chenango County's history will be preserved for posterity and the benefit of future generations.

The Museum

The Chenango County Historical Society Museum is our local repository of the area's history. The building is the old Ward School No. 2, built in 1896. Experience the life and handicrafts of the county's early settlers. Click on the links above to see our exhibits of past and present industries from all corners of Chenango County. Check out the artifacts and the history of the early railroads and the Chenango Canal.

Enter via the beautiful stained glass doors from the Higley Mansion on North Broad Street.

The reception area has numerous display cases that have ever-changing individual hobbies and old collections. There are numerous paintings by Daniel & Louisa Wagner of Preston, New York City, NY, and Paris, France. From there, our tour continues to all of our outstanding collections. There is a real wealth of information on the county history and artifacts just waiting to be discovered here at the Chenango County Historical Society's Museum.

Museum Hours

January 1st - March 31st: Monday - Friday, 1-5pm
April 1st - December 31st: Monday - Friday, 1-5pm & Sunday 1-4pm

[The Museum is closed most holidays and may close due to severe weather - if in doubt, please call (607) 334-9227 to ensure that we are open.]

Unguided Tours — 9am–4pm, Monday - Friday
Guided Tours and Large Groups — By Appointment

Tour group operators and schools: Please call at least three weeks ahead of your intended visit date so that we may make your visit more memorable.

Additional hours for research or special requests may be arranged by appointment.

Directions

45 Rexford Street
Norwich, New York 13815

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Come see us soon!

Monday - Friday
10am - 4pm
(607) 334-9227
(Please call ahead for tours.)

The 1876 Start of a Chenango County Historical Society

A Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS) was started in 1876. The one that we belong to today was organized on February 17, 1938 (Drucker). However, an earlier attempt to form a CCHS was first reported on September 7, 1876, by anonymous authors in The Chenango Telegraph and the Chenango Union. Six progress reports were published in the ensuing weeks. The October 19 article appears as a letter to the editors written in the first person and signed as "K." Of all the names mentioned in the previous three articles, none begins with a "K". K. reveals that he has been a member of a historical society which has been active for over fifty years. Unfortunately, K. not only remains unnamed, he does not disclose the identity of his historical society.

The following quote by K. sounds like what I am preaching today. "They [the society] should collect without delay the statements of the 'oldest inhabitants' ..." Italics are K.'s. K. also advocates the preservation of furniture, utensils, relics, art, and animals.

The CCHS was formally organized on Tuesday September 26, 1876, and a committee was formed, as reported by Worman, the Secretary. H.H. Beecher was President, according to an article signed by him and Worman on January 6, 1877. On January 11, 1877, an anonymous article in the Chenango Union tells the difficulties getting adequate attendance for meetings. That was the last article I could find. What happened? Why did a good idea start but not materialize? Was lack of attendance the problem? Local history was a hot issue in the 1870s and 1880s. In fact, it was a big business then as large books were published for many counties in New York. Smith's History of Chenango County was published in 1880. However, I could not find any mention of a historical society in that book.

Whatever the cause, the 1876 start of the CCHS never got very far. Until more evidence is uncovered, we can only speculate why.

- Donald A. Windsor

Annual Holiday
Open House

December 11^th, 2011 - 12-4pm

Exhibit ended December 11^th at 4pm and will reopen next year. Thank you to everyone who came and made this a special event. See you next year!

Included:

*Exhibit Opening of “Business Districts of Chenango County – Now and Then"

*Preview of Upcoming “Locomotion in Chenango County” Exhibit

*Preview of Next Rotational Exhibit, “Electronics Throughout the 20th Century”

• Cookie Walk
• Gift Shop OPEN
• Tree Decorating Contest
• Refreshments
• Children's Craft-Making
• Potato Latke Tasting
• Christmas Tree Raffle - $5 per person
• And More!

Folk Art Exhibit

Our current rotational exhibit is all about Folk Art. The Folk Art Exhibit is the second installation of a two part project, the first being the Folk Art fair held on August 4th of 2012. Folk art is defined as functional art made by common people and often reflects the local culture of where it is made. Our exhibit features the work of local artists and craftspeople including Bill Babcock, Minnie Cleveland, and Susan Avery Young. Artifacts include quilts, embroidery, paintings, whittling and wood carvings, trade signs, dolls, and more. The Guilford Historical Society has also lent us their replica of the Guilford Angel that once adorned the Pillars in Guilford. The exhibit will be set up until the end of June, 2013.

Mormons
in
Chenango County

In July, 2013 we will be opening the next rotational exhibit: The History of the Mormons in Chenango County. The exhibit will cover the time that the mormon religious leader, Joseph Smith, spent in Afton, Chenango County. It will also cover Brigham Young's history in Sherburne. Topics will include early history, folklore, and the Mormon Church in its current incarnation. The Afton Museum will be lending interesting artifacts for the exhibit.

A Rare Look Into the Archives
By John Antonowicz

This year, 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Chenango County Historical Society opening its doors to the public. In the last article, it was discussed how the museum building was acquired, when certain large estates and collections were given, how the society received a parking lot, and who the assembly room was dedicated to. This second article will span from 1972 – 1981. By searching through old meeting minutes, old correspondences, and newspaper clippings, the Society’s history has once again emerged.

1981

A large collection of scrapbooks are given to the society. The scrapbooks will be used by future researchers to trace the history of Chenango County through newspaper clippings. A collection of photographs from Greene are given. The images show the former main streets in the town.

1980

An outhouse is donated for display next to the newly moved country school house and restored for the museum. The outhouse is placed out back by the schoolhouse. Neighbors complain and the agreement is made that the outhouse will not be used by any persons and that it is just for display. Camp Pharsalia paints the O & W Railroad room light blue and installs more flooring in the attic for collection storage while not on display. Large stain glass doors from the “Higley Mansion” on 99 North Broad Street that now houses the 4-H offices are installed in the front foyer of the museum. The stain glass doors replaced the clear glass doors from the days of the Ward school. The old school doors are placed in the attic storage. The outside trim of the museum is being painted white instead of dark green.

1979

After three years of work, the Ross Corners School from Preston, N.Y. is brought down on truck bed to the museum grounds. The cost of moving the school is $1600.00. The museum cellar is rewired for $2982.00 with new outlets and light sockets. New carpet is installed by Camp Pharsalia in the historians office lobby and the meeting room is painted. New wiring is done throughout the museum at a cost of $2,800.00. This new wiring will replace the old wiring, to prevent hazard to the collection in some areas. 43 Rexford Street is painted red with white trim for $1,543.00.

1978

The First Annual Folk Fest is held on museum grounds. Many vendors show how tools were made and used and set up displays on the new Berry Street lot. A door bell is installed on the front and Silver Street door entrances to hear visitors when they want to tour the museum. A new roof is placed on 43 Rexford Street. An American Bald Eagle Exhibit is on loan from the Smithsonian. The exhibit is set to travel the country, with a stop in Chenango County.

1977

On April 12, Ted Whitney repainted the flower boxes for the museum. On April 17, Smyrna Day is held at the museum and 400 people attend to see the history of Smyrna. The boat shed is completed by “Opportunities for Chenango”, at no cost to the museum and the “Lillie” docks in.

1976

The First Annual Antiques Show is held at the county fairgrounds. An empty lot on Berry Street behind the society’s apartments at 43 Rexford Street is bought for $1.00. A 48 foot boat shed is built to house the “Lillie”, a canal boat replica that was used in community bicentennial parades and community events. The boat house is constructed on the end of the newly paved parking lot. The uncovering of the Ross Corners school house in Preston is sponsored by the Norwich Kiwanis Club who donates $3000.00 for the project. The near future plan in to transport the empty school house to the museum grounds. The project is the Norwich Kiwanis Club’s bicentennial project. A lot is purchased on the North West tip of the parking lot for the school house to be placed on the museum grounds. August 29, 200 clocks are now on display in the museum. Red carpeting is given by the Columbus Church and installed in the first floor hall and one gallery room.

1975

“Manpower youngsters” plant seven maple trees along the parking lot, between the parking lot and 43 Rexford Street. Storm windows are installed on the second floor of the museum to keep the heat in the galleries. 43 Rexford Street is insulated to conserve heat in the apartments for $600.00. On June 4, a dairy exhibit is on display which the history of dairy farmers in the county. Sumner Bennington donates $1000.00 and Joanne Olivard donates $500.00 for the $2,400 needed to pave the parking lot, after the 41 Rexford Street home was razed by the society in 1971.

1974

43 Rexford Street is being renovated by volunteers; the building will stay in apartment form. Ted Whitney rents the second floor apartment of 43 Rexford Street for $75.00 per month and agrees to do maintenance at the museum. A book titled “North Guilford Pioneers” written by Ida Palen is given to the society with permission to reprint the book in the future.

1973

43 Rexford Street is purchased for $16,000.00. The home is currently two apartments. “Opportunities for Chenango” is refurbishing several exhibits, specifically creating exhibits in the cellar. A Wool Day is held, and one of the many objects on display is an 1826 covalent and a living sheep was shaved for wool. “Fashion through the Mirror of Time” is sponsored by the society. The show models textiles from 1778 – 1973 and 1300 people attend the event in 2 nights. On July 15 the 175th birthday party for Chenango County is held with the society being a sponsor. Glenn Cowles and Tracy Law installed the first alarm system for $750.00.

1972

Early dental equipment from Dr. Dunne’s, Windhelm’s, and Ulrich’s offices located in Norwich, is donated. The cellar of the museum building is being converted into offices and new restrooms. These offices will house the Chenango County Historian. The Norwich Shoe Company is renting the parking lot Monday – Friday for $50.00 per month. Employees can then walk from the museum parking lot where the former home once stood, to the State Street plant. The wool room fireplace is constructed by Ted Whitney to display antique hearth cooking techniques. Green Thumb builds shelves in the library for the ever- growing book collection that document to Chenango County’s past.

As we glance back at the Chenango County Historical Society, we understand how the museum grew so large. We can see how and why the collection increased and how the museum grounds spanned from more than just a corner lot of land, to many lots along Rexford Street, and a lot on Berry Street. Along with all of these major accomplishments, the society continued educating people and preserving objects that are important within Chenango County. The next article will include the subsequent 10 years of the Chenango County Historical Society.

This year, 2012 marks the 50th anniversary of the Chenango County Historical Society opening its doors to the public. Although known as a local corner fixture that most recall visiting in fourth grade, the society does much more than show artifacts. Behind museum doors, the Society holds the truths and greatness of Chenango County from the past. For the year of 2012, the society will publish monthly articles featuring A Rare Look Into the Archives. This first set of articles will span from 1958 – 1971. By searching through old meeting minutes and newspaper articles, the Society’s history emerged.

1971

41 Rexford Street, a former home, is bought for $1.00 and razed for the parking lot. Local troop Boy Scouts plant grass seed on the former house. The permanent projection screen is installed in the Assembly Room which is now available for meeting use. Cement is poured in the cellar. The new floor will allow for a whole extra level of exhibiting and office space. A Chenango Canal exhibit is to be built to explain how the canal influenced local businesses. An auction is to be held with objects donated by members to raise funds for the parking lot. A vacuum cleaner, 16 mm film projector, slide projector, and duplicating machine are needed by the society.

1970

A wooden shed is built onto the museum by Sumner Bennington. The shed is to be used as a work space. Part of a floor is installed in the attic for objects to be placed on while not on display. Wallboard is installed in the Indian Room to replace the cracking plaster walls. Seven storm windows are installed for $414.00.A new furnace is purchased for $1800.00. No smoking is declared for the safety of the collection.

1969

A large telephone collection is given by Chenango & Unadilla Telephone Company to help interpret how telephone calls used to be connected. Ted Whitney has designed a new Native American exhibit which is the largest exhibit yet and is very educational. The first floor kitchen is installed by Sumner Bennington. Hart’s Electrical installs two meeting room lights and an antique chandelier in the Victorian room. The Town and Country Garden Club donate plants and shrubbery with the help from Boy Scouts. On August 21 the Assembly room is named in honor of Albert & Goldie Phillips, for their years of service to the organization. The first coffee maker is purchased with six donated books of S & H Green Stamps, which will be used at upcoming meetings.

1968

On March 27 Ralph Spicer begins the roof fund by collecting money donated by local people. Dr. Barry Beyer, publishes a book on the Chenango Canal and all profits are donated to the roof fund. On June 11 a $3000 grant is given by the county for necessities that need fixing. Thanks to the city engineer, the hole in the front yard that was once covered up by a large rock has since been filled in. Broken glass windows were replaced by Mesko Glass. Giltner’s Paint and Wallpaper Co. donate paint for a train mural which will help give details on the story of Chenango County Railroads. The first Crafters Day is held with 51 vendors and 812 visitors. The day depicts how many common household chores were done in past eras. The first Railroad Day is held, and many old railroad objects from the collection are displayed.

1967

An exhibit on McDonough is now on display at the museum. Eighteen windows are repaired for $127.61. The outside trims on the building are painted by volunteers. The high parts of the building are done for $150.00. On August 14 Ralph Spicer, Society President, raises the new flag on the new flag pole in the front of the museum, with the Norwich Lancers Boys.

1966

Donations are now being accepted for a new heating system which will help preserve the collection and allow for meetings to be held in the winter. The Lyon Brook Bridge corner bridge stone is donated, dating from 1894.

1965

The Old Helen Hill Reed Tuttle estate from McDonough is offered to the society, the estate includes folk art paintings and a four poster curly maple tiger bed. Six new lights are to be put in the “Art Room” for better viewing light. “Annals of Norwich” Volume 2, a book on historic Norwich homes, is printed; profits from the book will go to the roof fund.

1964

To add some curb appeal to the front to the museum building, a new sign is placed on the front of the museum. The Norwich Kiwanis Club purchases the old David Maydole Hammer Company bell that once rung for workers around Norwich, after it was scrapped at a local junk dealer’s site. The bell is soon to be displayed at N. Y. S. E. & G. Co. An old Unguentine Machine is given by the Norwich Pharmacal Company. This machine shows the old ways of making Unguentine, one of the Pharmacal Company’s most famous products used for burns.

1963

Thousands of objects are given to the society with no record of who the objects are from and what the significance of the objects are. Donors are now asked to sign off on all donations given to the museum. Margaret Plumb gives items from the late Plumb home including a charcoal drawing of Isaac Plumb Jr. who died in the Civil War, paintings of the Sherburne area by Henry Grant Plumb, and hardware made by Isaac Plumb Sr. On October 14 a large 18 foot dugout canoe is donated after being found by David Walker while frog hunting at Deer Pond in Pharsalia.

1962

The old school takes four years to look presentable to the public. Since the Society was chartered in 1939, many members donated objects to board members. The objects which had been stored in board members’ barns and garages were brought to the old Rexford Street School. After four years since the building was acquired, the Society opens its doors on July 1st with many local people attending. New York State Senator, Janet Hill Gordon, the first woman Senator in New York State from Chenango County, is quite impressed with what the society has already done. The exhibits include the first floor hall and one old classroom and span from the Revolutionary War to the early 1900s. Programs that were once held in other locations like the court house and the library, are now held at the museum. One hundred and fifty people attend a program on the Chenango Canal.

1958

The society is interested in acquiring the old and empty Ward School #2 to house a future museum. The deal for a museum building almost falls through being voted on by the tax payers. If the school does not go to the Society, it will be sold with its sisters schools at auction. On March 10th the building is sold to the society for $1.00. The school is in poor condition and major renovations begin.

As we look back at the Chenango County Historical Society, we understand the endless amounts of effort that went into the society in order to accommodate and best serve the public. Although, the collection has increased in size, the value of educating people and preserving objects that are important within Chenango County has stayed the same. The next article will include the next 10 years of the Chenango County Historical Society’s history.

Brief Biography on John Antonowicz

John Antonowicz, author of the article series, “A Rare Look Into the Archives,” is our longest-serving youth volunteer at the Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS). With over 5 years of volunteer service to the museum, this 16 year-old junior at Norwich High School is dedicated to learning and preserving local history. Upon graduating from high school in 2013, John hopes to pursue a collegiate program in museum or curatorial studies. Look for more remarkable accomplishments from this young man in the near future!

- CCHS Staff

Historical Markers of Chenango County
Online Exhibit

With the help of Google's mapping technology, the Historical Society is excited to announce a new Online Exhibit that will be accessible only-through the internet. We have worked with local historians in mapping historical locations for you to them view online in a new and interactive way. On our "virtual map", we have plotted historical locations throughout the county so you can see where siginificant historical situations happened in relation to you.

The first Online Exhibit will feature Historical Markers of Chenango County, which are the blue signs with yellow or red trims that you may pass along the highway and roads, but never have the chance to read. Now you can! In our map, you will be able to navigate throughout the county and find any markers you were ever curious to see what they say.

Click here to view map

Supported browsers

Firefox 4+
Internet Explorer 8+
Safari 3+
Chrome 2+

Developer

Chris Bishop

Design

Mike Gray

How to Use the Online Mapper

2012 Maple Sunday

Hope to see you next year!

On March 11 we held our second annual Maple Sunday, our yearly event to highlight the history of Maple Syrup production and the current Maple producers active in Chenango County today. Reed Baker of Baker’s Maple helped us tap the Maple trees that line our parking lot utilizing different methods used throughout history. The event featured Maple Products for sale, Maple flavored candies, cookies, and cakes as well as Maple Syrup Sno-cones. Sandy Stacey of the Black Bear Winery also set up a booth giving tastings and selling his ‘Cracklin’ Maple’ cider, as well as maple infused dessert wines.

Our featured exhibit for the event was about the ‘Body Supported Portable Tree-Tapping Machine,’ patented by Louis Redenback from Oxford on September 4, 1951. The device was worn with a harness over the shoulders so that the farmer could carry it around in the Sugar Bush. They used the machine to tap 20 acres of maples trees for 1100 buckets of sap. The Redenback family kindly lent us the machine to display in the museum.

-Meghan Molloy

Maple Sugar House

Since September and October 2011, plans have been underway to build a functional maple sugar house on the museum grounds. Bruce Webster and Alan Estus submitted a proposal to Curtis Lumber to request that materials be donated for the project in addition to the lumber that will be re-used from the scaffolding from the Research Center building project. Curtis Lumber is generously providing a $2,700.00 credit on the Historical Society’s account to cover the cost of additional needed materials for constructing the structure. There are hopes that the maple sugar house featuring a functional “evaporator”, might be built in time for CCHS’s annual Maple Sunday to be held on March 11, 2012, but it will definitely be operational by the following Maple Sunday held in March 2013. In addition, the building will also feature displays on the history of maple sugar production and the process in Chenango County.

- Sarah Mahan

Lillie Building and Chenango Canal Exhibit

The re-developed Lillie Building Canal Exhibit opening is scheduled for August 4th, 2012, 11A.M. to 4 P.M. This project is proving to be a very exciting collaboration of multiple individuals, organizations, and local schools. We hope to see you in August at the Exhibit premier!

Since Summer, 2011, the Lillie Building & Chenango Canal Exhibit housed on museum grounds has been undergoing different stages of redevelopment. Bruce Webster and the volunteer crew reconstructed much of the interior/exterior of the Lillie Building structure, containing a 2/3 size replica of a canal packet boat. The building is now wheelchair accessible, and the ramp is designed to go inside the building and around the boat to the back of the building, allowing visitors to view the boat from all sides. Throughout Fall 2011 and Winter 2012, CCHS staff, volunteers, the Chenango County History Historian, representatives from Golden Artist Colors, Inc., the Chenango Canal Association, and local historians from Greene, Oxford, Norwich, and Sherburne, have been putting their heads together to create a plan for a visually stimulating and an informative Chenango Canal exhibit. In mid-January, Golden Artist Colors, Inc., Corporate Communications Specialist, Jodi O’Dell, and one of Golden’s Technical Support Personnel, Mike Townsend, visited CCHS and got to meet with Museum staff, historians, and volunteers about the project, and see the Lillie Building first-hand.

During this visit, CCHS staff explained that the goal of this exhibit re-development is to educate the public on why the Chenango Canal was so significant to the history of Chenango County, and what impact it had on the towns it went through, as well as how a canal was designed and how it functioned. Along with storyboards detailing this information and the packet boat replica, exhibit planners decided that murals depicting the canal as it traveled from Sherburne to Greene, hung on the interior walls of the exhibit space, would give visitors the entire Chenango Canal experience. Shortly after Jodi and Mike’s visit, CCHS was contacted by the company, and informed that Golden would be donating ALL of the paint, and technical support throughout the entire process.

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Lillie Building Fundraiser
To help support the Lillie Building and Exhibit renovations, the Museum Art Crew has created an illustrated gift card set, featuring a few of our museum's key attractions - Look for them soon in our Gift Shop!

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In order to help fund the remainder of the canal The next problem to solve was who would be working on murals. Who better to complete this portion of the project than Middle School or High School students from each of the towns the canal went through? Norwich City School District High School Art Teacher, Wayne Franklin, Oxford High School Art Teacher, Joni Eaton, and Greene Central School District Arts in Education Personnel, Sandra Utter were contacted about the project, and are currently working with CCHS to coordinate students from their schools to work on this project. Sherburne-Earlville Central School District has been invited as well to take part in this exciting project. This project is the first of many CCHS hopes to organize to allow the other local school districts in the county to participate, and share their creativity and desire to learn their local history about a montage of subjects.

The process that CCHS will be implementing to help complete the murals for this project will be as follows:

*CCHS will arrange for the historians to come into the art class in each town, respectively, and talk to students about the Chenango Canal and the role it played in their town, as well as show images for the canal for students to use in the composition design for their town’s 4x8’ mural. *Students will come up with one composition to represent the canal in their town. *CCHS will then schedule Golden Technical Support to come in and begin the mural painting process with each class. The murals will be painted on canvas and after the completion of each mural, Golden Technical Support will be mounting the canvas onto a frame, and applying a varnish to the mural surface. The mural would then be ready to hang in the Lillie Building.

During the revitalization process of this building, a couple of local, talented artists, Scott Eggleston and Brandon Cole, have volunteered their talent to help create a painted mural. The mural will feature 5 panels depicting the primary regions in the county where the canal ran, as well as a map of the Chenango Canal system, and a view upstream and downstream. The exhibit will also include story boards to tell the canal’s story. The museum is compiling a project proposal to seek material or monetary donations to assist with the total project cost.

- Sarah Mahan

Loomis Barn Project

PROJECT MISSION: To capture, preserve, and educate on the importance of agriculture in Chenango County from the Civil War Era through the 1950s.

In Fall of 2011, Dick Ridgway approached the Chenango County Historical Society, with wishes to donate to the museum a 40’x50’ barn currently located in Tyner, NY, and dating back to the 1860’s. Mr. Ridgway’s crew deconstructed the barn, following the creation of CAD drawings to document how the structure would be reconstructed. More interest in possibly accepting the barn as part of the museum campus began to accrue as the concept developed that this structure would allow for the proper display of farm, dairy, and other agricultural related artifacts dating from the mid-19th to mid-20th centuries. The Project Steering Committee feels that undertaking this project would allow for a pivotal point of collaboration between the Society and other community organizations and individuals.

The words, “P. A. Loomis 1867” can be seen on the interior of one of the barn walls (pictured left). This has lead the Chenango County Historian’s Office to believe, along with the time period in which the barn’s lumber was cut by the Willcox Family Saw Mill (pictured right), that the words were painted on by Perry Loomis, son of Warren Loomis, perhaps during the raising of the barn.

Agriculture in central New York from the Civil War Era to the 1950s is not greatly focused upon by other area historical groups or museums. The evolution of various forms of machinery and farming practices would be featured in rotational displays. Potential exhibits and displays include the following:

• Hayloader
• Poultry
• Dairy/Cheese Production
• Horse/Buggy Harness
• Building Construction

Many of the displays will be interactive, hands-on, or rely on mixed media to actually show visitors how a certain piece of equipment would have operated, for example. Displays will be designed with a focus on NYS Core Educational Standards. Tentatively, CCHS and the Project Steering Committee are planning on putting up the barn on the museum campus during 2013, as part of a long-term site development plan.

- Sarah Mahan

When Dick Ridgway purchased the 138-acre property in South Tyner, formerly known as “Loomis Farm” or “the old Ralph Sharpe place” in January of 2011, his plans included saving the carriage/horse barn in some fashion. His main plans were to restore/renovate the stone house, the dairy barn, and other smaller structures on the property.

Word of Ridgway’s intention made its way to the Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS) and he was asked if the structure might be donated for use as an Agricultural museum.

A dairyman himself for many years with an appreciation for history and its expression through architecture, it was an easy decision for Ridgway to give the building to CCHS. Consequently, the circa 1865 building, constructed under the ownership of Warren Loomis, was dismantled in a methodical manner to facilitate the anticipated reconstruction on the CCHS Norwich campus. Each piece of the 40’ by 50’ two-story structure was cataloged for reconstruction and stored in the dairy barn on the Ridgway (Loomis) farm.

- Dee Lambert

The NPCo Museum

L.F. Moore

Oscar G. Bell

The company was started in 1855 by the Rev. Lafayette F. Moore, a Baptist preacher, who went into business as "L.F. Moore, Pill Manufacturer," in a rented room on Mitchell Street. He formed a partnership with Oscar G. Bell in 1886 and with the increased business they moved to a building on East Main Street.

East Main Street Building

Later that year, Mr. Moore left the company. Then Mr. Bell and two other partners formed the Norwich Pharmacal Company, which was incorporated in 1890. The company improved an old formula for a surgical dressing and "Unguentine"grew to be the mainstay of the company for more than four decades. Around 1901, the company acquired, "Mixture Cholera Infantum" from a doctor who developed it.

This was for treatment of "diarrhea cholera," a serious threat to young children. Adults also found the formula provided a relief of indigestion and diarrhea. The company then renamed the formula Pepto-Bismol with its famous pink color. The company has continued to grow and entered the field of basic research along with manufacturing. It has developed and manufactured Furadantin, Macrodantin, and Norwich Aspirin to name a few.

Through the efforts of numerous individuals, The Norwich Pharmacal company Museum was envisioned and implemented. The Norwich Pharmacal Company Museum contains artifacts from the company's history from its beginning in 1885 to 1994.

View the beautiful paintings that feature dominant themes of early advertising, which was the means of generating advertising for many years. The photographs are arranged chronologically and feature the founder of the company, its presidents, employees, and major events which helped shape the company.

Display cases contain many products which were manufactured by the company over the years. Documents on display are stock certificates, price lists, and early advertising items. Laboratory instruments and glassware are on display, as well as factory equipment such as a tube filler, tablet counter and filling machine, and a revolving tablet coating pan.

Pioneer Room

Exhibit Update

The Pioneer Room has long been one of the favorite exhibits at the museum; espeecially amongst local school groups! We're currently giving this room an overhaul (thanks to our volunteers) with fresh paint, new exhibit panels, and new signage. The exhibit will still feature the same artifacts and history that have been so popular and will be expanded to cover even more historuy from the era. We expect to have this exhibit overhaul completed by June 2013.

Sleigh

U.S. Post Office

General Store

Ox Cart

Victorian Room

The Victorian Room contains numerous victorian era artifacts. Of note are the dolls and doll houses, period dresses, sofas, chairs, and stoves. The most outstanding piece is a poster bed of solid tiger maple reportedly slept in by Lafayette.

The dining area

The parlor area

The kitchen area

Utilitarian items

The living room

Solid tiger maple poster bed

Volunteer Opportunities

The museum is staffed largely with dedicated volunteers. We are in constant need of new people willing to donate a few hours a month and an individual’s duties as a volunteer can be designed to suit his or her interests. Possible duties include such tasks as guiding visitors through the museum, applying one’s artistic or creative talents to assist with exhibit re-designing, assisting with educational programs, or helping with filing of research at the Historian's research facility. The Chenango County Historical Society welcomes volunteers starting at age 14 to work together as part of our team. If you would like to help in any way, please call Alan Estus, Museum Director, at (607) 334-9227, or complete the electronic inquiry form below.

We look forward to you sharing your time, talent, and passion for preserving Chenango County’s rich history and heritage with the museum!

If you would prefer to fill out a volunteer application manually and mail/submit it in person click here.

Bull Thistle Gift Shop

When visiting our beautiful museum, stop by the Bull Thistle Gift Shop for items that are rich with the history of Chenango County. The best information describing the 2012 Chenango County Historical Society Journal is provided in Don Windsor’s Preface, which is reproduced below. For those interested in securing a copy please contact the CCHS at (607) 334-9227 or via e-mail at: giftshop@chenangohistorical.org. The price is $10.19 for non NY residents and $11.00 for sales to NY State residents, which includes the mandatory Sales Tax . Shipping and handling adds an additional $3.00 to these prices.

Preface

DONALD A. WINDSOR

Chenango County keeps losing its history. As memories fade and persons per¬ish, our local history goes with them. We have to do a better job of capturing our heritage, before it slips away. We have to harvest memories and preserve them in documents. We have to encourage more knowledgeable persons to write. But we also have to provide them a place in which they can publish their writings. This is why we started the Journal of the Chenango County Historical Society (JCCHS)—to provide a handy vehicle for documenting our local history. Our goal is to preserve historical knowledge by presenting it to the public in this Journal.

Too often, the persons who know the most about some aspect of history are reluctant, or even refuse, to write about it. Therefore, we applaud the authors whose writings appear in this issue. It takes a certain amount of courage to write for a public audience. There is always the possibility that a reader will know more than the author. To this possibility I say, Defy it! Those who think they know more should write about it. Those who know, but do not write, do not count. Information that does not appear in the public domain does not contribute anything to public history. Knowledge must flow from those who know to those who do not know.

We started working on the JCCHS back in 2010 but ran into several difficulties, which delayed our progress. As volunteers, we did not fully realize how time consuming producing a journal would be. All of us on the Editorial Board were already involved in other activities, so it took a while to squeeze work on the JCCHS into our overloaded schedules. However, we now think we have worked out how to do it and the next issue will be produced in must less time. And, of course, the death of Thomas W. Knapp was a severe loss, from which we have yet to recover.

Our greatest difficulty was getting authors to document their articles. Any facts, other than the author’s own experiences, should be substantiated by docu¬ments. Such a practice is routine to us on the Editorial Board, but seems to come as a surprise to many persons who have studied local history. But fear not. We try to make proper documentation as easy as possible and we encourage authors to work with us on this matter.

Some folks who are very knowledgeable are, quite frankly, not able to write for public consumption. We encourage them to team up with a writer. We can act as brokers to help connect them with eager writers, who would serve as coauthors. Anyone harboring any questions is encouraged to contact one of us on the Editorial Board and explore the many opportunities available.

So now sit back and enjoy the premier issue of the Journal of the Chenango County Historical Society.

For anyone interested in submitting an article(s) for future issues of the JCCHS please contact us at: editor@chenangohistorical.org

Below are select titles from our Museum's Gift Shop.
Stop in to see our entire selection.

(Click on the images for more info.)

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  Wish You Were Here
  The Hotels of Chenango Lake

  
  
  

  Christine Gibson Price$27.00

  This is the book or item synopsis for items within the store. Users should be able to get a good idea within a sentence or two of what the item is and what to expect when purchasing the item.

  
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  Remembering the New York Ontario
  & Western Railway Oswego to Sidney

  
  

  John Taibi Price$3.25

  This is the book or item synopsis for items within the store. Users should be able to get a good idea within a sentence or two of what the item is and what to expect when purchasing the item.

  
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  Souvenirs of Yesteryear:
  Exploring Chenango County, Volume 1

  
  

  Donald Windsor Price$27.00

  This is the book or item synopsis for items within the store. Users should be able to get a good idea within a sentence or two of what the item is and what to expect when purchasing the item.

  
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  Mr. C and Me

  
  

  Brooks

  Price$5.50

  This is the book or item synopsis for items within the store. Users should be able to get a good idea within a sentence or two of what the item is and what to expect when purchasing the item.

  
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  Images of America: Oxford

  
  

  Fred Lanfair

  Price$21.50

  This is the book or item synopsis for items within the store. Users should be able to get a good idea within a sentence or two of what the item is and what to expect when purchasing the item.

New Publication of the CCHS Publication Committee Now Available

For many years a book published in 1946 has been out of print. Thanks to a letter found in the basement safe of the CCHS Museum, we are able to now offer the first reprint of North Guilford Pioneers by Ida Palen. The reprint is identical to the original and also includes another forward, an appendix of rare photographs and an index. The color soft cover reprint is perfect bound.

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“ This little book is not a history, a biography, a genealogy, nor a social column, though it may seem, at times, a little bit of both. ”

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Travel with us back in time to the 1800’s to the border of Norwich and Guilford and learn of the New England settlers who lived in this early farming community as seen through the eyes of Josephine Thompson. Josephine died before the completion of the work and it was through her college friend Ida Palen that the book was completed and published. Read the story of the sea captain, Joseph Rhodes and others who developed one of our early farming communities. Travel with our early settlers who arrived in White Store and then moved onto the wilderness in the hills that later would be called North Guilford. Ida Palen wrote in her Forward, “This little book is not a history, a biography, a genealogy, nor a social column, though it may seem, at times, a little bit of both.” We hope that you find this timeless treasure a fascinating journey into the past of Chenango County.

- Tom Gray

Contact Us

Feel free to come see us Tuesday-Friday, 8am-4pm, or call us at (607) 334-9227, fax us at (607) 334-7809, or submit your inquiry electronically by using the form below.

Unguided Tours — 9am–4pm, Monday-Friday
Guided Tours and Large Groups — By Appointment

Meghan MolloyDirector/Curator
m.molloy@chenangohistorical.org

Sarah MahanEducator
s.mahan@chenangohistorical.org

James S. Flanagan
History Research Center

As of February 2013 the Chenango County Historical Society is happy to announce that the James S. Flanagan Reseach Center is now open to the public! The County Historian, Patricia Evans, and her ever-helpful assistant, Joan Leib, have moved their office into the first floor of the building. The first floor includes a sunny open area for researchers to work, a new reference desk, and expanded storage for the Historian's archives. The research Center is open from 9:00 am to 12:00 pm and 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm Monday through Friday. They can be reached by telephone at (607) 337-1845. For more information on services and fees check out the Historian's website:

Chenango County Historian's Website

The second floor of the James S. Flanagan Research Center is currently home to the Chenango County Historical Society's collection of over 500 paintings and prints, as well as, The Norwich Pharmacal Company Archives. We are currently looking to raise money to install an elevator to the second floor. This achievement will allow us to use the large main room there for meetings, programs, and other functions.

Resources include:

• Census Records
• Cemetery Records
• Will Directories
• Vital Statistics
• Town Histories
• DAR Records
• Family Files
• Company Records

Education

The Chenango County Historical Society is dedicated to educating visitors of all ages about the history of the county. The museum offers a variety of educational programs for school-aged and college groups that can be geared to the age levels of the students and the specific subject matter that teachers and instructors request. Hands-on workshops such as quill-pen and ink writing, 19th century portrait painting, toys and games of the 19th and 20th centuries, and many other topics are available upon request.

Museum exhibits feature a wide range of topics from a historical, artistic, and literary perspective, including the following pertaining to Chenango County starting with:

• 19th Century Early Settlers
• Victorian Era
• Evolution of Transportation in the County
• School Houses of Chenango County
• Industry and Agriculture of the County
• Effect of the Civil War on the Region
• Norwich Pharmacal Company
• Recent Rotational Exhibit, “A Flash from the Past” featuring photographers from throughout the county.

Upcoming exhibits will allow visitors a view into the business districts, “now and then”, locomotion, canal boats and the canal systems, ballroom dancing, and radios and electronics throughout Chenango County and will feature a more interactive and hands-on experience for all ages.

Please contact us to schedule your school or group visit or stop by the museum during our business hours. We look forward to your visit!