Join us for a casual social gathering with refreshments and a visit from Emily.
At Opendore, 2978 Route 34B, Sherwood.
TOPIC POSTPONED - Instead, Larry Bell will be discussing Slocum Howland and African Americans in Sherwood. Slocum was a Quaker store owner and abolitionist who used his connections to help freedom seekers on their way. Most went on to Canada, but since the Sherwood community was heavily Quaker, some felt safe enough to settle here. Store ledgers and other historic artifacts tell the story of those who stayed. Important sites will be located on the Cayuga County Underground Railroad Driving Tour.
Water Cures were not only a place to get well, but often where radical ideas about the rights of women, abolition, women’s dress reform and temperance were promoted. Learn about our regional water cure owners who contributed to some of the great social movements of the nineteenth century. Isabel and her mother visited the Elmira Water Cure when in need of restoration.
Jane Oakes has been involved with historic education for over forty years. She taught hands-on classes at the Genesee Country Village and Museum, BOCES: Gifted and Talented programs, and the William Mills Mansion in Mt. Morris, NY. She has also served as a consultant for regional museums in Western NY and advised on historic restoration of opera houses as well as re-enacting roles from the Revolutionary and pre-revolutionary periods.
The museum opens at 3pm on the day of the program. A Zoom link for the program will be available the week prior to the program by emailing hssmsherwood@gmail.com.
Make it a local history weekend and visit 4 Southern Cayuga County historical sites. This is a perfect time to check out the historical gems clustered in the southern part of the county. Each site will have a special exhibit with museum docents to walk you through the high points.
Howland Stone Store Museum & Opendore in Sherwood
Frontenac Historical Society and Museum in Union Springs
Genoa Historical Society in King Ferry
Patrick Tavern/Aurora Historical Society in Aurora
Make it a local history weekend and visit 4 Southern Cayuga County historical sites. This is a perfect time to check out the historical gems clustered in the southern part of the county. Each site will have a special exhibit with museum docents to walk you through the high points.
Howland Stone Store Museum & Opendore in Sherwood
Frontenac Historical Society and Museum in Union Springs
Genoa Historical Society in King Ferry
Patrick Tavern/Aurora Historical Society in Aurora
The folks from the Hazard Library in Poplar Ridge will host a fundraising concert featuring music by Perform4Purpose and Special Guests at Opendore. The Library is raising money to build their new library addition at Opendore! Join them for food trucks, raffle baskets, a silent auction, 50/50 raffle and bake sale. Suggested donation for the concert is $10. Rain date is 9/29/2024.
As historic preservationist and grant writer for the City of Auburn, Mike Long has been heavily involved in the creation of the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park from its beginning over 35 years ago. Mike will share the fascinating story of how it finally came into existence.
The original Underground Railroad Driving Tour was based on a 2005 book by Judith Wellman. “Uncovering the Freedom Trail” documented over 100 Underground Railroad sites in Cayuga County. Recently, the project was updated and integrated into a new mobile phone application. The driving tour is in two parts. Former Auburn Historian Mike Long will discuss the Auburn portion; and HSSM Historian Larry Bell will discuss the Cayuga County segment.
Mike Long has been known as a Preservation Advocate, previously served as Chair of the Community Preservation Committee, Inc. / Willard Memorial Chapel Project, the Chair of the City of Auburn’s Historic Resources Review Board and project manager for the Judy Wellman Underground Railroad Study, Auburn City Historian, and Speaker for the Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce “Leadership Cayuga” History Program over the last 35 years.
Professionally, Mike worked with City of Auburn / Cayuga County Planning Board for nearly 28 years in several positions last as the Director of Capital Projects and Grants and Auburn Interim City Manager, the City Administrator of Poughkeepsie, N.Y., the City Manager of Oneonta, N.Y. and most recently established a consulting business Finger Lakes Planning and Development. Long holds a Master of Public Administration from the Maxwell School of Citizenship and Public Affairs at Syracuse University as well as a Master of Landscape Architecture from S.U.N.Y - E.S.F. and was elected to the College of Fellows of the American Institute of Certified Planners FAICP and retired as a “Credentialed Manager of the International City / County Managers Association (ICMA-CM).
The museum opens at 1pm on the day of the program. A Zoom link for the program will be available the week prior to the program by emailing hssmsherwood@gmail.com.
Give a little thought to the back of your ballot before election day. Come to Opendore at 4pm on August 18 to gain understanding of Proposition 1, The New York Equal Rights Amendment. Presenter Mickie Belosi is a National Organization for Women member and advocate. This is an opportunity to question and consider your concerns regarding discrimination of any kind, and what safeguards may be warranted. As the Supreme Court increasingly looks for clarity in laws passed by legislative bodies, citizens of NY also need to carefully consider amendments to the state constitution.
The museum opens at 1pm on the day of the program. This program will be in-person only.
Twelve Shakers Irving NYSM
Local railroad historian Bruce Tracy will discuss the portion of the short-lived steam railroad that ran from Auburn to South Lansing in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. The railroad served many local communities including Mapleton, Merryfield (Scipio) and Venice providing both freight and passenger service. It is known that Emily Howland and Isabel Howland were passengers. The grade (roadbed) is still visible at many points along the route, and remnants of the stations and other structures still exist.
Mr. Tracy has many historic photos of the railroad and local structures that it served. In 1876, the UI&E bought part of the New York and Oswego Midland Railroad's Auburn Branch, extending from Freeville on the Utica, Ithaca and Elmira Railroad to Scipio, and was operated by the UI&E. It subsequently extended the line north from Scipio to Auburn. In 1883, it was leased by the Southern Central Railroad (a subsidiary of the Lehigh Valley Railroad), whose route it paralleled. On November 2, 1889, the line between Auburn and Dougal Road was bought at foreclosure by the Lehigh Valley subsidiary Auburn and Ithaca Railway, which built a line diverging from the IA&W at Genoa Junction (just west of Auburn) to Cayuga Junction on the Geneva and Sayre Railroad, another subsidiary. The rest of the line, however, was redundant to the Southern Central, and passed through sparsely settled and unprofitable country. It was abandoned in 1891.
The grade from a point south of Genoa Junction to South Lansing was re-used by the Ithaca-Auburn Short Line, which was itself abandoned in 1923. The small portion preserved by the Lehigh Valley was abandoned in 1971. The grade from Genoa Junction to Mapleton is now a power line right-of-way.
The museum is open for regular hours from 1-4pm that day. Come by early and visit the exhibits before the program.
Zoom link available from hssmsherwood@gmail.com the week before the program.
HSSM Historian & Exhibit Curator Larry Bell will speak about the forced exodus of the indigenous people, the Yankee settlers who followed, and the early African American experience.
The museum is open 1-4pm.
Gallery Talk at 4pm with viewing & refreshments following.
Prior to its formation in 1794, Scipio was a battleground for the American War of Independence. The “scorched earth” policy of the 1779 Sullivan-Clinton campaign forced the indigenous people —perceived as supporters of the British—to flee their homeland and take refuge in Canada. Later, hordes of Yankee settlers moved in, finding prosperous land sold by developers for a low price. Some brought enslaved persons, who later formed the basis of a free African American community that welcomed fugitives from Southern enslavement. The exhibit will present these three migrations side by side as formative influences on the birth of the town.
Sponsored by Auburn Public Theater SCR.
Artwork: detail of Ensenore on Owasco Lake, by an unknown artist, courtesy of the Cayuga Museum of History and Art
Final Discussion
Howland Stone Store Museum - Notice of 2024 Annual Membership Meeting
Sunday May 19, 2024 ; 7:00 PM Opendore and by virtual conference
All members are invited and encouraged to participate, either in person or virtually
For Zoom connection please email request to hssmsherwood@gmail.com
Agenda :
• Welcome & Opening Remarks – Guy Garnsey, President
• Roll Call – Larry Bell, Secretary
• Approval of 2023 Annual Meeting minutes (attached)
• Financial – Jackie Dickinson, Treasurer
o Review of 2023 and 2024 year to date
• Review of 2024 and upcoming activities – Guy Garnsey, President
• Discussion of Hazard Library addition at Opendore - Guy Garnsey
• Election of Trustees 2024
o Expiring terms -Guy Garnsey, Lorrie Butcher, Kirsten Gosch
o Nominations by nominating Committee for three year terms – Karen Speck
o Nominations from membership at large
o Vote (request for motion to approve all nominations)
• Open discussion by members
• Closing remarks – Guy Garnsey, President
• Adjourn
Program to follow : Claire Morehouse Introduces “Arabella”
Claire Morehouse will introduce her newest book, ”Arabella” bringing to life a doll that has been in her family since the early 1800s and likely witnessed the development of the women’s rights movement. The book is written for an early teen audience with hopes of bringing clarity to the history of the movement to them.
Books available by contacting Marilyn Post at madeline4394@gmail.com or 315-478-1800.
May 12, 2024 (Mother’s Day. 5pm)
Laurence Hauptman, Conspiracy of Interests: Iroquois Dispossession and the Rise of New York State, pp 1 - 220
Opendore will be open at 3pm on the day of the program.
……or so we hope
Find out how museums and other non-profits in the area plan for their long-term future viability and how you can be a part of that success.
Thomas M. Griffith, Interim President & CEO and VP of Development of the Central New York Community Foundation will speak about easy and beneficial ways individuals can incorporate charitable giving into their financial and estate plans. This includes accessible options for setting aside a portion of one’s assets, no matter the amount, for the benefit of Central New York charities to continue their impactful work. We will also share about ways anyone can leave a legacy behind for the benefit of both their families and the community through storytelling. This includes examples of community legacy stories and concepts that range from improving the family Thanksgiving table dialogue to writing your own story for future generations to learn from.
· HSSM is pleased to offer this workshop along with our non-profit partners in Southern Cayuga County.
· Free and open to all. Opendore will open at 3pm for museum visitors.
· Zoom link available from hssmsherwood@gmail.com the week before the program.
Opendore and the Cobblestone Store will open for the season with regular hours. Tours led by docents.
The museum will reopen for regular hours on Saturday, May 4, 2024. The museum will be open Saturday and Sunday 1-4pm. For visits at other days and times, call or email for information or to arrange tours with 5 days notice. Opendore is also open for visitors one hour before any scheduled programs.
Books available by contacting Marilyn Post at madeline4394@gmail.com or 315-478-1800.
April 28, 2024.
Alan Taylor, William Cooper’s Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic, pp 3 - 427
Opendore will be open at 3pm on the day of the program.
Volunteers are welcome to help with Spring Cleaning at Opendore. Supplies provided or bring your own for both indoor and outdoor sprucing.
THIS IS THE NEW DATE!
ZOOM Link available by email request at hssmsherwood@gmail.com
Join us for a lecture on Hodinöhsö:ni’ governance and the evolving roles of women through time in this comprehensive lecture program. We will explore the unique principles of consensus-building, matrilineal lineage, and collective decision-making within the Hodinöhsö:ni’ Confederacy, while delving into the pivotal roles of women as custodians of tradition, peacemaking, and community stewardship.
Zoom link available by email request prior to the program: hssmsherwood@gmail.com
Presenter: Kristin Asche - Onöndowa’ga (Seneca), Wolf Clan
Kristin Asche was raised in Buffalo, New York, with a family lineage from the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography with a minor in Museum Studies from Rochester Institute of Technology. She is one of the acting historic site assistants of Ganondagan State Historic Site and curatorial assistant of the Seneca Art & Culture Center, where she shares her knowledge of history and culture as a Hodinöhsö:ni’ woman.
This program is funded by a Humanities New York Reading and Discussion Grant.
Volunteers are welcome to help with Spring Cleaning at the Howland Stone Store. Supplies provided or bring your own for both indoor and outdoor sprucing.
Our collaborators at the Hazard Library will hold their annual meeting at Opendore. They will present their annual report and give an update on their exciting building project at Opendore. Tours of the museum also available.
EMAIL LINK AVAILABLE by emailing request to hssmsherwood@gmail.com
As one of the first universities founded on a commitment to educating “any person,” Cornell University attracted the attention of women’s rights leaders when it was founded at the base of Cayuga Lake in 1865. Susan B. Anthony, Matilda Joslyn Gage, Emily Howland, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton encouraged their family and friends to attend, and Isabel Howland would enroll in 1877. Sharing her Quaker values with Ezra Cornell, Howland became one of many pioneering early women graduates, and her Cornell experience would shape her career and friendships. Join us for this presentation about some of the radical women reformers of Upstate New York and the role of Cornell in their lives.
Corey Ryan Earle is a visiting lecturer at Cornell University, where he has taught over 4,500 students in a class on the history of Cornell since 2011. He serves as a Cornell history resource person for departments and organizations across campus while working in Alumni Affairs & Development. Passionate about the value of history and traditions in building community and sense of belonging, Corey previously served as board president of The History Center in Tompkins County. He received his B.S. in communication from Cornell University in 2007 and M.A. in higher education administration and leadership from Teachers College, Columbia University in 2017.
The program will begin at 4pm at Opendore, 2978 State Route 34B in Sherwood. The museum will open at 3pm for self-guiding tours. Refreshments will follow the program.
Books available by contacting Marilyn Post at madeline4394@gmail.com or 315-478-1800.
April 7, 2024.
The Divided Ground. Parts 3 & 4, pp 203 - 407
Why You Can’t… Chapters 17 & 18, pp 259 - 286
Opendore will open at 3pm on the day of the program.
Books available by contacting Marilyn Post at madeline4394@gmail.com or 315-478-1800.
March 10, 2024.
Alan Taylor, The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution, Parts 1 & 2, pp 3 - 202
Opendore will open at 3pm on the day of the program.
Books available by contacting Marilyn Post at madeline4394@gmail.com or 315-478-1800.
February 18, 2024.
Why You Can’t... Chapters 4-6, pp 57 - 100
Our Beloved Kin Parts 3 & 4, pp 203 - 346
Website: https://ourbelovedkin.com/awikhigan/index
Opendore will open at 3pm on the day of the program.
“Land, Liberty, and Loss: Echoes of the American Revolution” is our third annual Reading and Discussion Group. We will consider the history of the Haudenosaunee and other indigenous peoples during the period of our nation’s founding, and its relevance today. There will be six discussion sessions on the assigned reading, one field trip to the Ganondagan State Historic Site, and one educational program session led by an educator from the Ganondagan Site.
The mission of the Howland Stone Store Museum is to tell “the story of the Sherwood Equal Rights Historic District, a crucible for reform in the century following 1830.” Historically, the Sherwood community was strongly Quaker, thus ardent believers in equal rights for all, including Native Americans. The Howland family and other Sherwood residents were leaders in the abolition of slavery, the Underground Railroad, women’s suffrage, temperance, and education for all. The struggle for equal rights is an essential part of the mission of the Museum.
Native American and Colonial settlement history is still alive in this section of the State. Historical markers remind us that we are located on the historic lands of the Haudenosaunee. The Cayuga reservation was established just a mile or so to the west. The Clinton – Sullivan Campaign destroyed “Peachtown” where Aurora now stands. Present-day Cayuga, Seneca, Oneida, and Onondaga nations are close by, and arouse strong feelings among the non-indigenous population regarding issues of sovereignty, land claims, and reservation rights.
The program is designed to open a dialog on these issues, first educating members and friends of the Museum, then building relationships with local Native groups. Our goal is to understand the history of the conflict from differing perspectives, come to an appreciation of the “other,” and discover ways to address historic injustices.
We have planned six discussion sessions on the assigned reading, one field trip to the Ganondagan State Historic Site, and one educational program session led by an educator from the Ganondagan Site.
Books available at Opendore Friday, Jan 19 (9-4) and Saturday, Jan 20 (1-4) or by contacting Marilyn Post at madeline4394@gmail.com or 315-478-1800.
Opendore will open at 3pm on the days of the programs.
January 28, 2024.
Susan Sleeper-Smith, et al., Why You Can’t Teach United States History without American Indians. Chapters 1-3, pp 1 - 56
Lisa Brooks, Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War. Parts 1 & 2, pp 1 - 200
Website: https://ourbelovedkin.com/awikhigan/index
February 18, 2024.
Why You Can’t... Chapters 4-6, pp 57 - 100
Our Beloved Kin Parts 3 & 4, pp 203 - 346
Website: https://ourbelovedkin.com/awikhigan/index
March 10, 2024.
Alan Taylor, The Divided Ground: Indians, Settlers, and the Northern Borderland of the American Revolution, Parts 1 & 2, pp 3 - 202
March 23, 2024 at 2PM Hodinöhsö:ni Governance & Matriarchy
Join us for a lecture on Hodinöhsö:ni’ governance and the evolving roles of women through time in this comprehensive lecture program. We will explore the unique principles of consensus-building, matrilineal lineage, and collective decision-making within the Hodinöhsö:ni’ Confederacy, while delving into the pivotal roles of women as custodians of tradition, peacemaking, and community stewardship. Zoom link available by email request prior to the program: hssmsherwood@gmail.com
Presenter: Kristin Asche - Onöndowa’ga (Seneca), Wolf Clan
Kristin Asche was raised in Buffalo, New York, with a family lineage from the Cattaraugus Territory of the Seneca Nation of Indians. She has a Bachelor of Fine Arts degree in Photography with a minor in Museum Studies from Rochester Institute of Technology. She is one of the acting historic site assistants of Ganondagan State Historic Site and curatorial assistant of the Seneca Art & Culture Center, where she shares her knowledge of history and culture as a Hodinöhsö:ni’ woman.
April 7, 2024.
The Divided Ground. Parts 3 & 4, pp 203 - 407
Why You Can’t… Chapters 17 & 18, pp 259 - 286
April 28, 2024.
Alan Taylor, William Cooper’s Town: Power and Persuasion on the Frontier of the Early American Republic, pp 3 - 427
May 12, 2024 (Mother’s Day. 5pm)
Laurence Hauptman, Conspiracy of Interests: Iroquois Dispossession and the Rise of New York State, pp 1 - 220
June 2, 2024.
Closing Discussions and things we have had no time to discuss.
To be scheduled:
May – June: Guided tour of Ganondagan State Historic Site, including the Long House
Ganondagan program: “Life of the Seneca” or “Onondowa’ga: People of the Great Hill”
Books available by contacting Marilyn Post at madeline4394@gmail.com or 315-478-1800.
January 28, 2024.
Susan Sleeper-Smith, et al., Why You Can’t Teach United States History without American
Indians. Chapters 1-3, pp 1 – 56. Read chapters 1-2 online at:
https://flexpub.com/preview/why-you-can-t-teach-united-states-history-without-american-
indians
Lisa Brooks, Our Beloved Kin: A New History of King Philip’s War. Parts 1 & 2, pp 1 - 200
Website: https://ourbelovedkin.com/awikhigan/index
Read chapter 1 online at: www.amazon.com
Opendore will open at 3pm on the day of the program.
A broadside, held at the Library Company of Philadelphia, prompted an exploration into the activism of African American women on behalf of Black soldiers during the Civil War. On December 19, 1864, the ladies of the Sanitary Committee of the African Episcopal Church of St. Thomas held a Sanitary Fair at Concert Hall in Philadelphia to raise money for sick and wounded colored soldiers. This presentation explores the process of answering the many questions prompted by the broadside advertising the fair, illuminates the biographies of the participants, provides context for women’s fundraising activism during the Civil War, and argues that the ladies deliberately defied three levels of authority: the Union government, the US Sanitary Commission, and the Philadelphia transportation system, when they sent their donations to Louisa Jacobs, then running the Jacobs School in Alexandria, VA.
Susan Goodier, PhD, is currently a long-term fellow at the Massachusetts Historical Society in Boston, Massachusetts where she is engaged in researching and writing a biography, entitled, “Dignity in Freedom: The Life and Advocacy of Louisa Matilda Jacobs.”
Susan attended the University at Albany, earning a master’s degree in Gender History, a doctorate in Public Policy History with subfields in International Gender and Culture and Black Women’s Studies, and a Women’s Studies master’s degree focusing on Transnational Women’s History. She was elected as a fellow to the New York Academy of Scholars, and she currently serves as a Lecturer for the Organization of American Historians Distinguished Lecturer Series.
The University of Illinois published her first book, No Votes for Women: The New York State Anti-Suffrage Movement, in 2013. Her second book, coauthored with Karen Pastorello, is Women Will Vote: Winning Suffrage in New York State (Cornell University Press, 2017). Women Will Vote won an Award of Excellence from the American Association for State and Local History in 2018. She is also working on a monograph, “Networks of Activism: Black Women in the New York State Suffrage Movement.”
This event is free and open to the public. Opendore will open at 1pm before the program for viewing the museum exhibits and gallery.
Robert LoMascolo, proprietor of his own press in Aurora, and Lecturer at Wells College will speak on the history of letterpress printing, it’s relation to the museum’s collection, and its relevance to today. Robert will bring a small vintage printing press for a hands-on demonstration at the end of the talk.
Robert LoMascolo established The Press of Robert LoMascolo while studying Book Arts at Wells College in 2005. After graduating from Wells, Robert went on to complete a Masters Degree in Book Arts at The University of Alabama. After Alabama, Robert decided to return to the Finger Lakes and began collecting and restoring antique printing presses, eventually opening a purpose built antique print shop on Moonshine Road in Aurora. Robert has an international array of clients for his bookbinding, graphic design and printing work. His clients have included The Frick Collection, Princeton University, Suntup Editions and the Bodleian to name a few. Additionally, Robert teaches college level Book Arts courses at Wells College and occasionally offers workshops at his own shop.
Stop in and visit ALL FOUR of the following historical locations, have your passport stamped at each site, and get your name placed in the drawing for a door prize.
Genoa Historical Association and Rural Life Museum at 920 Route 34B, King Ferry
Howland Stone Store Museum & Opendore at 2956 and 2978 Route 34B in Sherwood
Aurora Historical Society and Patrick Tavern at 302 Main Street in the Village of Aurora
Frontenac Historical Society and Museum at 178 Cayuga Street in Union Springs
These four historic locations make a wonderful loop through southern Cayuga County. Start at any location. Bring the family. Docents at each site be there to regale you with tales from their site and to help hop through history!
Before the Civil War, Farmington, New York, rivaled Sherwood as a center of Quaker activism for equal rights. Come and hear the amazing story of how the 1816 Farmington Quaker Meetinghouse became a national center of movements for equal rights for African Americans, Haudenosaunee people, and women. Join us as we explore the equally amazing story of how local people in the 21st century rescued the 1816 Meetinghouse from demolition. Much like the restoration of Opendore, the restoration of this Meetinghouse brings to life the historic stories it represents, challenging all of us to consider the meaning of equal rights, justice, and respect for each other in our own time. Presented by 1816 Board members Dave Bruinx and Judith Wellman.
This program will be available on Zoom. Email event@howlandstonestoremuseum.org by noon on Sunday for the link.
Seating in the drawing room at Opendore will be first-come, first served. Overflow seating with a simulcast of the program is planned in the upstairs gallery.
