Schenectady County Historical Society

Cider-Making at Mabee Farm
2023-10-14 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
It’s the tastiest season of them all at the Mabee Farm! This year, we have a bumper crop of apples and a newly refurbished, 19th century cider press to play with. Guests will help us pick the remainder of our apples, and press them into cider. We’ll discuss how this famous fruit was an indispensable resource for the Mabees. Of course, everyone who helps with the work gets to taste the results!
$10 per attendee over 5. Note: this is NOT a pick-your-own apples event!

Archives Day at SCHS
2023-10-14 13:00 - 15:00
Join us in celebrating National Archives Month! Marietta Carr, our archivist and librarian, will give a special presentation on preserving historic papers and photographs using examples from our collections and a behind-the-scenes tour of the Grems-Doolittle Library. Come learn techniques that you can apply to preserving photos, letters, diaries, and other cherished family documents!
This event is free for SCHS members, otherwise $8.

Candlelight Tour | Oct 14 6pm Colonial
2023-10-14 18:00 - 19:00
** All ticket sales are final. No refunds or switching dates, times, or tours **
Join us for spooky tales of Schenectady’s haunting past. We’ll explore the historic Stockade after dark, and discover the neighborhood’s most blood-curdling ghost stories. Guided by expert storytellers, immerse yourself in the spirit realm and prepare to confront the haunted past of this nearly 400-year-old neighborhood. On our “Ghostly Victorian tour”, elegant homes transform into haunted dwellings. Listen to ghostly tales as you venture past flickering stoops and encounter lingering spirits. Or, brave the “Colonial Hauntings” tour, traversing ancient streets where mist swirls around colonial-era houses. Uncover dark secrets and encounter restless spirits under the moonlit sky. Reserve your place now, and unlock the haunted history of the Stockade…
Tickets are $15 and you can choose either the “Colonial Hauntings” or “Ghostly Victorian” tour. The two tours feature different stories, and venture through different parts of the neighborhood. We recommend you bring a flashlight. Each tour lasts 60-90 minutes – both tours cannot be done on the same night.
Please park on the street. Parking is not allowed in the YWCA parking lot. Candlelight Tours are co-sponsored by the Schenectady Heritage Foundation. The tour meets at 32 Washington Avenue, Schenectady.

Available Dates:
Colonial Hauntings tours at 6pm and 7pm; Ghostly Victorian tours at 6:30pm and 7:30pm

Thurs Oct 12 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Fri Oct 13 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Sat Oct 14 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Thurs Oct 19 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Fri Oct 20 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Sat Oct 21 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Thurs Oct 26 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Fri Oct 27 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Sat Oct 28 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm

Candlelight Tour | Oct 14 6:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-14 18:30 - 19:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 14 7pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-14 19:00 - 20:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 14 7:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-14 19:30 - 20:30
** All ticket sales are final. No refunds or switching dates, times, or tours **
Join us for spooky tales of Schenectady’s haunting past! We’ll explore the historic Stockade after dark, and discover the neighborhood’s most blood-curdling ghost stories. Tickets are $15 and you can choose either the “Colonial Hauntings” or “Ghostly Victorian” tour. The two tours feature different stories, and venture through different parts of the neighborhood. We recommend you bring a flashlight. Each tour lasts 60-90 minutes – both tours cannot be done on the same night.
Please park on the street. Parking is not allowed in the YWCA parking lot. Candlelight Tours are co-sponsored by the Schenectady Heritage Foundation. The tour meets at 32 Washington Avenue, Schenectady.

Available Dates:
Colonial Hauntings tours at 6pm and 7pm; Ghostly Victorian tours at 6:30pm and 7:30pm

Thurs Oct 12 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Fri Oct 13 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Sat Oct 14 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Thurs Oct 19 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Fri Oct 20 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Sat Oct 21 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Thurs Oct 26 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Fri Oct 27 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm
Sat Oct 28 – 4 tours @ 6pm, 6:30pm, 7pm and 7:30pm

Candlelight Tour | Oct 19 6pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-19 18:00 - 19:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 19 6:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-19 18:30 - 20:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 19 7pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-19 19:00 - 20:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 19 7:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-19 19:30 - 20:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 20 6pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-20 18:00 - 19:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 20 6:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-20 18:30 - 19:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 20 7pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-20 19:00 - 20:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 20 7:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-20 19:30 - 20:30

Book Talk with David Bushman: "Forget It, Jake, It's Schenectady: The True Story of The Place Beyond the Pines"
2023-10-21 16:00 - 17:00
Author David Bushman will be joined by Schenectady Police Chief, Eric Clifford, to discuss his new book, Forget It, Jake, It’s Schenectady: The True Story of The Place Beyond the Pines. His work explores the scandal that rocked the Schenectady police department in 1999-2000, resulting in the imprisonment of four officers, the suicide of a fifth, and the resignation under extreme pressure by Chief Greg Kacamarek, who a short time later himself did time for possession of cocaine. The Schenectady scandal very loosely formed the basis for the 2012 film The Place Beyond the Pines, starring Bradley Cooper, Eva Mendes, and Ryan Gosling, and the foreword to the book was contributed by Ben Coccio, who grew up in Schenectady and coauthored the movie.
Bushman is also the author of Murder at Teal’s Pond: Hazel Drew and the Mystery That Inspired Twin Peaks, and it was while researching that book that he first encountered Kaczmarek–as his Lyft driver. Bushman, a former television curator for The Paley Center for Media, program director for TV Land, and TV editor at Variety, lives in New York City with his wife and two daughters.
Members free, non-members $8.

Candlelight Tour | Oct 21 6pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-21 18:00 - 19:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 21 6:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-21 18:30 - 19:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 21 7pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-21 19:00 - 20:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 21 7:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-21 19:30 - 20:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 26 6pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-26 18:00 - 19:00

Full Moon Halloween Walk + Campfire
2023-10-26 18:00 - 19:30
Join us for a bewitching walk under the shimmering glow of a full moon at Mabee Farm! Our Full Moon Halloween Walk + Campfire program promises an enchanting experience for all ages. Explore the woods by moonlight and candlelight, then gather ’round a crackling campfire, as we share spine-tingling stories. Warm drinks will be served to fight off the night’s chill. Costumes are welcome, and there may even be a few spooky surprises along the way. Don’t miss this magical combination of history, nature, and Halloween spirit at Mabee Farm!
Admission is $10 for non-members, and $5 for members.

Candlelight Tour | Oct 26 6:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-26 18:30 - 19:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 26 7pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-26 19:00 - 20:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 26 7:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-26 19:30 - 20:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 27 6pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-27 18:00 - 19:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 27 6:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-27 18:30 - 19:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 27 7pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-27 19:00 - 20:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 27 7:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-27 19:30 - 20:30

Candlelight Tour | Oct 28 6pm Colonial Hauntings
2023-10-28 18:00 - 19:00

Candlelight Tour | Oct 28 6:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-28 18:30 - 19:30
