Schenectady County Historical Society

Workshop: Fresh Pine Wreaths
2022-11-12 10:00 - 12:00 (America/New_York)
Many people love to decorate a pine wreath but often are unsure where to begin. Kelly Chapman of @gildeddoor will lead us through a workshop creating fresh pine wreaths with floral wire. Join us in making fragrant, one-of-a-kind seasonal wreaths to enliven your home during the holidays. All materials are included. Payment is required in advance and is non-refundable. This program will take place indoors and is limited to ten participants.

Mabee Farm “Through the Woods” Tour
2022-11-18 18:00 - 20:00
This program will take you “over the river and through the woods” on a journey back in time. We’ll begin with a candlelit walk through our nature trail with guides to provide orientation and share local tall tales. Guests will then be invited to warm themselves up with a tour of our historic structures. The Mabee tavern will be serving some tasty refreshments based on historic recipes and board games will be available for an evening of fun!

All Sites Closed for Thanksgiving
2022-11-23 08:00 - 2022-11-27 17:00
All Schenectady County Historical Society sites will be closed for Thanksgiving.

Festival of Trees
2022-12-03 10:00 - 2022-12-23 16:30
Advance tickets are not available. Please purchase tickets at the front desk when you arrive.
Celebrate the season as we fill our galleries with lighted fir trees! Decorated from classic to kooky Christmas styles, the Festival of Trees glows with the enchantment of the holidays. Join us throughout December for a shimmering, festive season.
The Festival of Trees is a fundraiser for, and a partnership between, the Schenectady County Historical Society and the YWCA NorthEastern NY. Admission is $6 for adults 12+.

Kids Craft: Tea Light Snowman Ornament
2022-12-03 11:00 - 14:00
This fun and easy craft allows you to create and customize your own adorable snowman ornament to take home. Hang on a tree or anywhere around the house. We’ll provide all the materials needed. Stop in anytime between 11am-2pm!
Crafters younger than 5 may need parental assistance! Each person can craft 1-2 ornaments. Free for folks with a Family level or higher membership, just let us know you’re coming.

Schenectady Wine Society
2022-12-08 18:00 - 19:30
It’s the inaugural meeting of the “Schenectady Wine Society” a collection of curated wine tastings by and for local wine lovers at our historic sites. Up first: uncorking the perfect holiday wines to accompany your meals. Join City Historian and wine connoisseur Chris Leonard on a tasting and history tour of his favorite wines to make the season bright. Enjoy the shimmering Festival of Trees while you’re here! The program begins at 6pm but you’re welcome to arrive early to explore the Festival of Trees.
$30; pre-registration required. Must be 21+ with valid ID.
All ticket sales are final.

Jan Mabee's Twilight Tour
2022-12-09 16:30 - 18:30
Each twilight at Mabee Farm brings a different array of lights and colors, as the warmth of the sunset transforms into deep blue, moon-lit skies. Join us as we explore Mabee Farm as it’s meant to be explored; awash in changing colors, the wind gusting outside, and the flickering lights of the Mabee house keeping us cozy and warm. A costumed guide from the 1600s will lead us through the house, which is decorated for the season. He’ll delve into the histories and mysteries of the Mabee Farm, and give us a taste of what life was like for settlers living on the edge of the wilderness.

Drink the Seasons: Holiday Warmers
2022-12-09 17:30 - 19:00
Drink the Seasons is ready for the holidays: are you? Join for an evening of holiday warmers and more at Schenectady Historical. Led by historian John Gearing, we’ll make — and sample — a variety of historic libations, made with seasonal flare. Enjoy the shimmering Festival of Trees while you’re here, and together we’ll mix up a few rounds of festive winter libations! The program begins at 5:30pm but you’re welcome to arrive early to explore the Festival of Trees.
$30; pre-registration required. Must be 21+ with valid ID.
All ticket sales are final.

The Holiday Stockade Stroll 12/14
2022-12-14 18:00 - 19:30
Schenectady’s Stockade is beautiful any time of year but the holidays always bring out a certain magic! In this walking tour we’ll explore the lights and sights of this historic district while learning the ways in which generations past celebrated the season. Light refreshments will be served, and guests are invited to explore the sparkling Festival of Trees before and after the tour!

Chocolate Haus
2022-12-16 18:00 - 20:00
Experience a recreated 18th century chocolate house inside the seasonally-decorated Mabee Farmhouse. Well-known historian Paul Supley will tempt your pallet and tickle your tastebuds with a trio of historic hot chocolates, including delicacies enjoyed by English kings and the middle-class settlers of the Mohawk and Hudson Valleys. You’ll learn how easy it is to create and enjoy this wonderful treat favored by the ancestors. As a special finale to the evening, we’ll taste a libation infused with port or madeira. All amidst the backdrop of the Mohawk Valley’s oldest home, properly decked in festive decor by the Hugh Platt Garden Club.

The Holiday Stockade Stroll 12/21
2022-12-21 18:00 - 19:30

Schenectady County Historical Society Closed
2022-12-24 00:00 - 2023-01-01 23:59
All sites of the Schenectady County Historical Society will be closed to the public during this holiday week.

Full Moon Wolf Walk
2023-01-06 17:00
On winter nights in our cold clime, a full moon illuminates vast expanses of deep snow on the flats. January brings the full Wolf Moon, named for wolf packs circling icy villages, their howls piercing the silence of the 18th century, adding a sense of eerie desolation to this frontier.
Celebrate the Wolf Moon with a short illuminated walk in the woods of the Woestyne. Afterwards, we’ll make a fire in the Inn’s historic fireplace, and docents will share colorful stories and tall tales from our local area. Warm drinks will be served to fight off the night’s chill.
Admission is $10 for people 12+, and free for members of SCHS and ADK-Schenectady.

A Frontier Place: The Transformation of Colonial Albany, 1756-1763 with Dr. Elizabeth George
2023-01-12 19:00 - 20:30
This is a virtual program, presented on Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to SCHS members before the presentation.
Join us for a virtual presentation by Dr. Elizabeth George, discussing her recent publication, “A Frontier Place: The Transformation of Colonial Albany, 1756-1763.” Colonial Albany’s location meant that residents experienced war and the military as a matter of daily life, taking an economic and psychological toll on the residents. Albany residents’ interactions with the British army ultimately transformed Albany’s insular backcountry culture and society. As the Albany region became less isolated and more connected to wider colonial and imperial communities, it resulted in a blurring of cultures that was a hallmark of the ever-westward New York borderland.
Dr. Elizabeth George is Associate Professor of History at Taylor University. Her research and teaching interests include women and American history, public history, and the intersection of games and learning. Dr. George’s publications include “ ‘A Frontier Place’: Albany and the New York Borderland, 1756-1763,” in the New York History Journal, “Life Lessons: A Game Takes Students to Renaissance Rome,” in Perspectives on History: The Newsmagazine of the American Historical Association, and “Intimate Enemies: Captivity and Colonial Fear of Indians in the Mid-Eighteenth Century Wars.” in Pennsylvania History: A Journal of Mid-Atlantic Studies.

Uncharted Waters: Diving into the Holdings of the NYS Archives with Jane Wilcox
2023-01-14 14:00 - 15:30
The New York State Archives (NYSA) at the Cultural Education Center in Albany holds a diverse collection of state governmental records. Come learn about both familiar and obscure resources that will help you advance your New York research. A demonstration for using the Finding Aids on the NYSA website will be featured to assist researchers in locating records at NYSA that could be pertinent to your family history
Jane Wilcox is a professional genealogist and host of “The Forget Me Not Hour: Your Ancestors Want Their Stories to Be Told.” She specializes in colonial and early statehood New York and the Puritans/Congregationalists in the New England colonies.
This is an in-person program hosted at SCHS, 32 Washington Ave. Admission is free for members, otherwise $8 the day of the program. No advance tickets.

SCHS Closed
2023-01-16 00:00 - 23:59
SCHS will be closed on the following days:
MLK Day: January 16
Memorial Day: May 29
July 4
Juneteenth: June 19
Labor Day: September 4
Thanksgiving Weekend: November 23-26
Christmas Holiday Week: December 24 – January 1

Archives Open House
2023-01-18 18:30 - 19:30
Our collections storage expansion is complete! The installation of moveable, compact shelving has increased our archives capacity by 65%. Even better, our historic portrait collection finally has the museum-quality home it deserves. Join us for a showcase of our new archival storage system as we toast the improvement with champagne!
This event is free and open to all, but an RSVP is requested.

Myth or Truth with Julie Johnson
2023-01-21 14:00 - 15:30
Julie Johnson will discuss common myths heard in museums and historic sites. This presentation will help you learn which famous stories are fact and which ones are fiction.

Julie Johnson is a member of the Hendrick Hudson Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution in Hudson, New York. She serves as a Correspondent Docent for the DAR Museum in Washington DC. Julie holds a Master of Arts degree in Public History from Middle Tennessee State University and a Bachelor of Arts degree in Art History from SUNY New Paltz. Her areas of interest include women’s studies and the American Revolution. She has worked at several museums, historic sites, and archives in museum education, collections management, and exhibitions. Julie became a Correspondent Docent for the DAR Museum in April of 2022 and is a big supporter of the museum’s exhibitions and outreach programs.

This is an in-person program hosted at Mabee Farm Historic Site. Light refreshments and coffee will be served. Admission is free for members, otherwise $8 the day of the program. No advanced tickets.

Industrial Policy in Eastern New York with Carlos Balsas
2023-01-26 19:00 - 20:30
This is a virtual program, presented on Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to SCHS members before the presentation.
Join us for a virtual presentation by Carlos Balsas, discussing his recent publication, “Industrial Policy in Eastern New York.” Balsas will discuss urban industrial transformations occurring in NYS, and if recent major projects on former industrial sites in Upstate New York succeeded at creating long-term, well-paying and high-skilled jobs for their host cities and towns. It is argued that although it is difficult to convert former 20th century industrial sites to 21st century requirements, state and localities should not abandon existing industrially zoned land in favor of out-of-town greenfield industrial developments.

Colonial Ice Cream Parlor
2023-01-28 10:00 - 12:00
Ice cream in January? But in a time before refrigeration, life at the Mabee Farm was tough, and didn’t offer many sweet treats. Winter was the perfect season to make ice cream! In this family-friendly class, we’ll teach you how you can make a frozen custard the old fashioned way. And of course you’ll get a taste!
Family-level members and higher are free. Just let us know you’re coming below. Not a member? Admission is $10 for anyone over 5.

Schenectady Aflame: The Great Fires of the 19th Century with Chris Leonard
2023-02-04 14:00 - 15:30
During the 19th century, four major fires burned significant portions of Schenectady, changing the face of the City forever. Join City Historian Chris Leonard as he explores the causes of the 1803, 1819, and 1861 fires and the physical changes they wrought on the city. Leonard will also cover the largely forgotten rash of arson that took place from 1883-1886. Additionally, the talk will commemorate the 333rd anniversary of the burning of Schenectady in 1690, which occurs later in the week.
Chris Leonard has served as the City Historian of Schenectady since 2018. He is also an SCHS Trustee, the Historian of the GE Plot, and a trustee of Historic Vale Cemetery.
This is an in-person program hosted at SCHS, 32 Washington Ave. Light refreshments and coffee will be served. Admission is free for members, otherwise $8 the day of the program. No advanced tickets.

The Underground Railroad Revisited
2023-02-08 19:00 - 20:30 | Trinity Community Center, 705 Curry Road, Rotterdam, NY
The Underground Railroad, often remembered as being characterized by tunnels, dark of night escapes, coded language, and hidey-holes, was far more extensive and complex than these ideas have led us to believe. In the midst of significant pro-slavery sentiment, New York State was home to many abolitionists working to abolish the institution of enslavement in our state and nation and it was visited by many who had escaped enslavement and sought a life of freedom. Join with Paul and Mary Liz Stewart, independent researchers and co-founders of Underground Railroad Education Center as they share a new interpretation of a very old story and explain the various initiatives in which Underground Railroad Education Center is engaged as it works to connect the public with this empowering local history and its relevance for us today.
Cosponsors of this important event include Messiah Lutheran Church, Trinity Community Center, Schenectady County Human Rights Commission, and the Schenectady County Historical Society.

John Bradstreet's Raid with Ian Macpherson McCulloch
2023-02-09 19:00 - 20:30
This is a virtual program, presented on Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to SCHS members before the presentation.
Join us for a virtual presentation by Ian Macpherson McCullock, discussing his new book, “John Bradstreet’s Raid, 1758: A Riverine Operation of the French and Indian War.” In this first comprehensive analysis of Bradstreet’s raid, Ian Macpherson McCulloch uses never-before-seen materials and a new interpretive approach to dispel many of the myths that have grown up around the operation. The result is a closely observed, deeply researched revisionist microhistory—the first unvarnished, balanced account of a critical moment in early American military history. McCulloch will provide the most detailed, thoroughgoing view of Bradstreet’s raid ever produced.
Lieutenant-Colonel Ian Macpherson McCulloch is a native of Halifax, Nova Scotia. Educated in Scotland and Switzerland, he holds an honors degree in Journalism (1977) from Carleton University and Masters degrees in War Studies (1996) and Defence Studies (2010), both from the Royal Military College of Canada. A former Canadian Army officer, he served in a variety of regimental and staff appointments in Canada, Germany and the USA which included command of Canada’ famous Black Watch (Royal Highland Regiment) of Canada (1993-96) and first Deputy Director of History & Heritage for the Canadian Forces. He retired as Director of the Centre for National Security Studies at the Canadian Forces Staff College in Fall 2014 and moved to Kingston, Ontario to write this book. A military historian and author specializing in the Seven Years War in North America, McCulloch has published numerous books and articles on that subject in various international journals and magazines. He has authored two books for Osprey Publishing (UK) in their WARRIOR series: British Light Infantryman of the Seven Years War, 1756-1763, North America, (Oxford, 2004) and Highlander in the French & Indian War (Oxford, 2008) and has authored four books for Robin Brass studios (Toronto/Montreal), Canada’s foremost military history press and Purple Mountain Press (NY, USA).

A Schenectady Valentine
2023-02-10 18:00 - 19:30
With Valentine’s day around the corner, this program will explore the ways in which Schanactadians past courted their sweethearts. Over a glass of wine (or hot chocolate), we’ll delve into our archives of historic love letters to tease out the passion penned on the pages. So inspired, guests will be invited to hand craft a valentine of their own. Bring a date — we’ll have plenty of hot chocolate and wine on hand to celebrate the season in proper fashion!

Workshop: Spring Wreath
2023-02-11 10:30 - 13:00
Welcome the first signs of spring with a beautiful, custom deco mesh wreath! Tavia Hoover, proprietor of Tavia’s Wreath Boutique, will lead us in creating a wreath perfect for celebrating the arrival of spring’s earliest flowers! The class will teach from start to finish how to create a deco mesh wreath, including completing the wreath frame, cutting and attaching mesh, and installing your custom signs and embellishments, including your bow.
Price includes materials fee.

The Chiefs Now in This City: Indians and the Urban Frontier in Early America with Colin Calloway
2023-02-16 19:00 - 20:30
This is a virtual program, presented on Zoom. A Zoom link will be sent to SCHS members before the presentation.
Join us for a virtual presentation by Dartmouth Professor Colin Calloway discussing his new book, “The Chiefs Now in This City: Indians and the Urban Frontier in Early America.” Indian people spent a lot of time in early American cities, primarily on diplomatic or trade business, but also from curiosity and adventurousness. Colin Calloway, National Book Award finalist and one of the foremost chroniclers of Native American history, has gathered together the accounts of these visits and from them created a new narrative of the country’s formative years, redefining what has been understood as the “frontier.”Calloway’s will discuss what Native peoples observed as they walked the streets, sat in pews, attended plays, drank in taverns, and slept in hotels and lodging houses. In the Eastern cities they experienced an urban frontier, one in which the Indigenous world met the Atlantic world. Calloway will reveal not just what Indians saw but how they were seen. Crowds gathered to see them, sometimes to gawk; people attended the theatre to watch “the Chiefs now in this city” watch a play.
Their experience enriches and redefines standard narratives of contact between the First Americans and inhabitants of the American Republic, reminding us that Indian people dealt with non-Indians in multiple ways and in multiple places. The story of the country’s beginnings was not only one of violent confrontation and betrayal, but one in which the nation’s identity was being forged by interaction between and among cultures and traditions.
Colin G. Calloway is John Kimball Jr. 1943 Professor of History and Native American Studies at Dartmouth College. He is the author of several books, most recently The Indian World of George Washington (OUP 2018), which was a National Book Award Finalist, and which won the Excellence in American History Book Award from the National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution and the George Washington Book Prize.

Lost Voices Tour of Mabee Farm
2023-02-18 11:00 - 12:30
Not everyone at the Mabee Farm was free to live and pass down their stories for posterity. The Farm was also home to generations of enslaved people like Sam, Bate, and Cato, whose voices have been lost to history. In this tour, we try to see the Mabee Farm as they would have known it, and to understand the painful, dehumanizing experiences of hundreds of other enslaved people in Schenectady’s history. This program is offered as part of Black History Month.
Members are free. Just let us know you’re coming below. Not a member? Admission is $10.

AAHRP Family History Workshop and Community Scanning Day
2023-02-18 13:30 - 16:00 | SCPL Bornt Branch, 948 State Street, Schenectady, NY, 12307, United States
Black history matters! Join members of the Schenectady African American Historical Records Project team to learn about preserving your family’s history and passing historic materials on to future generations. Archivists will be available to digitize photographs, letters, pamphlets, postcards, and other materials that speak to African American heritage in the area. Attendees will also have the opportunity to complete a survey about their items and their personal or familial experiences as members of the Black community in Schenectady. This program is free to all. For more event details, visit https://schenectadyhistorical.org/aahrp/
This project was made possible in part by the Institute of Museum and Library Services and the Schenectady County Legislature.

Book Club: The Serious Side of Food
2023-02-22 18:00 - 20:00
Join the SCHS Book Club to take a deep look at a topic we often take for granted: food! Food provides both nourishment and pleasure, of course, but under the surface of each meal lies a series of complex interactions and entanglements. Led by Chris Leonard, Schenectady City Historian, we’ll read and discuss nonfiction, novels, and archival materials focused on the issues that lie on our plates. Limited to 12 people. Please contact Marietta Carr, SCHS Librarian, at librarian@schenectadyhistorical.org or 518-374-0263 x3 to sign up.

All book club discussion meetings will be at 32 Washington Ave, at 6pm.

-Wed, 2/22, 6pm – Third Plate by Dan Barber
-Tues, 3/14, 6pm – Food Politics by Marion Nestle
-Wed, 4/12, 6pm – Road to Wellville by T. Coraghessan Boyle
-Tues, 5/16, 6pm – Diet for a Small Planet by Frances Moore Lappé
-Wed, 6/14, 6pm – In Defense of Food by Michael Pollan

A History Erased: Free Black Schenectadians of the 19th Century
2023-02-25 14:00 - 15:30
At the turn of the 19th century, hundreds of enslaved people in Schenectady became free. In the following decades they built a community separate and unequal from their white neighbors. In this program we’ll screen SCHS’ 2022 documentary, “A History Erased,” which is based on extensive research utilizing 19th century censuses and records. The filmmaker (and our Historian and Educator), Mike Diana will then lead a discussion about how this community, and how/why it ultimately disappeared from our city. This program is offered as part of SCHS’ Black History Month celebration.

This is an in-person program hosted at 32 Washington Ave. Admission is free for members, otherwise $8 the day of the program. No advanced tickets.
