Workshop: Felt a Bear
2025-02-08 09:30 - 12:30 (America/New_York)
In this workshop, we’ll felt an adorable little bear, using wool from our herd. Choose between a polar bear, brown bear, or black bear, and join us in making a cute gift for friends, family, or even yourself.
Our experts will guide you through the process from start to finish, and we’ll provide all materials and equipment. This craft is recommended for anyone 12+. It involves using sharp needles which can puncture skin if not used properly. Participants should possess good manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and ability to work with focus and care.

Lost Voices Tour of Mabee Farm
2025-02-08 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- we hope to understand the experiences of hundreds of other enslaved people in Schenectady’s history. This program is offered as part of Black History Month.
This tour is free for SCHS members (RSVP required), or $10 for non-members.

Full Moon Snow Walk & Tavern Night
2025-02-12 18:00 - 19:30
Join us this night of the full Snow Moon for a candlelight walk through the woods of the Woestyne. Afterwards, we’ll make a fire in the Inn’s historic fireplace, and storytellers will share colorful tales from our area. Warm drinks will be served to fight off the night’s chill.
Admission is $10 for non-members, and $5 for members.

Virtual Talk: Following the Army: Soldiers and Civilians in the Revolutionary War
2025-02-12 19:00 - 20:30
This virtual program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented on Zoom. A Zoom link will be emailed to all current SCHS members before the program.
Tyler Putman of the Museum of the American Revolution will present “Following the Army: Soldiers and Civilians in the Revolutionary War.” Join us for an exploration of life on the home front and on campaign with the armies of the Revolutionary War. In the eighteenth century, military families sent soldiers to fight, raised children, made military supplies, and even traveled with the armies in the field. Explore the stories of the civilians who supported the military on and off the battlefield and what their work tells us about the American Revolution. Tyler’s talk will of course include the legacy and significance of SCHS’ very own Liberty Flag!

Winter Paint pARTy
2025-02-15 10:30 - 12:30
Instructor Karen Anthony of Karen’s Paint pARTies will teach us to paint a cozy winter scene. No artistic experience necessary — you will be lead step by step to produce your very own masterpiece! Price includes 11×14 stretched canvas, all painting materials, and a selection of munchies — plus mimosas, of course! Feel free to BYOB, as well.

Ages 10+ only, please. All ticket sales final.

Virtual Talk: The Lives of GE’s Armature Workers in the Late 1800s
2025-02-19 19:00 - 20:30
This virtual program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented on Zoom. A link will be emailed to all current SCHS members the morning of the program.
Historian Catherine Haag will discuss her recent work, “The Lives of GE’s Armature Workers in the Late 1800s.” Who were the early employees of Edison’s General Electric? The answer might surprise you. The story of early skilled, semiskilled, and especially unskilled workers at General Electric has been difficult to uncover. Fortunately, a register of workers dating to the 1890s allows for an in-depth look at unskilled workers at General Electric in Schenectady during the 1890s. Through census data and city directories the lives of some of the workers can be fleshed out, opening a window into this early time period.

Winter Family Day at Mabee Farm
2025-02-20 10:00 - 12:00
Spend the winter break with us! Today the Mabee Farm will host special winter educational activities. Baking on the hearth, colonial crafts and even a behind-the-scenes tour of our artifact collections.
Tickets are $10 for everyone 5 and up; free for SCHS members at Family+ levels, but RSVP required.

Virtual Talk: Bead Color Symbolism and Colonialism in the Mohawk Valley
2025-02-26 19:00 - 20:30
This virtual program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented on Zoom. A Zoom link will be emailed to all current SCHS members before the program.
Archaeologist Matthew LoBiondo will discuss his recent work, “Bead Color Symbolism and Colonialism in the Mohawk Valley.” Glass beads played a vital role in the social and spiritual lives of 17th-century Mohawks, reflecting their responses to colonialism, disease, and migration. By examining bead colors from the Veeder site (a Mohawk village), we can better understand how Mohawks navigated these challenges and expressed their cultural identity. Their selection of specific bead colors sheds light on the villages’ inhabitants state of being, and provides a way to further understand the intersection of colonialism and Native American interactions.

Schenectady Wine Society: Zinfandels Around the World
2025-02-27 18:00 - 20:00
Join us for a curated wine tasting by and for local wine lovers. Whether you call it Zinfandel, Primitivo, or Crljenak Kaštelanski, no one can resist this robust, fruit-forward red wine. Wine connoisseur Buffy Leonard and city historian Chris Leonard will lead us on a tasting and history tour of their six favorite expressions of this grape from all around the world.
$33; pre-registration required. Must be 21+ with valid ID. All ticket sales are final.

In-person Talk: The Cave Electrician’s Widow: The Tragedy at Howe Caverns & Dramatic Courtroom Fight for Justice
2025-03-01 14:00 - 15:30
This program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented in-person at SCHS.
Author Dana Cudmore will discuss his new book, “The Cave Electrician’s Widow: The Tragedy at Howe Caverns & Dramatic Courtroom Fight for Justice.” Part mystery, part courtroom drama, part travelogue, this is the untold story of two men’s mysterious underground deaths in 1930 at the famous Howe Caverns in upstate New York and the dramatic courtroom battle that followed.

Always be a Lady: The Pioneering Career of Dr. Elizabeth Gillette
2025-03-04 12:00 - 13:00 | SUNY Schenectady
Location: SUNY Schenectady, Stockade Building, Room 101
At the turn of the 20th century, Elizabeth Gillette made her move toSchenectady. At the time, she was only the second woman to practice medicine in this small American city. Over the course of her long career, Gillette would defy not just the professional but the political boundaries of her gender. This presentation details her many accomplishments and remarkable personality. Presented by Mike Diana of SCHS and sponsored by SUNY Schenectady’s Office of Diversity & Inclusion. Free and open to the public.

Virtual Talk: ‘The Amazing Iroquois’ and the Invention of the Empire State
2025-03-05 19:00 - 20:30
This virtual program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented on Zoom. A Zoom link will be emailed to all current SCHS members before the program.
John C. Winters, professor of history at PennState, will discuss his recent book from Oxford University Press, “‘The Amazing Iroquois’ and the Invention of the Empire State.” The Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, are celebrated as a key part of New York’s history and identity. In his book, Winters argues that this vision was crafted by a multi-generational Seneca-Iroquois family, who used colonial tools to shape a lasting historical memory. Their work defied stereotypes and colonialism, embedding Iroquois contributions into New York’s culture and self-image.

Mabee Maple Day
2025-03-08 10:00 - 12:00
This is an in-person program at Mabee Farm.
As winter cold begins to recede, the ground unfreezes and the sap starts to run. On a New York farm, the first harvest of the year was always maple syrup. In this family-friendly program, you’ll learn the process for yourself from colonial techniques to later innovations. And of course, we’ll be able to taste the results! This is an outdoor event in so be prepared for winter temperatures!
Tickets are $5 for members / $10 for non-members. Under 5 is free.

Virtual Talk: The Raging Erie
2025-03-12 19:00 - 20:30
This virtual program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented on Zoom. A Zoom link will be emailed to all current SCHS members before the program.
Professor Mark Ferrara, will discuss his new book, “The Raging Erie.” Few of the laborers who toiled along the Erie Canal shared in the prosperity it brought. This new work tells the stories of the ordinary people who lived, worked, and died along the banks of the canal, emphasizing the forgotten role of the poor and working class in this epochal transformation.

In-person Talk: Born Fighting: Scots-Irishmen of the Old Schenectady District
2025-03-15 14:00 - 15:30
This program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented in-person at Mabee Farm Historic Site.
In the early 1750s Scots-Irish families from New England began moving into an unsettled region about halfway between Schenectady and Fort Hunter, into what is today the Town of Princetown. More of these families came, and their combined effort greatly contributed to the cause of American Independence during the Revolutionary War. Scots-Irish Presbyterians hated the British and throughout the Colonies overwhelmingly fought against the Crown. The men of this district were organized into a regiment named “2nd Albany,” a good portion of them living in the settlement of Currybush, a corruption of the original name for the “Corry’s Brook” patent. In this presentation we will gather together and examine the threads of Scots-Irish resistance to British Rule, following some of the men and their families throughout the war, and tracing how this thriving community of revolutionary men and women disappeared from history, leaving only remnants of its existence.
Terry McMaster researches immigration and settlement patterns, family connections and border warfare along Colonial New York’s 18th century frontier. He is especially interested in the immigration of Ulster Scots to New England and New York, and their overwhelming support for American Independence. He has presented at Ft. Plain Museum’s American Revolution in the Mohawk Valley Conference, and at the Ulster-American Heritage Symposium at the University of Toronto. Terry’s ancestors helped settle the western frontier in the valleys of the Mohawk and the upper Susquehanna prior to the Revolutionary War, and they were living at Cherry Valley when the settlement was destroyed on 11 November 1778. His ancestor Capt. David McMaster was a member of the Tryon Co. Cmte of Safety, led the 6th company, 3rd Regiment, Tryon Co. Militia, and fought at the battles of Oriskany, Saratoga, Klock’s Field and Johnstown. Terry is an independent historian, an artist, and a psychotherapist in Albany, NY. He serves on the boards of the Van Alstyne Homestead Society and the Cherry Valley Historical Association and Museum.

Bus trip to the Metropolitan Museum of Art
2025-03-18 07:00 - 19:30
With collections spanning more than 5,000 years of culture, from prehistory to the present, the Metropolitan is a journey through the world’s greatest art. Our bus departs the Stockade at 7am and Crossgates Mall at 7:30am. We’ll plan on leaving the Met at 4pm and returning to the Capital Region around 7:30pm.
In addition to the Met’s world class permanent exhibits, temporary exhibits on display include:
“Celebrating the Year of the Snake”
“Democratizing Prints: The JoAnn Edinburg Pinkowitz Gift”
“Caspar David Friedrich: The Soul of Nature”

Virtual Talk: We Have a Power to go Where We Please:’ Haudenosaunee Communities Confront Imperial Expansion
2025-03-19 19:00 - 20:30
This virtual program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented on Zoom. A link will be emailed to all current SCHS members the morning of the program.
Kelly Hopkins, assistant professor at the University of Houston, will discuss her recent publication “‘We Have a Power to go Where We Please:’ Haudenosaunee Communities Confront Imperial Expansion.” By the 1750s, diverse Indigenous communities emerged in the upper Susquehanna River Valley as Haudenosaunee families and others displaced by colonial violence relocated strategically. These villages near key waterways helped control European encroachment, and highlight the vital role Haudenosaunee women played in settlement and land stewardship.

Family Program: Mabee Colonial Kitchen
2025-03-22 10:00 - 13:00
It might be cold outside but our hearth is warm! In this program we will open up our 18th century kitchen to recreate the flavors of the colonial past. Using recipes from real Mabee cookbooks, we’ll bake a selection of treats on our open hearth. We’ll also be churning up some delicious ice cream in 18th century style to go with our baked goods. Of course, everyone gets to sample for themselves!
Free for SCHS Family+ members (RSVP required), otherwise $10 for everyone 4+.
We will offer this program at 10am and 11:30am. Please choose your timeslot when you purchase tickets below.

Workshop: Felt a Chicken
2025-03-29 09:30 - 12:30
In this workshop, we’ll felt an adorable little chicken, using wool from our herd. Choose your hen’s coloring, and join us in making a cute gift for friends, family, or even yourself.
Our experts will guide you through the process from start to finish, and we’ll provide all materials and equipment. This craft is recommended for anyone 12+. It involves using sharp needles which can puncture skin if not used properly. Participants should possess good manual dexterity, hand-eye coordination, and ability to work with focus and care.

Virtual Talk: Confiscation in the American Revolution: Taking Property, Making the State
2025-04-02 19:00 - 20:30
This virtual program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented on Zoom. A link will be emailed to all current SCHS members the morning of the program.
Professor Daniel Huslebosch will discuss his recent work, “Confiscation in the American Revolution: Taking Property, Making the State.” Daniel Hulsebosch is a legal and constitutional historian whose scholarship ranges from early modern England to the 19th-century United States. His first book “Constituting Empire: New York and the Transformation of Constitutionalism in the Atlantic World, 1664-1830” (2005) examined the intersection of constitutionalism and imperial expansion in the British Empire and the early United States and the emergence of a new legal genre: constitutional law. Another project explores early American lawyers’ engagement with international sources of private law. Hulsebosch directs the Samuel I. Golieb Fellowship Program at NYU School of Law, is a co-editor of the Legal History Series at Oxford University Press, and serves on the editorial board of the American Journal of Legal History. He is also a member (by courtesy) of the NYU Department of History.

Workshop: Needle Felted Fungi with Mallory Zondag
2025-04-05 09:30 - 13:30
In this fiber art workshop, we’ll learn how to sculpt with wool through that art of needle felting. Artist Mallory Zondag will teach us how to work with wire to create an armature, how to cover it with wool, how to use the tools to form the wool into some fantastic fungi, and finally how to mix and blend colors to bring your wooly mushroom to life! Cost includes all supplies.
About the artist/instructor: Mallory Zondag is a mixed-media fiber artist and artist educator. Her experience with textiles while in art school led her to create both independent and community sculpture through a variety of fiber art mediums. She explores deeply personal and connective universal stories through the meditative and hands-on practices of wet felting, weaving, sculpting, and stitching, seeking to bring the ephemeral into physical being. The growth and decay of the natural world, the duality of discomfort and attraction we feel towards it, and humanity’s place within this dichotomy informs her dimensional textures and sculptural pieces.
Zondag’s work has been exhibited at The Banana Factory, Bethlehem, PA; The Allentown Art Museum, PA: The International Biennial of Textile Art Scythia, Ukraine; View Arts and Culture Center, Old Forge, NY; Berkeley Art Museum and Pacific Film Archive, Berkeley, CA; Cornell University, Ithica, NY; Towson University, MD; Ceres Gallery, NYC, NY: and Main Street Studio, Ballston Lake,
NY. She has been an Artist-in-Residence at Acadia National Park, The Allentown Art Museum, and The Wassaic Project, Wassaic, NY.

Cider & Moonshine at the Mabee Inn
2025-04-12 13:00 - 14:30
The Mabees knew how to brew and you can too! In this program we’ll warm up the Inn, and show you how folks in the 18th century crafted the beverages that sustained their society. Our own Mabee Farm hard apple cider and some classic Mohawk valley moonshine are on the menu!

The Stockade Egg Hunt
2025-04-13 10:00 - 14:00
The hunt is on!! This year, for the first time, Stockade businesses, the Stockade Association, and SCHS have banded together to throw an epic egg hunt in Riverside Park!
Kids of all ages can hunt for eggs hidden throughout the park and meet the Easter Bunny. We’re hiding over 500 candy-filled eggs and 1 giant golden egg. Plus, event hosts have contributed gift cards from their businesses to the egg fillings, so parents, tell your kids to hunt hard! Additionally, Hardwired Fitness will be reffing egg games, including an egg toss and egg race, and SCHS will be hosting a post-egg hunt scavenger hunt and hosting free spring crafts.
Here are all the details:
9:45AM: Gather in Riverside Park at the end of North Ferry Street and meet the Easter Bunny
10AM: Let the egg hunt begin! (The playground will be a designated under-fives area.)
10:30AM: Compete in egg games, including an egg toss and egg race
10AM – 2PM: Make your way over to SCHS for free spring crafts and a scavenger hunt.
All day: Take a walk around our beautiful neighborhood to enjoy offerings from all of our event hosts!
Big thanks to our egg hunt hosts:
Arthur’s Market: Event organizer
Hardwired Fitness: Games host, candy contributor
Stockade Association: Easter Bunny, egg stuffers
Sweet Sprig: Egg stuffer, candy contributor, and gift card contributor
Inner Bliss: Candy contributor and gift card contributor
Graham’s Coffee Parlor: Candy contributor
Bex Salon: Egg stuffer, candy contributor, and gift card contributor
SCHS: Found all the eggs you can at the Riverside Park egg hunt? Come to the Schenectady County Historical Society to find some “Easter eggs” and hidden secrets in our exhibit scavenger hunt! You can also make tulip table decorations to celebrate spring and connect to New York’s Dutch roots.”

Family Spring Break Program: The Schenectady "Armory"
2025-04-17 10:00 - 12:00
Our collections contain many swords, firearms, and powder horns from bygone eras, all prized possessions of previous inhabitants of our region. These weapons could be tools to cause harm, but are also undoubtedly beautiful works of craftsmanship in their own right. This program will showcase several of the most remarkable pieces as we recall the stories of how they might have been used in some of the most dramatic and dangerous episodes in our local history. Participants will be able to touch and hold some of the objects discussed during this program, and get a feel for what life on the frontier, farm, or battlefield was like in the 1700s and 1800s.
This program is designed for children and adults 8+, but younger siblings are of course welcome!

All Sites Closed
2025-04-19 00:00 - 23:59
Mabee Farm and the Museum/Library will be closed on April 19 as our staff and volunteers are attending the Schenectady County History Fair at Proctors. Come find us there!

SCHS Gala Honoring Bill Buell and Carol Lewis
2025-04-22 18:00 - 20:00
Please join us for the second annual Schenectady County Historical Society Gala, honoring the work and contributions Bill Buell, Schenectady County Historian, and Carol Lewis, SCHS volunteer.
The gala, a fundraiser dinner for SCHS, will take place on Tuesday, April 22, 2025 at 6pm in the Van Curler Ballroom at SUNY-Schenectady. Together, we’ll enjoy a delicious meal prepared by the talented students of the hospitality program, and accompanied by a selection of wines. We’ll also have live music from Mark&Jill during the cocktail hour, and a great raffle/silent auction.
We are grateful to have your support in making our gala a success

Thanks to the Honorary Committee:

B. Donald Ackerman
Jeremy Allen
Carol Borthwick
Daniel Bradt
Kathleen Burke
Sylvie Briber
Robert Carney
Keith Cramer
David and Kristi Dariano
Gail Denisoff
Alden and Gay Doolittle
Karl and Carol Felsen
Tom and Nancy Gifford
David and Patricia Gosda
Paula Granger
John and Lucy Halstead
Russell Hart and Tiffany Williams-Hart
Carol Messina Karius
Margaret King
Sarah Kirby
Norman & Christine Kuchar
Robert Lemmerman and Ms. Gloria Kishton
Christopher Marney & Chris White
J. Briggs McAndrews
Vaughn Nevin
Carl and Joann Paulsen
John and Cynthia Seacord
John Spring
Congressman Paul Tonko
David Trestick
Richard and Suzanne Unger
Mark Vermilyea
George Wise
John Woodward

Family Program: Woestina Nature Trail Scavenger Hunt
2025-04-26 10:00 - 12:00
Spring is blooming and the woods are awakening once more. This is a semi-guided walk along our Woestina Nature Trail. Kids and parents will complete a scavenger hunt introducing us to the plants and animals who call these woods home, past and present. Those who complete the hunt will win a prize to take home! This program is geared towards children ages 4-11, but younger siblings are of course welcome!
Free for SCHS Family+ members (RSVP required), otherwise $10 for everyone 4+.

Spring Paint pARTy
2025-04-26 10:30 - 12:30
Instructor Karen Anthony of Karen’s Paint pARTies will teach us to paint a cheerful spring scene. No artistic experience necessary — you will be lead step by step to produce your very own masterpiece! Price includes 11×14 stretched canvas, all painting materials, and a selection of munchies — plus mimosas, of course! Feel free to BYOB, as well.

Ages 10+ only, please. All ticket sales final.

Howlin' at the Moon featuring Cold Chocolate
2025-05-16 19:00 - 21:00
Howlin’ at the Moon is thrilled to feature Cold Chocolate!
Cold Chocolate is a genre-bending Americana band that fuses folk, funk and bluegrass to create a unique sound all their own. Led by Ethan Robbins (vocals/guitar/mandolin) and Ariel Bernstein (vocals/percussion/banjo), the Boston-based duo released their fifth full-length album in the fall of 2023. Punctuated by tight harmonies and skillful musicianship, Cold Chocolate has quickly gained recognition for their original music and high-energy shows. John Lawless of Bluegrass Today offered that “the band’s approach is decidedly modern, with as much an influence from folk and swing as from hard-driving bluegrass.”
Opening the night is our host Everest Rising, who curates the featured artist invites and serves the warm-up act for each concert in the series. Located in New York’s Capital Region, Everest Rising is a tightly-knit quintet influenced by bluegrass, Americana, rock, jazz and more. Together they create progressive acoustic music that is unique, powerful, and comfortably familiar. With a wide dynamic range, Everest Rising’s material spans from heartfelt laments to all out jams, all executed with instrumental finesse and thoughtful story-telling.
Howlin’ at the Moon showcases regional music from a variety of genres, providing an authentic musical experience for both audience and musicians. Music traditions are meant to be fluid and evolving, and Howlin’ nurtures regional musical talent while providing opportunities for cross-pollination. All in a 1760 Dutch Barn that inspires and reminds us of our place within history!
Admission is $10 or $5 for SCHS members with valid membership card. Cash only. Beer and wine available for purchase.
Howlin’ at the Moon is generously sponsored by Aspire Sustainability, Cohoes Savings Foundation, and Price Chopper’s Golub Foundation

SCHS Museum and Library Closed
2025-05-19 00:00 - 23:59
We will be closed on Monday, May 19. We apologize for any inconvenience.
