Schenectady County Historical Society

Candlelight Tour | Oct 28 7:30pm Ghostly Victorian
2023-10-28 19:30 - 20:30 (America/New_York)
** 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

Mabee Farm Closed
2023-11-04 00:00 - 23:59
On Saturday 11/4/2024 Mabee Farm will be closed.

Jan Mabee's Twilight Tour
2023-11-10 16:30 - 18:30, 2023-11-17 16:30 - 18:30, 2023-12-02 16:30 - 18:30, 2023-12-08 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 Jan Mabee from the early 1700s 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.

Mabee Farm Closed
2023-11-11 00:00 - 23:59
On Saturday 11/11/2024 Mabee Farm will be closed.

American Girl Tea with Josefina
2023-11-11 14:00 - 16:00
Join our host, Josefina, for a step back in time into the captivating world of the early 1800s. We’ll explore the exhibition “A New Nation: Schenectady in the Early Republic,” discuss Thanksgiving traditions, enjoy delicious treats, and create a special craft inspired by Josefina’s era. It’s a delightful blend of history, fun, and creativity — perfect for young adventurers!
This tea is hosted by Josefina, a spirited and adventurous young girl from the American Southwest in the 1820s, a time when the United States was rapidly expanding and defining itself. As Josefina guides our young guests, we’ll discover the fascinating stories of America’s past, exploring the customs, attire, and daily life of the 1800s.
All dolls welcome!
Location: SCHS Museum, 32 Washington Ave, Schenectady, NY 12305

Museum Closed
2023-11-13 00:00 - 2023-11-30 23:59
The Schenectady Historical Museum at 32 Washington Ave will be closed November 13 – November 30 as we set up for the Festival of Trees. During the closure, we invite you to instead visit the Mabee Farm Historic Site.

Chocolate Haus
2023-11-17 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!

Workshop: Felt a Reindeer
2023-12-01 10:00 - 12:00
In this workshop, we’ll felt a festive reindeer, using wool from our herd. This craft makes a great 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.

Night of Lights
2023-12-01 18:00 - 20:00
Come celebrate the beginning of the Festival of Trees with the Night of Lights, an exclusive evening of radiant fir trees and wintertide enchantment. Featuring live music, great food, and more!

Holiday Ramble in the Stockade: A Festive Day of Celebration and Shopping
2023-12-02 10:00 - 16:00
A joyful day of holiday merriment and shopping in Schenectady’s most charming and historic neighborhood!
Get ready to immerse yourself in the holiday spirit in Schenectady’s historic Stockade neighborhood. Join us for a day of joyful festivities, combining merriment and shopping in one of Schenectady’s most cherished and historic districts.
Visitors are invited to explore the quaint streets of the Stockade District, where a plethora of unique activities and offers await at various local establishments. Highlights of the event include:
Arthur’s Market (35 N Ferry St) Wreath Pop-up: Witness the beauty of exquisite handmade wreaths crafted from natural materials by Mud Road Farm. Indulge in delicious seasonal treats to keep you energized during your holiday adventure.
Sweet Sprig + Brouwer House Creative (14 N Church St) Artist’s Open Studios and Sale: Join the talented artists of Brouwer House Creative for a day filled with creativity. Enjoy complimentary refreshments and a hot cocoa bar to keep you warm. Featured artists include Deborah Angilletta, Mary Ann Van Alstyne, Sizz Handmade, and Thistle and Clover. Explore Sweet Sprig, a unique store offering artisan soaps, gifts, candles, and skincare – all made on site. Plus, receive a free gift with every purchase!
Mohawk Valley Art Shoppe + Last Nerve Tattoo (101 State St) Immerse yourself in a day of art, poetry, and music at this collaborative event hosted by Mohawk Valley Art Shoppe and Last Nerve Tattoo. Thirty percent of art sales will support the “Things Of My Very Own” charity. The event features free morning poetry readings and afternoon live music, nurturing both creativity and community. Join us in celebrating the grand opening of Last Nerve Tattoo, complete with special promotions to further support the charity. Your presence will make a meaningful difference in our city.
Bex Salon (234 Union St) Enjoy a complimentary gift with any purchase throughout the day, along with festive seasonal refreshments.
Schenectady County Historical Society (32 Washington Ave) Festival of Trees (10:00 a.m. – 4:45 p.m.): Immerse yourself in the holiday splendor with an array of beautifully decorated Christmas trees. Admission is $6.
Hardwired Fitness (23 N College St) Join us for a FREE Community Class at 9:00 a.m. All fitness levels are welcome! Bring your family, friends, and neighbors – the more, the merrier! Please register online.
Don’t miss out on this special day of holiday cheer and local shopping. Come be a part of the Stockade’s festive spirit!

Festival of Trees
2023-12-02 10:00 - 2023-12-23 16:30
December 2 – 23, 10am-4:30pm at Schenectady County Historical Society
The Festival of Trees lights up Schenectady! Featuring 60+ artistically decorated fir trees, the Festival glows with the spirit of Christmas and the Solstice. Local artists, businesses, and non-profits have come together to turn the galleries of SCHS into a land of wintertide enchantment, and we warmly invite you to come stroll! When you stop in, be sure to vote for your top choices in 8 categories, including Cutest, Most Glamorous, and Most Creative trees!
The Festival of Trees is a fundraiser for the Schenectady County Historical Society. Admission is $6 for adults 12+. You can purchase tickets here in advance or buy them at the front desk when you arrive.

Schenectady Wine Society: December
2023-12-06 18:00 - 20:00
Join us for curated wine tastings by and for local wine lovers. Wine connoisseur Buffy Leonard and city historian Chris Leonard will lead us on a tasting and history tour of their favorite wines for the season.
$30; pre-registration required. Must be 21+ with valid ID. All ticket sales are final.

Drink the Seasons: December
2023-12-07 18:00 - 20:00
Join for an evening of seasonal cocktails and more at Schenectady Historical. Led by historian John Gearing, we’ll make — and sample — a variety of historic libations, made with holiday flare.
$30; pre-registration required. Must be 21+ with valid ID.
All ticket sales are final.

Chocolate Haus, Holiday Edition
2023-12-08 18:00 - 20:00
Experience a recreated 18th century chocolate house at the Festival of Trees. 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 glittering holiday lights and decorated fir trees!

A Very Mabee Christmas
2023-12-09 12:00 - 14:00
Gelukkig Kerstfeest!! This program welcomes families to share in colonial holiday traditions, including those celebrated by the Dutch-American Mabee family. We’ll learn how revelers of yore celebrated the season, enjoy colonial-era treats and stories by the Inn’s fire, and make a craft to take home. Plus, we’ll have a very special scavenger hunt — kids can use riddles and clues to find holiday friends nestled around the historic site.
This program is $10/person or $5/person for SCHS members.

The Holiday Stockade Stroll 12/14
2023-12-14 17:30 - 19:00
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!

The Holiday Stockade Stroll 12/21
2023-12-21 17:30 - 19:00

The Holiday Stockade Stroll 12/22
2023-12-22 17:30 - 19:00
It’s the penultimate night of the Festival of Trees! Let’s close this beauty down with some revelry. 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!

Mabee Farm Closed
2024-01-06 00:00 - 23:59
We apologize for any inconvenience but due to unforeseen circumstances, Mabee Farm will be closed on January 6.

Virtual Talk: "The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500–1800"
2024-01-10 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 SCHS members before the program.
Professor Wayne Lee of UNC-Chapel Hill will discuss his new publication from University of North Carolina Press, “The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500–1800,” which recasts Indigenous warfare in a framework of the lived realities of Native people rather than with regard to European and settler military strategies and practices.
Wayne Lee specializes in early modern military history, with a particular focus on North America and the Atlantic World, but he teaches military history from a full global perspective. He also teaches courses on violence as well as on the early English exploration of the Atlantic. As a kind of additional career, he works with archaeology projects in the Balkans and has numerous publications in that field. Notable publications include:

The Cutting-Off Way: Indigenous Warfare in Eastern North America, 1500-1800 (Chapel Hill: University of North Carolina Press, 2023)
Wayne E. Lee, David L. Preston, David Silbey, and Anthony E. Carlson, The Other Face of Battle: America’s Forgotten Wars and the Experience of Combat (New York: Oxford University Press, 2021).
Waging War: Conflict, Culture, and Innovation in World History (New York: Oxford University Press, 2015).
Editor, with Michael Galaty, Ols Lafe, and Zamir Tafilica, Light and Shadow: Isolation and Interaction in the Shala Valley of Northern Albania (Los Angeles: Cotsen Institute of Archaeology Press, 2013)
Barbarians and Brothers: Anglo-American Warfare, 1500-1865 (Oxford University Press, 2011).
Editor, Warfare and Culture in World History (NYU Press, 2011)
Crowds and Soldiers in Revolutionary North Carolina: The Culture of Violence in Riot and War (University Press of Florida, 2001)
“Fortify, Fight, or Flee: Tuscarora and Cherokee Defensive Warfare and Military Culture Adaptation,” Journal of Military History 68 (2004): 713–770

Mabee Farm Closed
2024-01-12 00:00 - 23:59
Mabee Farm will be closed on 1/12/24 as we commemorate the raising of the Liberty Flag at SCHS. We apologize for any inconvenience.

Liberty Flag Raising
2024-01-12 12:00 - 13:30
We’re excited to present the first event in our local commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the birth of America. Join us on January 12 at noon to raise the Liberty Flag in Schenectady!
SCHS will commemorate the 250th anniversary of the raising of the Liberty Flag in Schenectady. We’ll meet at the Schenectady Historical Museum, and then walk to the corner of Church and Union to relive the raising of the Liberty Flag. We’ll erect a flagpole, raise a replica flag, and enjoy brief remarks on the importance of liberty. Afterwards, attendees are invited inside the First Reformed Church to enjoy refreshments and sign a “liberty board” with discussions of what freedom means to them.
Chris Leonard, City of Schenectady Historian, and Michael Diana, SCHS Historian and Director of Education, explain the significance of the event, and what it commemorates. “What is liberty and what must we do to secure it? These questions have both united and divided Americans throughout history. On the anniversary of the raising of the Liberty Flag, we invite the community to relive that historic moment and reflect on the essential questions of freedom. Indeed, one of Schenectady’s earliest and most significant reckonings with the idea of liberty was on January 12, 1774. On that day, an angry crowd of 50 citizens gathered in the center of town to raise a flag emblazoned with the word “LIBERTY.” This was a hugely confrontational form of protest. Their supporters applauded them as patriots. Their detractors derided them as a riotous mob. But thus did Schenectady enter the bitter controversies of a Revolution that would forge the modern United States of America.”
SCHS owns the only surviving “Liberty” flag from the Revolutionary War.
This event is free and open to the public. As the event is outdoors and will take place in the middle of January, please dress accordingly. This is the first of many events that SCHS will sponsor over the next two years leading up to and beyond the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence. Please follow https://schenectadyhistorical.org/rev250/ to keep up with events for the city and county.

Virtual Talk: "Schenectady and the Regional Transportation Rivalry, Canals and Railroads, 1815-1860"
2024-01-24 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 SCHS members before the program.
All aboard for a journey through 19th-century Schenectady history, with Dr. Michael Wheeler as your guide! We’ll delve into the complexities of a gripping transportation rivalry, and explore the clash between private railroads and the State-owned canal system. Join Dr. Wheeler as he uncovers the intricacies of transportation competition among New York, Boston, and Montreal. As a cartographer, Dr. Wheeler has developed extensive maps to illustrate this important period in New York State history. He’ll discuss his findings, shed light on the transportation rivalries that shaped the region in the 1800s, and discuss the critical transportation and settlement results in the Hudson, Mohawk, and Lake Champlain valleys.
Dr. Wheeler has undergraduate degrees in history and computer science. He has worked in Information Technology (IT) for 25 years, primarily in defense, finance, and geovisualization. Among other professional roles, he worked as IT manager of a U.S. hedge fund in Tokyo, Japan, and served as co-architect for a worldwide trading and hedging software system for a Big Oil customer. For the U.S. Department of Defense (DoD), he helped to improve the Counter/IED problem (“roadside bombs”) for the Army in Iraq and Afghanistan, modelled possible cyber vulnerabilities in U.S. critical infrastructure for the Air Force, and worked on safe drone flight in the National Air Space (NAS). Most recently, he has been working in Artificial Intelligence (AI) applied to Multi-INT fusion. Dr. Wheeler earned a master’s degree in strategic studies at Johns Hopkins – SAIS, where
he wrote a thesis on Union military cartography in the Civil War. He returned to academia in 2000 where he worked on his PhD at Syracuse University developing 3D animated maps of New York State canals and railroads. This talk is largely derived from that dissertation work.

Full Moon Wolf Walk & Tavern Night
2024-01-25 17:30 - 19:30
January brings the full Wolf Moon, named for wolf packs circling icy villages, howling out in the night. Join us for the Wolf Moon with a short, illuminated walk in the woods of the Woestyne at Mabee Farm. 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.

Winter Paint pARTy
2024-01-27 10:00 - 12:00
Instructor Karen Anthony of Karen’s Paint pARTies will teach us to paint a bright 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.

POSTPONED "Schenectady County Clerk’s Office: Records and Research" with Cara Ackerley and Jesse McGuire
2024-01-27 14:00 - 15:30
Postponed due to illness, to be rescheduled soon.
This program is part of our Winter Speaker Series, and will be presented in-person at 32 Washington Ave. No advance tickets.
The records kept by the County Clerk are essential to genealogy, house history research, and many significant life events. Join County Clerk Cara Ackerley and Deputy County Clerk Jesse McGuire to learn about the functions of the clerk’s office, what kinds of records are kept at the clerk’s office, and how to access those records and other services provided by the clerk’s office.

Free for members, otherwise $10.

Virtual Talk: "Slavery and the Creation of a Northern Gentry"
2024-01-31 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 SCHS members before the program.
In her recently published work from Cornell University Press, Professor Nicole Maskiell connects developing Northern networks of merit to the invidious institution of slavery. During the first generations of European settlement in North America, a number of interconnected Northeastern families carved out private empires. Maskiell argues that slavery was a crucial component to the rise and enduring influence of this emergent aristocracy.
Professor Maskiell is associate professor of history at the University of South Carolina. She specializes in early American history, with a focus on overlapping networks of slavery in the Dutch and British Atlantic worlds. Her current book project entitled “Bound by Bondage: Slavery and the Creation of a Northern Gentry” compares the ways that slavery shaped the development of elite Northern culture by examining the social and kinship networks that intertwined enslavers with those they enslaved. Professor Maskiell is a recipient the John Carter Brown, Gilder Lehrman, and Huntington Mayers research fellowships, and her dissertation was nominated for the 2014 Allan Nevins Prize
