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Phineas Prouty Sr and His Family Legacy Part I
Phineas Prouty Sr. and his family spent 50 years living in the building we use as a museum. Discover the beginning of their story. -
John Johnston Groupies
In life and in death John Johnston has had his fans. -
Robert S. Duncanson, Landscape Artist
Who was Robert S. Duncanson and why does he story matter? -
“Any New and Useful Improvement”
Geneva patent holders before 1900. -
William and Luella Gracey
The musical talents of the Graceys. -
Reminiscences of John Johnston
Reminiscences of John Johnston written by his granddaughter, Agnes Swan Hutchins -
Ella Cripps: “Hobby and Occupation – Music”
Brief biography of Ella Cripps -
Student No. 130: Elizabeth Blackwell and Geneva Medical College, Part 2
In honor of her 200th birthday, Elizabeth Blackwell’s story and her ties to Geneva in her own words. -
Student No. 130: Elizabeth Blackwell and Geneva Medical College, Part 1
In honor of her 200th birthday, Elizabeth Blackwell’s story and her ties to Geneva in her own words. -
Geneva’s Close Election of 1903
Look back at Geneva’s controversial mayoral election of 1903. -
PB Oakley
Brief biography of photojournalist PB Oakley. -
Alcott Beardsley, Teacher and Musician
A brief biography of teacher and musician Alcott Beardsley -
Meet Gerald and Viacita Fowler, Part 2
Viacita Folwer and her work in Geneva -
“Likes to Draw Pictures:” Mary Flanigan Gauerke
Brief biography of cartoonist Mary Flanigan Gauerke. -
“A Jewel of an Actress:” Emily Bancker in Geneva
Emily Bancker's performances at the Smith Opera House in the 1890s. -
Edwin Becker: Inventor, Poet and Engineer
Brief biography of Edwin Becker -
Should I Stay or Should I Go: Elopement in the 19th Century
How the term elopement has changed -
Childhood Memories of Games and Sports
Local coaches Nan Demuth, Steve Muzzi, Carl Wenzel, Aliceann Wilber, and Mike Hanna share their earliest experiences with games and sports. -
The Landscapes of F.M. Tuttle
An examination of Francis Marion Tuttle's landscape paintings. -
Museum Acquires Two F.M. Tuttle Portraits
Recent additions to the Historical Society's collection help tell one family's connection to Geneva. -
Blanchard Bartlett Walker: A World Traveler
The travels of Blanchard Bartlett Walker through her diaries and scrapbooks. -
Alice Seward and World War I, Part Three
The final part in a series about the World War I diary of Alice Seward -
Alice Seward and World War I, Part Two
Part two in a series about the World War I diary of Alice Seward -
After the Swans: The Smiths, 1896-1912
The Smith family lived at Rose Hill from 1896 to 1912. -
John Butler and His Loyalist Rangers
The Geneva area served as a key embarkation point for John Butler's Loyalist Rangers during the American Revolution. -
After the Swans: The Plummers, 1890 – 1893
The Plummers lived at Rose Hill from 1890 to 1893 -
Meet the Parker Family
Brief biography of the Parker family including Ira, Stephen and Edgar Parker -
Dove’s Geneva Watercolors
A look at Arthur Dove’s watercolors created in Geneva from 1933 to 1938. -
A Genial and Good-Hearted Man: Dan Deegan, Part 3
The third and final article in a series about Dan Deegan focuses on his business interests. -
Eye of the Tiger: Dan Deegan, Part 2
The second article in a series about Dan Deegan focuses on the businessman interest in boxing. -
The Irish in Geneva
On the hunt for Irish history in Geneva, New York -
Dr. Chase’s Third, Last and Complete Receipt Book and Household Physician
The Curator's latest find "Dr. Chase’s Third, Last and Complete Receipt Book and Household Physician. " -
A Genial, Good Hearted Man: Dan Deegan, Part 1
The first in series about business man and sportsman Dan Deegan. -
Notable Geneva Women
Overview of notable Geneva women -
More Notable Genevans
Notable people from Geneva's African American community -
Geneva’s Famous Residents
Overview of some of Geneva's famous residents -
Inmate of Every Household
Charles Dickens as seen through local newspapers. -
New: “Music in Geneva” Podcast
In our latest podcast David Brent Johnson, jazz director at WFIU public radio in Bloomington and musician Gap Mangione discuss jazz bassist Scott LaFaro. -
Belva Lockwood
Brief biography of Belva Lockwood. -
Ho! For California, Part 4
The journey of a local group of men to the California gold fields chronicled through the newspaper -
Ho! for California, Part 3
The Geneva Gazette chronicles the journey of a local group of men to the California gold fields. -
Ho! for California, Part 2
Part two of the Geneva Gazette's chronicle of a local group of men's journey to the California gold fields. -
Famous 19th-Century Musicians in Geneva
I have been researching music in Geneva for several years. If I found a newspaper article while searching for something else, I saved it. In this way I came across a number of unfamiliar names who performed in Geneva in the 19th century. The advertisements, previews, and reviews certainly made them sound important, but who were they? -
Kids Today: The Generation Gap
In the 1960s, a new phrase came into use: the generation gap. Genevans, like older Americans across the country worried about its young people, their clothes, their manners, and their attitude. -
Geneva and the Civil Rights Movement
As we at the Geneva Historical Society look back at the 1960s this year, we cannot ignore the protest movements that sprung out of that decade, particularly the Civil Rights Movement. -
Growing Up in the 1960s
The 1960s were a decade that encompassed some of the worst and best events of my young age. Born in 1952, the 1960s covered my life from the ages of 8 to 18. In that time I went from playing with toys to being interested in boys. -
Without Asking Permission: The Life of Agnes Swan Hutchins
From 1850 to 1889 Robert and Margaret Johnston Swan lived at Rose Hill on Seneca Lake. The couple had three girls and three boys. Unfortunately, five of their children died young – the boys in childhood, the eldest girl, Mary, in childbirth at 33, and the middle daughter, Maggie, of heart trouble at 44. Only the youngest daughter, Agnes, lived what we would today consider More » -
Deaf Artist Francis Tuttle
Francis Marion Tuttle was a Geneva artist who lived from 1839 to 1911. He was well known for Seneca Lake views and portraits, and he also did some Biblical scenes. Instead of repeating Tuttle’s biography (for his biography visit dianrez.blogspot.com), I want to focus on one part of his life, namely, that he was deaf. His experiences bring up some interesting issues. -
Stay In the Sunshine While We May
The course of Lectures before the Young Men’s Association of Geneva, was inaugurated on Tuesday evening last by Chas. F. Brown, (Artemus Ward,) in the delivery of a humorous and characteristic production, denominated “the children in the wood.” Linden Hall was densely crowded by a highly appreciative audience, who appeared greatly to relish the eccentric drollery and humor of the entertainment. . . . From More » -
Corcoran Family Scrapbook
The Corcoran family scrapbook documents one Geneva family's World War II experience from draft through marriage and life after the war. -
Little Golden Books
My Little Golden Book memory were sparked by a recent traveling exhibit at the Rochester Memorial Art Gallery, Golden Legacy: 65 Years of Golden Books. During lectures that accompanied the exhibit, I discovered two things. First, Little Golden Books debuted during World War II. Second, illustrator Eloise Wilkin lived in Canandaigua. -
Family Memories of War
Family stories can still bring World War II to life and make history a personal thing. -
Geneva Teenagers and World War II
With World War II came the birth of the American teenager. While we tend to associate the flowering of teen culture with the baby boomers, it was actually their immediate predecessors, the so-called “Silent Generation” who were first referred to as teenagers. Then, as always, the older generation thought that the younger generation was at best misguided, at worst they were described as selfish, willful, More » -
World War II in the Eyes of a “Boomer”
Since I was born in the early 1950s World War II was very fresh in the memories of my parents and their friends so by process of osmosis I became more familiar with that war than some of the more recent ones during my own life. -
Geneva’s “Busted Yankees”
As we saw in a previous post about the Herendeen family, World War I came about so suddenly and unexpectedly that few people were prepared for it. As mobilization for war began across Europe, there were over 100,000 Americans visiting or living abroad who were unable to leave easily. -
Marian Cruger Coffin
Brief biography of landcape architect Marian Cruger Coffin -
The Herendeens and the Summer of 1914, Part II
By John Marks, Curator of Collections and Exhibits Last month’s blog ended with Frank Herendeen’s entry from July 25, 1914, when Austria declared war. Hotel guests immediately began fleeing by auto and carriage. The Herendeens stayed put for almost a week. On July 31 “came a dispatch that the entire Austrian army was to mobilize, and immediately great excitement prevailed in the hotel.” The More » -
Meet the Neighbors: John Delafield
Biography of John Delafield who was a neighbor to Robert Swan. -
The Herendeens and the Summer of 1914, Part 1
By John Marks, Curator of Collections and Exhibits A common quip in my profession is, “I’m a historian. I read dead people’s mail.” Even more revealing are the diaries and journals that have been given to the historical society. A particularly interesting collection is the diaries of Francis (Frank) Herendeen from 1914 to 1929. In 1868 the Herendeen family began making farm implements More » -
Herman Ten Eyck Foster, Part 3
The final part in a series about Herman Ten Eyck Foster, who was a neighbor to Robert Swan. -
Prohibition: The Real Story (Or Close to It)
How people and businesses got around the 18th Amendment and Volstead Act during the 1920s -
The Louisa May Alcott of Geneva: Sarah Hopkins Bradford
Biography of author Sarah Hopkins Bradford. -
Pierce and Bickford
Brief biography of architects Joseph Pierce and Hiriam Bickford. -
An Officer and an Artist
Biography of J. George Stacey. -
Celebrating African-American Freedom
Geneva's African-American community hosted a number of emancipation celebrations in the 19th century to celebrate their freedoms while protesting slavery and racial inequality. -
Arthur Dove
Brief biography of the artist Arthur Dove -
Mark Twain Comes to Geneva
Mark Twain's visit to Geneva, New York in 1871. -
Mrs. Ricord’s Geneva Female Seminary
Biography of educator and author Elizabeth Stryker Ricord -
Kidnapped!
The kidnapping of two African American men from Geneva, New York in 1857 -
Tom Thumb Visits Geneva
General Tom Thumb visit to Geneva, New York in 1847
Historic Geneva is a history museum in the Finger Lakes region of New York State which focuses on the history of Geneva, NY, historic architecture, genealogy, and the area's industry and agriculture. The Society maintains four historic 19th century properties, an archive and library, a museum and runs programs and events related to the history of Geneva and the Finger Lakes area.