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December 29th, 2014
In November 1943, the Geneva Daily Times reported Cole, Circus Owner, Inducted Into Army
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December 18th, 2014
“Food deserts” are a current topic in government and academic research. The US Department of Agriculture defines the term as “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options.
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December 11th, 2014
What did you ask for on your Christmas list as a child? People who know me well won’t be surprised to know that every year I asked Santa, and later my parents when it became apparent that Santa didn’t get the message, for a pony. I scoured the Christmas “Wish Book” for rocking horses and asking for one of those with the idea that Santa
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December 5th, 2014
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,
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December 1st, 2014
Some of my favorite memories are associated with Christmas–the Festival of Lights at Sonnenberg, seeing The Nutcracker at the Smith Opera House and A Christmas Carol at Geva, picking out a new ornament each year for the tree, having Christmas breakfast with my grandparents, and playing “Sleigh Ride” throughout high school for the holiday band concert.
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November 20th, 2014
When we did our World War II project in the early 1990s, Kathryn Grover was hired to research, write, and lay out the exhibit and book, Close to the Heart of the War. As part of her contract, we received all her research notes for our archives. I recently pulled out one of the large boxes to look at her source material. Any project, i.e.
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November 13th, 2014
While looking for interesting topics from the 1940s, I ran across the James M. Cole Circus of Penn Yan. This is a little of its story from the 40s, as reported (mostly) in the Geneva Daily Times.
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November 7th, 2014
When I was in high school girls took “home economics” classes and boys took “shop” classes. I remember coming home from the first cooking class in home economics and showing my mom what foods they were going to teach us to prepare. My mother was not impressed, for that matter I wasn’t either. I only remember 3 or 4 of the recipes, but one was
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October 31st, 2014
November is New York State History Month
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October 24th, 2014
In 1995 we opened a major exhibit, Close to the Heart of the War: Geneva and World War II, and published a companion book. We conducted “history harvests” to identify people with stories, artifacts and photos. A researcher recorded many hours of oral history interviews and scoured local newspapers and records. So, why do World War II again? Is there anything left to say?
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October 17th, 2014
Recently, I got the book Swing Shift by Sherrie Tucker. The book was published in 2000 and Professor Tucker was a professor at Hobart and William Smith when she wrote it. Swing Shift is about the all-women bands of the 1930s and 1940s. I wondered if any of the bands in the book were seen or heard in Geneva. It turns out some of them
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October 13th, 2014
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.
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October 3rd, 2014
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.
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September 26th, 2014
Washington Street Cemetery is the third burial ground in Geneva. The earliest burial spot was on the site of Trinity Episcopal Church on South Main Street. Another early burial ground was on Pulteney Street, where the old Geneva High School once stood and the site of the new FLCC campus. Graves at the Pulteney Street plot date from as early as the 1790s and
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September 18th, 2014
By John Marks, Curator of Collections and Exhibits Charles Willson Peale is considered the father of American museums. (A painting by his son Rembrandt hangs in the main hallway of Rose Hill.) In 1786 he opened a museum of natural history in Philadelphia, which included an extensive portrait gallery; Peale justified this by saying man was at the top of the natural order. He charged
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September 12th, 2014
Brief biography of landcape architect Marian Cruger Coffin
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September 5th, 2014
When people donate objects to the museum, we always ask if they know anything about the history of the items. Sometimes there is a family story about who made or owned a piece, and we take those stories seriously. Once in a while, though, when we look into the story, we find that there may have been some misunderstanding as the tale was passed down.
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August 30th, 2014
When newly built, President Martin Van Buren visited Rose Hill Mansion 175 years ago.
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August 22nd, 2014
The Herendeen family travels from Austria to Germany during the opening days of World War I.
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August 15th, 2014
By Karen Osburn, Archivist Cruisin’ Night 2006 It is that time of year again. Festivals are everywhere. If there is anyone who can’t find something to do on a weekend in the Finger Lakes they must have their eyes closed and their cell phone glued to their ear. Just recently in the area surrounding Geneva there was a garlic festival, a sauerkraut festival and the
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August 8th, 2014
Banking in the early years of the American Republic was decentralized, inefficient and disorganized, leading to frequent panics and depressions. As in many other areas of national development, it was the Civil War which prompted radical change in the country’s financial system.
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July 25th, 2014
Biography of John Delafield who was a neighbor to Robert Swan.
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July 18th, 2014
World War I breaks out during the Herendeen family's trip to Europe.
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July 11th, 2014
Those fans brought to mind the old song about the “Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer” and how very glad I am summer days are here.
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July 3rd, 2014
As we saw last month, the Swans at Rose Hill relied on female workers to do much of the housework and childcare. Running the farm operations required male workers.
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June 26th, 2014
The final part in a series about Herman Ten Eyck Foster, who was a neighbor to Robert Swan.
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June 20th, 2014
By John Marks, Curator of Collections and Exhibits About 18 months ago I wrote about the details of national, state, and local historic preservation programs. They bear revisiting in the wake of the National Register of Historic Places approving the Geneva Downtown Commercial Historic District. The district includes most of traditional downtown, the rectangle formed by Seneca, Exchange, Castle, and Main Streets. Linden Street
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June 13th, 2014
By Karen Osburn, Archivist As usual, when I write an article I search for something from my own experience as a starting point. This time it is picnics. I love picnics, not that I manage to go on many of the stereotypical “tablecloth on the grass picnics”. I love the image of that type of picnic, but mine seldom work out that way. I have
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June 6th, 2014
37 High Street The definition of “home” varies from person to person. It might be spiritual or physical, temporary or long term. This year’s theme for the Geneva Historical Society’s Tour of Homes is What is Home. The homes and properties on the tour are each unique but they all share one thing in common – to someone they are home. 21 Jay Street On
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May 30th, 2014
At Rose Hill in the mid-19th century, the Swans hired laborers for agricultural and domestic work. This post examines the female domestic servants at the house
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May 23rd, 2014
Part two in a series about Herman Ten Eyck Foster, who was a neighbor to Robert Swan.
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May 16th, 2014
Some of the best history is given to us as stories from the community.
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May 9th, 2014
As you can see, “stuff” has as many meanings as it has forms. For the sake of this blog post I will just refer to two or three dimensional, inanimate materials that take up space in our lives, mostly my life.
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May 2nd, 2014
Rose Hill Mansion is open and this season we have lots planned. If you haven’t been to the house in a while (or even if you have!) stop out this summer. In addition to Jane Austen Day on July 26 (more on that in the future), we have rearranged the Carriage House Gift Shop and Visitor Center, are offering Top-to-Bottom Tours on the first Saturday
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April 25th, 2014
Part one in a series about Herman Ten Eyck Foster, who was a neighbor to Robert Swan.
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April 18th, 2014
Overview of downtown Architecture
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April 11th, 2014
Brief history of J. W. Smith Dry Goods Co.
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April 4th, 2014
A Historical Society staff member shares a mission moment.
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March 29th, 2014
A member of the Johnston family's journey back to Scotland.
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March 21st, 2014
A discussion on the importance of the War of 1812.
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March 12th, 2014
We have some very interesting old letters, journals and diaries in the archives at Prouty Chew House and I love reading some of the entries. It isn’t always easy for a variety of different reasons.
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March 7th, 2014
Elizabeth Smith Miller and the evolution of the bloomer outfit.
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February 27th, 2014
Discussion of the early the electrical system at Rose Hill.
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February 21st, 2014
Overview of Geneva's residential architecture.
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February 12th, 2014
An ode to spring
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February 5th, 2014
Overview of banking in early Geneva.
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January 31st, 2014
Overview of the 1920s.
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January 23rd, 2014
During the 1910s and 20s the dance world was in ferment. In 1909 the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev brought a new kind of ballet to Europe and the United States with the Paris debut of the Ballets Russes
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January 14th, 2014
Brief history of radio during the 1920s.
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January 10th, 2014
Overview of businesses in Geneva during the 1920s.
For more posts, please choose from the categories on the left.