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2016 Year in Review
Overview of 2016 in photos. -
New: “Music in the Key of Geneva” Video and Podcast
Latest additions to our "Geneva Stories" video series and "Music in the Key of Geneva" podcasts. -
A Mobe By Any Other Name . . .
The debate on what to call automobiles as seen through local newspapers. -
Give Back to Your Community
Advocating the need for volunteers around the community. -
Classical Music in Geneva, Part 1
The first in a series about classical music performances in Geneva. -
New “Music in the Key of Geneva” Video and Podcast
Latest additions to our "Geneva Stories" video series and "Music in the Key of Geneva" podcasts. -
Seasons Greetings
A brief history of Christmas cards. -
Home Music: 19th Century Bands in Geneva
Chronicling 19th Century bands in Geneva, New York through newspapers. -
Founding of the Geneva School District
The Geneva City School District can trace its birth to 1839, the year that the village’s Districts No. 1 and No. 19 merged to form the state’s first union school district. By the 1830s, the community had a College, dozens of private schools, and two public schools for the basic instruction of children of all classes. Yet schooling in the antebellum period here and throughout More » -
A Hard Day’s Night: Nightlife Victorian Style
Before electricity, what did Victorian families do in the evenings? -
Autumn in the Finger Lakes
An ode to autumn in the Finger Lakes -
The Last Music Store
Brief history of music stores in Geneva, New York -
From Beyond: Washington Street Cemetery Stories
While touring the Washington Street Cemetery, listen to stories from Geneva's past. -
Ho! For California, Part 4
The journey of a local group of men to the California gold fields chronicled through the newspaper -
Modesty: Where Have You Gone?!
When it comes to clothing and fashion, what does modesty mean. -
Music in the Key of Geneva Podcasts
The first in a series of podcasts for the Geneva Historical Society's Music in the Key of Geneva project. -
Just a Piece of Wood?
A piece from a piano provides a glimpse into Geneva's past. -
Ho! for California, Part 3
The Geneva Gazette chronicles the journey of a local group of men to the California gold fields. -
Geneva 15 years ago
Reflections on living in Geneva. -
Geneva Stories: Music in Geneva, Part 1
The first in a series about music in Geneva. -
The Sounds of Music
Through National Jukebox, sample sound recordings can be found of various musicians who performed in Geneva in the early 1900s. -
Farm Heritage Day
Spend a day "on the farm" at our biennial Farm Heritage Day at the Johnston House. -
The Perfect Purse
A brief history of purses. -
There’s Nothing Like A Model T
A visit to Rose Hill by the Model T Ford Club International provides insights into the Model T. -
Model T Birthday Celebration
Join the Geneva Historical Society for the 100th birthday of our 1916 Ford Model T Canopy Express Wagon! -
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? -
Modern Medicine
I recently had an opportunity to experience some hand surgery and thought what a different experience citizens of Geneva years ago must have had compared to mine. -
2016 Annual Meeting and Dinner
During our Annual Meeting and Dinner Barbara Lamb will be honored as the Volunteer of the Year and Curator John Marks will discuss the new exhibit Music in the Key of Geneva. -
Tour of Homes, Part Two
Preview of the 2016 Tour of Homes -
Hidden Music in Geneva
Music is everywhere in Geneva for those with eyes to see. The digital marquee on Seneca Street, event flyers in many downtown store windows, and websites like www.thesmith.org. -
Tour of Homes, Part One
Preview of the 2016 Tour of Homes -
Ho! for California, Part 1
Reports of the California Gold Rush from the Geneva Gazette -
Exhibits
Many years ago, most museums did exhibitions using the time tested tool of the diorama. Dioramas, both life size and in miniature, were used to tell a story -
Fiery Cross Burns
While looking for information on Rose Hill (called the Boody Farm when Edgar Boody owned it) I found this account. I had heard a little about Klan activity in the 1920s, but had never pursued the subject. Now I wondered about the history of the Klan in Geneva and I started poking around in the local newspapers. -
Banjos, Mandolins, and Glee
I have many favorite historical photos of Geneva, but the 1893 Hobart College Banjo & Glee Club is in my Top Ten. Those clothes, those haircuts, those instruments! As a player and fan of banjos and mandolins, I am interested in their popularity at that time. -
Yummy, Ice Cream!
Let me start by saying that I LOVE Ice Cream! I guess I am not alone, either -
Music In Geneva
I have learned more as I work through the Historical Society archives, but there is much history not written down. We have an impressive list of village “firsts”: a hotel, a post office, a church, and a school. However, no one recorded the first person to bring a piano to town, or the name of the fiddler who played the first dance. -
Geneva’s Stories: Urban Renewal in Geneva Part Two
Second part of a two-part series on the impact of 1960s Urban Renewal on Geneva, NY. -
Swingin’ Sixties Party!
Be in the groove and join us for a 1960s themed party. It's gonna be out of sight! -
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. -
45s, B-sides, and Albums
Alice Askins wrote about live music in Geneva in the 1960s . As she pointed out, most groups played the hits of the day. If you wanted to hear the real thing, you bought the record. -
Oh, those 1960s Cars!
I am not a car buff. My vehicle doesn’t have to be sporty, exotic or sexy, but it just needs to get me from my home to my destination safely and comfortably. -
Let’s Go to the Movies!
When Genevans went to the Cinema Theatre, Seneca Drive-In Theatre or Geneva Theatre during the 1960s they could have seen a variety of movies. -
Playing What They Loved: Geneva’s Music Scene in the 1960s
Recently I talked with Geneva's Chuck Agonito about the rock and roll music scene in Geneva during in the 1960s. Since he was part of that scene, he is a wealth of information on the subject and has often written about it in his “Good Times” column for the Finger Lakes Times. -
The 1960s at Hobart & William Smith Colleges
A quick view of Hobart & William Smith Colleges during the tumultuous 1960s. -
Geneva’s Stories: Urban Renewal in Geneva
The first video in a monthly series of short Geneva history stories, beginning with Urban Renewal. -
Remembering the Days of the Neighborhood School
In 1960 I was 8 years old. Back then everyone attended the neighborhood elementary school, either public or parochial.
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.