May 2 & 16, June 6 & 20, July 18, August 1 & 15, September 5 & 19, and October 17, 2026
11:00 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Rose Hill Mansion
3373 Route 96A Geneva, NY 14456
Join us for a special behind-the-scenes tour of Rose Hill Mansion. These tours are not the same as our regular tour. They are an opportunity for visitors to see and learn about areas of the house not usually accessible to visitors, including the basement and belvedere (the square tower on the roof).
Admission for the tour is $12 for adults, $10 for seniors, $8 for college students with ID, and $6 for children 10-18. The tour is recommended for adults and children 10 years and older. Please be advised that there are many stairs to climb and some confined spaces included in the tour. Because of these limitations, space on the tour is limited, and advance tickets are required. Tickets can be purchased in advance here. The tour lasts about 90 minutes.
May 17 & 20, June 14 & 17, July 19 & 22, August 16 & 19, September 16 & 20, and October 14 & 18, 2026
1–2 p.m.
Rose Hill Mansion
3373 Route 96A Geneva, NY 14456
On this tour you will learn how Rose Hill Mansion was restored to become the museum it is today. We will discuss the on-going research involved in preserving Rose Hill’s buildings and landscape. Explore how Rose Hill property owners altered, removed, or added to the property throughout the years to meet their changing needs. This special tour is not the same as our regular tour.
Please be advised that this is an exclusively outdoor tour and will take place rain or shine. It will be cancelled in the event of thunderstorms or heavy downpours. The tour involves walking and standing and lasts one hour.
Advance tickets are required for this tour. You can purchase tickets here.
June 13, July 11, September 12 & October 10
11 a.m. – 3 p.m.
Johnston House
3523 East Lake Road, Geneva, NY 14456
The Johnston House open hours for 2026 are June 13, July 11, September 12, October 10 and by appointment. Visit the home of John and Margaret Johnston, where John Johnston became a vocal advocate of improved farming techniques, including tile drainage. Home to the Johnston family from 1822-1877, the Johnston House features exhibits, interactive spaces, and a research room. The site also includes the Mike Weaver Drain Tile Museum, which contains a large collection of drain tiles dating from ancient times to the present.
Admission to the Johnston House and Mike Weaver Drain Tile Museum is a suggested donation of $5 per person. For more information, call Rose Hill Mansion at 315-789-3848 or Historic Geneva at 315-789-5151.
October 3 & November 14
1 p.m.
Geneva History Museum
543 South Main Street, Geneva, NY 14456
Join us for a screening of footage from Geneva’s Bicentennial festivities, including the Fireman’s Parade, a festival in Pulteney Park, and performances in Genesee Park by barbershop singers, a gospel choir, and the Friendship Squares dancing club. Visit Geneva in the 1970s! Who knows? You may see someone you know or even yourself!
There will also be a screening on Saturday, November 14 at 1pm at the Geneva History Museum.
The footage lasts about 40 minutes. This program is open to the public. There is a suggested donation of $5 to support our programming.
2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Historic Geneva is commemorating the anniversary with exhibits, programs, and blog articles. Screenings of Geneva’s Bicentennial festivities are part of the 250th commemoration.
October 23 & 24
7:00 p.m.
Rose Hill Mansion
Route 96A, Geneva, NY
On Friday and Saturday, October 23 and 24 at 7 p.m., Historic Geneva will offer special tours about death and mourning in the 19th century at Rose Hill Mansion.
At that time, illness and death were part of everyday life. Few families were spared from loss, including the Swan family who lived at Rose Hill from 1850 to 1890. Their five-year-old son Otis died in September 1864 from rheumatic fever. During the one-hour tour, visitors will explore 19th-century Victorian ideas about death, illness, and mourning practices. The mansion will be decorated for mourning Otis. A casket will be on display in the front parlor, while the windows and mirrors will be draped in black fabric in the mourning style of the 1800s. There will also be mourning items from Historic Geneva’s collection on view and following the tour, visitors can enjoy refreshments in the Carriage House Visitor Center and Gift Shop.
The Carriage House Gift Shop will be open for the event.
Admission is $12. The tour is recommended for adults and children 10 years and older. Space on the tour is limited, and advance tickets are required. Tickets can be purchased here. Visitors should also bring a flashlight. For more information, call Historic Geneva at 315-789-5151.
October 11, 2026
2 p.m.
Seneca Presbyterian Church Cemetery
4414 Number Nine Rd Stanley, NY 14561
On Sunday, October 11, Curator of Collections John Marks will lead a tour of part of the Old Seneca No 9 Church Cemetery. Although the current church is in the Town of Seneca, prior to 1872, the village of Geneva was part of the Town of Seneca. Established in 1807 as the Associate Reformed Church of Seneca, the church cemetery includes founding family burials like Stanley, Latta, and Charlton. Learn about the history of the Town of Seneca through the people buried in the cemetery.
Directions: The most direct way to the church is to go south on Route 14, turn onto Billsboro Road (which becomes Lake to Lake Road), and turn right onto Number Nine Road. The church and old cemetery will be on the left hand side of the road. We will meet by the church. There is parking in front of the church and in a small lot north of the church.
The tour will run rain or shine but will be cancelled in the event of thunderstorms or heavy downpours. The cost is $5 per person. Payment should be exact change or check and is payable at the start of the tour. For further information call Historic Geneva at 315-789-5151.
October 15, 2026
4:30 - 6:30 PM
Lake Drum Brewing
16 East Castle St, Geneva, NY
Join Historic Geneva Curator John Marks for our October History Happy Hour from at Lake Drum Brewing. This month he will share a captioned slide show featuring images of railroads in Geneva. From 1841 to the present day railroads have been an important piece of the city’s infrastructure, come see what it looked like in the past!
Come in any time, stay as long as you like! The slides will run on a continuous loop throughout the time. John will be available to chat and welcomes people with stories and photos to share for future programs.
October 21, 2026
7 p.m.
Geneva History Museum
543 South Main Street, Geneva, NY
As the nation marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Historic Geneva invites the community to consider how the Declaration’s promises continue to shape our community. Join Historic Geneva and leaders from several area nonprofits, including Seneca Lake Pure Waters Association, Safe Harbors of the Finger Lakes, and Happiness House, to discuss how their organizations help Genevans meet basic needs, overcome barriers, find opportunity, and participate more fully in community life.
Audience members are encouraged to participate in the discussion. What does it take to ensure that the Declaration’s promises extend to everyone? Where has Geneva made progress? Where is there still work to do? And how can individuals and organizations help create a “more perfect Union” here in Geneva?
Join us for this community conversation about the ideals proclaimed in 1776, the work of those who have sought to fulfill them, and what those ideals ask of us today.
This is the second program in our Fall Program Series and will be held at the Geneva History Museum at 543 South Main Street in Geneva. The program open to the public and we welcome donations to support our programming.
2026 marks the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. Historic Geneva is commemorating the anniversary with exhibits, programs, and blog articles. “Geneva’s Unfinished Revolutions: Ensuring Life, Liberty, and the Pursuit of Happiness for All” is part of the 250th commemoration.
October 25, 2026
2 p.m.
Glenwood Cemetery
1000 Lochland Rd, Geneva, NY
On Sunday, October 25 at 2 p.m. Historic Geneva will conduct a tour of the Pulteney Street Cemetery section in Glenwood Cemetery.
Historic Geneva Archives Intern Aurora Donta-Venman, under the direction of Archivist Becky Chapin, will share stories related to the earliest Geneva residents buried here, from pastors to Revolutionary War veterans. Once on the corner of Pulteney and Milton Streets, the cemetery was removed when the old Geneva High School was constructed in 1925.
Glenwood Cemetery is located on Lochland Road. Use the southern entry for the cemetery and head straight back to the Pulteney-in-Glenwood section.
Attendees should be aware the tour content will include sensitive stories about death of children and other residents of the cemetery.
The tour will run rain or shine but will be cancelled in the event of thunderstorms or heavy downpours. The cost is $5 per person. Payment should be exact change or check and is payable at the start of the tour. For further information call Historic Geneva at 315-789-5151.
November 12, 2026
7 p.m.
Geneva History Museum
543 South Main Street, Geneva, NY 14465
The final lecture of the Fall Program Series examines urban renewal in Geneva. Historic Geneva Archivist Becky Chapin will explore how Geneva came to participate in an urban renewal project, the project itself, and the eventual outcome. The lecture will start with the 1950s, focus on the 1960s, and briefly look at modern day approaches to urban renewal under different names.
“Urban Renewal: Building a Better Geneva” will be held at the Geneva History Museum at 543 South Main Street in Geneva and is open to the public. There is a suggested donation of $5 to support our programming. For more information about this lecture, call the Historic Geneva office at 315-789-5151.
November 13, 2026
6 and 8 p.m.
Rose Hill Mansion
3373 State Route 96A, Geneva NY
Happy Krampus: A Wintertime Misadventure is a 60-minute immersive holiday theatrical experience presented by Historic Geneva and Breadcrumbs Productions at Rose Hill Mansion. This holiday-themed production transforms the historic mansion in Geneva, New York, into the setting for a unexpected retelling of the famous European folklore figure in a playful, mischievous story. What is a Krampus?! According to legend, this specific monster would accompany St. Nicholas on his wintry walks and kidnap any naughty children; the whispered horrors of what befell those Naughty Children kept the other children in line. They must be good else they disappear, on a cold dark night… like the Naughty Children did…
This theatrical re-telling suggests that there is more to explore in Krampus’ story. Perhaps this Krampus is unlike the others. Perhaps nothing is what we thought.
Through live performance, dance-theater, high-clown comedy, and choose-your-own-adventure storytelling, audiences will explore Rose Hill Mansion as the world of the play unfolds around them, making choices and encountering characters throughout the space. Happy Krampus is designed for adults and adventurous families with children 12+. Guests under 16 must be accompanied by an adult. (Naughty Children are not allowed!)
Join us at Rose Hill Mansion for this new immersive holiday theater event and learn about the Krampus you’ve never known. The performance will take place throughout the mansion’s first floor, in the period-decorated rooms, setting the stage for this modern re-telling of a historical tale.
Recommended for ages 12 and up.
The hourlong performances are at 6 and 8 p.m with a reception from 7 to 8 p.m. Tickets are $27 each.
November 19, 2026
4:30 - 6:30 PM
Lake Drum Brewing
16 East Castle St, Geneva, NY
Join Historic Geneva Curator John Marks for a short and informal history program at Lake Drum Brewing. This month he will share a captioned slide show featuring the Smith Opera House. A fixture in Geneva since its construction in 1894, the building has been a opera house, movie theater, and home for area recitals and graduations. See images of its many incarnations over its 132-year history.
Come in any time, stay as long as you like! The slides will run on a continuous loop throughout the time. John will be available to chat and welcomes people with stories and photos to share for future programs.