Exhibit Taxonomy: Past Exhibits

An exhibit developed by New York Heritage exploring the history and legacy of Urban Renewal in the state. Open through July 31, 2026.

An exhibit curated by students from Hobart and William Smith Colleges.

Our first exhibit celebrating America 250! Explore how the city and town of Geneva have celebrated civic milestones, using parades, reenactments, pageants and other community gatherings. (January to July 2026)

Inspired by the Finger Lakes and their travels, Agnes Swan Hutchins (1864-1951) and her daughter Margaret Hutchins (1897-1961) expressed themselves through painting and sketching. The exhibit highlights a selection of their artwork. The exhibit is sponsored in part by ESL Charitable Foundation. Rose Hill Mansion (May to October 2025)

An exhibit on the transformation of burial practices in Geneva from a domestic activity to a business.

An exhibit on the history of Geneva's fire companies, significant fires, and firefighting in the city's past.

This exhibit looks at the life and work of Geneva comet finder William Brooks, an astronomer who made sixteen of his discoveries while a professor at Hobart College.

A community-sourced exhibit featuring images and recollections of gatherings, sports, and games at Geneva's parks and playgrounds.

This exhibit explores the history of Geneva's Black community since 1966, the concluding year of a 1991 exhibit produced on the history of the city's Black citizens. It looks at the past 50 years of change. To view a digital version of the exhibit, visit New York Heritage.

An exhibit about how the wild decade of the 1920s affected Geneva.

An exhibit that pairs historic views around the city of Geneva with contemporary photos of the same location.

Explore 200 years of the intertwined history of Hobart College and the Geneva community.

An exhibit which explores the history of food and beverages in Geneva's history.

An exhibit featuring a variety of historic scrapbooks from the Historic Geneva collection, documenting family and group life in the community's past.

What might future historians and generations need to understand the COVID-19 Pandemic? All of us have a story to tell about our experiences in this historic time, and this exhibit showcases a few of those experiences.

In this exhibit, encounter the many Geneva innovators who have changed the community and the world with new ideas and inventions.

The exhibit My Geneva is… is made up entirely of photos contributed by community members. My Geneva is… includes images that convey what Geneva is to an individual.

See items from the clothing collection that are connected to men and women who served in the military and in support organizations.  

Explores the evolution of schools, colleges, and informal learning in Geneva.

See items from the clothing collection that are connected to Geneva events, made in Geneva, or sold in Geneva.

This exhibit looks at sports programs at Geneva's three colleges: Hobart College, William Smith College and Finger Lakes Community College.

Explore recreation and amateur sports history in Geneva, NY.

This exhibit looks at the history of school sports at Geneva and DeSales High Schools from the 1890s to the present.

What do people in Geneva remember about their childhood here? Lots about food based on the content in our new crowdsourced exhibit, Growing Up in Geneva.

Explore modernist artist Arthur Dove's connection to the city of Geneva and the mark he and his family left on it.

Explore Geneva's participation World War I.

Explore how health care in Geneva has changed from the 1790s to the present.

This exhibit looks at how Geneva’s buildings tell stories about neighborhood development, historic preservation, and architectural style.

Follow Geneva activists' efforts to achieve woman suffrage in this exhibit.

This exhibit explores the history and development of the Village, then City, and Town of Geneva, New York.

From international stars who have performed at Club 86 and the Smith Opera House to locals who get together and play every week, Geneva has a rich musical heritage. Music in the Key of Geneva presents and chronicles that history.

On the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, explore Geneva's experience of this tumultuous period in American history.

What makes Geneva...Geneva? An A to Z compendium.

On the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, discover Geneva's involvement in the "second war for Independence."

The history of newspapers in Geneva begins in 1796. Through the 19th century, the village often had at least two newspapers of opposite political views. The Geneva Daily Times began in 1895 and was the forerunner of today's Finger Lakes Times.

Beginning in the 1890s, Torrey Park was the Italian neighborhood of Geneva. It had everything people needed: the Lehigh Valley passenger depot, jobs at nearby factories, and a variety of stores and restaurants. Club 86 grew from the Legott family restaurant and hosted musicians from Wilmer and the Dukes to Louis Armstrong and Nat "King" Cole.

Geneva's armory was built in 1892 and went through several expansions and changes. As technology made weaponry and vehicles larger, many New York State armories were moved out of downtown to suburban locations. Geneva's armory still serves as the recruitment, training, and deployment center for its National Guard unit

Freemasonry has a long local history. Masonic groups have been in Geneva since 1807 when Ark Lodge was formed. Even though membership peaked in the late 1920s, lodges remain active and accept new members. The exhibit answers common questions about freemasonry (including “the Morgan affair”) and highlights Geneva’s Masonic temples through the years as well as prominent local Masons (January -June 2013). Brotherhood

In the mid-1800s, Geneva claimed more foundries and machine shops than any other community between Auburn and Buffalo. By the 1950s, the metal industry accounted for almost 70% of the city’s jobs. Today, there is only one major metal fabrication company in town. Molding & Machining focuses on what drew these businesses to Geneva in the 19th century and why they were gone by the late 20th century (2011-2012).   Molding & Machining

This exhibit highlights the importance of railroads to the city from the 1840s to the 1960s. Geneva sat at the intersection of two major lines, the Lehigh Valley Railroad and the New York Central Railroad, and was connected to other railroads by regional “short lines.” The exhibit examines the many ways the railroads affected the average resident, from bringing new people and things to town, to providing employment, to spurring development. It looks at the role the rail lines played in shrinking our vast nation and connecting small communities like Geneva to the rest of the country and the world (March 2012 – April 2013). How Railroads Shaped Geneva

Established in 1880, the New York State Agricultural Experiment Station’s purpose was to promote “agriculture in its various branches by scientific investigation and experimentation.” Though the nature of investigation has changed over the past 130 years scientists still address the same questions of increased production, food safety, and developing healthy food that people want to eat (June 2013 -April 2014). Scientific Investigation