We Are Ready, Are You?
After temporarily closing its doors on March 17, the Geneva Historical Society will reopen the Geneva History Museum to the public on Monday, July 13. The Museum will be open Monday through Saturday from 9:30 am to 4:30 pm. While guided tours of Rose Hill Mansion are currently not being offered, tours of the architecture and grounds will be held on Thursdays at 11 am beginning on July 23. The Carriage House Gift Shop at Rose Hill will also be open on weekends starting on July 18 from 1 pm to 4 pm. Both the Geneva History Museum and Rose Hill will operate at a reduced capacity while enacting new safety measures, including social distancing and enhanced sanitizing and cleaning protocols. As a result the Archives will not open at this time and the Historical Society will not be accepting donations to the collection.
Phineas and Adelaide Prouty
While we are grateful to return, our priority is the health and safety of our visitors, local community and staff. Over the past weeks, we’ve carefully developed reopening guidelines in accordance with state guidelines, directives from the CDC, and museum best practices. Our staff has also worked hard to gather necessary supplies, including masks, gloves, hand sanitizer and cleaning products. These new procedures will ensure we’re meeting the highest level public health standards while maintaining the excellence of the visitor experience.
Cleaning will be enhanced throughout the Geneva History Museum and the Carriage House Gift Shop at Rose Hill, including increased frequency of disinfecting “high touch” areas. Hand sanitizer will also be readily available. In accordance with New York State guidelines, Historical Society staff and volunteers, as well as all visitors will be required to wear facing coverings; complimentary masks will be provided for visitors who need one.
For their own safety as well as that of other visitors and staff, we are asking visitors to be aware of and adhere to the following guidelines:
Guidelines for all Geneva Historical Society Properties
- All visitors and staff are required to wear a face covering onsite. If a visitor does not have a face covering, a mask will be provided. Face coverings must cover the mouth and nose and be worn at all times. The exceptions are children under two years old and those were are medically unable to tolerate a face covering.
- All visitors are strongly encouraged to use hand sanitizer upon entering and leaving any Historical Society property. Hand sanitizer will be readily available at all Historical Society properties.
- Visitors and staff are encouraged to practice proper respiratory etiquette.
- Groups that arrive together in the same vehicle and/or of the same household group may gather together during their visit to a Historical Society property.
- To help monitor capacity, visiting groups and/or individuals must, whenever possible, maintain a minimum of 6 feet separation from others during a visit to a Historical Society property.
- “High touch” areas will be disinfected frequently throughout the day. These include, but are not limited to door knobs, hand railings and restroom fixtures.
- Visitors are encouraged, but not required, to provide contact information for contact tracing.
- Any visitor experiencing a fever, cough and/or difficulty breathing should postpone their visit.
- For the safety of our visitors, staff and volunteers, we may close for health and safety purposes. For up-to-date information, call 315-789-5151 or visit the Historical Society’s web site.
- By visiting a Historical Society property, visitors voluntarily assume all risks to exposure to COVID-19.
Margaret Swan with her children (Lincoln, Mary and Maggie).
Guidelines for Geneva History Museum
- For the time being, the Museum is operating at 25% capacity.
- To help monitor capacity and social distancing, the way visitors move through the Museum has been reconfigured. A pamphlet (which can be kept or recycled at the end of the visit) will help guide visitors through the Museum. A digital version is also available.
- Access to the Discovery Room is limited to one group at a time. A limited amount of materials will also be available. The Discovery Room and all materials will be disinfected after each use
- The Research Room is not open to the public but research requests can be made over the phone, via email or through social media.
- For the time being, donations to three-dimensional and archival collections are not being accepted.
Guidelines for Rose Hill Mansion
- Guided tours of the Mansion are not available at this time.
- Beginning on July 23, an architecture and grounds tour of Rose Hill will be offered on Thursdays at 11 am. Space is limited to eight people and reservations are required. Reservations can be made over the phone by calling 315-789-3848.
- Beginning on July 18, the Carriage House Gift Shop will be open on weekends from 1 pm to 4 pm.
Review the Historical Society’s complete re-opening plan here.
Continue to check our website and social media channels for up-to-date information on the re-opening of the Historical Societies properties.
Did you open on the 13th? We are locked down in the Bay Area and throughout all of CA.
Don Woodrow
Yes, we are open at the museum, not at Rose Hill yet. The situation in the state is much better than it was in the spring, but everyone is still being careful and the governor is limiting our capacity to 25%, so only a few visitors at a time and some staff are working at home each day. The Finger Lakes was fortunate not to have been hit hard like major cities in the state. We are all watching other states with alarm and are quite wary of a resurgence.