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The Geneva Women’s Free Rest Room Association
Brief history of the Geneva Women’s Free Rest Room Association. -
A National Reading Club Comes to Geneva
A short history of the Bay View Reading Circle in Geneva. -
The Community Response to the (Geneva) Princeton Plan
The community response to Geneva’s attempts to address racial imbalance in its schools. -
The (Geneva) Princeton Plan: 56 Years Later
A look back at Geneva’s attempts to address racial imbalance in its schools. -
What Price Peace?
The formation and activities of the Geneva Peace Council during the 1930s. -
Pass the Ocean, Spin the Top: The Friendship Squares of Geneva
A brief look at the Friendship Squares of Geneva. -
Town and Gown at Historic Geneva, 2023
Overview of our relationship with Hobart and William Smith Colleges. -
Geneva’s First City Budget
The city's first budget from 1898. -
The Rest of the story: 1972 Geneva High School Student Walkout
A continuation of the Finger Lakes Times Looking Back article about the March 1972 Geneva High School (Geneva, New York) student walkout. -
Happy Birthday, City of Geneva
To mark the 125th anniversary of the city charter, an overview of how Geneva has changed as a municipality -
Got A Nickel?
Brief history of slot machines in Geneva. -
The Rite of Passage for Hobart Freshmen in the 20th Century
Overview of the social rules followed by Hobart College freshmen during the 20th century -
The Spanish Association of the Finger Lakes
Brief history of Spanish Association of the Finger Lakes in Geneva, New York. -
Off to College, Then and Now
A comparison of the admission process at Hobart College in 1839-1839 and 1911-1912 -
Lifelong Learning
Overview of lifelong learning opportunities from around the community. -
Vocational Education Through the Years
A brief overview of vocational education. -
The Ballot Box in New York State
Brief timeline of voting history in New York State -
Salvation Army
Chronicle of the Salvation Army’s presence in Geneva. -
When You Can’t Find The Words
The Historical Society addresses the protests occurring across the country. -
Geneva School Expansion and Reform
A review of the period of school expansion and reform in Geneva during the late 1800s. -
Geneva’s Stories: Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church Serves the Community
Mount Olive Missionary Baptist Church celebrates 70 years of making a difference in Geneva. -
Geneva’s Stories: Geneva Rotary Club Celebrates 100 Years of Service
From student loans to summer camps to a local grant program, the Geneva Rotary Club has spent the past century serving the community. -
Early History of the Geneva Family YMCA
The beginning of the Geneva Family YMCA -
When You’re Shut Out of a Club…Start Your Own
A brief history of the College Club of Geneva. -
William Smith College Athletics, 1972 – Present
Part two of a brief history of William Smith College athletics -
William Smith College Athletics, 1908-1971
Brief history of William Smith College athletics. -
Women’s Sports
Discussion on the impact of Title IX on young women and sports . -
From Zoology to Metaphysics: College Courses in 19th and 20th Centuries
Overview of courses offered schools and colleges in Geneva during the 1800s and 1900s. -
Gossip is Not a 21st Century Thing
Overview of publications from Geneva High School -
What We Learned In School: 19th-Century Schoolwork
What was 19th-century schoolwork like? -
Alice Seward and World War I, Part One
Part one is a series about the World War I diary of Alice Seward -
Back to School
Overview of school buildings using photos and floor plans from "Report of [New York] State Superintendent of Public Instruction" (1897) including Cortland Street and Lewis Street Schools in Geneva, New York. -
“The War Chest spilled over. Good for Geneva!”
The creation of the Geneva War Chest during WW I -
The Wyoming Valley Massacre
How the 18th-century frontier raids by Native American warriors and British loyalists led to General Sullivan's campaign to destroy the Iroquois. -
1968: A Year of Change
1968, the year the Geneva Historical Society opened Rose Hill Mansion as a museum, was a year of momentous change. -
Andrew Hubbs, American Red Ambulance Corps
World War I experience of Andrew Hubbs -
Geneva’s Gallant Sons
The Curator's latest find "Register of Geneva's Gallant Sons War of 1917-1919." -
Segregated Schools in Geneva’s Past
Many Americans are familiar with the segregated schools of the Jim Crow South, however, officially segregated schools existed in most 19th-century communities in the North, including Geneva. It took the concerted efforts of Geneva's African-American community to advocate for improved education and eventual integrated schools for their children. -
Curriculum Project Results in Student Mural
Geneva Middle School students create a mural recounting Geneva High School boycotts of the 1970s. -
Imagine if you were in her shoes….
Evolution of women’s rights in the United States -
New “Geneva Stories” Videos
The latest additions to our "Geneva Stories" video series -
Suffrage Songs
Overview of suffrage songs. -
1907 and the New York Woman Suffrage Association Meeting
Brief summary of the 1907 New York Woman Suffrage Association Annual Convention held in Geneva, New York. -
“Marching on to Victory”: A Timeline of the Suffrage Movement in Geneva
A timeline of the suffrage movement in Geneva, New York. -
Free Schools for Geneva
Free public schools appeared in Geneva in the mid-19th century. -
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 » -
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. -
The 1960s at Hobart & William Smith Colleges
A quick view of Hobart & William Smith Colleges during the tumultuous 1960s. -
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. -
Suffrage Connection
If you did not go to the pre-screening of the movie The Suffragette at the Smith, you missed an incredible experience. Though the movie was about the British suffrage movement, there is a Geneva connection. -
1960s Student Unrest in Geneva
Very early on May 5, 1970, Ontario County Sheriffs arrested five Hobart students in a drug raid. The raid turned up hash pipes, pills and marijuana. One of the sheriffs was recognized by the students as “Tommy the Traveler” – a man who had been active on campus encouraging anti-war and anti-ROTC protests, and claiming to be a member of Students for a Democratic Society. -
Accidental History Topics
I’ve posted photos to the historical society’s Facebook page for two and a half years. Digging further into the collection to come up with fresh material, I found this photo of Castle Street -
Early Schools of Geneva
The recent debates over Geneva’s school budget and national arguments about the Common Core curriculum have had me thinking and reading a lot about the history of education this past spring. Education and schooling have been part of life in Geneva from its early settlement, though not in a form most modern Genevans would recognize. -
Piazza Party at Lochland
For over forty years women’s rights and dress reform advocate Elizabeth Smith Miller (1822-1911) called Geneva home. In 1897 Miller got the New York State Suffrage Association to host their annual convention in Geneva. After the convention Miller and her daughter, Anne, formed the Geneva Political Equality Club. The purpose of the club was to secure full suffrage for women. -
Lincoln’s Assassination as Seen in Geneva
One hundred fifty years ago this week actor John Wilkes Booth changed American history when he stepped into the Lincolns' booth at Ford's Theater and shot the president in the back of the head, the first man to assassinate a U.S. president. The assassination was an awful event that shook the nation just a week after Lee’s surrender overjoyed the North. -
The Geneva USO and WWII
The Geneva USO Club helped the community do its part during World War II. -
The James M. Cole Circus, Part Two
In November 1943, the Geneva Daily Times reported Cole, Circus Owner, Inducted Into Army -
The War of 1812: Who Cares?
A discussion on the importance of the War of 1812. -
Clubs, Associations, Organizations: Networking in the 1920s
Brief overview of community organizations in Geneva during the 1920s. -
Garbage
History of dumps in Geneva. -
Swine Driver and Pound Keeper for Geneva in 1852
Chronicling the problem of loose animals like livestock in Geneva, New York during the 1800s through newspapers and government records. -
126th New York At Gettysburg
The 126th New York Infantry Regiment at the Battle of Gettysburg -
Engines and Silver Trumpets
Fire related issues as chronicled in the Village of Geneva board minutes during the early 1850s. -
New York City Draft Riots
Robert Swan's reaction to the draft during the Civil War -
150th Anniversary of the Emancipation Proclamation
A little over one-hundred fifty years ago, on September 22, 1862, President Lincoln took a step he had planned for months and proclaimed that as of January 1, 1863 “all persons held as slaves within any State or designated part of a State, the people whereof shall then be in rebellion against the United States, shall be then, thenceforward, and forever free.…”
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.