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Form Follows Function: The Octagon House
A short history of the octagon house at 760 Castle Street. -
The Chew Family
A short biography of the Chew family in Geneva. -
To Strike or Not to Strike
A brief history of labor unions in Geneva. -
McDonough Park
A brief history of McDonough Park. -
Geneva’s Lakefront: 1904 and Today
A 1904 map of Geneva's lakefront reveals the extent of change that has occurred in the built environment and residents' attitudes about it in 120 years. -
A National Reading Club Comes to Geneva
A short history of the Bay View Reading Circle in Geneva. -
Mr. (Geneva) Lacrosse: Dr. Jay Byington Covert
Dr. Jay Byington Covert was possibly the biggest promoter of lacrosse in Geneva. -
Jean MacKay Henrich and Pulteney Park
The story behind the statue “Peace“ in Pulteney Park. -
Geneva’s Early Woman Journalist: Mildred Jennings
The life and career of journalist Mildred Jennings, one of 20th-century Geneva's first woman journalists. -
December 1922
Happening in and around Geneva in December 1922 based on local newspapers. -
People from the St. Patrick’s Cemetery 2023 Tour
Overview of the residents featured in the 2023 tour of t Patrick's Cemetery -
Visiting the Syrian Community in Glenwood Cemetery, Part 2
The second article about the history of the Syrian community in Geneva. -
Local Authors
Overview of various authors connected to Geneva. -
Early Geneva Playgrounds
Early Geneva playgrounds provided safe summertime recreation for a growing population of children in the city in the first quarter of the 20th century. -
Hearing From You: The Breuer Hotel
Brief history of the Breuer Hotel. -
The Prouty-Chew House: From Family Home to Museum and Work Space
There were many changes involved in transforming the Prouty-Chew house from a house to a museum. -
Over the River and Through the Woods: Loomis Wood
A history of the Loomis Woods. -
Seneca Lake Park: From City Park to State Park
A brief history of Seneca Lake State Park -
Was Charles Bean a Conman, Part 2?
More mysteries surrounding Charles Bean -
The Mysterious McPaddens
Trying to chronicle the history of the McPadden Family. -
More Stories from St. Patrick’s Cemetery
Overview of some of the residents of St Patrick's Cemetery -
Off to College, Then and Now
A comparison of the admission process at Hobart College in 1839-1839 and 1911-1912 -
2020 Collection Reflections
Artifact donation highlights in 2020 -
St. Patrick’s Cemetery, Part 1
Overview the history of St. Patrick's Cemetery and some of its residents -
The Ballot Box in New York State
Brief timeline of voting history in New York State -
Geneva’s Close Election of 1903
Look back at Geneva’s controversial mayoral election of 1903. -
PB Oakley
Brief biography of photojournalist PB Oakley. -
Salvation Army
Chronicle of the Salvation Army’s presence in Geneva. -
Puzzling During a Pandemic: America’s 3rd Puzzle Craze
A brief history of the jigsaw puzzle crazes in the United States. -
Meet Gerald and Viacita Fowler, Part 1
Gerald Folwer and his work at the Schine theatres in Geneva. -
A Brief History of the T-Shirt
A history of the "plain white t-shirt." -
Edwin Becker: Inventor, Poet and Engineer
Brief biography of Edwin Becker -
The Ice War Continueth, Part 3: Kashong Ice Company
The story of the Kashong Ice Company. -
“A Friend of the Gutted Stick:” Francis “Babe” Kraus
Brief biography of Francis "Babe" Kraus. -
St. Patrick’s Cemetery: A Story of Immigration in Geneva
Brief history of Irish and Italian immigration to 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. -
Why Does New York State Have Municipal Historians?
The story of why municipal historians were established in New York State -
When You’re Shut Out of a Club…Start Your Own
A brief history of the College Club of Geneva. -
William Smith College Athletics, 1908-1971
Brief history of William Smith College athletics. -
Beer Brewing in Early Geneva
Find out more about beer brewing in early Geneva. -
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. -
Alice Seward and World War I, Part Three
The final part in a series about the World War I diary of Alice Seward -
Storymaps
The Historical Society finds a new way to tell Geneva's stories. -
Alice Seward and World War I, Part Two
Part two in a series about the World War I diary of Alice Seward -
Airports in Geneva
Brief history of airports in Geneva, New York. -
Alice Seward and World War I, Part One
Part one is a series about the World War I diary of Alice Seward -
Dove’s Geneva Watercolors
A look at Arthur Dove’s watercolors created in Geneva from 1933 to 1938. -
Andrew Hubbs, American Red Ambulance Corps
World War I experience of Andrew Hubbs -
Geneva 100 Years Ago
Geneva in 1918 through the local newspaper -
Geneva’s Gallant Sons
The Curator's latest find "Register of Geneva's Gallant Sons War of 1917-1919." -
The Sounds of Music
Through National Jukebox, sample sound recordings can be found of various musicians who performed in Geneva in the early 1900s. -
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. -
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. -
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. -
The Geneva USO and WWII
The Geneva USO Club helped the community do its part during World War II. -
Women’s Fashions in the 1940s
Fashion changes all the time, sometimes quickly and sometimes slowly. In the 1940s, women’s clothing did both at the same time. In some ways the evolution of women’s fashion stalled for a while because of World War II. -
Ah, The Movies!!
Movies in the 1940s seemed glamorous and provided their viewers with the opportunity to escape from the stress of war, rationing, worry, fear and anger. Ah, the movies. What a wonderful thing they are! -
Corcoran Family Scrapbook
The Corcoran family scrapbook documents one Geneva family's World War II experience from draft through marriage and life after the war. -
Picking Up The Farming Slack in Geneva During World War II
By the end of the war, there were almost 1,000 men who were enlisted in the army from Geneva. The loss of these men caused a drop in people who were able to work. The loss of the men from Geneva to the war was very problematic for the farming in the area. -
Family Memories of War
Family stories can still bring World War II to life and make history a personal thing. -
The Zoot Suit
In keeping with our current emphasis on the 1940s, I looked in the local newspapers for zoot suits. Although zoot suits were known in some form from the early 1930s, the first Geneva reference I found was in 1942. -
The James M. Cole Circus, Part Two
In November 1943, the Geneva Daily Times reported Cole, Circus Owner, Inducted Into Army -
Geography of Food in the 1940s
“Food deserts” are a current topic in government and academic research. The US Department of Agriculture defines the term as “urban neighborhoods and rural towns without ready access to fresh, healthy, and affordable food. Instead of supermarkets and grocery stores, these communities may have no food access or are served only by fast food restaurants and convenience stores that offer few healthy, affordable food options. More » -
Geneva Teenagers and World War II
With World War II came the birth of the American teenager. While we tend to associate the flowering of teen culture with the baby boomers, it was actually their immediate predecessors, the so-called “Silent Generation” who were first referred to as teenagers. Then, as always, the older generation thought that the younger generation was at best misguided, at worst they were described as selfish, willful, More » -
Christmas Dreaming
Some of my favorite memories are associated with Christmas–the Festival of Lights at Sonnenberg, seeing The Nutcracker at the Smith Opera House and A Christmas Carol at Geva, picking out a new ornament each year for the tree, having Christmas breakfast with my grandparents, and playing “Sleigh Ride” throughout high school for the holiday band concert. -
World War II in the Geneva Daily Times
When we did our World War II project in the early 1990s, Kathryn Grover was hired to research, write, and lay out the exhibit and book, Close to the Heart of the War. As part of her contract, we received all her research notes for our archives. I recently pulled out one of the large boxes to look at her source material. Any project, i.e. More » -
Dreams Come True: The James M. Cole Circus
While looking for interesting topics from the 1940s, I ran across the James M. Cole Circus of Penn Yan. This is a little of its story from the 40s, as reported (mostly) in the Geneva Daily Times. -
Rationing and Recipes
When I was in high school girls took “home economics” classes and boys took “shop” classes. I remember coming home from the first cooking class in home economics and showing my mom what foods they were going to teach us to prepare. My mother was not impressed, for that matter I wasn’t either. I only remember 3 or 4 of the recipes, but one was More » -
Girl Bands and Geneva
Recently, I got the book Swing Shift by Sherrie Tucker. The book was published in 2000 and Professor Tucker was a professor at Hobart and William Smith when she wrote it. Swing Shift is about the all-women bands of the 1930s and 1940s. I wondered if any of the bands in the book were seen or heard in Geneva. It turns out some of them More » -
World War II in the Eyes of a “Boomer”
Since I was born in the early 1950s World War II was very fresh in the memories of my parents and their friends so by process of osmosis I became more familiar with that war than some of the more recent ones during my own life. -
Geneva’s “Busted Yankees”
As we saw in a previous post about the Herendeen family, World War I came about so suddenly and unexpectedly that few people were prepared for it. As mobilization for war began across Europe, there were over 100,000 Americans visiting or living abroad who were unable to leave easily. -
The Herendeens and the Summer of 1914, Part II
The Herendeen family travels from Austria to Germany during the opening days of World War I. -
The Herendeens and the Summer of 1914, Part I
World War I breaks out during the Herendeen family's trip to Europe. -
One Final Word (Or Two) About The 1920s
Overview of the 1920s. -
Dance in Geneva
During the 1910s and 20s the dance world was in ferment. In 1909 the Russian impresario Serge Diaghilev brought a new kind of ballet to Europe and the United States with the Paris debut of the Ballets Russes -
Radio in the 1920s
Brief history of radio during the 1920s. -
Geneva in the 1920s
Overview of businesses in Geneva during the 1920s. -
What was a flapper, anyway?
Evolution of the term flapper as documented in the local newspaper -
Prohibition: The Real Story (Or Close to It)
How people and businesses got around the 18th Amendment and Volstead Act during the 1920s -
Clubs, Associations, Organizations: Networking in the 1920s
Brief overview of community organizations in Geneva during the 1920s. -
The Arrival of the Consumer Economy
The rise of the modern consumer culture as seen in Geneva. -
The Helpful Horse
The rise of the automobile and the decline of using horses for transportation in Geneva, New York.
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.