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Geneva’s Stories: Urban Renewal in Geneva
The first video in a monthly series of short Geneva history stories, beginning with Urban Renewal. -
Fund for Historic Geneva
After two essays about urban renewal, both government and private, it’s time to turn to historic preservation. -
Building A Better Geneva: Urban Renewal, Part II
After seven years of applying for Urban Renewal money, evaluating property conditions and values, and organizing the work, demolition began in March 1966. -
Building A Better Geneva: Urban Renewal, Part I
For those of us of a certain age, urban renewal is the scapegoat for unpleasant change in our communities. “Why did they [always an unnamed “they”] tear down X, Y, and Z?” “Urban renewal.” While I sympathize with mourning the loss of what used to be, I wanted to find out what urban renewal really was, why communities embraced it, and who “they” were. -
Explaining the 1960s
Each year before college begins, Beloit College in Wisconsin puts out “The Mindset List” for the incoming freshman class. Originally compiled as a lark, it’s become a valuable tool for professors (and other adults) to understand an 18-year old’s perspective. -
When you move something, is it still the same?
I wrote in March about cleaning out the house in which I grew up. We needed to “de-clutter” it anyway to put it on the market so we did the bulk of the removal at the same time. All the dishes, books, cereal boxes, knick knacks, records, and “what is this and why did they save it?” left the house. It was a huge feat More » -
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 -
Keeping Up With The Times
There’s a great line in the first Men In Black movie. Tommy Lee Jones is showing Will Smith alien technology, including a tiny compact disc, and says, “Looks like I’ll have to buy the White Album again.” Whether or not you liked the Beatles, it resonated with anyone who saw the change from vinyl records to tape (8-tracks and cassettes) to compact disc. In the More » -
“My Kids Don’t Care About This Stuff”
I’m cleaning out my parents’ house as we get ready to sell it. Mom passed away last fall and Dad left the house a week later to move into assisted living. Like many houses, the attic is packed with...stuff. For years before this, “what to do with the attic” periodically came up in conversation. Mom didn’t want to talk about it, Dad wrung his hands More » -
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. -
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 » -
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 » -
World War II Revisted
In 1995 we opened a major exhibit, Close to the Heart of the War: Geneva and World War II, and published a companion book. We conducted “history harvests” to identify people with stories, artifacts and photos. A researcher recorded many hours of oral history interviews and scoured local newspapers and records. So, why do World War II again? Is there anything left to say? -
The Evolution of Museums and the Geneva Historical Society
By John Marks, Curator of Collections and Exhibits Charles Willson Peale is considered the father of American museums. (A painting by his son Rembrandt hangs in the main hallway of Rose Hill.) In 1786 he opened a museum of natural history in Philadelphia, which included an extensive portrait gallery; Peale justified this by saying man was at the top of the natural order. He charged More » -
The Herendeens and the Summer of 1914, Part II
By John Marks, Curator of Collections and Exhibits Last month’s blog ended with Frank Herendeen’s entry from July 25, 1914, when Austria declared war. Hotel guests immediately began fleeing by auto and carriage. The Herendeens stayed put for almost a week. On July 31 “came a dispatch that the entire Austrian army was to mobilize, and immediately great excitement prevailed in the hotel.” The More » -
The Herendeens and the Summer of 1914, Part 1
By John Marks, Curator of Collections and Exhibits A common quip in my profession is, “I’m a historian. I read dead people’s mail.” Even more revealing are the diaries and journals that have been given to the historical society. A particularly interesting collection is the diaries of Francis (Frank) Herendeen from 1914 to 1929. In 1868 the Herendeen family began making farm implements More » -
Geneva Downtown Commercial Historic District
By John Marks, Curator of Collections and Exhibits About 18 months ago I wrote about the details of national, state, and local historic preservation programs. They bear revisiting in the wake of the National Register of Historic Places approving the Geneva Downtown Commercial Historic District. The district includes most of traditional downtown, the rectangle formed by Seneca, Exchange, Castle, and Main Streets. Linden Street More » -
Lift Up Thine Eyes: The Upper Floors of Downtown Geneva
Overview of downtown Architecture -
The War of 1812: Who Cares?
A discussion on the importance of the War of 1812. -
Geneva House Architecture
Overview of Geneva's residential architecture. -
Geneva in the 1920s
Overview of businesses in Geneva during the 1920s. -
Prohibition: The Real Story (Or Close to It)
How people and businesses got around the 18th Amendment and Volstead Act during the 1920s -
Geneva’s Armory: Form and Function
Overview of the Armory -
Linden Street
Geographically, Linden Street is the heart of downtown. -
Doing Research
Tips on doing research -
Geneva’s History On Facebook
The Geneva Historical Society's Facebook page. -
When Hobby Meets Work
How music has been incorporated into various activities of the Geneva Historical Society. -
Writing Exhibits
The exhibit creation process at the Geneva Historical Society -
Geneva’s Changing Waterfront
Seneca Lake and its shore have always been valuable commodities to Geneva, but the nature of that value is always changing. -
Town and Gown at the Geneva Historical Society
Relationship between the Geneva Historical Society and Hobart and William Smith Colleges -
Why Save It?
Why and how the Geneva Historical Society collects objects. -
What is History?
Discussion of what is history. -
No Free Money: Historic Preservation 101
Historic Preservation 101
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.