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Bette Schubert
A tribute to Bette Schubert. -
My Geneva Is …..
For the City Historian, Geneva is the people. -
Zucchini: Its History and Uses
An over abundance of zucchini, led to curiosity about its history. -
Staying At Home
The City Historian reflects on staying home during the pandemic. -
The Romance of Rural Living vs the Reality
The pluses and minuses of living in the country -
Why Does New York State Have Municipal Historians?
The story of why municipal historians were established in New York State -
Women’s Sports
Discussion on the impact of Title IX on young women and sports . -
Books and Reading
An appeal plea to read books, newspapers, or magazines in print or electronic format. -
And, what do we have here
Is Geneva undergoing gentrification? -
Deer? Oh Dear!
Discussion of white tail deer in the Finger Lakes. -
Cookbooks Can Tell Many Stories
Local history through cookbooks -
The Finger Lakes: Descriptions for People Who Don’t Know, Aren’t Certain or Have Never Been
Finger Lakes 101 -
Meet the Parker Family
Brief biography of the Parker family including Ira, Stephen and Edgar Parker -
Geneva 100 Years Ago
Geneva in 1918 through the local newspaper -
Symbols New and Old in Use in Geneva and Elsewhere
Brief history of the use of symbols -
The Irish in Geneva
On the hunt for Irish history in Geneva, New York -
Notable Geneva Women
Overview of notable Geneva women -
More Notable Genevans
Notable people from Geneva's African American community -
Geneva’s Famous Residents
Overview of some of Geneva's famous residents -
Gift Giving
The tradition of gift giving on Christmas. -
Traditions
Traditions for Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve, Christmas Day, New Year’s Eve, and New Year’s Day often revolve around food, decorations, and locations. -
Research Libraries
A discussion about public and private research libraries. -
History is Really About the People
It is the people who bring history to life -
Adobe Houses in Geneva
Overview of adobe houses in Geneva, New York. -
Parting With “Stuff”
The trials and tribulations of downsizing. -
Starting Over
Starting over in a new house. -
Imagine if you were in her shoes….
Evolution of women’s rights in the United States -
Getting Back Our First Names
Reclaiming women's first names through the historical record -
Why a woman’s work is never done!!
Discussion on how technology has changed women's work -
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. -
Give Back to Your Community
Advocating the need for volunteers around the community. -
Autumn in the Finger Lakes
An ode to autumn in the Finger Lakes -
Modesty: Where Have You Gone?!
When it comes to clothing and fashion, what does modesty mean. -
Geneva 15 years ago
Reflections on living in Geneva. -
The Perfect Purse
A brief history of purses. -
Modern Medicine
I recently had an opportunity to experience some hand surgery and thought what a different experience citizens of Geneva years ago must have had compared to mine. -
Exhibits
Many years ago, most museums did exhibitions using the time tested tool of the diorama. Dioramas, both life size and in miniature, were used to tell a story -
Yummy, Ice Cream!
Let me start by saying that I LOVE Ice Cream! I guess I am not alone, either -
Oh, those 1960s Cars!
I am not a car buff. My vehicle doesn’t have to be sporty, exotic or sexy, but it just needs to get me from my home to my destination safely and comfortably. -
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. -
1960s – The Clothing We Wore
There were more changes in 1960’s styles than I can begin to talk about here. I was a relatively conservative dresser, in part because my folks exercised control over my choices and my friends were also pretty conservative so there was not much peer pressure with which to deal. Still I remember it as a time of change in styles, rebellion demonstrated through clothing….or sometimes More » -
Headed to the Drive-in
I love being able to revisit the past and our fundraiser focused on the 1960s (being held in March 2016) is giving me a wonderful opportunity to review one of the most interesting decades I remember. -
Growing Up in the 1960s
The 1960s were a decade that encompassed some of the worst and best events of my young age. Born in 1952, the 1960s covered my life from the ages of 8 to 18. In that time I went from playing with toys to being interested in boys. -
Carriages and Wagons and Of Course, the Horse
Almost everyone who knows me knows I am fascinated by horses. The way they move, how graceful they can be, and the fact that their history is so entwined with that of humans intrigues me. -
Geneva’s Oldest Burial Grounds
One of the oldest burial grounds in Geneva was the Pulteney Street Burial Ground. I say one of the oldest because the first burials appear to have taken place where Trinity Episcopal Church stands today. -
Do you have …..?
“Do you have…..” the words following that inquiry can stir any number of emotions in an archivist. For example, confidence, “yes, I have ‘that’ and know right where it is”; or confusion, “do I have anything on ‘that’, have I ever even heard of ‘that?!’” to outright fear, “oh dear, I haven’t been able to find ‘that’ in three years and I have no idea More » -
Road Maps, Wish Books and Cartography
I like maps! There, I said it! I am one of those folks who will happily try to navigate with a few lines on paper rather than a nifty GPS with a sexy voice that tells me which road to turn down …NOW! -
Geneva Food Uncovered
Recently a nice article about one of our local restaurants, The Deluxe, was published in the Life in the Finger Lakes magazine’s March/April 2015 issue. The woman, who wrote the article, Margueite Abbott, did a lot of research at the Geneva Historical Society and we have put that information in a file for anyone to look at by coming to our archives. It was a More » -
March!
The month of March is upon us with wildly unpredictable weather. March is the month of wind, sun, snow, rain, sleet, and it usually has a complete temperature rollercoaster. I have a real love/hate affair with March. The days get longer; the sun comes out more and then just as I begin looking for crocuses, daffodils, primroses and violets in the garden we get socked More » -
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! -
Family Memories of War
Family stories can still bring World War II to life and make history a personal thing. -
Christmas Musings
What did you ask for on your Christmas list as a child? People who know me well won’t be surprised to know that every year I asked Santa, and later my parents when it became apparent that Santa didn’t get the message, for a pony. I scoured the Christmas “Wish Book” for rocking horses and asking for one of those with the idea that Santa More » -
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 » -
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. -
Marian Cruger Coffin
Brief biography of landcape architect Marian Cruger Coffin -
Festival Time
By Karen Osburn, Archivist Cruisin’ Night 2006 It is that time of year again. Festivals are everywhere. If there is anyone who can’t find something to do on a weekend in the Finger Lakes they must have their eyes closed and their cell phone glued to their ear. Just recently in the area surrounding Geneva there was a garlic festival, a sauerkraut festival and the More » -
Lazy, Hazy Days of Summer
Those fans brought to mind the old song about the “Lazy, Hazy, Crazy Days of Summer” and how very glad I am summer days are here. -
A “Tisket” a “Tasket” I love my Picnic Basket
By Karen Osburn, Archivist As usual, when I write an article I search for something from my own experience as a starting point. This time it is picnics. I love picnics, not that I manage to go on many of the stereotypical “tablecloth on the grass picnics”. I love the image of that type of picnic, but mine seldom work out that way. I have More » -
Without a Story it is All Just “Stuff”!
As you can see, “stuff” has as many meanings as it has forms. For the sake of this blog post I will just refer to two or three dimensional, inanimate materials that take up space in our lives, mostly my life. -
Looking Back on Chocolate Almond Coffee Cake and Department Stores
Brief history of J. W. Smith Dry Goods Co. -
Reading Old Handwriting
We have some very interesting old letters, journals and diaries in the archives at Prouty Chew House and I love reading some of the entries. It isn’t always easy for a variety of different reasons. -
Thinking Spring
An ode to spring -
Radio in the 1920s
Brief history of radio during the 1920s. -
Clubs, Associations, Organizations: Networking in the 1920s
Brief overview of community organizations in Geneva during the 1920s. -
Grocery Shopping in Geneva 1957
Grocery shopping in Geneva in 1957. -
Garbage
History of dumps in Geneva. -
Crafts Then and Now: Godey’s Ladies Book
Chronicling women's handwork through 19th century national magazines and local newspapers. -
Stain Removal, Now and Then
19th century stain removal tips -
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. -
Museum Volunteers
Ode to the Geneva Historical Society's volunteers -
“Kid” Collectors
Reflections of a collector. -
So, what does an Archivist really do? (Or Spelunking in the Basement of Doom)
Being the archivist for the Geneva Historical Society. -
From Lake to Table (Fish Dinner from Catch to Table)
The Swan family's experience with muskellunge -
The Helpful Horse
The rise of the automobile and the decline of using horses for transportation in Geneva, New York. -
Will Your History Be A Mystery?
Tips on preserving personal photos and documents
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.