See
What's Going On At The Herkimer County Historical Society!
UPCOMING PROGRAMS FOR 2008:
Tuesday,
August 19 @ 6:30 p.m. - "Dolgeville Cemetery Walking Tour"
by Susan Perkins
This months' program will be "on the road." Come join
us in the village of Dolgeville for a walking tour of their cemetery.
Visit the burial sites of Alfred Dolge, the village's namesake,
buried at the highest point in the cemetery, George Ward, famous
for his prosecution of Chester Gillette, and several others who
were an important part of Dolgeville's history. Rain date of August
20th.
Wednesday,
September 24 @ 7:00 p.m. - "John Bowman Murder Case" by
Jeff Steele
The year was 1811 when the Herkimer community was shocked at the
murder of a young girl by a nine year old boy. The case made national
headlines. Would the sentence of the death penalty stand for young
John Bowman? Come find out.
Tuesday,
October 14 @ 7:00 p.m. - "The Lost Community of Mexico"
by Stan Grose and Pat O'Hara Reilly
In the mid 1850's, the community of Mexico in the northern section
of the town of Salisbury was full of life and industry. Today, Mexico
Road does not exist. Who were the families that made it their home,
such as the O'Hara's, Murphy's, and McEvoy's? Stan Grose owns the
William O'Hara property on old Mexico Road. He has found foundations
of where the homes were and has dug up artifacts. He will present
a very interesting power point presentation on his findings. Pat
O'Hara Reilly is a direct descendant of Ann O'Hara, the matriarch
of the O'Hara clan who started their lives in America on Mexico
Road. She will portray Ann in the early 1850's when they began their
life there.
November
program - To Be Announced
The
monthly programs are held at the Historical Society's Eckler Building,
406 N. Main St., Herkimer, NY (unless otherwise noted).
NEW
MUSEUM DISPLAY - "HERKIMER COUNTY IN THE CIVIL WAR"
A
new display on "Herkimer County in the Civil War"
is now open in the Suiter museum building. The display features Civil
War artifacts from the Society's collection, along with several panels
on the regiments that came out of Herkimer County, letters written to
home from soldiers, and special features on Colonel James A. Suiter and
Brigadier General John P. Spofford. The display can be seen during the
Society's open hours of Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. and now on
Saturdays during the summer until the end of August, from 10:00 a.m.-3:00
p.m.
Pictured
are summer Youth Bureau employees Dana Gertz and Mary Cirillo putting
Civil War artifacts in a display case.
Also
In The Suiter Museum Building -
Joyce Keller Doll House & Miniature Display The
Joyce Keller Doll House and Miniature collection can now be seen by the
public again. It was moved from the old 1834 Jail, where it had been housed
since the collection was donated to the Historical Society in 1985, to
the Suiter museum building on the second floor. The collection features
7 houses and 20 room settings, created by Herkimer resident Joyce Keller.
It is a popular attraction that can be enjoyed by every one of all ages!
NEW ITEMS IN THE GIFT SHOP
COMING
IN NOVEMBER 2008!
We
have finally put together the Arcadia Publishing pictorial book
on the Village of Herkimer as part of Arcadia's
"Image of America" series.
The
categories for our book are as follows: Historic Homes,
Churches, Schools, Industry
and Businesses, Transportation, Main
Street Shots, Notable People, and Notable
Events.
The
book should be available by November 19 and will sell for $19.99.
If you would like to put your name in to reserve a book, please
call the Historical Society at (315) 866-6413 or email us at herkimerhistory@yahoo.com.
"The
Prison Diary and Letters of Chester Gillette" - For
the first time, a book on the famous “American Tragedy”
murder of 1906 involving Chester
Gillette and Grace Brown, features the words of the convicted murderer
Gillette. The
book is based on the actual diary and letters of correspondence
written by Gillette while he was in Auburn Prison awaiting his sentence
of execution. The
book was co-edited by Craig Brandon, author of “Murder in
the Adirondacks,” and Jack Sherman, creator of the Gillette
Trial Reenactments in 2006. Both worked together to transcribe the
diary and letters and have added notations throughout the book to
give background information on the people and places that Gillette
writes about. Chester
Gillette was executed at Auburn Prison in 1908 for the murder of
Grace Brown at Big Moose Lake in 1906. This case was the basis for
Theodore Dreiser’s classic novel “An American Tragedy,”
the 1951 movie “A Place in the Sun,” and a 2006 opera.
The new book costs $25.00 and is available for sale at the Herkimer
County Historical Society's gift shop. To purchase the book by mail,
please send a check to the Herkimer County Historical Society, 400
N. Main St., herkimer, NY 13350 and add $4.00 for postage.
DAR
ROOM DEDICATION - MAY 10
On
Saturday, May 10, representatives from the local DAR chapters were present
to dedicate the newly refurbished D.A.R. Room in the Historical Society's
Suiter museum building. The room features the Margaret McKay collection
of genealogical material and is open to the public for use during the
Society's open hours of Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
Pictured
at the dedication ceremony are (left to right) Martha Crapser,
Central New York Roundtable Chairman, Nancy Cook, event
organizer and Regent for Col. Marinus Willett chapter, Merry Ann
Wright, NSDAR Vice President General, Bonnie Ranieri,
New York State Chaplain, and Susan Perkins, Society executive
director.
Annual Dinner
Meeting - May 20 at P.K.'s Pub in Herkimer
We
would like to welcome two new Board members who were elected at our Annual
Meeting in May: Steve
Knight, of Herkimer, and Garry Outtrim, Esq.,
of Herkimer.
They join fellow Board members Carolyn Canary, Herkimer,
Steve Canipe,Herkimer, Kathy
Crowe, Mohawk, Tim Daly, Ilion, Carol
Dippolito, Poland, Toni Helmer, East Herkimer,
Jan McGraw, Ilion, Donna Rubin, Millers
Mills, Sylvia Rowan, East Herkimer, Frank Spatto,
Mohawk, John Stock,Herkimer, Jeff
Steele, Herkimer, and Scott Vaughan, Ilion.
We would like to thank our outgoing Board members, Esther Brown
and Lesley Paul, for serving 6 years on the
Board. Our officers on the Board of Directors are: Jeff Steele, president;
John Stock, vice president; Tim Daly, treasurer, and Scott Vaughan, secretary.
Pictured
(l. to r.) Joe Cirillo, Ron McClusky, George Getman, Scott Vaughan, Jan
McGraw, John Stock, Carolyn Canary, Tim Daly, Sue Perkins, Jeff Steele,
Donna Rubin, Steve Knight, Marge and Bill Fredlund.
A
new display on "Herkimer County in the Civil War"
is now open in the Suiter museum building. The display features Civil
War artifacts from the Society's collection, along with several panels
on the regiments that came out of Herkimer County, letters written to
home from soldiers, and special features on Colonel James A. Suiter and
Brigadier General John P. Spofford. The display can be seen during the
Society's open hours of Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. and now on
Saturdays during the summer until the end of August, from 10:00 a.m.-3:00
p.m.
On
Saturday, May 10, representatives from the local DAR chapters were present
to dedicate the newly refurbished D.A.R. Room in the Historical Society's
Suiter museum building. The room features the Margaret McKay collection
of genealogical material and is open to the public for use during the
Society's open hours of Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m.
We
would like to welcome two new Board members who were elected at our Annual
Meeting in May: Steve
Knight, of Herkimer, and Garry Outtrim, Esq.,
of Herkimer.