Craig Williams: The Erie Canal
This year is the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Erie Canal. Craig Williams is a well known historian of the Canal – and a resident of Trumansburg. Using seldom-seen manuscripts from the New York State Archives from the first days of the Clinton’s Ditch, Williams will provide an illustrated overview of how the people of New York State learned to survey, design, construct and operate this unparalleled engineering achievement. Who took the first shovel and where? Who did the rest of the shoveling? Once built, who was going to maintain it and how? New Yorkers were the first to undertake such a massive public works. As we are in the midst of the bicentennial of the Erie Canal, now is an especially good time to better appreciate this truly remarkable accomplishment.
Libbie Wilson's Journals, 1873-1923 (Past Event)
Rodney Bent will talk about a new publication of the Ulysses Historical Society, Libbie Wilson’s Journals. Libbie was born 25 years before the Civil War and died ten years after World War I. From at least 1873 onwards she wrote daily about life on a farm in Ulysses, providing a vivid perspective on a hard yet full life. She -- and the Town of Ulysses – experienced major changes during that period: railroads, telephones, cars, improvements in dentistry and medicine, the temperance movement, and moving pictures.
Holiday Open House & Russian Tea (Past Event)
Join us at the Ulysses Historical Society on December 7, 2024, from 1 to 4 p.m. for our annual Russian Tea, featuring homemade treats, hot cocoa, a performance by Harmony Falls, and tours of the museum's exhibits. Enjoy viewing beautifully decorated Christmas trees and take family photos with Silver Dan hitched to an antique sleigh.
Backbone Ridge (Past Event)
The Backbone Ridge is the name given to the hilltop that runs between Seneca and Cayuga Lakes. Its history represents a microcosm of the larger economic, social, and political transformations that have taken place in American society.