History Happenings Late July 2019The History Center's Electronic Newsletter

The CornerNow Open: Two Months In

The History Center in Tompkins County has welcomed more than 3,000 visitors to our newlocation since opening in May. They have come from all 50 states and 13 countries. Longtimeresearch library volunteers and the newly trained volunteer docents have been integral in thistransition.

We have greeted babies, university researchers, summer campers, hoteliers, homeschoolers,and concertgoers. Barbara Thibault, who along with husband Dr. William Thibault, donated the

Thomas-Morse S4-B plane came to see the new home of "Tommy." Tarbell and Morsedescendants found their families' stories in the exhibit hall and records in the archives. A pastpresident and the current president of Ithaca College, Peggy Williams and Shirley Collado, eachwalked through the Passage Through Time. Kids on field trips from the Ithaca Youth Bureau andCayuga Heights Elementary School dived into the scavenger hunt then recorded theirexperiences in the Story Vault.

Since March, we have hosted events on the context and legacy of Taughannock Giant, HarrietTubman in contemporary visual culture, the culture and language of the Haudenosaunee people,the opening of the Tompkins County Public Library's time capsule, reading groups on JamesBaldwin and Audre Lorde, and more. We continue to host meetings of the Cornell Historical Railroad Society and Second and Third Generation Descendants of Holocaust Survivors and support the efforts of the Tompkins County Genealogical Society and HistoryForge. HistoryForge received a prestigious grant from the National Archives which will fund extended programming and a full-time project coordinator position.

Our oral history project Generation to Generation focused this year on stories of food and immigration. Ten high school students interviewed ten immigrant food business owners from around the county, which were shared in a public presentation and added to the Story Vault. From Seeds to Wisdom, a new grant-based monthly program, collaborates with local indigenous persons to share different facets of Haudenosaunee culture. The Youth Ambassadors pilot program taught South Hill Elementary School students about Gayogo̱hó:nǫ' history for their final project, on a beautiful day at Buttermilk Falls with Sachem Sam George present.

So much has already happened in this tremendous new space and there is much more to come. We hope to see you soon in the exhibit hall, research library, or an event!

Upcoming Events

Downtown Ithaca History Tours Fridays through August 16, 4:00 to 5:00 PMStart at Tompkins Center for History & Culture, 110 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850The popular summer walking tours return! HeritageAmbassadors and Historic Ithaca staff will guide"Downtown Ithaca Architecture" and Rod Howe from TheHistory Center will guide "Unveiling Ithaca's Living Past."There will also be one behind-the-scenes tour of the

Tompkins Center for History & Culture. See dates and buy tickets here. Tickets can also bebought at the tours. If you want to learn about the entire county's historical architecture, HistoricIthaca will also hold free Saturday Walk & Talks, including one of the Howe family homestead inDryden, hosted by Fred and Rod Howe on July 20. Find more information here.

The Public Universal Friend: Religion andGender in the Era of the AmericanRevolution Saturday, July 20, 2:00 to 3:30 PMTompkins Center for History & Culture, Ithaca College Gallery, 1st Floor, 110 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850The first CUP Talk in our new space will feature Paul Moyer, author of The Public Universal Friend: Jemima

Wilk inson and Religious Enthusiasm in Revolutionary

America. The book will be available for purchase and Moyer will sign copies after the lecture. Moyer is a Professor of Early American History at the College at Brockport (SUNY). His areas of expertise are colonial and revolutionary America. He previously published Wild

Yankees: The Struggle for Independence along Pennsylvania's Revolutionary Frontier (Cornell University Press, 2007) and will soon be releasing a third book, "Detestable and Wicked Arts": New England and Witchcraft in the English Atlantic (Cornell University Press, forthcoming 2020). CUP Talks are an ongoing series of author talks organized with the Cornell University Press, sharing their publications with local residents.

Architectural History Research Support Tuesday, July 23, 1:00 to 4:00 PMTompkins Center for History & Culture, The HistoryCenter's Cornell Local History Research Library, 1stFloor, 110 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850Interested in researching an architectural topic? Goodnews! In addition to our own architectural historian MaryTomlan helping researchers on Thursday afternoons,Historic Ithaca's Preservation Services Coordinator,Christine O'Malley will be available to assist. Access tothe research library and archives is free for all countyresidents.

The Henry Hinckley Museum Foundationand the Historical Society of Early AmericanDecoration Wednesday, July 24, 2:00 to 4:00 PMLifelong, 119 West Court Street, Ithaca, NY 14850This presentation by Anne Dimock will explore the history of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration and the various techniques they explore. She will share visuals, actual pieces, and techniques she teaches. Anne

became a member of the Historical Society of Early American Decoration in 1975, started teaching the art in 1980, and wrote a book on the subject in 2010. She is an accredited teacher in Reverse Glass and American Painted tinware and is a specialist in reverse glass painting.

The History Center on "Pegasys Presents" Friday, August 9 & Sunday, August 11, 6:30 to 7:00PM & Saturday, August 10, 12:30 to 1:00 PMOn television or onlineLauren Stefanelli's cable access show featured the newlocation of The History Center in a July segment. Youcan watch it again in August on channel 13 or online

anytime here. Look out soon for our next segment.

From Seeds to Wisdom: ExploringHaudenosaunee CyclesCorn Husk Dolls Sunday, August 11 12:30 to 2:00 PMTompkins Center for History & Culture, Ithaca College Gallery, 1st Floor, 110 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850What if a doll were your caretaker? Join Seneca artist Penny Minner for a family event about the Haudenosaunee corn husk doll. The event will include

storytelling and making your own corn husk dolls. For families with children ages 6 to 12. Free and open to all. From Seeds to Wisdom is a new monthly program for kids and families in

collaboration with local indigenous persons. (Photo courtesy of Penny Minner)

Henry Hinckley, a Multi-Faceted Man: Presentation and Mini-Tour Friday, August 23, 4:00 to 6:00 PMStart at Tompkins Center for History & Culture, 110 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850Henry N. Hinckley's life is symbolic of so many American stories and certainly of narratives specific to Ithaca and Tompkins County. Executive Director Rod Howe will share an overview of the arc of his life including his triumphs, tragedies, and passions. Some may still remember the Hinckley Museum and Foundation on East Seneca Street which was open approximately 30 years (1970-2000). There will then be a brief walking tour guided by Historic Ithaca.

11th Annual Verne Morton MemorialPhotography Show Friday, August 23 & Saturday, August 24Groton Town Hall, 101 Conger Boulevard, Groton,NY 13073Verne Morton was born in Groton in 1868 and became aphotographer in 1896, taking over 12,000 photos over aspan of nearly 50 years. Morton's work primarily focusedon the rural life of upstate New York and is now held inthe collections of The History Center. The Town of

Groton hosts this contest as part of Groton Old Home Days, ending with a free show awarding avariety of prizes to the photographers. Find submission guidelines here.

The Personal is Historical: A WritingWorkshop Saturday, August 24 from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM Tompkins Center for History & Culture, The HistoryCenter's Cornell Local History Research Library, 1stFloor, 110 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850Zee Zahava will lead a creative writing workshop inspiredby The History Center's collections. This includesgenealogical materials, family histories, city directories,

store catalogs, high school and college year books, books about artifacts, census records,periodicals, maps, historical novels, and much more. Participants will be encouraged to write inany format: poetry, narrative prose, memoir, stories, diary entries, etc. The workshop provides anopportunity to respond intuitively and spontaneously to what is discovered on that particular day,at that particular time, in that particular environment. Zee Zahava has been leading writingworkshops in Ithaca since 1994. She was the Tompkins County Poet Laureate in 2017 and 2018.To register for this free workshop, contact her directly at zee@twcny.rr.com. Enrollment islimited to 10 people. (Photo courtesy of the Ithaca Voice.)

From the Ciesla Foundation...

The Spy Behind Home PlateOpening Friday, July 19Cinemapolis, 120 East Green Street, Ithaca, NY14850Aviva Kempner's documentary tells the real story ofMorris "Moe" Berg, the enigmatic and brilliant Jewishbaseball player turned spy. Berg caught and fielded inthe major leagues during baseball's Golden Age in the1920s and 1930s. But very few people know that Bergalso worked for the Office of Strategic Services (OSS),spying in Europe and playing a prominent role inAmerica's efforts to undermine the German atomicbomb program during WWII. This film reveals the life ofthis unknown Jewish hero through rare historical footageand photographs as well as revealing contemporary andpast interviews with celebrities and other individuals fromthe worlds of sports, spycraft, and WWII history.

Exhibit Hall HighlightsThe exhibit hall is free and open to the public six days a week! Find hours, directions, and more here.

Have you seen the original stained-glass window fromCabbagetown Café on display? It is located between theStory Vault and the "Tommy" plane, so you might havemissed this artifact from a crucial chapter in the historyof American vegetarian cookery.

Its journey to The History Center is a true long-windedlocal history story. Sarah Barden and Seth Wraight, ourcollaborators at Ithaca is Foodies Culinary Tours, madeit happen.

Margaret Neher originally designed the stained glasssign for Julie Jordan's Collegetown eatery dedicated tonutritious, delicious vegetarian cooking. Tony Servientealtered the sign when it moved to the Ithaca Wegmans,where they still serve Wings of Life salads. WhenSarah noticed the sign had been taken down, shecontacted management and asked them to considerdonating it to The History Center. When we couldn'tfigure out the sign's original creator, Seth found theanswer from his family and friends. A few months later,the Wings of Life hang between the research libraryand exhibit hall.

After you see the sign, look through the cookbooks of Julie's we hold in our archives. Watch outfor an event with Julie Jordan this fall.

Over in the Passage Through Time, look for the story ofGrassRoots' origins in the digital narratives. Come bybefore you head to Trumansburg this weekend orafterwards to reminisce.

Following a benefit concert at the State Theatre in May1990, Donna the Buffalo and other local musiciansdecided to organize a second event to raise money inthe fight against AIDS. This time, it would be an four-dayoutdoor festival, rain or shine.

Read the full story here while you explore the walk-through timeline of Tompkins County history.

Retail Offerings

The History Center sells books and items through the DowntownVisitor Center's gift shop next door in the Tompkins Center forHistory & Culture.

Recently arrived: The Syracuse Cultural Workers' product Greetings and Thanksto the Natural World

Inspired by the Thanksgiving Address of the Haudenosaunee, anoral tradition used at gatherings, this beautiful accordion postercan be hung on a wall for display or kept folded up for easyreference. The eleven panels are hand-lettered and watercolor-illustrated.

The 22" version costs $4.99 and the 53" version costs $9.99.

Meanwhile on Social Media Last Saturday, the new tour Fly Through the FingerLakes took airplane buffs from several states to fourlocal museums: the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum inHammondsport (pictured here), the Wings of EaglesDiscovery Center and National Soaring Museum inElmira, and The History Center to see the "Tommy"plane. Even the Ithaca Kitty came along!

See Tommy @tommycomeshome on Facebook andInstagram. Post your #tommycomeshome selfies.

Then check out the Historical Aviation Trail of NewYork State's website to find museums and programs inevery region and Facebook to learn about upcomingevents.

CONTACT USThe History Center in Tompkins County

Now located within the Tompkins Center for History & Culture110 North Tioga Street, Ithaca, NY 14850

(607) 273-8284

Rod Howe | Executive Director | Director@TheHistoryCenter.Net | Phone extension 222

Donna Eschenbrenner | Director of Archives & Research Services | Archives@TheHistoryCenter.Net |Phone extension 224

Julia Taylor | Director of Youth Education | EightSquare@TheHistoryCenter.Net | Phone extension 229

Lucy Walker | Community & Visitor Outreach Coordinator | Community@TheHistoryCenter.Net |Phone extension 227

Dave Dier | Bookkeeper and Office Manager | Admin@TheHistoryCenter.Net | Phone extension 225

Cindy Kjellander-Cantu | Curator and Design & Support Specialist | Design@TheHistoryCenter.Net | Phoneextension 223

@TompkinsHistory

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