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History Happenings | October 2015
Rod Howe's Corner
First Friday Gallery Night - Exhibition Opening Night (Friday, October 2nd, 2015)
Arcadian America (Saturday, October 3rd, 2015)
Tommy Plane! (Sunday, October 4th, 2015)
Doing Local History (Thursday, October 8th, 2015)
Cemetery Tours in Tompkins County
Archaeology of American Cemeteries (Thursday, October 15th, 2015)
Preserving Arlington National Cemetery (Saturday, October 17th, 2015)
Postwar Cornell (Saturday, October 24th, 2015)
APHNYS Conference (Saturday, October 24th, 2015)
The Coffin Man Gravestone Carver (Saturday, October 31st, 2015)
YouTube Channel!
Moving Stills Exhibition
Remembering Dr. Edward Hart
Local History Tidbits
Rod Howe's Corner
From the Executive Director
Here is your invitation to explore TompkinsCounty's cemeteries. Click HERE to view aweb page that lists approximately 200cemeteries in the county, and make sure tovisit our new exhibition "In Memoriam:Cemeteries of Tompkins County" sponsoredby the Tompkins Trust Company. There arealso tours, scavenger hunts and numerousprograms associated with this new exhibitionto help you explore our County's burialgrounds. Your invitation includes reflecting onhow cemeteries are integral to ourlandscapes, discussing our changingrelationship to them, learning aboutpreservation and maintenance issues andexploring them from genealogical,archaeological, architectural and, of course,historical perspectives. There will also be a presentation on a cemetery that is part of ournational psyche - Arlington National Cemetery. Find out more about that event later in thisinstallment of History Happenings.
As always, feel free to contact me with your thoughts by phone (607.273.8284 x222) or email([email protected]).
First Friday Gallery Night Exhibition Opening!
In Memoriam:Cemeteries of Tompkins County
The History Center in Tompkins CountyOpening Friday, October 2nd, 2015
5:00 PM to 8:00 PM
Join us TODAY (Friday, October 2nd) from 5:00 to 8:00 PM for our next exhibition opening!Explore our exhibition with a pamphlet guide, browse the fiction and non-fiction cemetery book
list compiled by Tompkins County Public Library, and pick up two separate cemetery scavengerhunts at the front desk. Light refreshments will be served.
The places where we honor our dead tell as much about a community as do the homes of theliving. In pioneer times, travelers were often buried trail side, perhaps with a stone or stick tomark the grave. In Tompkins County the earliest cemeteries were usually family burial plots.
Many of these isolated sites are still extant, sometimes found by unsuspecting farmers as fieldsare plowed and earth turned. More often they are overgrown and hard to find. Gradually,
religious organizations became responsible for interring the dead, and in the late 19th and early20th century private associations and municipalities also took on this role.
There are hundreds of cemeteries in Tompkins County, and The History Center will be featuringseveral of them in a new exhibit In Memoriam: Cemeteries of Tompkins County. We will
examine the historical, genealogical, and architectural heritage of these places where weremember our past, our loved ones, and the people who came before us.
For more information, contact Donna Eschenbrenner at [email protected] or call 607.273.8284 x224
Arcadian AmericaA Book Talk with Aaron Sachs
The History Center in Tompkins CountySaturday, October 3rd, 2015
2:00 PM
Join us at The History Center on Saturday, October 3rd, 2015 at 2:00 PM for a book talk inconjunction with the new exhibition In Memoriam: Cemeteries of Tompkins County, co-
sponsored by Historic Ithaca, with author Aaron Sachs, Cornell University Department of HistoryAssociate Professor, on Arcadian America.
"Perhaps America's best environmental ideawas not the national park but the garden
cemetery, a use of space that quickly gainedpopularity in the mid-nineteenth century. Suchspaces of repose brought key elements of the
countryside into rapidly expanding cities,making nature accessible to all and serving toremind visitors of the natural cycles of life. In
this unique interdisciplinary blend of historicalnarrative, cultural criticism, and poignant
memoir, Aaron Sachs argues that Americancemeteries embody a forgotten landscape
Professor Aaron Sachs, image courtesy of Cornell.edu
tradition that has much to teach us in ourcurrent moment of environmental crisis." -yalepress.yale.edu on Arcadian America
For more information, please contact Kayla Sewell at [email protected] or call 607.27.8284 x227
Progress at the New ShopCome Explore Tommy's Restoration
Tompkins County Airport Safety Building 72 Brown Road, Ithaca, NY 14850
Sunday, October 4th, 2015 1:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Please join us at our NEW shop and see how far we've come restoring Tommy. Cider, donutsand coffee will be served. Let us know if you can make it, email [email protected]. In the
event of inclement weather, check the "Events" tab at tommycomehome.org
Directions to the Shop: Tommy's New Home is at the Tompkins County Airport Safety Building,72 Brown Road, Ithaca, NY, just past the Tompkins County Airport. From Route 13, travel northon Warren Road. At the traffic light, turn right onto Brown Road. Go past the Airport Terminal,
past East Hill Flying Club and past Taughannock Aviation on your left. The Airport SafetyBuilding is the red brick building on the left.
Doing Local HistoryTompkins County Public Library and History Center
to Host Local History Lunch Series
First Session:Tompkins County Public Library
Thursday, October 8th, 201512:00 PM
Tompkins County Public Library and The History Center in Tompkins County will partner for"Exploring and Doing Local History," a hands-on monthly history program facilitated by
Tompkins County Historian Carol Kammen and Rod Howe, executive director of The HistoryCenter in Tompkins County.
These free 75-minute drop-in sessions will be held at noon on the second Thursday of each
month from October 8th through April 14th, with program locations alternating monthly betweenthe Library's large study room and The History Center's map room. The first session will take
place at the Tompkins County Public library.
Howe will introduce exploratory themes and topics, and Kammen will assist participants inconducting their own local history, by documenting past events, people or groups, and provide
information on how to conduct research. She will introduce local documents for groupdiscussion. The format will include time for open discussion.
Kammen is an award-winning historian, a published author and editorial writer for "History
News," the journal of the American Association for State and Local History. She has taught atIthaca High School, Tompkins Cortland Community College and is retired from teaching atCornell University. She lectures widely around the country to historical organizations and
consults for a number of historical societies.
Howe has strong generational ties to Tompkins County. Prior to his work with The HistoryCenter, Howe worked at Cornell University in an extension and outreach role focused on
community and economic development. He has a diverse educational background that includesarchitecture, sociology, planning, theology and history.
No registration is required, and participants are encouraged to bring their own lunch.
Beverages will be provided.
Tompkins County Historian Carol Kammen, image courtesy of Ithaca.com
For more information, contact Carrie Wheeler-Carmenatty at (607) 272-4557 ext. 248 or [email protected] or KaylaSewell at 607-273-8284, ext. 227 or [email protected].
Cemetery Tours in Tompkins County
Saturday, October 10th, 2015 2:00 PM
ASBURY CEMETERY100-174 County Rd. 108, Lansing, NY
Cemetery Walking Tour
GROVE CEMETERY
Sunday, October 18th, 20151:30 PM
GROVE CEMETERYCorner of Cemetery Street and Falls Street, Trumansburg, NY
Walking Tour of Grove Cemetery
Led by Joe Baldwin (Ulysses Historical Society), Michele Mitrani (Trumansburg VillageHistorian) and John Wertis, the elder (Town of Ulysses Historian and prior Cemetery
Superintendent). Meet at the chapel (corner of Cemetery Street and Falls Street). View theinside of the chapel and hear about its history. Then we will make a broad "loop" through
several sections of the cemetery (did you know there are named sections?) learning why theyare so named and a little bit about noteworthy "residents" in each. Phone John at 387-4331 if
you have any questions.
Sunday, October 18th, 20152:00 PM to 4:00 PM
PLEASANT GROVE CEMETERY184 Pleasant Grove Road, Ithaca, NY
Open House and Self-guided Tour
Come discover two hundred years of New York historyat the Pleasant Grove Cemetery open house and self-guided tour. In conjunction with The History Center inTompkins County's exhibit, "In Memoriam: Cemeteries ofTompkins County," the Pleasant Grove Cemetery at 184Pleasant Grove Road in the Village of Cayuga Heightswelcomes you to an afternoon of exploration on Sunday,October 18th, 2015, 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM.
Kline, Hanshaw, Wyckoff, Hasbrouck -- these are familiarlocal place names, but they are also the early farm families whose gravestones at thenondenominational Pleasant Grove Cemetery reveal the early history of our community. Poets,writers, historians, scientists, architects, and even a Nobel laureate -- they are all buried atPleasant Grove Cemetery, showing the influence of Cornell University on Village development.Learn their stories, as well as those of Joanna Brown, Carrie Manning, Dinah Tenbrook, and theMeeker brothers, as you take in the beauty of the cemetery's wooded hillside. Trace thechanges in gravestones over time, from the earliest slate and shale markers to more ornatemarble and stone obelisks. Learn what carved lambs and logs, urns, palm leaves, open books,triangles and circles, and other carved gravestone images reveal about our history. Villagehistorians and preservationists will be available to answer questions and share their ongoingresearch about this historic site.
Saturday and SundayOctober 24th, 25th, & November 1st
11:00 AM to 12:30 PM
Saturday, October 31st2:00 PM
ITHACA CITY CEMETERYMeet at University Avenue entrance
Historic Ithaca's Annual Halloween Graveyard Tours
Saturday, November 7th, 201510:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 12:00 PM
NEWFIELD VILLAGE CEMETERY & WOODLAWN CEMETERYBank Street (Newfield Village) and Main Street (Woodlawn)
Both in Newfield Village
The emphasis of these tours will be an overview of cemeteries in general and specifically thesecemeteries. Particular styles of stones and some of the interesting folks buried in these
cemeteries will be discussed. Anyone interested in old cemeteries is invited to attend as we'resure that they will find these tours very interesting. Tour guides will be accepting donations for
the Newfield Historical Society and its Archives.
For more information, contact Kayla Sewell at [email protected] or call 607.273.8284 x227
The Archaeology of American Cemeteries and Gravestoneswith Professor Sherene Baugher
The History Center in Tompkins CountyThursday, October 15th, 2015
6:00 PM
Cemeteries are everywhere. The focus of this talk is how archaeologists study gravestones as"above ground archaeology." Cemeteries in the Northeast, especially in New York State,
contain gravestones from as far back as the late 1600s. Gravestones, cemeteries, and memorial
markers offer fixed points in time to examine Americans' changing attitudes toward death anddying. Baugher reveals how gender, race, ethnicity, and class have shaped the cultural
landscapes of our burial grounds. She will also briefly discuss how archaeologists have alsoexamined burials, such as the African Burial Ground in New York City.
Sherene Baugher is a professor in both Cornell University's Department of LandscapeArchitecture and in the Cornell Institute for Archaeology and Material Studies. Her degrees (BA,MA, and Ph.D.) are all in anthropological archaeology. Prior to coming to Cornell in 1991, shewas the first city archaeologist for New York City (1980-1990). As the city archaeologist sheundertook a study of New York City's historic cemeteries. She has co-authored a book, TheArchaeology of American Cemeteries and Gravemarkers (2014 University Press of Florida).
Over the years she has worked with diverse community members including Native Americans tohelp protect cemeteries, burial grounds, and sacred sites. In addition, she and her Cornellstudents have worked in collaboration with community partners to excavate, preserve, and
interpret to the public important non-burial archaeological sites, such as Tutelo Park in Ithacaand the buried hamlet of Enfield Falls in Robert H. Treman State Park.
For more information, contact Kayla Sewell at [email protected] or call 607.273.8284 x227
Markers, Memorials, and Memories:Preserving Arlington National Cemetery
The History Center in Tompkins CountySaturday, October 17th, 2015
2:00 PM
Join us at The History Center on Saturday, October 17th, 2015 at 2:00 PM for a presentation by
guest preservationist, Rebecca Stevens joined by Tom Stevens. Rebecca is the preservationistat Arlington National Cemetery. She will give a brief history of the cemetery in order to explain
what is preserved and why. She will also discuss a range of historic landscapes and structures,the preservation program she is tasked with developing, and will highlight both typical and
unusual conservation work underway. She will discuss what it is like to take care of the240,000+ headstones, and much more, including the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, the USS
Maine Memorial, and Old Ampitheater!
For more information, please contact Kayla Sewell at [email protected] or call 607.273.8284 x227
Postwar Cornell A Panel Discussion with author Brad Edmondson
The History Center in Tompkins CountySaturday, October 24th, 2015
4:00 PM
Join us at The History Center at 4:00 PM on Saturday, October 17th for a panel discussion withauthor Brad Edmondson and guests on his book Postwar Cornell: How the Greatest GenerationTransformed a University 1944-1952. Stay tuned for more information in our next installment of
History Happenings!
APHNYS Conference Association of Public Historians of New York State
The History Center in Tompkins CountySaturday, October 24th, 2015
On Saturday, October 24th, 2015, The History Center in Tompkins County will be hosting publichistorians from across New York State for a conference. This means that access to the gallerywill be limited until 2:30 PM that day. The History Center's Research Library, Map Room, and
Life-In-The-1890s area will be open as usual.
For more information, contact Kayla Sewell at [email protected] or call 607.273.8284 x227
The Coffin Man Gravestone Carverwith Mary Dexter
The History Center in Tompkins CountySaturday, October 31st, 2015
2:00 PM
Program details to be announced in our next installment... but save the date!
YouTube Channel Launch!Make sure to subscribe...
The History Center in Tompkins County has a YouTube channel! We're pretty new to thisplatform so there isn't much up yet, but stay tuned. We aim to record as many programs as
possible and upload them online to share with everyone. Let us know what programs you wantto see uploaded!
In the meantime.... check out our first video! If you couldn't make it to "Destroyed, Forgotten,Never Noted: Ithaca's Hidden Indigenous History" (or couldn't find a seat with optimal viewing!),
no worries! We recorded the event and it's now available via the link below. Enjoy!
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Gx3yneru08Y
Moving Stills: Images from the Wharton StudioExhibition on display at The History Center
The History Center in Tompkins CountyFriday, October 2nd - Saturday, October 31st, 2015
October is Silent Movie Month in Ithaca and to celebrate the impact the silent film industry hashad on Ithaca and the region, The History Center, in collaboration with Wharton Studio
Museum, presents this exhibit of photographs of the Wharton movie studio era from the archivesof THC. Photographs of the Wharton era from THC's archives will be on display near the east
parking lot entrance.
For more information, contact Kayla Sewell at [email protected] or call 607.273.8284 x227
Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr., with Ithaca dignitaries, including Dr. Edward Hart, 1960
The History Center remembers Dr. Edward Hart who died on September 22nd, 2015. Dr. Hartand his wife, Jocelyn, were engaged with local, as well as national and global issues. Theywere very involved with The History Center. We mourn this loss to the community and send ourcondolences to his family and to his broad network of friends.
Local History Tidbits
Like us on Facebook, Follow us on Twitter
If you haven't been watching The History Center via social media, you've been missing out onour biweekly installments of LOCAL HISTORY TIDBITS. Twice a week, we post an interestinghistorical fact about Tompkins County with an image. Make sure to "Like" us on Facebook and
"Follow" us on Twitter to stay up-to-date with events, Local History Tidbits, and more!
FACEBOOK: facebook.com/tompkinshistoryTWITTER: @TompkinsHistory
Thank you for subscribing to History Happenings, the e-newsletter of The History Center!
For feedback, comments and suggestions please contact [email protected].
The History Center in Tompkins County401 E. State/MLK Jr. St.
Suite 100 Ithaca, NY 14850
In the Gateway Center, just one block from The Ithaca Commons.Free parking available in the rear lot.
Phone. 607.273.8284
www.TheHistoryCenter.net
Hours: Tues, Thurs, Sat from 11-5pm and by appointment
The History Center is a proud member of the Discovery Trail
With support from
