Onondaga Historical Association Museum & Research Center Making History

OHA Announces The First Place Winners of the 2008 CNY Nat’l History Day Competition

April 4, 2008 · No Comments

Onondaga Historical Association Museum & Research Center (OHA) Announces The First Place Winners of the 2008 CNY National History Day Competition!

Contact: Elaine Wisowaty, Education Director

On Saturday, 8 March 2008, the OHA Museum & Research Center sponsored the CNY National History Day Competition at the Schine Student Center on the campus of Syracuse University. Below are the first place winners in their respective categories. These students will progress to the NYS competition to be held in Cooperstown, NY in May 2008.

Junior Historical Paper

Ryan Van Slyke, Eagle Hill Middle School

Senior Historical Paper

Gavin Caster, Cicero North Syracuse HS

Junior Individual Exhibit

Robert Cussen, Liverpool Middle School

Junior Group Exhibit

Austin Bush & Brendan Sala

Chestnut Hill Middle School

Senior Individual Exhibit

Nathaniel Lawson, Liverpool HS

Senior Group Exhibit

Ashley Leonard & Chaunte Revette

Liverpool HS

Senior Individual Performance

Luciano Ovalle, Liverpool HS

Junior Group Performance

Jaimie Bailer & Kirin Kaur

Liverpool Middle School

Junior Individual Documentary

Bethany Owens, Liverpool Middle School

Junior Group Documentary

Sara Dowes, Libby Northrop, Jessi Hebblethwait Liverpool Middle School

Senior Individual Documentary

Tom Conkey, Liverpool HS

Senior Group Documentary

Amelia Weimar & Rachel Weimer

Living Word Academy

Junior Website

Ellen Sweder, Eagle Hill Middle School

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OHA Receives Conservation Bookshelf From Institute of Museum & Library Services

April 3, 2008 · No Comments

Onondaga Historical Association Museum & Research Center

Receives Conservation Bookshelf From Institute of Museum & Library Services

For Immediate Release
3 April 2008

Contact: Thomas Hunter, Assistant Director, 315 428-1864, x 320

IMLS Contact:
Jeannine Mjoseth,
202-653-4632

Treasured objects and documents held by the Onondaga Historical Association Museum & Research Center (OHA) will be preserved for future generations with help from the IMLS Connecting to Collections Bookshelf, a core set of conservation books, DVDs, and online resources donated by the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS), the primary source of federal funding of the nation’s museums and libraries. IMLS and its cooperator, the American Association for State and Local History (AASLH), will award a total of 2,000 free sets of the IMLS Bookshelf by the end of 2008. Of 851 recipients in the first round of selection, OHA was the only museum in Syracuse, NY to receive these preservation and conservation resources.

OHA’s collections of museum objects, manuscripts, photographs, and many other items significant to the history Syracuse and Onondaga County, NY will benefit from these newly acquired resources. “It is an honor to be chosen as one of the Bookshelf recipients,” said Thomas Hunter, OHA’s assistant director. “OHA’s curatorial staff will utilize these preservation and conservation tools to enhance the quality of care of our community’s magnificent material culture.”

“We are pleased to announce the first group of IMLS Bookshelf recipients. These libraries and museums are taking up the charge to care for America’s heritage,” said Anne-Imelda Radice, Director of IMLS. “A recent national study tells a sobering story about the state of America’s library and museum collections. Without immediate action we stand to lose important collections that are at the heart of the American story.”

OHA is among the first to receive this essential set of resources based on an application describing the needs and plans for care of its collections. The IMLS Bookshelf focuses on collections typically found in art or history museums and in libraries’ special collections, with an added selection of texts for zoos, aquaria, public gardens, and nature centers. It addresses such topics as the philosophy and ethics of collecting, collections management and planning, emergency preparedness, and culturally specific conservation issues.

The IMLS Bookshelf is a crucial component of Connecting to Collections: A Call to Action, a conservation initiative that the Institute launched in 2006. IMLS began the initiative in response to a 2005 study by Heritage Preservation documenting the dire state of the nation’s collections. The multi-faceted, multi-year initiative shines a nationwide spotlight on the needs of America’s collections, especially those held by smaller institutions, which often lack the human and financial resources necessary to adequately care for their collections. Click here for more information on the conservation initiative.

About the Institute of Museum and Library Services
The Institute of Museum and Library Services is the primary source of federal support for the nation’s 122,000 libraries and 17,500 museums. The Institute’s mission is to create strong libraries and museums that connect people to information and ideas. The Institute works at the national level and in coordination with state and local organizations to sustain heritage, culture, and knowledge; enhance learning and innovation; and support professional development. To learn more about the Institute, please visit www.imls.gov.

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Take A Trip To The Hudson River Valley!

March 28, 2008 · No Comments

Onondaga Historical Association Museum Bus Trip

With Travel Choice International

Hudson River Valley Getaway!

Small town America with big time views!

A weekend of food, nature and art!

Mansions, museums, picturesque towns and markets!

A not-to-be missed adventure with OHA Archivist Michael Flanagan!

June 6-7-8, 2008 (Friday-Sunday)

Includes 2 nights at the Best Western Poughkeepsie; 5 meals including dinner at the Culinary Institute of America & Sunday champagne brunch at Hotel Thayer at West Point; all entries and admissions; round trip motor coach transportation, all tips & gratuities; & Travel Choice International & Onondaga Historical Association Museum Escort.

Double Rooms Single Triple

$499 $579 $479 per person MEMBER

$529 $609 $509 per person NON MEMBER

Deposit: $100 per person non-refundable due with registration

Final Payment: Due Friday, May 16, 2008

Make checks payable to: OHA, VISA/MASTER CARD ACCEPTED

Send to: Onondaga Historical Association Museum

321 Montgomery Street

Syracuse, NY 13202

Cancellation: Prior to April 18, 2008 – everything but deposit

After April 18, 2008 – non-refundable

Trip cancellation insurance is recommended and available through Travel Choice International (445-1400) within 14 days of registration

ITINERARY

June 6, 2008 (Friday)

7-7:30 AM Bus loads & departs from Town of Dewitt Parks Facility - 5889 Butternut Drive.

10:30 AM Albany Institute of Art’s Exhibit: Art and Nature: Hudson River School Paintings. Walk or motor coach to Empire State Plaza for lunch on your own (2-3 blocks).

2:00 PM Board motor coach for Poughkeepsie.

3:30 PM Arrive Best Western – Poughkeepsie, NY

4:30 PM Board motor coach for Culinary Institute of America.

5:00 PM Tour of Culinary Institute.

6:30 PM Dinner at CIA’s Caterina de Medici Restaurant. Business casual no jeans/sneakers.

June 7, 2008 (Saturday)

Enjoy hot breakfast buffet at the hotel.

8:45 AM Board motor coach for FDR Home and Library.

9:00 AM Arrive Henry Wallace Visitor & Education Center and see introductory movie.

10:00 AM Depart Visitor Center for guided tour of FDR home. Time for FDR Library too. Lunch on your own at Mrs. Nesbitt’s Café in the Henry Wallace Visitor Center.

1:00 PM Board motor coach for Rhinebeck Aerodrome display of aircraft & cars 1900-35.

6:30 PM Dinner at Hyde Park Brewing Company.

June 8, 2008 (Sunday)

Enjoy hot breakfast buffet at hotel.

9-10:30 AM Board motor coach for West Point & arrive at Visitors Center.

11:00 AM Sunday Champagne Brunch at Hotel Thayer located on West Point grounds.

12:30 PM Depart from Hotel Thayer for a 2 hour tour of West Point.

2:30 PM Tour concludes at the Visitors Center; West Point Museum is behind it.

4:00 PM Board motor coach for return to Syracuse (rest stop & dinner on your own).

9:00 PM Planned arrival at Town of Dewitt Parks facility.

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OHA Members-Only Exhibition Preview!

March 26, 2008 · No Comments

OHA Members-Only

Exhibition Preview!

Join OHA staff as our special guest at the unveiling of the next artwork exhibition series, Exploring History With Art! This special members-only reception is Wednesday, April 2nd, 2008 from 4-5pm.

The third artwork exhibition in the series features occupations and places of work. Appropriately titled, Occupations & Places of Work, the exhibition showcases paintings illustrating different occupations and places of work in Onondaga County through the years.

Inside the exhibit gallery you’ll see Onondaga Pottery, Comfort Tyler’s Tavern, Good Shepherd Hospital, salt towers, and several others depicting the diverse places to work in Onondaga County from the early 19th through the late 20th centuries.

This is the third in a series of thematic exhibits begun in 2006. The first exhibit in this series explored OHA’s extensive portrait collection, the second, transportation. The multi-year series is designed to use OHA’s sizable art collection combined with interpretive exhibit labels to not only educate visitors about the theme but to encourage viewers to use visual information to extract historical content from artworks. Local teachers and students will find subjects meeting their document-based questions social studies standards within the exhibit. Possible future thematic exhibits in this series are Children, Landscape and Women Artists.

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Lively Historic Conversation and Debate Among Famous Women!

March 12, 2008 · No Comments

IN HER OWN WORDS:

WOMEN’S RIGHTS IN THE 19TH CENTURY

 

Join the OHA History Upstagers on Sunday, March 30 at 2pm at OHA’s museum, 321 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY for a rousing afternoon of conversation based on the historical novel North Star Conspiracy by Miriam Grace Monfredo.

He said “no!” but she said “yes!  Meet a group of very diversified women from 1848 Seneca Falls, NY as they discuss abolitionism, suffrage, slavery, marriage and family.  Audience interaction a must!

Cost is $3 members, $5 non-members on the museum’s second floor in the activity room. The Onondaga Historical Association Museum & Research Center is open Wednesday-Friday from 10am-2pm and weekend from 11am-4pm.

For more information or to place a reservation call 428-1864, x 312.

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Illustrated Lecture! Standing Up For Freedom: Challenges to Syracuse’s 19th Century Abolitionists

February 10, 2008 · No Comments

CONTACT: Dennis Connors

                     Curator of History

                     315 428-1864, x 310

                     djcoha@juno.com

 

Syracuse developed a national reputation in the mid-19th century as a stronghold of abolitionist and anti-slavery activity.  The roles of local ministers Samuel May, Jermain Loguen and others who were involved in the Underground Railroad have been documented.  And the story and site of the Jerry Rescue is marked with interpretive signs and a dramatic monument.  But these advocates of freedom faced constant challenges in their own community since not every local resident agreed with their stance.

 

On February 10 at 2 pm, Onondaga Historical Association curator of history Dennis Connors will present a lecture at the OHA Museum that explores some of the events where abolitionists and, later, Lincoln supporters faced strong opposition and even violence. 

 

In the 1830s, citizens held meetings to denounce local abolitionists.  In 1852, residents wishing to commemorate the first anniversary of the Jerry Rescue were denied access to City Hall.  In 1861, abolitionist leaders Samuel May and Susan B. Anthony were burned in effigy in Hanover Square .  And in March of 1863, a gang of nearly 100 men attacked several local African-Americans following a city election victory of Copperhead Democrats.  The Copperheads opposed President Lincoln’s handling of the Civil War, did not welcome that year’s Emancipation Proclamation and opposed the drafting of soldiers that had just been approved by Congress.  That March conscription law would lead to a much more violent riot in New York City four months later.

 

The challenges facing those who worked for decades in Syracuse to support the cause of freeing America ’s millions of slaves were real.  This program, offered during Black History Month, will shed light on some of those challenges and help place the efforts of people like May, Loguen, Anthony and others in the often emotional context of the times.

 

Admission to the OHA Museum at 321 Montgomery Street in downtown Syracuse is free but there is a fee for the lecture of $3 at the door.  OHA members are free.  For more information, contact the OHA at 428-1864.

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OHA Announces Appointment of New Executive Director

February 5, 2008 · No Comments

Contact: Robert Tyson, Chairperson,

Executive Director Search Committee

Attorney, Bond Schoeneck & King,

Direct Dial # 315-218-8221

 

The Onondaga Historical Association Museum & Research Center (OHA) Board of Directors today announced the appointment of Gregg A. Tripoli as Executive Director of OHA, effectively immediately.

Mr. Tripoli is an accomplished executive with extensive international experience in a broad range of business affairs.  For twenty years, he has advised and represented large multinational corporations owned by a leading merchant family of Kuwait.  He has served as project manager with total project responsibility in Italy, San Marino, Egypt, United Kingdom, West Indies, Canada, Brazil and the United States (including New York, New Jersey, California and Colorado.)

 

Mr. Tripoli has extensive experience in property management, real estate development, lease negotiations, corporate restructuring and streamlining, human resources, business development, risk management, and strategic planning.  His demonstrated management skills will complement the OHA staff’s well-recognized knowledge of local and state history and their experience in the museum and archives field. 

 

A native of Liverpool, NY, Mr. Tripoli is a graduate of Hamilton College (B.A., English and History) and holds an M.B.A. from Katz Graduate School of Business, University of Pittsburgh, Pittsburgh, PA.

 

The board of directors would like to acknowledge the service of Thomas Hunter as interim executive director from June 2006 to the present date.  Mr. Hunter will continue to serve OHA as Assistant Executive Director and Curator of Collections.

 

OHA’s mission is to inspire people’s understanding that the history we share as a community is the foundation for our future together.  OHA operates a public Museum and Research Center in downtown Syracuse’s Montgomery Street – Columbus Circle Historic District.

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Onondaga Historical Association Museum Celebrates Black History Month!

January 24, 2008 · No Comments

Onondaga Historical Association Museum

Celebrates

Black History Month!

 

The Onondaga Historical Association Museum celebrates Black History Month with its signature exhibition on Syracuse and the Underground Railroad.

 

This exhibit, Freedom Bound: Syracuse & The Underground Railroad, is part of the New York State Underground Railroad Heritage Trail remembers the people and events that affected African Americans during the 19th century in Syracuse. Presented in three parts visitors can enjoy a timeline and artifact display; be a part of the abolitionist experience through a sound and light show on the Loguen and Wanzer families of Syracuse; and watch a film on the “Jerry Rescue” where the citizens of Syracuse oppose the return of William Jerry Henry, a fugitive slave.

 

The exhibit is free and open to the public Wednesday-Friday from 10am-2pm and weekends from 11am-4pm.

 

For more information call 428-1864. The museum is located at 321 Montgomery Street in downtown Syracuse.

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History Mystery at Onondaga Historical Association Museum!

January 24, 2008 · 1 Comment

YOU’RE INVITED TO OHA’s HISTORY MYSTERY!

The Sinister Secret of the Sand in the Salt Shaker

It’s got everything!

The place—Onondaga Historical Association Museum

The time—19th century.

The people—elite Victorians.

The event—an Egyptian treasure being unveiled at the museum.

Saturday Evening February 9th and 16th , 7-9pm, OHA Museum, 321 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY 13202

Reservations at $15 per person includes intermission refreshments by KC Catering

Call 428-1864, x 313

The OHA History Upstagers will provide a terrific whodunit…Crime! Clues! Detectives! Interactive fun!

It’s hysterical, hilarious and historical. After all, it is written and directed by Scott Peal!

This history mystery spans the “sands of time and deceit” from 2000 BC to 2008 AD.

It’s a killer!

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Freedom Bound - The Story of Syracuse & The Underground Railroad: Visitor Comments

December 15, 2007 · No Comments

We have added a new section to the OHA permanent museum exhibitions webpage for some of the very interesting and evocative comments we have been receiving after museum visitors have viewed the Freedom Bound - The Story of Syracuse & The Underground Railroad exhibition. You may see them here. More comments will be added in the future.

faces-wesleyan-church-basement-1998

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