Schenectady County Historical Society
Encyclopedia
The Schenectady County Historical Society, located in Schenectady, New York
, was established on July 14, 1905, under the Membership Corporation Laws of the State of New York. The Society is an independent not-for-profit corporation, not a unit of government. Its stated mission as embodied in its constitution was, and remains, “to promote and encourage original historical research; to disseminate a greater knowledge of the history of the State of New York and particularly of Schenectady County; to gather, preserve, display, and make available for study artifacts, books, manuscripts, papers, photographs and other records and materials relating to the early and current history of Schenectady County, New York
and of the surrounding area; to encourage the suitable marking of places of historic interest; to acquire by purchase, gifts, devise, or otherwise the title to or the custody and control of historic sites and structures.”
In April 1958, the General Electric Company deeded to the Society the former G.E. Women's Club building at 32 Washington Avenue “as tangible evidence of its interest and desire to associate itself with those who are working to advance the city's cultural and educational activities." The Georgian style building, whose grounds are adjacent to the waters of the Binnekill and the Mohawk River
, displays aspects of Federal and Greek Revival throughout the house. It is located in the Stockade Historic District
, declared a national historic site in 1973. The building had been erected in 1895 by Jones Mumford Jackson as a home for himself and his mother Dora, a widow, but both died within a few years of occupancy. An addition to the house was made in 1967, a meeting room named for local author John Vrooman. The Vrooman Room is also used periodically for museum exhibits.
In little over a decade, the 1990s, the Society grew from a modest house museum called the Dora Jackson House with one room jammed with local history and genealogy
, to the 12-room Schenectady History Museum; the adjoining Grems-Doolittle historical and genealogical library housing over 2,000 local family files, and the Mabee Farm Historic Site—three 17th century farm buildings on 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) in Rotterdam Junction, seven miles (11 km) west of the City of Schenectady
.
The Mabee House
had been passed from generation to generation for 287 years before being deeded to the Society by George Franchere on January 29, 1993. Franchere also gave the Society 583 family papers including the deed passed by Daniel Janse Van Antwerpen to Jan Mabee on January 29, 1705, and he provided generous financial support for Farm operations for several years after his initial gift. Mr. Franchere died in Florida in November 2004 and is buried in Vale Cemetery. Dividends and interest from a trust fund that he established now provides the Society with a dependable annual income stream restricted to use for its Mabee Farm Historic Site. In accord with the Franchere will, part of that income was used in 2008 to purchase 27 acres (109,265.2 m²) of adjacent land from Schenectady County, effectively quadrupling the size of the Farm. The George E. Franchere Educational Center, was completed in October 2011 on part of the newly acquired land, and will provide suitable car and bus parking; space for receptions, presentations, and archaeological specimens; refreshment facilities; classrooms; and offices for Site management. Additionally, in 2009 it acquired 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) plus from the NY State Canal Corp to protect the historic viewshed.
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
, was established on July 14, 1905, under the Membership Corporation Laws of the State of New York. The Society is an independent not-for-profit corporation, not a unit of government. Its stated mission as embodied in its constitution was, and remains, “to promote and encourage original historical research; to disseminate a greater knowledge of the history of the State of New York and particularly of Schenectady County; to gather, preserve, display, and make available for study artifacts, books, manuscripts, papers, photographs and other records and materials relating to the early and current history of Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County, New York
Schenectady County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2010 census, the population was 154,727. It is part of the Albany-Schenectady-Troy Metropolitan Statistical Area. The county seat is Schenectady. The name is from a Mohawk Indian word meaning "on the other side of the...
and of the surrounding area; to encourage the suitable marking of places of historic interest; to acquire by purchase, gifts, devise, or otherwise the title to or the custody and control of historic sites and structures.”
History
For seven years, the Society had no headquarters of its own, but was given space for exhibits in the Schenectady County Public Library. In December 1912, a committee responsible for finding a home for the Society succeeded in negotiating a three-year lease for the building at 11-13-15 Union Street that had been erected a half-century earlier to accommodate the offices of the County Clerk and the Surrogate and was no longer needed for that purpose. The exhibits were moved from the Library to the new home, and this became the location for monthly meetings for the next 46 years.In April 1958, the General Electric Company deeded to the Society the former G.E. Women's Club building at 32 Washington Avenue “as tangible evidence of its interest and desire to associate itself with those who are working to advance the city's cultural and educational activities." The Georgian style building, whose grounds are adjacent to the waters of the Binnekill and the Mohawk River
Mohawk River
The Mohawk River is a river in the U.S. state of New York. It is the largest tributary of the Hudson River. The Mohawk flows into the Hudson in the Capital District, a few miles north of the city of Albany. The river is named for the Mohawk Nation of the Iroquois Confederacy...
, displays aspects of Federal and Greek Revival throughout the house. It is located in the Stockade Historic District
Stockade Historic District
The Stockade Historic District is located in the northwest corner of Schenectady, New York, United States, on the banks of the Mohawk River. It is the oldest neighborhood in the city, continuously inhabited for over 300 years...
, declared a national historic site in 1973. The building had been erected in 1895 by Jones Mumford Jackson as a home for himself and his mother Dora, a widow, but both died within a few years of occupancy. An addition to the house was made in 1967, a meeting room named for local author John Vrooman. The Vrooman Room is also used periodically for museum exhibits.
Museums
To house an expanding collection of books and documents, a second major addition was added to the rear of the house in 1991. Called the Grems-Doolittle Library in honor of its major benefactor, Mandalay Grems, the Library and the Schenectady History Museum in the original house form the core of the Society’s downtown Schenectady operations.In little over a decade, the 1990s, the Society grew from a modest house museum called the Dora Jackson House with one room jammed with local history and genealogy
Genealogy
Genealogy is the study of families and the tracing of their lineages and history. Genealogists use oral traditions, historical records, genetic analysis, and other records to obtain information about a family and to demonstrate kinship and pedigrees of its members...
, to the 12-room Schenectady History Museum; the adjoining Grems-Doolittle historical and genealogical library housing over 2,000 local family files, and the Mabee Farm Historic Site—three 17th century farm buildings on 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) in Rotterdam Junction, seven miles (11 km) west of the City of Schenectady
Schenectady, New York
Schenectady is a city in Schenectady County, New York, United States, of which it is the county seat. As of the 2010 census, the city had a population of 66,135...
.
The Mabee House
Mabee House
Dating from the 17th century, the Mabee House at the Mabee Farm Historic Site is the oldest house still standing in the Mohawk Valley. It is located in the town of Rotterdam, N. Y., in the hamlet of Rotterdam Junction, New York, along New York State Highway 5S, about six miles west of the city of...
had been passed from generation to generation for 287 years before being deeded to the Society by George Franchere on January 29, 1993. Franchere also gave the Society 583 family papers including the deed passed by Daniel Janse Van Antwerpen to Jan Mabee on January 29, 1705, and he provided generous financial support for Farm operations for several years after his initial gift. Mr. Franchere died in Florida in November 2004 and is buried in Vale Cemetery. Dividends and interest from a trust fund that he established now provides the Society with a dependable annual income stream restricted to use for its Mabee Farm Historic Site. In accord with the Franchere will, part of that income was used in 2008 to purchase 27 acres (109,265.2 m²) of adjacent land from Schenectady County, effectively quadrupling the size of the Farm. The George E. Franchere Educational Center, was completed in October 2011 on part of the newly acquired land, and will provide suitable car and bus parking; space for receptions, presentations, and archaeological specimens; refreshment facilities; classrooms; and offices for Site management. Additionally, in 2009 it acquired 9 acres (36,421.7 m²) plus from the NY State Canal Corp to protect the historic viewshed.
Activities
The Schenectady County Historical Society celebrated its Centennial in 2005, a half-century in the Stockade in 2008, and then, in 2009, it celebrated the bicentennial of Schenectady County, through an extensive exhibit in its Vrooman Room and through the publication of Historic Schenectady County, a comprehensive history of the county.External links
- Schenectady County Historical Society – official site
- Mabee Farm Historic Site - official site