Standing proudly on Main Street in Penn Yan is the anchor building of the Yates County History Center, the Oliver House Museum, one of three buildings comprising the YCHC. The Center, formerly Yates County Genealogical & Historical Society, is one of the oldest in NYS, has been actively collecting, preserving and interpreting history since 1860. Continue reading about us...

Open Tuesday - Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
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Oliver House Museum
L. Caroline Underwood Museum
Scherer Carriage House Museum
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An important part of our mission at the Yates County History Center is to inform the public about the history of Yates County through museum exhibits and hands-on programs.

Fund raisers are held throughout the year that are educational, fun and supportive of the Center's programs. To register or for more information regarding an event, please call 315.536.7318.

All of our programs are open to members and the general public. Check out what's going on at the History Center!

Calendar of Events

   

Wednesday, March 6
11:00 a.m.

Tips For Finding Your Brick Wall Ancestor with Tricia Noel

Whether you have researched your family history but gotten stuck, have ancestors who come from a particular ethnic background, or want to learn the finer points of research, the Genealogy and Research Series is for you. Admission is $25 per workshop or $75 for the series. Please call 315-536-7318 to register. The program will be held at the L. Caroline Underwood Museum, 107 Chapel Street, Penn Yan.

   

Wednesday, March 13
11:00 a.m.

Introduction to African American Genealogy with Tricia Noel

Whether you have researched your family history but gotten stuck, have ancestors who come from a particular ethnic background, or want to learn the finer points of research, the Genealogy and Research Series is for you. Admission is $25 per workshop or $75 for the series. Please call 315-536-7318 to register. The program will be held at the L. Caroline Underwood Museum, 107 Chapel Street, Penn Yan.

   

Saturday, March 16
11:00 a.m.

Historic Tombstone Care

Tricia Noel will discuss how to begin caring for a historic tombstone or cemetery with information about current New York State laws, how to gain permission, methods of recording tombstone information and symbol meanings. Admission for one tombstone class is $10 or $15 for both. Please call 315-536-7318 to register. Class will be held at the L. Caroline Underwood Museum, 107 Chapel Street, Penn Yan.

   

Saturday, March 23
11:00 a.m.

Historic Tombstone Preservation

Eric Lewis will discuss how to clean and preserve historic gravestones, which kind of cleansers and brushes to use and what not to use. Admission for one tombstone class is $10 or $15 for both. Please call 315-536-7318 to register. Class will be held at the L. Caroline Underwood Museum, 107 Chapel Street, Penn Yan.

   

Wednesday, April 3
11:00 a.m.

Introduction to Dutch Genealogy with Tricia Noel

Whether you have researched your family history but gotten stuck, have ancestors who come from a particular ethnic background, or want to learn the finer points of research, the Genealogy and Research Series is for you. Admission is $25 per workshop or $75 for the series. Please call 315-536-7318 to register. The program will be held at the L. Caroline Underwood Museum, 107 Chapel Street, Penn Yan.

   

Saturday, April 6
2:00 p.m.

Penn Yan Main Street Audio Tour Reception

The Yates County History Center will launch its new audio tour of Penn Yan's Main Street. It will include descriptions of selected buildings and localities as well as some of the village's fascinating history. The tour consists of short audio segments that are connected to QR codes on a map. A smartphone and map will send you on your way, maps are available for $5 during business hours.

On launch day, all history-hungry residents and visitors are invited to join us for light refreshments at the Oliver House and then take off down Main Street, smartphone and map in hand. Bon voyage! Admission to the reception is $5 and includes refreshments and a map.

   

Wednesday, April 10
11:00 a.m.

How to Use DNA in Genealogical Research with Tricia Noel and Stephanie Olsen

Whether you have researched your family history but gotten stuck, have ancestors who come from a particular ethnic background, or want to learn the finer points of research, the Genealogy and Research Series is for you. Admission is $25 per workshop or $75 for the series. Please call 315-536-7318 to register. The program will be held at the L. Caroline Underwood Museum, 107 Chapel Street, Penn Yan.

   

Friday, April 26 through
Saturday, May 18

History Scavenger Hunt

Gather your friends, challenge your other friends, hop in the car, explore local history, and join Yates County History Center's third annual History Scavenger Hunt. The fun when teams receive their brochures with clues and questions for each of the nine towns in Yates County and it continues until Saturday, May 18 when teams must submit their answers.

Participation costs $25 for a team of four people and $10 for each additional team member, and teams must register in order to receive their brochure. Teams may register any time before May 18. Please call (315) 536-7318 to register by paying in advance; payment is accepted over the phone or in person.

The scavenger hunt provides a fun way to learn about our local history while competing against other teams to see who knows the most. The clues lead teams to historic sites and places of interest in every town in the county. Teams will receive points for correctly answering the questions.


Saturday, May 25
11:00 a.m.

Hills, Histories, and Hierophanies: Harvesting the Relationships of
Exchange with the Haudenosaunee

Dr. Michael E. Chaness will present a lecture titled “Hills, Histories, and Hierophanies: Harvesting the Relationships of Exchange with the Haudenosaunee.” This program will take place at the Penn Yan United Methodist Church, located at 166 Main St. in Penn Yan. Admission costs $15 per person, and attendees should register in advance by calling (315) 536-7318. (Please note there is a 5% credit card fee). Cash will be accepted in advance or at the door. 

Originally from Chicago, Chaness is a visiting assistant professor of anthropology at SUNY Oswego, where he teaches a plethora of courses in both anthropology (History of the Haudenosaunee, Culture of the Haudenosaunee, North American Indians) and Native American Studies (Native American Women, Contemporary Native America, American Indian Religion and Philosophy). Chaness earned his doctorate in religion from Syracuse University and has been collaborating with members of the Onondaga Nation for nearly 20 years. His research focuses on the intersections between American Indian and American Jewish communities and centers around blood and land, genocide, and theology.  For academic year 2023-24, Chaness is part of the inaugural SUNY-wide DEISJ Fellowship and recently presented at the "Religious Origins of White Supremacy'' conference in Syracuse. He currently lives in Camillus with his wife Julia, their three children, Esther, Avery, and Sidney, and their Australian cattle dog, Burt.


   
   


 

YCHC events held virtually may be enjoyed on our Vimeo Channel.

The following list of lectures, interviews and portrayals are available:

 
 

Interviews

Phyllis Smith
Milly Bloomquist
Maxine Fullagar
Marge Cornell
Marcia Dugan
Ellen Salisbury
Doris Scherer
Corrie Stork
Carlotta Kirk Coriser
Ann Potter Boyd

Portrayals

Julie Sheppard
Susannah Clara Hatmaker
Myron Hamlin
Frankie Merson
John Thomas

Lectures

Free From the Fear
Veterans of Yates County
Outdoor Cooking, Part 1
Outdoor Cooking, Part 2
Immigrants Who Got the Job Done: Foreign Fighters in the American Revolution
Historic Mourning Customs

Colonial Crafts-Candle Dipping

Make Your Own Holiday Wreath
Colonial Crafts-Chair Caning

The Art of Canning Peaches

 

 
           
 

Open Tuesday - Friday 9:00 am - 4:00 pm
107 Chapel Street, Penn Yan, NY 14527
Phone 315.536.7318 | Fax 315.536.0976
Email YCHC | Email Webmaster
Thursday, February 29, 2024 | Copyright © 2023

A community museum where every story matters!

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