Schenectady County Historical Society facts for kids

The Schenectady County Historical Society is a special group in Schenectady, New York. It started on July 14, 1905, to help people learn about the past. It's a non-profit group, which means it doesn't try to make money. It's also not part of the government.

Today, the Society helps bring history to life. They do this through cool exhibits, talks, workshops, and events. They have three main places: the Mabee Farm Historic Site, the Grems-Doolittle Library and Schenectady History Museum, and the historic Brouwer House Creative.

History

The Society's main goal from the start was to find out more about history. They wanted to share what they learned about New York State, especially Schenectady County, New York. They also wanted to collect and keep old items, books, photos, and other things from the past. They aimed to mark important historical places and protect old buildings and sites.

How It Started

For the first seven years, the Society didn't have its own building. They showed their exhibits at the Schenectady County Public Library. In December 1912, they found a home at 11-13-15 Union Street. This building used to be for county offices. The exhibits moved there, and the Society held its monthly meetings there for 46 years.

New Homes for History

In April 1958, the General Electric Company gave the Society a building at 32 Washington Avenue. This building was once the G.E. Women's Club. It was built around 1895 and is in the Stockade Historic District, which became a national historic site in 1973. General Electric wanted to help the city's culture and learning.

To hold all their growing collection of books and papers, a big new part was added to the back of the house in 1991. This new part is called the Grems-Doolittle Library. It's named after a big helper, Mandalay Grems. The Library and the Schenectady History Museum (in the original house) are the main parts of the Society's work in downtown Schenectady.

In the 1990s, the Society grew a lot. It went from a small museum called the Dora Jackson House, which was packed with local history and family tree information, to the much bigger Schenectady History Museum. It also gained the Grems-Doolittle Library, which has over 2,000 local family files.

Mabee Farm: A Trip Back in Time

The Mabee Farm Historic Site was given to the Society in 1993. It has three farm buildings from the 1600s on about 9 acres (3.6 hectares) of land. It's located in Rotterdam Junction, New York, about seven miles (11 km) west of Schenectady, New York.

The Mabee House stayed in the same family for 287 years! George Franchere, the last person in that part of the Mabee family, gave it to the Society. He also gave them 583 family papers, including the original deed from 1705. Mr. Franchere also gave money to help run the Farm for several years. He passed away in 2004.

In 2008, some of his money was used to buy 27 more acres (11 hectares) of land next to the Farm. This made the Farm four times bigger! In 2011, the George E. Franchere Educational Center was finished on this new land. It has parking, space for events, classrooms, and offices. In 2009, they also got 9 more acres (3.6 hectares) from the NY State Canal Corp to protect the historic view of the Mohawk River.

Around the early 2000s, an old Dutch barn from the 1760s, called the Nielsen Dutch barn, was moved to the site. It's now used for programs. Today, Mabee Farm's old buildings and farming show what life was like in the countryside of early Schenectady.

Brouwer House: A Place for Creativity

In 2017, the Kindl Family of Schenectady gave another property to the Society at 14 N Church Street. This historic Brouwer House dates back to 1735 and is one of the oldest houses in the Stockade neighborhood. The Society turned this old building into creative studios. Artists, crafters, musicians, theater groups, and other local non-profits use these studios. Behind the Brouwer House Creative is a large garden.

What They Do

The Schenectady County Historical Society holds more than 150 public events each year. Over 20,000 people visit their sites every year to learn and have fun!