Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society facts for kids
The Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society is a group that studies and shares the history of Yates County, New York. They run the Yates History Center. This center has three cool museums in Penn Yan, New York. These museums are the Oliver House Museum, which shows what a 19th-century home looked like. There's also the L. Caroline Underwood Museum, filled with old art and local history displays. Next to it is the Scherer Carriage House, which has exhibits about a famous local preacher called the Public Universal Friend.
Contents
Where History Lives: The Yates History Center
In 1946, the village of Penn Yan gave rooms in the Oliver House to the Society. The Oliver family had left the house to the village. They also left money to help take care of it. In July 1948, the Society officially opened its new museum there. It was a big step for preserving local history.
How the Society Started and Grew
The Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society officially began in 1860. For 80 years, they collected historical items. But they didn't have a permanent place to keep them.
On January 10, 1860, a local newspaper made an announcement. It invited people who lived in Yates County before 1823 to a meeting. Their goal was to form a County Historical Society. They wanted to collect stories and items from early settlers.
The meeting happened, and Russell A. Hunt was chosen to lead it. William M. Oliver suggested a plan, which everyone agreed to. The plan was to create a society. This society would collect and save memories of early settlers. It would also gather facts about the county's history. This included information about Native American history. Thirty-two men from nearby towns joined the effort.
After this start, members of the society traveled around the county. They found old relics and documents. These items were stored in people's homes. For a while, there wasn't much news about the Society. Then, in 1915, a newspaper article brought it back to life. It said Yates County had many historic items. It warned that these items could be lost forever. The article suggested that a Historical Society was needed. It would help bring these valuable items together.
The historical society's activity went up and down over the years. In the mid-1920s, many newspaper articles asked what happened to the society. They also asked readers to help form a new one. People were worried that other counties were getting Yates County's historical treasures.
In 1926, the editor of the Penn Yan Democrat newspaper asked a question. "What do you think of organizing a historical society in Yates County?" He even listed names of people who wanted to help. In 1927, a meeting was held for interested people. Another newspaper letter asked if the old society had "died again."
Finally, in 1928, a new organization began to form. Arthur Bailey led this effort. They wrote new rules and asked New York State for a charter. A charter is like an official permission document. In 1929, the charter was granted. The Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society, Inc. was now official. Only one person from the original 1860 group was still involved. The charter from 1929 is still used today.
In 1930, the society published its first book. It was called Memories of Local Naturalists. In 2010, the Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society celebrated its 150th birthday!
Exploring the Museums
The Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society has three museums. They are all in Penn Yan, New York. These are the L. Caroline Underwood Museum, the Scherer Carriage House, and the Oliver House Museum.
Oliver House Museum
The Oliver House was built in 1852 on Main Street in Penn Yan. Andrew Ferguson Oliver gave the house to his son William as a wedding gift. William and his three children lived there their whole lives. None of his children had their own kids. Carrie Oliver was the last to pass away in 1942. She left the house to the Village of Penn Yan in her will. She also left money to help care for it.
Carrie Oliver wanted the house to be used by different groups. One interesting use was for the Red Cross during World War II. A soldier returning in 1945 said the Red Cross was in the back rooms. Today, the Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society runs it as a museum. They keep many original portraits and furniture. They also have new exhibits that change over time. The museum officially opened its doors in 1948.
In 1975, the Oliver House Museum was restored. It reopened to the public that same year. It has been open ever since, with more and more collections. These include many of the Oliver family's belongings. In 1977, the society started a fundraising effort. They wanted to raise money to help pay for the museum's daily costs.
L. Caroline Underwood Museum
L. Caroline Underwood was a teacher for 50 years. She taught for 47 of those years in Penn Yan. She left most of her money to start this museum. It helps keep her favorite collections safe. The Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society helps run this museum.
The museum is open all year. It has both changing exhibits and permanent ones. This was a special request from Ms. Underwood in her will. Inside the museum is the Catherine A. Spencer Research Center. This center has books, family history information, and facts about Yates County history. You can also find maps, census records, and cemetery information there. The L. Caroline Underwood Museum and Research Center opened in 2004.
Scherer Carriage House
The Scherer Carriage House is located behind the Underwood Museum. It has an exhibit about a preacher known as the Public Universal Friend. This preacher started the first white settlement in what is now Yates County. Their community was the largest to travel so far west in New York State.
The exhibit shows the preacher's portrait, Bible, hat, coachee (a type of carriage), and saddle. The Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society keeps most of the items and papers. These belonged to the preacher or their group, the Society of Universal Friends.
