Herkimer County Historical Society

THE 1884 SUITER MUSEUM BUILDING

A Queen Anne style building located at 400 North Main Street in Herkimer. This building was a legacy to the Herkimer County Historical Society in 1925 by Dr. A. Walter Suiter, a prominent citizen and physician. It was named in memory of Dr. Suiter’s father, Col. James A. Suiter, a noted Civil War veteran.

The massive doors which Dr. Suiter ordered for the entrance to his mansion were built of mahogany. The griffin is one of two which grace the ornately carved front doors. The interior architectural elements are fashionable for the 1880’s and include decorative hinges, burl veneer door panels and rectilinear banisters and newel posts with incised decoration.

One room in the Suiter building depicts Dr. Suiter’s library with his record books, round oak table and other artifacts that would have been in a library in 1884. The style of the library is Eastlake with a beautiful tiled fireplace with etchings of Greek gods and goddesses with a mahogany mantel. An interesting fact is that the house was never lived in. It was used by Dr. Suiter as his doctor’s office, waiting room and his library. Housed in this building is a free exhibit designed to be self-guided or you can ask for a guided tour. Currently the permanent exhibit is “All In A Days Work: Working People, Working Lives.” The exhibit covers four rooms and features displays on early settlers and transportation, agriculture, industry and domestic life in Herkimer County. The artifacts date from the 1700’s to the 1990’s.

Additional Exhibits – We have two exhibits that we installed in 2017 commemorating important centennials in our history –

“HERKIMER COUNTY IN THE GREAT WAR” and “WOMEN SUFFRAGE IN HERKIMER COUNTY”

On the second floor of the Suiter Building is the Fairfield Room featuring artifacts and photographs from the Fairfield Seminary, Medical College and Military School which was located in Fairfield, N.Y. Another room on the second floor is the Daughters of the American Revolution Room (D.A.R.) with a collection of genealogical material for the researcher to use. The books are from Margaret McKay’s own private collection.

LOOKING FOR SOMETHING TO DO WITH THE CHILDREN THIS SUMMER? —- IT’S HISTORY MYSTERY AT THE MUSEUM!

We welcome all young sleuths and their parents for an adventure around the museum! Enjoy a walk in the past as children of all ages look for answers to the questions about the history of our community. It is a great time to learn about our local history in a fun and adventurous way. The children will enjoy their time and receive a prize for a correctly completed quest! Stop in to our Eckler Building to sign in before you go over to the museum.

THE 1870 ECKLER HOUSE

The 1870 Eckler House is Italianate in style and is located adjacent to the Suiter building. This is where the Society’s offices are located as well as our Resource Center/Library and Gift Shop. This building was named after the Eckler family who were major contributors to our capital campaign project when we purchased and refurbished it in the late 1980s.

Snell Cabinet

A nice feature in the building is the Snell cabinet showcasing a variety of artifacts from the Society’s collection. Currently there is a display featuring the findings from an archaeological dig we conducted in 2015 on our property searching for any remnants of Fort Dayton. What we did find was Dr. Suiter when we discovered an old well that dates back to the early 1800s. There was a treasure trove found inside that well – medical instruments, pharmaceutical bottles, many intact and some with the medicine still in them, a pristine jug and unique liquid soap dispenser – all dating to the late 1800s and early 1900s. Around the property we discovered pipe stems with a few dating to the late 1700s.