Mohawk Valley history comes alive through
Museums and Galleries
Browse through the featured museums and galleries that highlight the history of the Mohawk Valley.
Museums, Galleries and Historic Sites
George Hendrickson
Events
The Mayfield Historical Society is looking for volunteers to assist with Spring clean-up at the Rice Homestead on Saturday, June 3rd, from 9 am to noon, 328 Riceville Road in Mayfield.
There is both inside and outdoor work. Bring gardening gloves, cleaning supplies, gardening tools etc. For more info, call Bob Suits at 518-857-2820.
SATURDAY, JUNE 3RD, 12-4PM
The museum officially opens for the season on June 4th. Open hours are Saturdays and Sundays from 12-4pm throughout June; Thursdays through Sundays from 12-4pm from June 31 through Labor Day; and Saturdays and Sundays from 12-4pm through October 9.
Wednesday, June 7 • 12:30 PM and Wednesday, August 16 • 12:30 PM
$25 member / $30 non-members
Join Manager of Arts Education Kevin Gray for a lunch provided by Fenimore Art Museum, followed by a tour of the special exhibition M.C. Escher: Infinite Variations.
About Fenimore Art Museum
Fenimore Art Museum, located on the shores of Otsego Lake—James Fenimore Cooper’s “Glimmerglass”—in historic Cooperstown, New York, features a wide-ranging collection of American art including folk art; important American 18th- and 19th-century landscape, genre, and portrait paintings; more than 125,000 historic photographs representing the technical developments made in photography and providing extensive visual documentation of the region’s unique history; and the renowned Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art comprised of nearly 900 art objects representative of a broad geographic range of North American Indian cultures, from the Northwest Coast, Eastern Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, Great Lakes, and Prairie regions. Visit FenimoreArt.org.
Weekly music series Thursdays from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Yankee Hill Lock, 550 Queen Anne Road, Amsterdam
Fort Hunter, NY – Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is excited to announce another season of Putman Porch Music at Yankee Hill Lock. The site will be hosting the weekly series on Thursdays from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Yankee Hill Lock off Queen Anne Road, Amsterdam. This series invites local musicians to come spend an evening on the historic Putman Canal Store porch to jam and enliven the vibe of the former Erie Canal stop off.
Musicians with an interest in American roots, bluegrass and folk music are encouraged to spend some time on the porch and be a part of a great shared experience. Much like a group of canawlers that happen to be stuck waiting at the lock, a few instruments and strong voices is all that is needed to pass the time.
Putman Porch Music will occur every Thursday in June from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. These are free events open to the public.
The grounds for the site are open all year from dawn until dusk. Putman Canal Store is located at 550 Queen Anne Road, Amsterdam.
For more information about programs at Schoharie Crossing, please contact the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our NYS Parks webpage. The Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site Visitor Center is location at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069.The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 78 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow-on Twitter.
About the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Erie Canal as one of the 19th century’s greatest commercial and engineering projects. The Visitor Center exhibit traces the history of the Erie Canal and its impact on the growth of New York State and the nation.
Within the site’s boundaries are many structures dating from the three eras of the canal’s development. At the eastern end of the site is the Putnam Lock Stand at Yankee Hill that houses an exhibit on Erie Canal stores. The site’s largest structure is the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the water of the Enlarged Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek.
Schoharie Crossing is also the location of 18th century Fort Hunter and the Lower Castle Mohawk village. See artifacts from that portion of our history on display at the Visitor Center.
The Fort Plain Museum Presents The Revolutionary War Conference 250 in the Mohawk Valley • June 9-11, 2023
Conference 250 Speakers for 2023:
- Fireside Chat – James Kirby Martin with Guest Host Mark Edward Lender (Sponsored by Westholme Publishing and the Journal of the American Revolution) – Professor and Student Discuss the American Revolutionary War, the Upcoming 250th Anniversary and Their Legacies
- Friederike Baer – Hessians: The German Soldiers in the American Revolutionary War
- John “Jack” Buchanan – The Battle of Musgrove’s Mill, 1780
- Benjamin L. Carp – The Boston Tea Party at 250: Reflections on the Radicalism of the Revolutionary Movement
- Vivian E. Davis – Over 250 Years Ago! The Battle of Golden Hill, January 19, 1770
- Holly A. Mayer – Congress’s Own A Canadian Regiment, the Continental Army, and American Union
- Steven Park – 250 Years of Remembering: The Changing Landscape of Gaspee History
- Nina Sankovitch – The Abiding Quest of a Forgotten Hero: How Josiah Quincy Battled Overwhelming Odds to Bring Together the Northern and Southern Colonies in 1773, Fanning the Flames of Revolution and Laying the Groundwork for Independence from England
- Eric H. Schnitzer – Picturing History: The Images of the American War for Independence
- Sergio Villavicencio – St Eustatius and the American Revolution
- Mohawk Valley Resident Historian – Terry McMaster – A Revolutionary Couple on the Old New York Frontier: Col. Samuel Clyde & Catharine Wasson of Cherry Valley
- New York State and the 250th: Where Things Stand – Presenters: Devin R. Lander, New York State Historian, Phil Giltner, Director of Special Projects, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and Lauren Roberts, Saratoga County Historian
- The Fort Plain Museum Board Chairman, Norman J. Bollen – The Fort Plain Museum & Historical Park’s Grand Enhancement Plan – Rebuilding the Blockhouse for the 250th
Bus Tour
Forts and Fortified Homes of the Mohawk Valley – Join Tour Leaders Bruce Venter, Wayne Lenig and Norm Bollen as they guide you through the Mohawk River Valley touring the many sites that housed troops during the Revolutionary War. This is an in-depth, never done before tour of the historic forts, fortified homes and sites that formed the defensive perimeter around Fort Rensselaer (Fort Plain).
Site visits
Site visits will include Fort Failing, Fort Ehle, Fort Clyde, Fort Plank, Fort Rensselaer, Fort Kayser, Fort Paris, Fort Nellis, Fort Klock and more. Lunch and a Bus Tour Booklet are included. This Bus Trip will start at the Fulton-Montgomery CC – 2805 NY-67, Johnstown, NY 12095 – Parking Lots B & C – Please wear comfortable walking shoes and bring snacks/beverages. This is a rain or shine Bus Tour.
Registration:
Mail: Please Print and Complete the Form, Instructions are Included on the Form: https://fortplainmuseum.org/content/2023%20Rev%20War%20Conference%20Registration%20Form1.pdf
Online: https://fortplainmuseum.square.site/conference
Lodging – https://fortplainmuseum.org/content/2023%20Hotel-Lodging%20Information%20-%20Rev%20War.pdf
Conference Location
The Fulton-Montgomery Community College’s Theater – The Visual Arts & Communications Building (Campus Map Building #2) – 2805 NY-67, Johnstown, NY 12095 (Please Park in Lots 5, 4 or Visitor’s Lot)
This summer’s exhibition at The Rice Homestead is “School Days.”
The Rice Homestead will be open starting Saturday, June 10th, from noon – 4 p.m. and every Saturday and Wednesday thereafter until Labor Day Weekend.
For further information, visit www.facebook.com/ricehomestead or call 518-332-0538.
The Mayfield Historical Society will be kicking off the summer season with its 40th Annual Strawberry Festival and premiering its new summer exhibit “School Days” on Saturday, June 10th, from noon to 4 pm at The Rice Homestead, 328 Riceville Road, in Mayfield.
The Rice Homestead will be open throughout the summer on Wednesdays and Saturdays from noon to 4 pm until Labor Day and by appointment by calling 518-725-5261 or 518-332-0538. For more information visit www.facebook.com/ricehomestead.
Weekly music series Thursdays from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Yankee Hill Lock, 550 Queen Anne Road, Amsterdam
Fort Hunter, NY – Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is excited to announce another season of Putman Porch Music at Yankee Hill Lock. The site will be hosting the weekly series on Thursdays from 6:30pm to 8:00pm at Yankee Hill Lock off Queen Anne Road, Amsterdam. This series invites local musicians to come spend an evening on the historic Putman Canal Store porch to jam and enliven the vibe of the former Erie Canal stop off.
Musicians with an interest in American roots, bluegrass and folk music are encouraged to spend some time on the porch and be a part of a great shared experience. Much like a group of canawlers that happen to be stuck waiting at the lock, a few instruments and strong voices is all that is needed to pass the time.
Putman Porch Music will occur every Thursday in June from 6:30pm to 8:00pm. These are free events open to the public.
The grounds for the site are open all year from dawn until dusk. Putman Canal Store is located at 550 Queen Anne Road, Amsterdam.
For more information about programs at Schoharie Crossing, please contact the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our NYS Parks webpage. The Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site Visitor Center is location at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069.The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 78 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow-on Twitter.
About the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the Erie Canal as one of the 19th century’s greatest commercial and engineering projects. The Visitor Center exhibit traces the history of the Erie Canal and its impact on the growth of New York State and the nation.
Within the site’s boundaries are many structures dating from the three eras of the canal’s development. At the eastern end of the site is the Putnam Lock Stand at Yankee Hill that houses an exhibit on Erie Canal stores. The site’s largest structure is the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct, which carried the water of the Enlarged Erie Canal over the Schoharie Creek.
Schoharie Crossing is also the location of 18th century Fort Hunter and the Lower Castle Mohawk village. See artifacts from that portion of our history on display at the Visitor Center.
Escape to the enchanting city of Florence right here in Cooperstown! On June 17, 2023, at 3 pm, immerse yourself in the mesmerizing melodies of the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra at the historic Christ Church, Episcopal. Prepare to be transported to the sunny landscapes of Italy as we present an extraordinary repertoire that captures the essence of a Mediterranean summer.
Indulge in the passionate rhythms and rich harmonies of Serenade for Strings by Swedish composer Dag Wirén. Let the delicate notes whisk you away to the sun-kissed piazzas of Florence, where the warm breeze carries the timeless melodies of this evocative composition.
Feel the allure of Ancient Air and Dances No. 3 by the brilliant Italian composer Ottorino Respighi. Inspired by the vibrant history of Florence, this captivating piece will transport you to the bustling streets and ancient palazzos, where the echoes of past centuries intertwine with the present.
And as the crowning jewel of our summer soirée, prepare to be swept off your feet by Souvenir de Florence by the legendary Pyotr Tchaikovsky. Let the grandeur of this truly symphonic masterpiece envelop you, as the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra paints a musical portrait of Florence’s timeless beauty and romantic allure.
Under the masterful baton of our Artistic Director Maciej Żółtowski, experience the passion, precision, and artistry that only the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra can deliver. Every note played will ignite your senses and transport you to the heart of Italy, where summer melodies dance in the air.
Seize this unique opportunity to celebrate the magic of a Florentine summer. Join us on June 17, 2023, at 3 pm at Christ Church, Episcopal in Cooperstown, and let the Fenimore Chamber Orchestra serenade you with the soul-stirring sounds of Italy. Don’t miss this musical journey that will leave you yearning for the cobblestone streets and timeless beauty of Florence.
Tickets are selling fast, so secure your seats now to experience this unforgettable summer concert. Book today at www.fenimoreco.org or click on the button below. Immerse yourself in the vibrant spirit of Florence and revel in the joy of a summer serenade.
About Fenimore Art Museum
Fenimore Art Museum, located on the shores of Otsego Lake—James Fenimore Cooper’s “Glimmerglass”—in historic Cooperstown, New York, features a wide-ranging collection of American art including folk art; important American 18th- and 19th-century landscape, genre, and portrait paintings; more than 125,000 historic photographs representing the technical developments made in photography and providing extensive visual documentation of the region’s unique history; and the renowned Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection of American Indian Art comprised of nearly 900 art objects representative of a broad geographic range of North American Indian cultures, from the Northwest Coast, Eastern Woodlands, Plains, Southwest, Great Lakes, and Prairie regions. Visit FenimoreArt.org.
Lake George lunch cruise and Outlets
Enjoy a delicious lunch buffet aboard the Lac du Saint Sacrement while you cruise Lake George taking in the beauty of the Adirondack Mountains. Then shop at the Factory Outlets of Lake George, 5 Outlets along the “Million Dollar half mile”
Bus Departing from Clinton and Herkimer
$125/person
Discover the history of the Mohawk Valley
The Mohawk Valley is located along the Mohawk River in the ancestral lands of the Kanienʼkehá:ka’ (Mohawk) and Oneida. We offer our deepest respect to Hodinöhsö:ni’ ancestors, past and present.
