Arkell Museum

The Arkell Museum at Canajoharie and the Canajoharie Library promote and celebrate the understanding and enjoyment of the arts and humanities in Canajoharie, the Mohawk Valley, and beyond.

The Arkell Museum i proud to be a Blue Star Museum, and offer Free admission all year to the nation’s active-duty military personnel and their families, including National Guard and Reserve.

The Arkell Museum collects, preserves, researches and presents American Art and Mohawk Valley History, and promotes active participation in art and history related activities, to enhance knowledge, appreciation and personal exploration by all.

Bartlett Arkell, the first president of the Beech-Nut Packing Company founded the Canajoharie Library for the people of the village of Canajoharie.

When it opened, gracing its walls were a dozen paintings from Arkell’s personal collection, including works by Gilbert Stuart and Robert Henri. The paintings were so well received that in 1927, Arkell broke ground on our original museum building, and we became the Canajoharie Library and Art Gallery. Today, we are known as the Arkell Museum, and we are proud to continue the tradition of sharing art with the Canajoharie community and beyond.

The American painting collection includes seven oil paintings by Winslow Homer and significant paintings by many distinguished artists including; Thomas Benton, William M. Chase, Childe Hassam, John Singer Sargent, Albert Bierstadt, and Gilbert Stuart. Permanent and changing exhibitions also feature selections from the museum’s Mohawk Valley History collection as well as the Beech-Nut collection of early twentieth-century advertising material.

A major addition to the Arkell Museum and Canajoharie Library was completed in 2007 through the generosity of the Arkell Hall Foundation. The Foundation remains an important partner in our shared mission of providing educational and cultural opportunities in our community. – The Arkell Museum website