Onondaga Historical Association

Last updated
The Onondaga Historical Association's main building at 321 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY. 321Montgomery.jpg
The Onondaga Historical Association's main building at 321 Montgomery St., Syracuse, NY.

The Onondaga Historical Association (OHA) is a private nonprofit entity that operates as a research center on the history of Onondaga County, with museums, educational centers, retail operations, and exhibits at multiple locations throughout Onondaga County. [1] [2] [3] Founded in 1862, [4] OHA's mission is to preserve the history of Central New York and encourage the Onondaga County community to appreciate and utilize its history. [1]

Contents

OHA was first founded amid the Civil War to preserve history at a time that history was "washing in and out of recognition," according to a 2013 Syracuse Post-Standard article. [5]

OHA runs multiple other entities, such as the Skä•noñh: Great Law of Peace Center, which preserves the culture of the Haudenosaunee [1] — the endonym which the Iroquois Nation is also known as. Other extensions of the OHA include the Sainte Marie Among the Iroquois Mission Site Museum, which exhibits a recreation of the Sainte Marie de Gannentaha Jesuit mission, [6] and the Brewseum at Heritage Hill, which showcases the area's brewery history. [7] OHA also holds other exhibits throughout the Onondaga County community. [3]

History

The Onondaga Historical Association was officially incorporated into New York state in 1863 by the New York state legislature. [4] For a not-for-profit corporation to be incorporated into New York state, it needs to file a Certificate of Incorporation with the Department of State. [8] OHA's corporation charter states that OHA was created to preserve and collect genealogical, historical, literary and scientific material. [3]

OHA has undergone multiple building changes and renovations. [9] [10] OHA has had multiple locations, its first being Corinthian Hall [11] on North Salina Street until 1866. [3] In 1866, OHA moved to a new building on the Clinton Block, then in 1871, the building was again moved to the Wieting Block. [3]

In the mid-1870s, the OHA experienced economic trouble with the public being rather inactive and uninterested in the association. OHA's collection in Wieting Hall was put into storage elsewhere, where it remained for more than 15 years. [3] In July 1881, the Wieting Block was completely destructed by a fire — most of OHA's collections were preserved due to their storage but some OHA artifacts, such as books and early records, were lost in the fire. [3]

In 1890, a Syracuse Post-Standard article revived the community's interest in the OHA. In 1894, its collection was taken out of storage and opened for public viewing in exhibit rooms in the Syracuse Savings Bank building. [3]

OHA's building at 311 Montgomery St. was built in 1896, and was purchased by the association in 1905 with funds gifted by William Kirkpatrick, who was a long-time supporter of the corporation. [3] [10] In 1980, OHA purchased 321 Montgomery St., which was previously the New York Telephone Building. [9] The two buildings on Montgomery St. housed the OHA's collection for nearly 25 years.

In 2005, OHA's building at 311 Montgomery St. was sold to Russ Andrews, a Syracuse businessman, and his wife, Linda Henley, for $80,000. Until the renovated building was shown to the public in a 2011 ribbon cutting ceremony, the building had been "bricked up for years." [10] The portion of the collection housed in the 311 building moved to the 321 building.

The building at 321 Montgomery St. remains as OHA's main location as of 2024. It has undergone multiple renovations, [9] [10] as the association works to expand. OHA also operates at multiple additional sites. [3]

Founders

Some of the key founders of the Onondaga Historical Association were Henry D. Didama, James Noxon, Homer DeLois Sweet, and John A. Green. [12] They were recognized as influential members of the Syracuse community.

Henry D. Didama

Didama, born in 1823, [13] was a physician who was involved with St. Joseph's Hospital from its origins. [12] He studied at Cazenovia Seminary and began to practice in medicine under Dr. David A. Moore. [13] He completed his education at Albany Medical School in 1846 and moved to Syracuse in 1851. [13] Didama earned the highest honor of law degrees, an LL.D., at Syracuse University and also became the dean of SU’s College of Medicine. [13] He was also the president and a member of the Onondaga County Medical Society. [13] Didama was deeply involved in the medical industry of the central New York area for the remainder of his life. [13]

James Noxon

Noxon was a lawyer who eventually went on to represent New York state as a Senator. [12] He was originally from Onondaga County, New York and pursued law as his father, B. Davis Noxon, did. [14] His father was well-known in the Syracuse area for his legal knowledge and skill, as well as his anti-abolitionist beliefs. [14] [15] Noxon then went on to earn his way into the New York bar and later became a senator. [12] [14]

Homer DeLois Sweet

Sweet was born in Onondaga County, New York in 1826. [16] He was a civil engineer and map maker who surveyed Onondaga County. [12] He was also the author of several books, such as Philosophy of English Versification and Twilight Hoursin the Adirondacks. [16] He was involved in projects in the Syracuse area and served as a secretary for the OHA. [16]

John A. Green

Green was born in 1828 and was a businessman who worked in grocery retail. [12] [17] He was also a member of the New York National Guard and held a position as a brigadier general. [17] During the Civil War he guarded the upstate New York area. [17]

Museums

The Onondaga Historical Association maintains several different locations. The Onondaga Historical Museum and Gift Gallery store are located in downtown Syracuse, New York, along with the Richard and Carolyn Wright Research Center. These locations, as well as the OHA administrative office, can be found on 321 Montgomery Street. [2]

Liverpool, New York houses additional locations such as the Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center and Gift Gallery and the St. Marie Among the Iroquois Mission Site Museum. These sites can be found at Onondaga Lake Park. [2]

The Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center is a location where the culture of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy is taught and celebrated. [18]

The Sainte Marie Among the Iroquois Mission Site educates visitors about the Sainte Marie de Gannentaha Jesuit mission. The French Jesuit mission, which occurred from 1656–1658, took place on Onondaga Lake's eastern shore. [19] The museum offers historical information and a replica of the original mission site, which was equipped with a chapel, sleeping quarters, blacksmith's and carpenter's shops, and a kitchen. [19]

The Brewseum at Heritage Hill showcases antique and rare items that reflect pre-Prohibition era breweries. The museum operates alongside the Heritage Hill Brewhouse, [7] which offers handcrafted beer from its property that also has an active crop and animal farm. The Brewseum also has a retail shop where customers can purchase merchandise related to local breweries. [7]

Exhibits and events

The Onondaga Historical Association hosts a plethora of events and exhibits. One event, “Walking and Talking Wednesdays,” starts at noon on Wednesdays and takes guests on a tour that spans Syracuse’s downtown and its history. [20]

One of Onondaga Historical Museum’s permanent exhibits is entitled “Freedom Bound: Syracuse & The Underground Railroad.” [21] It dives into the history of Underground Railroad stops in Syracuse and highlights the stories of those who evaded slavery. [21]

Another permanent exhibit entitled “From Laying the Foundation to Forging Ahead: Jewish Contributions to Syracuse & Onondaga County” focuses on the rich Jewish history of the Syracuse area and the cultural contributions of Jewish communities in the area. [22]

One additional permanent exhibit at the museum is called “Onondaga County: The Heart of New York” and covers the broader history of the area, including topics such as Native American life, the Erie Canal, local industries, and the railroad. This exhibit covers past life as well as present life in Syracuse. [23]

While these are just a portion of the exhibits offered at the Onondaga Historical Museum, there are many more permanent and temporary exhibits to check out and learn about Syracuse, New York's history.

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Syracuse, New York</span> City in Central New York, United States

Syracuse is a city in and the county seat of Onondaga County, New York, United States. With a population of 148,620 and a metropolitan area of 662,057, it is the fifth-most populated city and 13th-most populated municipality in the state of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onondaga County, New York</span> County in New York, United States

Onondaga County is a county in the U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 476,516. The county seat is Syracuse. The county is part of the Central New York region of the state.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Liverpool, New York</span> Village in New York, United States

Liverpool is a lakeside village in Onondaga County, New York, United States. As of the 2020 census, the population was 2,242. The name was adopted from the city of Liverpool in the United Kingdom. The village is on Onondaga Lake, in the western part of the town of Salina and is northwest of Syracuse, of which it is a suburb.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onondaga people</span> Ethnic group

The Onondaga people are one of the five original nations of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy in the Northeastern Woodlands. Their historical homelands are in and around present-day Onondaga County, New York, south of Lake Ontario.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onondaga Lake</span> Lake in Onondaga County, New York, U.S.

Onondaga Lake is located in Central New York, immediately northwest of and adjacent to Syracuse, New York. The southeastern end of the lake and the southwestern shore abut industrial areas and expressways; the northeastern shore and northwestern end border a series of parks and museums.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Roman Catholic Diocese of Syracuse</span> Latin Catholic ecclesiastical jurisdiction in New York, US

The Diocese of Syracuse is a Latin Church ecclesiastical territory, or diocese, of the Catholic Church in Upstate New York in the United States. Its episcopal see is located in Syracuse. It is a suffragan diocese in the ecclesiastical province of the metropolitan Archdiocese of New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sainte-Marie among the Hurons</span> Living museum in Ontario, Canada

Sainte-Marie among the Hurons was a French Jesuit settlement in Huronia or Wendake, the land of the Wendat, near modern Midland, Ontario, from 1639 to 1649. It was the first European settlement in what is now the province of Ontario. Eight missionaries from Sainte-Marie were martyred, and were canonized by the Catholic Church in 1930. Sainte-Marie Among the Hurons was designated a National Historic Site of Canada in 1920. A reconstruction of the mission now operates as a living museum.

Father Simon Le Moyne, S.J., sometimes spelled Simon Le Moine, was a French Jesuit priest who became involved with the mission to the Hurons and Iroquois in the Americas. Le Moyne had acquired sixteen years of education and experience through priesthood in France before his arrival in New France in 1638. During that same year, he headed out to his mission in Huron country. The destruction of the Huron nation by the Iroquois brought him back east to what is modern day Quebec in 1650.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">William Martin Beauchamp</span> American ethnologist and clergyman (1830–1925)

William Martin Beauchamp was an American ethnologist and Episcopal clergyman. He published several works on the archeology and ethnology of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) in New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Sainte Marie among the Iroquois</span> Park/living museum in New York, United States

Sainte Marie among the Iroquois was a 17th-century French Jesuit mission located in the middle of the Onondaga nation of the Iroquois. It was located on Onondaga Lake near modern-day Syracuse, New York. The original mission, led by Jesuit priest Simon Le Moyne, was in use only from 1656 to 1658.

Historic preservation in New York is activity undertaken to conserve forests, buildings, ships, sacred burial grounds, water purity and other objects of cultural importance in New York in ways that allow them to communicate meaningfully about past practices, events, and people.

The story of the city of Syracuse began with the land which was covered with swamps and bogs, and with a large forest surrounding a clear, freshwater lake located in the northeast corner of the Finger Lakes Region. The land around the present day city was originally the home of the Haudensaunee, or the Onondaga Nation. They were members of the Iroquois Confederacy, which spanned most of Upstate New York.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Clinton Square</span> Historic site in New York, US

Clinton Square is an intersection in downtown Syracuse, New York, United States. The square was the original town center and first came into existence in the early 19th century where roadways from north and south convened. With the opening of the Erie Canal in 1825 the intersection was further transformed. During the 19th century, the square was a marketplace that also hosted several public events, including an 1870 public barbecue reportedly attended by 20,000 people.

Syracuse is a city in Central New York sited on the former lands of the Onondaga Nation. Officially incorporated as a village in 1825, it has been at a major crossroads over the last two centuries, first of the Erie Canal and its branch canals, then on the railway network. The city grew on the back of its salt and chemical industries, and later as a center of manufacturing and engineering. Although its industries have dwindled, the city has remained the economic and educational hub of Central New York, a region with over a million inhabitants; the population of the city, though, has been in decline since peaking in the 1950s.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Onondaga Creekwalk</span> Trail in New York

The Onondaga Creekwalk is a mostly paved, partly bricked, multi-use trail running 4.8 miles (7.7 km) in Syracuse, New York, which has so far seen more than three decades of planning, construction, and delays, starting in 1988. The trail is designed for bicyclists, skaters, and pedestrians to approximately parallel any desired portion of Onondaga Creek's run connecting Kirk Park on Syracuse's South Side, downstream through downtown at Armory Square, and then on to Onondaga Lake at the creek's ultimate mouth.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Buck (Onondaga politician)</span> Onondaga politician

John Buck, titled Skanawati among other variants, was a leader of the Onondaga who lived near Ontario's Grand River. He was the official keeper of the wampum records of the Iroquois, sometimes described as a firekeeper. He took on the role of wampum keeper in 1843. Buck was described in a contemporary account as "a capable ruler and an able and trustworthy negotiator". Kenyon and Kenyon identify him as a "follower of Handsome Lake".

<span class="mw-page-title-main">John Wieting</span> American lecturer and philanthropist

John Manchester Wieting was an American lecturer and philanthropist. He spent his early years as a teacher and then as an engineer and grader. After moving to Syracuse, New York, he read medicine to become a physician. After purchasing anatomical models he began giving lectures across upstate New York, gradually expanding the reach and the size of his lectures. They were extravagant affairs, and Wieting became known as one of the era's most prominent anatomical lecturers.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Mary Elizabeth Wieting Johnson</span> American opera house manager and philanthropist

Mary Elizabeth Wieting Johnson was an American opera house manager and philanthropist who ran the Wieting Opera House in Syracuse, New York, after the death of her husband, John Wieting. She oversaw management of the Wieting Opera House and its reconstruction after it burned down for the third time in 1896.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Bastable Theatre</span> Theatre in Syracuse, New York

The Bastable Theatre was a theatre in Syracuse, New York, from 1893 to 1923, when it burnt down. First built by Frederick Bastable, Sam S. Shubert began his theatre management at the Bastable in 1897. He and his brothers established The Shubert Organization, which became a major theatre owner. During Shubert's early years of management, he competed with the city's Wieting Opera House, which was controlled by The Theatrical Syndicate. The Bastable itself hosted a number of touring companies in the city and became known for hosting stock companies and melodramas. The State Tower Building was constructed on the site of the theatre after it burnt down.

References

  1. 1 2 3 "Onondaga Historical Association | New York Heritage". nyheritage.org. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  2. 1 2 3 "Visit". Onondaga Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  3. 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 "Our History". Onondaga Historical Association.
  4. 1 2 "PROCEEDINGS OF THE LEGISLATURE". The New York Times. April 17, 1863. p. 8.
  5. ↑ Maureen Nolan, The Post-Standard (2013-01-20). "Syracuse historical association celebrates its 150th year". syracuse. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  6. ↑ "https://www.skanonhcenter.org/sainte-marie-mission-site". www.skanonhcenter.org. Retrieved 2024-04-23.{{cite web}}: External link in |title= (help)
  7. 1 2 3 "Brewseum at Heritage Hill". www.visitsyracuse.com. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  8. ↑ "Types of Businesses Operating in New York State". Department of State. Retrieved 2024-04-23.
  9. 1 2 3 Brieaddy, Frank (July 21, 2005). "HISTORIC CITY BUILDING TO SEE NEW LIFE - COUPLE TO RESTORE ONONDAGA HISTORICAL ASSOCIATION'S FORMER HEADQUARTERS". Syracuse Post-Standard.
  10. 1 2 3 4 Case, Dick (July 10, 2011). "Onondaga Historical Association museum in downtown Syracuse gets a facelift". Syracuse Post-Standard.
  11. ↑ Searing, Robert (January 18, 2022). "The OHA has been telling Syracuse's story and preserving its history since 1862".
  12. 1 2 3 4 5 6 Maureen Nolan, The Post-Standard (2013-01-20). "Syracuse historical association celebrates its 150th year". syracuse. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  13. 1 2 3 4 5 6 "Henry Darwin Didama MD Collection | New York Heritage". nyheritage.org. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  14. 1 2 3 Biographical Sketches of the State Officers and Members of the Legislature of the State of New York. J. Munsell. 1859.
  15. ↑ "Syracuse and the Underground Railroad". Onondaga Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  16. 1 2 3 "Homer DeLois Sweet". geni_family_tree. 2022-04-27. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  17. 1 2 3 "Stories in Stone: John A. Green". M.A. Kleen. 2021-05-06. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  18. ↑ "Skä•noñh Center". Onondaga Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  19. 1 2 "Sainte Marie Mission Site Museum". The Skä•noñh – Great Law of Peace Center. Retrieved 2024-03-28.
  20. ↑ "Events Archive". Onondaga Historical Association. 2024-04-24. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  21. 1 2 "Syracuse and the Underground Railroad". Onondaga Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  22. ↑ "From Laying the Foundation to Forging Ahead: Jewish Contributions to Syracuse & Onondaga County". Onondaga Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-04-24.
  23. ↑ "Onondaga County: The Heart of New York". Onondaga Historical Association. Retrieved 2024-04-25.
This page is based on this Wikipedia article
Text is available under the CC BY-SA 4.0 license; additional terms may apply.
Images, videos and audio are available under their respective licenses.