NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center

01/24/2025

Here's a little historical intrigue to whet your appetite in advance of Seward House Museum reopening for the season on March 4!

01/24/2025

Mark your calendars, Cayuga Museum of History and Art & Case Research Lab reopens for the season on Wednesday, February 5!

Attention lovers of local history, art, and science! The Cayuga Museum will be opening for the 2025 season very soon on Wednesday, February 5th with all new exhibits including:

- "Making History: Stories of Industry in Auburn"
- "Silent Films on Cayuga Lake: The Wharton Studio Story"

The Museum will be open from 10 AM - 5 PM. Admission is $10. Stay tuned for program announcements! Wharton Studio Museum

01/23/2025

One unsung heroines of the Women's Suffrage Movement was Alice Charlotte Williams (1877-1945) of Weedsport. Following her High School education, Williams entered Wellesley College in 1896, graduating with a Bachelor of Arts degree in 1900.

Williams came by her political activism naturally: her father was elected state senator of the 31st District of New York in 1879; her mother would be active in the Women's Educational and Industrial Union. Her maternal aunt, Kate Stoneman, was a suffragist who would be the first woman admitted to the New York State Bar Association in 1886.

Her career was heightened when Alice Williams was elected corresponding secretary of the New York State Woman Suffrage Association (NYSWSA) at each annual convention from 1905 to 1908. At the 1906 annual convention, she was recognized for her "excellent report" on field and state fair work.

At the 1907 convention, she reported on the "great deal of field work" she had conducted. This field work included writing to twelve colleges in New York State to establish an essay contest on "Woman Suffrage" with a competitive prize of $50. In 1908, in her home city of Buffalo, Williams served as a delegate to the 40th Annual Convention of the National American Woman Suffrage Association (NAWSA), during which the convention-goers celebrated the 60th anniversary of the Seneca Falls Convention.

Williams' most-noted suffrage activities coincided with a renewed push for the vote by state and national women's suffrage organizations. In a December 12, 1908, letter to Anne Fitzhugh Miller, founder of the Geneva Political Equality Club, Williams summarized NYSWSA Legislative Committee plans. She confessed that she was "not a rich woman so that I can give money to the cause, but I can give myself--that is my time at the Headquarters." At the beginning of the 1909 state legislative session, she established herself at the new State Suffrage Association headquarters in Albany, New York, the state capital.

Newspapers commented that from "altruistic motives" she devoted "her time to the furtherance of work in behalf of the cause in the legislature." The New York State Association Opposed to Woman Suffrage (NYSAOWS) wrote a letter to each state senator and representative objecting to the "very active campaign at Albany" conducted by the pro-suffrage women lobbyists, singling out "Miss Alice Williams of Weedsport N.Y."

From 1909 - 1910, Williams continued her education as a student of Library Studies at Simmons Female College in Boston, Mass. From 1910 - 1911 she performed library work at the Newark, New York, Public Library and from 1911 - 1912 at the East Houston Street Branch of the New York Public Library. In 1914, Williams was living in Willink, New York, (later renamed East Aurora), and continued to support woman suffrage. She maintained memberships in academic organizations including the Buffalo Wellesley Club, where she served as secretary; the Wellesley College Alumnae Association; the Simmons Club; the Association of Collegiate Alumnae, the predecessor of the American Association of University Women; and the East Aurora College Club. She was also a life member of the American Canoe Association.

By 1920, she was a homeowner in East Aurora and a bookbinder at a bindery shop. That year, she was elected to be the librarian of the new East Aurora Free Library. She lived in East Aurora until the end of her life. She traveled the world and collected curios, her "largest and most interesting collection" consisting "of old knives, sabers and dueling pistols." Following a long illness, Williams died on February 21, 1945, in Buffalo. She is buried at Forest Lawn Cemetery.

01/23/2025

Hopefully the weather will be more inviting when Seward House Museum reopens for the season on March 4!

01/21/2025

Tomorrow is Library Shelfie Day at Seymour Library!

📚✨ National Library Shelfie Day is Almost Here! ✨📚

Mark your calendars for January 22! Stop by Seymour Library, find your favorite shelf or book, and snap a selfie to celebrate the joy of reading.

📸📲Share your shelfie using and don’t forget to tag us on social media! Let’s come together to honor books, shelves, and the stories that inspire us.

Can't make it in? No worries, you can still join the fun by taking a shelfie with your bookshelf or a current read from the comfort of your home!

Who’s ready to show off their shelfie skills? 🙋‍♀️🙋‍♂️

Need some inspiration? Visit https://seymourlibrary.org/celebrate-library-shelfie-day-with-seymour-library/

01/21/2025

Call for Artists: the deadline for Made In New York 2025 at Schweinfurth Art Center is January 27!

Read more about Made in New York 2025 on CaFE

01/21/2025

🚔Congrats on your retirement, Chief Slayton!
👮🏻‍♂️ We appreciate your years of service to our city!

01/18/2025

What better New Year's resolution than exploring your life story? This Micro Memoir Workshop at Auburn Public Theater is just the ticket to draft your reflections!

Have you ever wanted to write a memoir? Looking for something to do for a ? Now’s your chance…We are so thrilled to be having Linda Lowen join us from January 31-February 2. Spots are limited so grab yours today before it’s too late! https://www.eventbrite.com/e/life-in-short-micro-memoir-workshop-tickets-1092658905199?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

01/18/2025

Get glamourous and feel fabulous with our Drag friends this February with a showcase at Auburn Public Theater!

Who’s ready to kick off February in style? Auburn Public Theater is bringing you a drag show Saturday, February 8th starting at 7pm!
Join local drag queen Ivanna Michaels and her friends from Syracuse and Auburn to celebrate the night with love, laughter, and of course, glamour! Grab your tickets now for a reduced rate: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/come-celebrate-the-night-with-us-tickets-1131111848989?aff=ebdsoporgprofile

01/17/2025

Though nestled under a blanket of snow this winter season, we can celebrate everyday! Fort Hill Cemetery is open daily dawn 'til dusk and the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park reopens this spring. Plus Harriet Tubman Home, Authentic and Historic is open for tours year-round!

01/17/2025

Check out this new web link and leaf through Frances and William Seward's letters, courtesy of the partnership between Seward House Museum and University of Rochester!

01/15/2025

Cayuga Museum of History and Art & Case Research Lab is reaching out to the community for Korean War items connected to Cayuga County for a 2025 exhibit.

We're putting out the call for stories and objects to create a summer exhibit exploring Cayuga County's role in the Korean War!

Over one thousand men and women from Cayuga County answered the call to serve in the Korean War, and 25 gave their lives. The exhibit will focus on the war years through the stories of those who served and those who remained on the Homefront. The exhibition will be the lead exhibit at the Cayuga Museum from May 31 through September 13, 2025. Programming to accompany the exhibit includes film screenings, lectures, and more.

If you, or your family, have any objects, photos, and stories relating to the Korean War, please consider sharing them with the Museum and the thousands of visitors who will enjoy this exhibit. All loaned items will be secured, covered under the Museum’s insurance policy, and returned at the end of the exhibition. Please call the Museum at (315) 253-8051 to share the information and loaned objects.

Pictured: Korean War uniform in Cayuga Museum collection

01/15/2025

Schweinfurth Art Center and Cayuga Museum of History and Art & Case Research Lab are joining forces to showcase Emerging Artists' work at both locations. Deadline is January 31, apply now!

ATTENTION EMERGING ARTISTS!
Schweinfurth Art Center and are seeking proposals for exhibitions that will be on display in both institutions. It is a unique opportunity for artists to present an exhibition in both a contemporary gallery space and a historic space at the same time.
For information on the opportunity and how to apply, link to https://schweinfurthartcenter.org/opportunities/

01/15/2025

Visitors from across the globe are in awe of the beautiful and unique Willard Memorial Chapel. 2024 was an incredible year, 2025 promises to be even more remarkable - plan your trip now! Reopening for the season in February.

In 2024, Willard Chapel welcomed over 8,000 visitors from 38 states as well as New Zealand, Canada, Argentina, Russia, Germany, France, Italy, and the United Kingdom.

We appreciate your visit to the Tiffany Treasure of the Finger Lakes, whether you came for a tour, an event, or a wedding. Happy New Year! ✨