NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center

04/24/2025

Sapling from a tree that grew outside her hiding place thrives at an Aurora school, with support from Auburn's once thriving Jewish community, writes historian of small-town Jewish life.

04/23/2025

Genesee Street Voices, Auburn's community chorus, will bring to life a concert of pop, rock, gospel, and Broadway hits all centered around water, rain, rivers, and oceans at Westminster Presbyterian Church on Friday, April 25 at 7:00pm. The concert will feature 45 voices in song accompanied by a band, and will also welcome Owasco Watershed Lake Association, Skaneateles Lake Association and the City of Auburn Water & Sewer to share a bit about their work in keeping our watersheds and water supplies clean and healthy. A great way to celebrate Earth Day and honor our precious water resources through music and song.

04/23/2025

Join us tomorrow for the Seward House Museum's lunchtime lecture!

04/21/2025

The theme for Day 2 of National Park Week is Alternative!

The Thompson Memorial A.M.E. Zion Church and parsonage are only open seasonally, and while you can still tour the exterior, what do you do when you still want to learn about Auburn's history? You visit some of our partners, of course!

At the Harriet Tubman Home, see where Harriet Tubman lived in freedom with her family. At the Seward House Museum, you can learn about Secretary of State William Seward and his wife Frances, a dear friend of Harriet Tubman. At the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center, learn about New York's place at the forefront of social change. And at Fort Hill Cemetery, visit the grave of Harriet Tubman herself.

(Image: The reconstructed Harriet Tubman Home for the Aged at Harriet Tubman Home, Inc.)

04/19/2025

Thank you to this group of Syracuse University international students for visiting today to tour the Seward House Museum and learn more about the rich history here! 🍊💙

04/17/2025

𝓡𝓮𝓰𝓲𝓼𝓽𝓻𝓪𝓽𝓲𝓸𝓷 𝓞𝓹𝓮𝓷 — 𝓕𝓻𝓮𝓮 𝓦𝓸𝓻𝓴𝓼𝓱𝓸𝓹

With support from Chemung Canal Trust Company, the Auburn Downtown BID in partnership with the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center is hosting a free educational workshop on hiring best practices.

𝐖𝐡𝐚𝐭: Workshop to provide actionable goals to implement best practices for attracting, hiring, and retaining a well-rounded pool of employable applicants
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐧: Monday, May 5
𝐖𝐡𝐞𝐫𝐞: Auburn Public Theater
𝐓𝐢𝐦𝐞: 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
𝐖𝐡𝐨: Facilitated by consultant Blane Harding

Registration is required through the form linked below. Cafe 108 refreshments will be served.

https://forms.gle/YBtKernqiStSzkmm7

With support from Chemung Canal Trust Company, the Auburn Downtown BID in partnership with the NYS Equal Rights Heritage Center is hosting a free educational workshop on hiring best practices. This in-person workshop will be held on Monday, May 5 in Stage Right of Auburn Public Theater, 108 Exchange...

04/17/2025

A note from our friends at the Cayuga Museum of History and Art & Case Research Lab regarding how the current Institute of Museum and Library Services funding cuts are impacting our local museums right here in and how you can take action now to help.

On April 9 the Cayuga Museum of History and Art received notice that a grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services (IMLS) had been terminated. The Museum was awarded a grant of $50,000 in 2023 to create an interpretive plan to guide the development of an exhibition about the comprehensive history of Cayuga County. The notice states “IMLS has determined that your grant is unfortunately no longer consistent with the agency’s priorities and no longer serves the interest of the United States and the IMLS Program.”

Our mission is to tell the story of Cayuga County through everyone’s perspective, and we will continue to uphold our values and create programs and exhibitions that represent all of us.

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ACTIONS YOU CAN TAKE
The most important action that you can take is to contact your members of Congress to keep this issue in the forefront. IMLS is a small but mighty agency ($295 million as of 2024, or 0.0046% of the federal budget) and every dollar spent generates billions in communities with libraries and cultural organizations. If you are a supporter of any museums, theaters, community centers, arts centers, or any other space that supports history and the arts this is the best way to show national leadership that federal support for arts funding matters to you.

Here is a link that was shared through the American Alliance of Museums with an easy, pre-filled message relating to the cancellation of these grants https://www.congressweb.com/aam/96/

It is highly recommended that you personalize the text to your own experiences with the arts locally, particularly if you have enjoyed any programs or exhibitions at the Cayuga Museum. It is also recommended, if you are able, to call and write a letter. Phone calls are treated more urgently and are less likely to end up in a spam folder.

04/17/2025

Join us next Thursday April 24 for a Seward House Museum lunchtime lecture!

The Lunchtime Lecture Series returns for the first time in 2025 with Le Moyne College Professor of History Douglas Egerton. Before he was rivals with Abraham Lincoln, in the 1850s Senator William Seward found himself challenged by an abolitionist upstart from New England named Thomas Wentworth Higginson. Egerton will bring the stories of their friction to life in this discussion of his new biography of Higginson, "A Man on Fire."

This event will take place at the Equal Rights Heritage Center and is FREE and open to the public.

04/17/2025

Where can you find Tiffany treasures in ? 🔎

At Willard Memorial Chapel, Cayuga Museum of History and Art, and Westminster Presbyterian Church,!

Check out the list of must-see stops from AARP for Tiffany glass viewing, including our friends in the Southern Tier at the Corning Museum of Glass.

Plan a trip to see Louis Comfort Tiffany’s stained glass windows and other artwork

04/16/2025

Join together to celebrate !

Cayuga Tourism, is hosting a luncheon for community partners and the general public to engage in lively dialogue about tourism.

The event will be held at the Emerson Park Pavilion on Wednesday, May 7 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m.

🎟️ Tickets can be reserved at the link below.

Cayuga County Chamber of Commerce
Auburn Downtown BID

Join us in lively conversation about tourism in Cayuga County NY.

04/11/2025

featured in Matador Network highlighting our rich history and women-owned businesses with shoutouts to:

💜 Harriet Tubman National Historical Park
💜 Harriet Tubman Home,
💜 Fort Hill Cemetery
💜 Prison City Pub & Brewery
💜 At Long Last

The article also includes our friends at the Susan B. Anthony Museum & House in Visit Rochester and the Women's Rights National Historical Park and National Women's Hall of Fame in Seneca Falls.

The Finger Lakes has a long history of backdropping important historical movements — specifically, those led by important women.

04/11/2025

Purchase your tickets for the Auburn Downtown BID Flower Power Fundraiser to support beautification efforts in !

Join us for a groovy time at the Flower Power Fundraiser, come spread peace, love & funds for flowers, lighting, and art in downtown Auburn!

04/10/2025

You can also buy Duck Derby tickets here at our welcome center desk, open Monday - Saturday 9am-5pm for just $5 each, cash or check!

Tickets available at Ann’s Restaurant, Auburn Bagel Co., Curley’s, Belvedere’s, O’Toole’s, Hibernian’s, Lyons Bank-Dill St., 5-Star Bank, Pete’sTreats, Classic Cones, Roseadah’s, Silbert Optical, Pavlo’s, West&Co. Jewelers, Shep’s, Colonial Lodge, Centro, Onondaga Coach, VFW, Still & Barrel!

04/09/2025

NEW! Sign your Middle Schooler up for our newest, STEAM focused camp, the Culture, Art, Science, & Environment (C.A.S.E.) Summer Camp. Each day of camp will feature a different theme to explore with a partnering organization through the historical, natural, and cultural significance of the City of Auburn. Cost is $100 per camper, scholarships are available.

Learn More & Registration: https://cayugamuseum.org/case-camp/

04/04/2025

Our friends at the Harriet Tubman National Historical Park are hiring!

Are you still looking for a seasonal job for 2025? Do you have rehire status in the NPS? If the answer is yes to both questions, consider Harriet Tubman National Historical Park in Auburn, New York. The park is trying to fill the following vacancy:

One GS-05-0025, Park Ranger

Duties will include (but not limited to): staffing the visitor center contact stations, providing interpretive talks and programming to visitors, and collaborating with park partners and the local community to further spread knowledge on the life and legacy of Harriet Tubman.

Park housing is NOT available.

If you are interested and have rehire status, send an email to [email protected].

If you are considering a career in the National Park Service, job postings open to the public can be found at www.usajobs.gov. Seasonal summer positions are typically posted in the preceding fall.

04/04/2025

💥 𝓘𝓽'𝓼 𝓕𝓲𝓻𝓼𝓽 𝓕𝓻𝓲𝓭𝓪𝔂 𝓲𝓷 #𝓐𝓾𝓫𝓾𝓻𝓷𝓝𝓨 💥

Make the rounds to the participating sites for Auburn Downtown BID's April First Friday to enjoy free activities, art exhibits, and live music!

Schweinfurth Art Center | Cayuga Museum of History and Art | Shep's Brewing Company | Moondog's Lounge | Simple Roast Coffee Company Roast & Toast | Evolve CBD | Cellar & Folly Whiskey Company | Auburn Public Theater | Seward House Museum | Willard Memorial Chapel | Artistic Impressions | The PERC CASE Mansion | Cayuga Climate Action | Owasco Watershed Lake Association | Auburn Beautification Commission, Inc. | Auburn Discount Liquor & Wine

03/28/2025

Tickets are going fast for the Cayuga Museum's Fabrication Spring Fashion Show tomorrow March 29!

Join this celebration of fashion in central New York, featuring designers and boutiques who are revolutionizing the industry.

Held in the Cayuga Museum’s Carriage House Theater, the fashion show will run from 5:30-7:30 PM, followed by an after party from 8-10 PM.

Seating is limited and reservations are required. Learn more and get tickets at https://cayugamuseum.org/spring-fashion-show/

03/27/2025

Join us tomorrow, March 28, from 10am to 1pm for a special book signing!
Author Sara Catterall will be available to sign her new book "Amelia Bloomer: Journalist, Suffragist, Anti-Fashion Icon" about the life of an underappreciated woman in American history whose newspaper fostered a national conversation on women’s issues. Books are available for purchase. The National Women's Hall of Fame, our partner and neighbor, will also be hosting Sara Catterall at 6:30 pm on March 28th. Please see www.womenofthehall.org for details.