Oneida County History Center

We made history tonight! Thank you to everyone who donated, pledged, or renewed their members!

Time to celebrate! #ochctelethon2021 @saranacbrewery

We did it! Thank you to everyone who supported us tonight! If you haven’t called yet, there’s still time! #ochctelethon2021

Egbert Norman Clark wants to know if you’ve picked up the phone to support the#ochctelethon2021! Call now 315-735-3642!

Watch the #OCHCTelethon2021 on www.cnyhomepage.com! Call now to show your support for #localhistory! 315-735-3642

Call now to double your impact! @staffworkscny match is on! 315-735-3642 #ochctelethon2021

Here’s a kodak moment from our artifacts collection literally! Invented in the early 1910s, this Kodak No. 1-A Autographic Kodak Jr. camera was donated to the Oneida County History Center in 1981, and has been here ever since. This film, folding-bed camera has a black leather case, chrome and brass fittings, punch-button, and a kickstand so it could be used as a handheld device, or stood on its side for a selfie. George Eastman invented a dry plate photography process and s...tarted manufacturing the plates out of Rochester in 1880. He would go on to start the Eastman Kodak Company in 1889. Locally, there was a Kodak camera store on Columbia Street in Utica that was owned by Edwin E. Hahn from 1929 until the late 1960s or 70s. Cameras like this one, and later models could have been bought and sold there. #localhistory #artifactfriday #oneidacountyhistory #GeorgeEastman #Kodak See more

Joseph O’Brien’s Little Shamrock Saloon was located on Deerfield Corners. This photo was taken in 1910. Deerfield Corners was settled in 1773 by George J. Weaver, Captain Mark Damuth and Christian Reall and their families. They fled during the Revolutionary War but returned to the original settlement in 1784. In 1798 the boundaries of the town of Deerfield were from the West Canada Creek in the north to the Mohawk River in the south (present day location of the railroad ...tracks north of Union Station), Herkimer County to the east and State Route 12 to the west. In 1891 an area at the southern end of town was annexed to the City of Utica in order to straighten the Mohawk River. North Utica was created in 1916 when another portion of Deerfield was annexed to the city. A portion of the town was also annexed to become part of the Town of Marcy. #throwbackthursday See more

Looking for new ways to pass the time during quarantine? If you’re creative, and you’re bored with painting or drawing, why not try carving a mushroom like the one from our artifact collection? Yes, there is a fungus among us at the History Center. This fungus carving, or ‘daymycoglyph’ was created by Mrs. J. Francis Day in the 1920s and donated to the Oneida County History Center in the 1990s. Mrs. Day was a member of the Utica Society of Fine Arts and the Adirondack League ...Club. In her early life, she painted miniatures and watercolor pieces before finding giant bracket fungi like this one on beech, birch, poplar, and maple trees, and turning them into art by drying and carving them with a pen knife, creating a new art form similar to etching or woodcarving. Mrs. Day would use her knife to remove or puncture and pull layers of the fungus forward to create nature scenes with darker brown shadows, and white or gray highlights. This example from our collections shows a nature scene with trees and a river. The first daymycoglyph was created in 1920 by Mrs. Day and gained popularity in the following years. The unique artform bears her name, and has been displayed at the Utica Public Library, and in other areas of New York State. #localhistory #oneidacountyny #artifactfriday See more

This 1940 photo shows the building at 261/263 Genesee Street. Today it houses the south entrance to the Stanley Theater as well as Ancora! restaurant. The building is very deep and runs through to King Street. In 1940 Earl B. Worden’s, which dealt in piano and talking machines, and Stanley Furniture occupied the structure. #throwbackthursday

American Corner in Rome was named for the American Hotel in the late 1840s. The site is located on the corner of Dominick and James and has been the center of the revitalization of downtown Rome in the past. There is a sign at Berkshire Bank, formerly known as Rome Savings Bank, which signifies the history of the corner. Located across from American Corner is Fort Stanwix National Monument. For many years in the 20th Century there had been a push to create a museum at the site but interest waned and in 1941 the National Park Service erected placques to mark the site. When the Utica-Rome economy began to weaken in the 1960s interest in constructing Fort Stanwix National Monument gained momentum. #throwbackthursday

Joan Klossner is the 2020-21 Volunteer of the Year! Joan was chosen for her enduring contributions to the History Center by her co-volunteers, staff, and the Board of Directors. She has been a History Center volunteer for fourteen years with contributions spanning from co-authoring books to identifying photographs. She decided to volunteer to help fill time and chose the History Center based on her family connections to the area. She thought this match was a good fit as a fourth generation Utican. We agree and would like to thank and recognize Joan for her dedicated service to the History Center and the community. Read more about Joan on the History Center website https://www.oneidacountyhistory.org/volunteer.html