Chenango Land Trust
an organization focusing on the preservation of natural areas
Enjoyment
Chenango Canal
The Chenango Canal, operating from 1834 to 1878, played an important role in the development of the region. A primary mode of transportation, this towpath canal connected the Susquehanna River to the Erie Canal. From Utica in the North to Binghamton in the south, the 97 mile-long canal followed the Chenango River along much of its course.
“The Lillie” Packet Boat Model
Built as a parade float for the United States’ Bicentennial Celebration, “The Lillie” is a ⅔ scale model of an actual packet boat which traveled on the Chenango Canal between Norwich and Binghamton. Stops on the route included Oxford, East Greene, Chenango Forks, and Port Crane. In 1865, when Captain William Stever was at the helm of “The Lillie,” fare was $1.50.
Online Resources
Ellis Island Passenger Search
database of 65 million passenger records
Empire Archival Discovery Cooperative
repository for searching and browsing finding aids contributed by New York State’s cultural heritage organizations
Family Search
largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world
Find A Grave
largest collection of genealogical and historical records in the world
Internet Archive
a digital library of Internet sites and other cultural artifacts in digital form
New York Genealogy And History Resources
NYGenWeb Project
New York Heritage
portal for learning about people, places and events that contributed to the making of New York State
New York State Historical Markers
inventory of original markers
New York State Library
New York State newspapers on microfilm and in print
NYS Historic Newspapers
The NYS Historic Newspapers project provides free online access to a wide range of newspapers chosen to reflect New York’s unique history
Old Fulton NY Postcards
Search over 48,156,000 Old Newspaper pages from US & Canada
Otis A. Thompson Local History Room
collections include local newspapers, family files, obituary records, and local news clippings
The Tombstone Transcription Project
archived transcribed tombstone inscriptions
United States Cemetery Records
Cemetery records published here were acquired from United States cemeteries, churches, municipalities, associations and genealogists specifically for family history and local history research.
Loomis Barn
Home of the Marshman Agriculture Education Center, the Loomis Barn project’s mission is to capture, preserve, and educate on the importance of agriculture in Chenango County from the Civil War Era through the present.
The Loomis horse barn is believed to have been built in the late 1860s. “P.A. Loomis 1867” was inscribed on an interior wall of the barn. This, along with a diary account of lumber being sawed for Loomis’s at the nearby Wilcox family saw mill, has led the Chenango County Historian to hypothesize that the words were painted by Perry Loomis, son of Warren Loomis, perhaps during the original barn raising.
The Loomis Barn offers immersive exhibits to understand farm life and progression of the agriculture industry. Highlights include agricultural production, barns and related structures, dairy industry, farm life, land use, power on the farm, and tools, implements, and machinery.
Miller Pavilion
The perfect spot for an impromptu picnic, the Miller Pavilion is conveniently located next to our main parking lot. Located in the center of campus, the pavilion is where most visitors from our School Field Trip Experiences enjoy lunch.
Ross Schoolhouse
Schoolhouse District 3, originally located in Preston, educated young people between the years 1850 and 1917. Restored by the Norwich Kiwanis in 1979, the CCHS campus site on which the schoolhouse now stands was given in memory of the following district leaders.
Trustees:
Fred Layman Newton, 1917
Charles Newton, 1911-14 & Florence, His Wife
Teachers:
Hattie Robb, 1897-98
Ellen Hogan Quinn, 1902-1904
Minnie J. Benson Lewis, 1911-12
Ward School No. 2
Opening on Nov. 21, 1896 (after the academic year had begun!), Ward School No. 2 educated Norwich students until 1957. The footprint included six classrooms, three on each floor, with two staircases serving the purpose of separating boys and girls.
Since the chartering of the Chenango County Historical Society (CCHS) in 1939, donated artifacts had been stored in a variety of locations. On March 10, 1958, CCHS purchased Ward School No. 2 for $1. Four years were spent transforming the former school into a public museum, where all artifacts collected by CCHS have a permanent home.
With more than 35,000 objects in the collection, museum exhibits are in constant rotation – complemented by steady programming – allowing us to achieve our mission. One thing that has remained all these years is the care and interest in preserving the past of Chenango County for future generations.
