In December 1846 William H. Seward publicly heralded the formation of the Correctional Association of New York (CANY), which was designated by law to provide independent monitoring and oversight of state prisons in New York State. [Read more…] about The Landscape of Carceral History in Auburn, NY
Seward House Museum
Social and Religious Movements in Central New York
Central New York communities that flourished with canal-related development and rail connections throughout the 19th century also became hotbeds for religious and social movements of the early 1800s as the area’s population rapidly grew.
Religious freedom granted by the United States Bill of Rights combined with rapid societal and technological changes experienced by Americans living through western expansion fueled an American spiritual movement that was exemplified in the newly opened frontier of New York. [Read more…] about Social and Religious Movements in Central New York
Seward House Barn, Carriage House Rehabilitation Project Getting Underway
Seward House Museum in Auburn, Cayuga County, NY, is inviting the public to a groundbreaking ceremony for its Barn and Carriage House Rehabilitation Project on Wednesday, October 25th at 11 am in the Seward House Museum gardens.
Designed by William Henry Seward‘s son Frederick and constructed in 1860, the stone barn and carriage house are integral to the stories shared by the Museum. Once completed, the buildings will serve as a gathering place for events and groups, a new exhibit for William Seward’s carriage, and additional staff offices. [Read more…] about Seward House Barn, Carriage House Rehabilitation Project Getting Underway
New Digital Resources for Underground Railroad History Research
Recently retired Cornell University Professor Gerard Aching will present on his research and coordination of the Underground Railroad Research Project, which highlights the extensive roots of the network in Central New York, Western New York, and the Finger Lakes Region. [Read more…] about New Digital Resources for Underground Railroad History Research
Descendant of Auburn Co-Founders to Talk About Family History
Ted Freeman will discuss his book God’s Free-Man: An American Tale of Perseverance (Dorrance Publishing, 2022), a deeply personal narrative that combines family and history. Freeman’s work challenges past perceptions that his ancestors — Harry and Kate Freeman — were enslaved when they arrived to co-found modern-day Auburn in Cayuga County, NY with John Hardenbergh in 1793. [Read more…] about Descendant of Auburn Co-Founders to Talk About Family History
Sites of Lincoln Conspiracy Talk Virtual Program
The Seward House Museum has announced Sites of Conspiracy, a virtual talk set for Tuesday, April 13th. [Read more…] about Sites of Lincoln Conspiracy Talk Virtual Program
Seward House Museum Offering Live Stream Lunches
The Seward House Museum has announced a new Facebook Live series, which provides a look at the Museum’s art collection during this time of social distancing. [Read more…] about Seward House Museum Offering Live Stream Lunches
Francis Seward’s Role in Womens Rights
Although often overlooked under of the national shadow cast by Secretary of State William Henry Seward, the women of the Seward family contributed greatly to the spirit of reform that swept through mid-19th century New York State.
Mrs. Frances Seward, for example, worked to gain property rights for women in New York and made several contributions towards womens suffrage. [Read more…] about Francis Seward’s Role in Womens Rights
Parlor Concert: A 19th Century Musical Journey
The Seward House Museum has announced Parlor Music Concert: A Musical Journey Through the 19th Century, with tenor soloist Pablo Willey-Bustos, on Sunday, November 24th, from 4 to 5:30 pm.
From the setting of the Museum’s Drawing Room, and enhanced by its 1872 Steinway piano, Willey-Bustos’s performance will transport listeners across the musical landscape of the 19th century. A reception with the artists follows the performance. [Read more…] about Parlor Concert: A 19th Century Musical Journey
Unhealthy History? Dr. Dimon and Victorian Medicine
Yale Professor of Pathology Dr. Gustave Davis is set to discuss the fascinating — and occasionally gruesome medical history — of the Seward family, and of Auburn, NY, in general in the middle 19th century, on Wednesday, October 23rd.
The program, An Unhealthy History?: Dr. Theodore Dimon and the Rise of Victorian Medicine, will take place from 7 to 8 pm at the Carriage House Theater. [Read more…] about Unhealthy History? Dr. Dimon and Victorian Medicine
Women’s History Month Fundraiser at Seward/Mapes Homestead
“Votes For Women! Meet the Suffragettes!,” a presentation by Carolyn Ivanoff has been set for Thursday, March 14th, from 7 to 9 pm at the Florida Senior Center, 3 Cohen Circle, Florida, NY.
In 1848, the first women’s rights convention was held in Seneca Falls. But it wasn’t until 1920 that the 19th Amendment was ratified, giving American women the right to vote. Ivanoff will present the program in suffragist attire to commemorate the struggle through period photos, political cartoons and editorials. [Read more…] about Women’s History Month Fundraiser at Seward/Mapes Homestead
19th Century Parlor Music at Seward House in Auburn
The Seward House Museum in Auburn is set to host Parlor Music Concert: A Musical Journey through the 19th Century, on Sunday, November 18th, from 4 to 5:30 pm.
For the seventh annual Parlor Music Concert, the Seward House Museum will welcome soprano soloist Cecile Saine. From the Museum’s Drawing Room, and enhanced by its 1872 Steinway piano, Saine’s performance will give listeners a look back to the 19th century. [Read more…] about 19th Century Parlor Music at Seward House in Auburn
Haunted History Tours of Auburn
The Seward House Museum is hosting Haunted History Tours of Auburn daily through October 30th, from 6 to 7 pm.
Costumed guides take guests around the Seward House grounds and along the darkened streets of historic downtown Auburn, sharing chilling tales of Victorian funeral practices, spectral encounters from Seward family lore, grizzly true crime stories, and other spooky accounts drawn from local folklore and history. [Read more…] about Haunted History Tours of Auburn
Mourning or Macabre? Victorian Death Rites
The Seward House Museum in Auburn, NY is set to host Mourning or Macabre?: Victorian Death Rites on Friday, October 26th at 6:30 pm.
The scale of death wrought by the Civil War changed the ways Americans grieved for their lost loved ones. The Victorian generation posed for photographs with the dead and kept memento mori, physical mementos from the bodies of the deceased. They also developed a culture of funereal rites that strike the modern observer as dark and morbid. [Read more…] about Mourning or Macabre? Victorian Death Rites
Seward Assassination Attempt Reconsidered In Auburn
The Seward House Museum has announced a program, Murder and Medicine: The Seward Assassination Attempt Reconsidered, has been set for Wednesday, October 17th, from 7:15 to 8:30 pm, at the Carriage House Theater, located behind the Cayuga Musuem on 203 Genesee St, Auburn. [Read more…] about Seward Assassination Attempt Reconsidered In Auburn
Women’s Rights National Park Presents ‘Seward Feminism’
Women’s Rights National Historical Park has partnered with the Seward House Museum in Auburn who will present a program titled “Seward Feminism” in the National Park Visitor Center’s Guntzel Theater on Saturday March 11th at 1 pm.
Although often overlooked because of the national shadow cast by Secretary of State William Henry Seward, the women of the Seward family contributed greatly to the spirit of reform sweeping through mid-19th-century America. [Read more…] about Women’s Rights National Park Presents ‘Seward Feminism’