The museum's history dates back to 1863 when it was founded as a historical society. However, this disbanded the following year. A second society, called the Dewitt Historical Society, formed in 1899 but lasted until 1905. The current iteration of the society was established in 1935. It moved into the Tompkins Center for History &amp; Culture in 2019.

The History Center is located in the Tompkins Center for History & Culture. The mural above was painted by Mary Beth Ihnken in 2019.

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The Discovery Trail is a partnership of eight educational organizations in Ithaca

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Located in the Tompkins Center for History &amp; Culture, the History Center in Tompkins County is dedicated to preserving and promoting Ithaca's past through its exhibitions, educational programs, and partnerships with local non-profit organizations. The History Center Exhibit Hall offers annually changing exhibits on local history, and the Research Library &amp; Archives are open by appointment. The museum also owns and operates a historic structure built in 1827 called the Eight Square Schoolhouse, which is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum's living history programs take place in the schoolhouse.

The History Center in Tompkins County

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This brief walking tour starts at the oldest remaining structure in Tompkins County which served as the courthouse from 1854 to 1923. The tour includes historical markers, such as one that designates the location of the  Ithaca Conservatory of Music, as well as historic buildings such as the Clinton House, State Theatre, and Boardman House. Be sure to also visit Ithaca's historic St. James AME Zion church just a few blocks west of this tour as well as the many museums and historic buildings at Cornell University. 

Tompkins County was established in 1817 and is named in honor of Daniel Tompkins, the fourth governor of New York who served as Vice President under James Monroe. Tompkins ran for a second term as governor following his term as Vice President but was defeated by DeWitt Clinton. Having extended his personal fortune to pay and equip troops in the War of 1812, Tompkins faced financial insecurity and later succumbed to depression and alcoholism.&nbsp; &nbsp;

Constructed in 1854, this structure was the second courthouse building located on this site and is the oldest extant structure in Tompkins County. The building is situated directly adjacent to First Presbyterian Church. The courthouse was designed with elements of the Gothic Revival style with notable features that include the open-timber roof and the three-story tower. The building served as the home of the county government until 1923 when the current courthouse was completed. Today, the building is used by the Tompkins County Legislature.

Second Tompkins County Courthouse

<div>Ithaca Conservatory of Music was founded by William Grant Egbert, an Ithaca native, and violinist who studied in Europe as a young man. Owing to his desire to&nbsp;return home, Egbert considered ways he might start an academy of music. The young man&nbsp;wrote a letter to a friend in Ithaca and asked if he might&nbsp;start raising funds for such a school by&nbsp;selling $50 shares. The fundraising was slow, but this did not deter Egbert, who returned to Ithaca and began the school&nbsp;on September 19, 1892. The new school began with only&nbsp;four rooms rented out of a house on East Seneca Street. On this same day, the school's faculty gave a free concert in the local Unitarian Church. During the early days of the school, students studied a wide variety of subjects, including solfeggio, composition, guitar, mandolin, and china painting. The Ithaca Conservatory of Music grew slowly in its first years but was soon able to upgrade their facilities and perform more concerts by&nbsp;renting space in the old Wilgus Opera House. Of equal importance, the school began offering courses that connected music to the liberal arts.&nbsp;In 1897, for example,&nbsp;classes in elocution and rhetoric were added. These courses helped prepare graduates for a variety of careers and were also fundamental to the establishment of the&nbsp;school's new program in theater and performing arts. On November 1, 1910, the directors of the school authorized taking out a mortgage to purchase a permanent home for the school. Judge Douglass Boardman's townhouse, located at the site of this marker, was chosen to be the school's first real property. In the decades that followed, the&nbsp;Ithaca Conservatory of Music became more than a school of music. The Conservatory offered programs in liberal arts, and in 1917, established&nbsp;the Ithaca School of Physical Education. Today, the school offers courses&nbsp;well beyond the arts and humanities, including business, communications, and a variety of programs in the field of science.&nbsp;</div>

This marker indicates the original site of the Ithaca Conservatory of Music. Founded in 1892, this institution grew to become Ithaca College.


Ithaca Conservatory of Music Historic Marker (Ithaca Colllege)

The Boardman House was built in 1866 for George McChain, a publisher who twice served as president of Ithaca. The home was built on land that McChain purchased from Ezra Cornell. After McChain's business was destroyed in a fire, he was forced to sell the home.&nbsp; The house was purchased by Judge Douglass Boardman, the first president of Cornell University Law School and served on the New York Supreme Court. The Boardman family lived in the home for many years, but in 1910, Boardman's widow sold the home to the Ithaca Conservatory of Music, which later became Ithaca College.&nbsp; The former Boardman residence served a number of purposes for Ithaca College. After the conservatory became Ithaca College, the building initially housed the college's administrative offices. Once Ithaca College moved its present South Hill location, the building still housed the Ithaca College Museum of Art. In the 1960s, Thompkins County attempted to buy many of Ithaca College's properties with the intention of tearing them down to be replaced with more modern structures. The county purchased the home in 1972 and in 1975, the Board of Representatives voted to demolish the building, but community protests and the actions of Historic Ithaca saved the home, even as surrounding properties were torn down. In the mid-1970s, Historic Ithaca undertook an extensive restoration of the property. The city owned the home for many years, until it was sold to Joseph Ciaschi, who was active in the preservation of many of the city's most historic properties, including the Boardman House.&nbsp;

The historic Boardman House was built in 1866 for George McChain, but it is most associated with its second owner. The second resident of the home was Douglass Boardman, the first dean of the Cornell University Law School. Following the death of Boardman and his wife, the house was purchased by the Ithaca Conservatory of Music. In the late twentieth century, the building was nearly demolished, but was spared because of the work of Historic Ithaca. The house was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Boardman House 

Constructed in 1910, the U.S. Post office in downtown Ithaca is considered a fine example of the Classical Revival and French Baroque architectural styles. It was designed by architect James Knox Taylor, who was the Supervising Architect of the U.S. Department of the Treasury from 1897-1912. He is designed many of the post offices in New York. The building became the Ithaca Town Hall in 1998 after the U.S. Postal Service (USPS), which a built a new facility elsewhere, sold it to the town of Ithaca. So as to not leave downtown without a post office, the USPS leased a portion of the building to continue mail services. The Town restored the historic building and reopened it in 2000. 

U.S. Post Office (Ithaca Town Hall)

The Sagan Planet Walk is a 3/4 mile (1,200 meters) long scale model of the solar system. It consists of several stone markers with interpretive signs describing the planets and other information. The walk is one five-billionth of the actual size of the solar system. The first marker is located on State Street between Cayuga and Tioga Streets, just outside Ithaca Commons. The walk extends northward and ends with Pluto at the Sciencenter. Click the link below for a map. 

The walk was created to not only educate the public about the solar system but to also honor the life and legacy of Cornell University astronomy professor Carl Sagan (1934-1996), who was one of the foremost astronomers of the 20th century. He is best known for the 1980 television series he hosted and helped produce called Cosmos: A Personal Voyage. He was also a prolific author, penning hundreds of scientific papers and over 20 books.  


Sagan Planet Walk

In 1825, when the Erie Canal was completed, a new era of transportation and commerce began in New York. Thousands of people arrived in the state to work on the canal or in related businesses, or simply passed through during their travels. The canal would eventually be surpassed by railroads, but for a time, the change that it brought to New York was profound.&nbsp; Ithaca's Clinton House was built as a hotel in 1830, when the area was experiencing a post-canal boom. It originally had five stories, including an attic and basement. The building was designed by Ira Tillotson, a local architect and builder. It was a grand structure, with 150 rooms and a 96-foot dining hall, and was described as "a hotel of superior order and of the first class." Over the course of the hotel's history, it hosted a number of famous guests, including Dewitt Clinton, Horace Greeley, and William Seward. Over the years, the building has undergone several renovations. The first of these, in 1872, was overseen by Cornell University's first architecture graduate, William Henry Miller. During that renovation, a mansard roof was added to the building as well as a hydraulic elevator. The elevator still exists, but is no longer in use. The other renovation occurred following a 1901 fire that completely destroyed the top two floors. The renovation took more than a year and cost $32,000. The present-day lobby is largely the result of that renovation. That renovation was overseen by Clinton Vivian and it was during that renovation that many of the Colonial Revival elements were added. The Clinton House continued functioning as a hotel until 1972. At that time, the building was threatened with possible demolition but was saved by Historic Ithaca, which purchased the building and carried out another extensive renovation. The building, which was sold in 2009, now houses a number of offices. It was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

One of the most recognizable buildings in downtown Ithaca, the Clinton House was built in 1830 as a hotel. At the time, the completion of the Erie Canal a few years earlier was expected to bring tremendous growth to Ithaca, and the hotel was planned to be one of the grandest in the state. For much of the twentieth century, the building housed Historic Ithaca, who saved it from demolition. The building was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1971.

Clinton House 

Originally primarily a Vaudeville venue, the theater served mainly as a cinema house&nbsp;during the 1930s as movies became more popular. The State added a second movie screen in 1976 in an effort to compete with movies theaters cropping up in suburban areas. It was also around this time that the advent of television began hurting the business of downtown theaters like the State. The theater closed during the eighties due to a combination of financial difficulties and maintenance needs. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; The theater was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1996. However, the City of Ithaca condemned the building in 1997 due to safety concerns regarding roof damage, the out-of-date electrical system, loose plaster, and a failing heating and electrical system. There was strong community support to save the State and the building was purchased by Historic Ithaca in the Spring of 1998. Restoration efforts began, with funding coming from private, municipal, and foundation donors. In 1999, the American Institute of Architects named the State Theatre one of the most important architectural landmarks in the state. &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In 2009, a 501(c)(3) non-profit organization called The State Theatre of Ithaca, Inc. formed. This non-profit purchased the State Theatre. Today, the theatre hosts a wide variety of acts, including the Ithaca Ballet, stand up comedians, and musical acts.

This historic theater opened on December 6, 1928, and served Ithaca during an era when its downtown was home to 17 other theaters. Some of these venues, such as the Lyceum, the Crescent, and the Strand, were just as grand as the State. The Strand Theatre was demolished in the early 1990s and the State Theatre nearly shared its fate after the city condemned the building. Thanks to the efforts of preservationists and residents, however, State Theatre was saved and continues to serve Ithaca residents. 

The act on opening night was Paul Tremaine and his Aristocrats of Modern Music. The building housing the theater dates back to 1915 and was originally a car garage and dealership.  Cornell Theaters, Inc. bought the building in 1926 and hired architect Victor Rigaumont to renovate the space. Rigaumont was a well-known theater architect. He designed the State using elements of Moorish and Renaissance Revival Styles and elements of Collegiate Gothic symbolism to coordinate with Cornell University.

State Theatre

Throughout the history of the United States, several religious structures have held a unique value among American Communities as places of worship for all. However, in addition to their functions as structures for divine refuge, these buildings have also played numerous roles that were helpful in more ways than one in reshaping America for the better. One of these churches is the St. James AME Zion Church situated in the town of Ithaca, New York. This can be said because, during the course of time that It has been present, the church itself has played a significant role in bringing together Americans especially African Americans into a community which they found acceptance among others when nowhere else would. Furthermore, it has played a huge role as a part of the historic “Underground Railroad” as a way station for runaway slaves en route to escape the confines of slavery in America in favor of the freedom in the North.&nbsp;&nbsp; 

While the church building itself holds historic value, it is important to understand how the African Methodist Episcopal Church came into existence and why did it break into another branch. With approximately 2.5million members, 5,000 churches and 19 Episcopal districts worldwide, the African Methodist Episcopal church roots can be traced back to the earliest years of the United States. In November 1787 Richard Allen developed the belief that the message of Christ could change the hearts of Slave owners and in doing so would end racial enslavement, Black’s dependence on whites and their economic freedom. Following the development of these beliefs, Allen’s AME Church became a group that advanced Black economic determinism similar to the movement founded by Marcus Garvey in the 20th century.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; The church prior to its’ creation was once based off the teachings of the John Street Methodist Church of New York City. Originally founded in October 12th, 1766 as the Wesley Chapel by the Wesleyan Society the oldest Methodist congregation in North America. Originally a blue Stucco barn built two years following its’ establishment, the church was moved to another location following the growth of the congregation. “This house must come down and something larger and better occupy its place.”<a rel="nofollow">[1]</a> It was at this point that the church had reached the pinnacle of its’ power both economically and socially according to pastor Heman Bangs. “It is a responsible and important position which I am incompetent to fill.”<a rel="nofollow">[2]</a> In the twenty-three year period following the creation of the second church the Congregation then opted for the creation of a new building. To this end, the trustees issued an appeal to help finance the construction of the new church. The appeal itself was well received and therefore gave the Board of Trustees the assurance that they had the right intentions for the American Methodists. The church that continues to occupy the financial district was built in April of 1841 in a building that helped complement the growing widening of Wall Street. 

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; However, as time went on, divisions soon arose between members of the congregation, particularly white and African American members. Since the establishment of the Methodist faith in North America during its early colonial period, it has been favorably received by the African American denomination because of the scriptures’ identification with “the simple sort,” as well as its’ preaching against the practice of slavery. Although it appeared to have a more open message, the atmosphere present within the church maintained a deeply segregated feeling between its white and African American members. Specifically, they were forced to sit in segregated pews during services, limited their access to the Methodist inerrant clergy as well as the communion table and even denied ordination.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In response to this unfair treatment brought on by their white counterparts, the African denomination of Methodists broke away from the John Street congregation and entered into the newly established Zion church. Following the creation of the African Methodist Episcopal congregation, the AME Zion system broke off and started its own system around 1796. When a group of its’ own members sought to create an independent Black church. Organized by a former slave and employee of the John Street Church named Peter Williams, this new congregation established their first chapel in the shop of one of their members William Miller. The shop remained their place of worship for several years until 1800 the congregation received its own church. The motives behind the AME Zionists like its’ counterpart the AME has been the political activism of African Americans and spoke out against Anti-Slavery sentiments through the writings and preaching of their pastors. Although the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church was a predominantly African sponsored congregation, around the years of the 1820s, the white sponsored congregations within the Methodist community began to centralize control of the AME’s properties since they were owned by white Methodist organizations.&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; In response to these actions, the African Methodist Church’s pastor, a white man by the name of William Stillwell resigned from his post in protest. One of these pastors was Thomas James who was an ardent supporter of antislavery motives and who played an active role in the church affairs. In addition to Mr. James, the church also featured other prominent antislavery figures such as Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglas who was himself an ordained minister of the church itself. While the church was well known for its’ opposition against slavery, it would become more well known for its’ role as a way station for hundreds of slaves seeking salvation to the Northern territories of Canada. Since the Church was located in Ithaca which also served as an important role in the Underground Railroad because of its location near Canada, the church played a vital role in the means to help fugitive slaves in their escape towards Canada. In addition to helping runaway slaves reach Canada, the church further embraced those who chose to stay instead of going to Canada.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Since the church was located in Ithaca which also served an important role in the Underground Railroad, the church played a vital role in the means to help fugitive slaves in their escape towards Canada. In addition to helping runaway slaves reach Canada, the church further embraced those who chose to stay instead of going to Canada. Following the end of the Civil War in 1865, the need for the system of the Underground Railroad had run its course. However, with the conclusion of its chapter as a part of this legendary network to freedom, the Church nevertheless continued to serve African Americans well into the more tumultuous years of both the 19th and 20th Century. In the years following the end of the Civil War, the African Methodist Episcopal church of Ithaca, New York continued to function as both a place of worship as well as a cultural center for the community.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;In the years following the Civil War, not only did the congregation grow, it competed with other independent African American Methodist and Baptist groups in attracting members. Between the years of 1821 and 1900, membership within the church increased at an exponential rate from 1,4000 to 350,000 which included its’ membership among women thanks to the ordination of Mary Julia Small and Julia Foote as the first female elders of the congregation. In addition to the growth of the church’s membership in the past seventy-nine years, the church like so many other African American denominations became influenced by the development of Black Nationalism, pan Africanism because of their emphasis on Black potential and economic autonomy. In the decade of the 1870s, the church took on a more serious role as it set out on Evangelical missions to regions such as England, Nova Scotia, the Caribbean, South America and Africa to uplift fellow African Citizens’ spirit as well as establishing churches in said locations to help spread the message of the church. “The AME Zion Church also made inroads into Africa who sailed for Liberia in 1876.”<a rel="nofollow" title="Link: null">[3]&nbsp;</a>The missions launched by the church were not exclusively for male members to carry out, rather these missions included members of both sexes so as to generate a more unified congregation. The missionary work carried out by the members of the AME Zionist Church wherever they were was being recorded for the church’s growing number of publications including the Star of Zion first published in 1876 and the AME Zion Quality Review in 1890 which have been instrumental in the development of several prestigious schools such as Livingstone College and Booker T. Washington’s Tuskegee Institute.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp;The church had eventually amassed a membership number of half a million and at least thirty-six hundred churches with an additional twenty-five hundred churches with an additional twenty-five hundred ministers by 1900. Yet despite these overwhelming numbers, the AME Zion movement encountered several difficulties in trying to spread their message. To be specific, all denominations of the AME Zion movement whether they be in the American mainland or among the missionaries around the globe, the AME Zionist congregations faced troubles such as a lack of funds, church property, poor transportation and hostile residents who were not in favor of African American independence. While these problems were present throughout the AME Zion congregations worldwide, the movement eventually created thirty conferences across the United States by the end of the 19th century.&nbsp;&nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp; &nbsp;Throughout the course of the course of the 20th century, it was during the initial years that the St James congregation would continue its role in the advancement of African Americans during this tumultuous period. Specifically, in 1906, the church served as a meeting place for the nations’ oldest African American fraternity Alpha Phi Alpha of Cornell University when seven African American became frustrated by the discrimination of the all-white fraternities on campus. However, while this incident became a major boost for the AME Zionist congregation, it would be the role which it would play during the Civil Rights period of the 1960s that the church would play another dramatic role in helping African Americans gain a strong foothold in the field of equality.

&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp;&nbsp; Throughout the course of the Civil Rights movement, the AME Zionist branch in Tuskegee Alabama, specifically the Butler Chapel served as a focal point for multiple projects which helped African Americans fight for the right to vote. One such incident in which the church fought against inequality occurred in 1957 when the African Americans of Tuskegee protested being unconstitutionally placed outside the city limits during the course of the election so as to avoid the actual numbers of African American voters. To counter this betrayal, on June 25th, 1957, 3,000 African American residents attended the Butler chapel and were urged by Tuskegee Institute Professor Charles Gomillion to boycott local white merchants. “We are going to buy goods and services from those who help us from those who recognize us as first-class citizens.”<a rel="nofollow" title="Link: null">[4]</a>&nbsp;Around the 1980s the Ithaca church had achieved a status on the National Register of Historic Places and continues to this day to carry on and function as an operational church to this very day with members that included influential leaders such as Thurgood Marshall, Olympic athlete Jessie Owens and even off the African Methodist Episcopal Zionist movement has continued to maintain a presence in countries that included the United States, England, Canada, the Caribbean, Africa, India and South America under the supervision of 12 elected Bishops and is continually at the forefront of the battle for full citizenship and freedom wherever it maintains a presence.<div><div>

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Built in 1836, the church became known as one of the first AME Zion churches in the US and the oldest church in Ithaca. However, the church became more well known for its role in the Underground Railroad as a transfer point for fugitive slaves en route to Canada. While it became famous for its role in aiding fugitive slaves, those same slaves were impressed by the community that surrounded the church that many opted to instead stay in Ithaca rather than moving on to Canada. 

Walking Tour of Historic Downtown Ithaca New York

The History Center in Tompkins County

Introduction

Images

Backstory and Context

Sources

Additional Information