Adirondack History Museum

HOURS:

Tuesday-Saturday 10-4

Sundays 12-4

MISSION & VISION:

Our mission is to preserve and interpret Essex County’s collective past to inspire a shared future. The vision of the Adirondack History Museum is to be Essex County’s center for the stories that reveal the roots and values of its people.

ABOUT:

The Adirondack History Museum is home to the Essex County Historical Society, an organization dedicated to the ever-evolving interpretation of Adirondack history so as to inspire reflection, scholarship and comprehension of the land and its inhabitants. We strive to serve as an authentic presentation of the human face of the Adirondacks through our diverse collections, exhibits, and education outreach programs.

From early farming and frontier life, wilderness exploration and recreation, logging and mining to contemporary art and historical documents, our organization enables visitors to understand and appreciate the various connections made between the past and present.

At the heart of the Historical Society’s activities is the operation of the Adirondack History Museum.  Established in 1955, museum features eight permanent exhibits, including Worked/Wild, Arto Monaco and the Land of Makebelieve, Fire Tower exhibit, and Transportation. A new permanent exhibit-Hiking in the High Peaks will open in 2017.The Rosenberg Gallery opened in 2016 and offers shows featuring work of historic and contemporary Essex County artists. We also present at least one rotating exhibit each season.

The Historical Society’s work does not end with the museum. Each year genealogists, students, journalists, and scholars seek information from our research library and archives, with its vast collection of books, pamphlets, maps, newspapers, photographs, ledgers, manuscripts, and Adirondackana. Our staff also provides educational programs, traveling exhibits, public presentations, and technical assistance for organizations throughout the county.

The Historical Society is headquartered in a 1916 neoclassical-style former school in the center of the small hamlet of Elizabethtown, New York. The building houses the organization’s offices, a research library, and more than 6,000 square feet of exhibit space spread across three floors. The grounds and adjacent areas include a formal colonial garden, a maple sugar house, and a farmer’s market pavilion.