Calendar

  • May 17

    10am - noon
    Junior Historians
    grades 2-6
    A step back in time - an architectural tour of the southside of Jamestown. Find out about the people who lived in the great houses and worked at some of our most important businesses.

  • May 17

    2 pm & 5pm
    Project Runway 1880
    in the elegant Fenton
    Drawing Room
    See and learn about
    the beautiful and
    interesting formal
    clothing in the
    Fenton textile collection.
    Free for members
    or $10 for non-members.

  • June 6

    Exhibit Opening for
    "In the Good Ole Summer Time"
    Refreshments, music
    and memories - open
    to all members for free,
    non-members - small
    admission fee.

  • June 7

    "In the Good Ole Summer Time" What was it like to
    vacation on
    Chautauqua Lake
    in the golden age
    from 1875 to 1920?
    What was it like
    to work on
    Chautauqua Lake
    serving the vacationers?
    Artifacts, photographs
    and many other interesting pieces of our wonderful history will be on exhibit for the summer.

  • June 14

    7pm
    Red White & Blue
    A Patriotic Tribute to
    our Hometown Heroes.
    The evening will be
    filled with live music
    and local stories about our soldiers from the Civil War, World War I and World War II.
    $15 per person,
    $10 for Fenton members

  • July 19

    Fenton Institute - Our County's Bicentennial The Bicentennial Celebration of Chautauqua County begins in 2008! Join us for an informative time to learn about our earliest history as a County. Noon to 2 PM
    Members at certain levels are free, other levels only $5, non-members $10.

  • July 21-25

    Camp Brown
    A Call to Arms...Life as a Civil War recruit. Students in grades 4-6 will experience the life of a Civil War private preparing to march into history. Limited spaces, 1-4 PM each afternoon, please register early. $50 fee

  • August 4-8

    History Detectives:
    "In the Good Ole Summertime" Grades 1-3. Have fun learning about life around Chautauqua Lake in the golden age of steamboats and trolleys. The week will finish with a field trip to New York State's newest historic park, Midway! Great fun! 9-12 noon each morning, limited space available, please register early, $50 fee.

  • August 9

    4th Annual Old Fashioned Day NEW this year!! A Civil War encampment of living history by the 9th Calvary NY Volunteers! Hopefully with horses, campfires, firearms and a surgeon. Join a basket weaver, spinners, weavers, antique engines, food, fun and much more. More details to come!!
    9 AM to 3 PM

  • August 18-22

    History Detectives:
    "In the Good Ole Summertime"
    Grades 4-6. Fun and learning come together at the Fenton Mansion and Long Point State Park! What was life like around Chautauqua Lake when the trolleys and steamboats were running? What was it like to vacation or work at the #2 vacation spot on the east coast in the last 1800s? Find out at the Fenton History Center Summer Camp. 1-4 each afternoon, limited space available, please register early, $50 fee.

Fenton Institute

The Fenton Institute, a new series of workshops offered this year, will cover a variety of topics for the curious adult learner.

The workshops are open to all who are interested in local history and saving the past. The workshops will provide the needed information and tools to explore your family histories, to learn how to preserve your treasured mementos and to learn more about our local history.

The Workshops

Session I
Managing Your Family Photographs
2 hrs.
Saturday, January 26 10 Am to 12 Noon

This workshop will be presented by Heidi Bamford. Mrs. Bamford is the Regional Archivist for the Documentary Heritage Program in six counties in Western New York. She received her BA from Allegheny College in Pennsylvania and her MA from the University at Buffalo. Heidi spent over two years working at the National Archives in Washington, D.C. During that time, she worked with both civilian and military records as an Appraisal Archivist. Since 1990, she has served as Regional Archivist for the DHP, providing field services to organizations that collect, preserve and make available historical records. Her work includes developing and offering workshop training, conducting site visits and issuing site reports, providing information resources, and engaging in programs that advocate support for historical records and historical record programs. She is a member and past officer of the Society of American Archivists and the Mid-Atlantic Regional Archives Conference, is a member of the Field Services Alliance of the American Association for State and Local History, and has written and had published several articles based on local history collections.

From the shoebox to the computer, this workshop will help you sort, identify and set up an easy-to-use finding aid for your loose photographs. What is the best way to store them, but still be able to show off your photos? What is digitizing and how do you go about doing it? These questions and many more will be answered during the workshop.

Please register by January 22
Cost: $15 for non-members
$ 10 for members
Free elective for certain level memberships

Session II
The Right Way to Scrapbook Archival Treasures
2 hrs.
Saturday, April 19 10 AM to 12 Noon

Are you thinking of “scrap booking” your mementos? The old way of gluing and pasting your treasures into an acidic rich book is not the best environment for your artifacts. Learn the safe way to store your keepsakes.

Cost: $15 for non-members
$ 10 for members
Free elective for certain level memberships

Session III
Our County's Bicentennial
2 hrs.
Saturday, July 19 - 12 Noon to 2 PM

The Bicentennial Celebration of our County begins in 2008! Join us for an informative time to learn about our earliest history as a County.

Cost: $10 for non-members
$ 5 for members
Free elective for certain level memberships

Session IV
Genealogy 101
3 hrs.
Saturday, September 13 9 AM to 12 Noon

Learn the important tools of researching your family history. Where do you find vital records, census reports, and deeds? How important is the Internet in your search? Find out about these questions and more during this introduction to genealogy.

Cost: $15 for non-members
$ 10 for members
Free elective for certain level memberships


Download a course schedule with a mail-in registration form.

Contact us for more information or to register for a workshop.