Standing proudly on Main Street in Penn Yan is the anchor building of the Yates County History Center, the Oliver House Museum, one of three buildings comprising the YCHC. The Center, formerly Yates County Genealogical & Historical Society, is one of the oldest in NYS, has been actively collecting, preserving and interpreting history since 1860. Its collections of over 50,000 artifacts date from the mid 1700s and include magnificent costumes, an impressive 6,000 digital images, and the foremost collection of Jemima Wilkinson artifacts in the United States.

The mission of the Woodstock Public Library District is to encourage free and open access to information, in all its forms but especially printed materials such as books; facilitate lifelong learning and the stimulation of ideas; celebrate the rich history of Woodstock as the Colony of the Arts; and provide opportunities for creativity and community engagement. The library is a community hub which evolves in response to changing needs and offers the latest in technical, intellectual, and cultural resources.

Wisdom Thinkers Network is a 501(c)3 organization based in CNY. We believe that stories have the power to change the world, and by reweaving the wisdom of our traditional stories, both sacred and secular, and new understandings into education and public life we will be able to strengthen our social fabric and foster a more compassionate, inclusive, civil society. We help children pass the tests of life, and reconnect people through their stories.

This project, “Reweaving the Fabric, One Story at a Time,” allows young people to connect with the elders who built their communities, and through their stories learn and value the core wisdom of their region. We hope this helps rebuild a sense of community largely lost in today’s fast-paced world. This is part of our Inspiring Your County initiative.

The William K. Sanford Town Library is a public library serving the Town of Colonie in Albany County, New York. This digital collection is a joint project of the William K. Sanford Town Library and the Town of Colonie Historian’s Office.
This collection of digital materials features smaller Colonie-area cemeteries. These cemeteries are usually centered around one or a small group of families on land originally owned by them. The general timeframe of the burials in these cemeteries ranges from the late 1700s until the early 1900s. Some of the earlier graves were for individuals involved in or touched by the Revolutionary War.
The collection itself is composed of documents and photographs created by the late R. Arthur Johnson throughout the 1970s. Johnson was a retired planning engineer for the New York Telephone Co. and a member of the Colonie Historical Society."

Wilderstein is a not-for-profit house museum in Rhinebeck, NY. It was the home of Margaret Suckley, a cousin and confidante of President Franklin Roosevelt. Miss Suckley traveled extensively with FDR during his presidency, gave him his famous black Scottish terrier Fala, and helped to establish his library in Hyde Park.

Three generations of Suckleys occupied Wilderstein, amassing personal and ancestral effects that attest to the lively social history of the estate, its family, and their relationship to the Hudson Valley. The large collection of books, letters, photographs, furniture, paintings, artobjects and china at Wilderstein are of great interest to both scholars and casual visitors.

Long Island boasts a particularly vibrant whaling heritage. Historically, whaling was one of Long Island’s most important commercial industries, significantly shaping the economic development and social foundation of the region, as well as contributing to America’s emergence as an international power in the 19th century. One of the three whaling ports on Long Island, Cold Spring Harbor, a village located on the North Shore of Suffolk County, offers a microcosmic view of the quintessential 19th century American whaling town. To honor the town’s heritage, the Whaling Museum Society, Inc. was founded in 1942.

The Museum’s object and archival holdings of 6,000 artifacts document the whaling and general maritime history of Cold Spring Harbor, Long Island, and general US whaling history. The star of the Museum’s permanent exhibits is a historic whaleboat, the only fully-equipped whaling vessel with its original gear on display in New York. Highlights of the collection include one of the notable scrimshaw collections in the northeast. Additional objects include whaling implements, ship’s gear, navigational aids, ship models and maritime art. The library and archival collection contains 2,800 primary and secondary volumes and manuscript material from the Cold Spring whaling fleet, ship’s logs, journals and business correspondence of the Cold Spring Whaling Company, family documents dealing with maritime commerce on Long Island, records of the Long Island coastwise trade under sail and records from the Cold Spring Harbor Customs House (1798-1908).

Westhill High School Library opened in the newly-constructed high school in September of 1961. Although it remains in its original location, a 2004 renovation provides updated, comfortable space for students and staff to read, research, study, and collaborate. It serves nearly 580 students and 70 staff members and houses a collection of 9,000 volumes as well as instructional technology for 21st century learning. As part of an upcoming capital project, a newly-designed, innovative library will support the needs of all learners in our community.