The History Center in Tompkins County

09/11/2026

In case you missed it - here is the insider scoop for The Tompkins Treasure Hunt. Last night David Wilson, puzzle author and treasure hunt extroidinaire joined us to give a little guidance to start the hunt on the right foot.

https://youtu.be/0PxBDxVLAa4

It's not to late to register - The Tompkins Treasure Hunt formally kicks off tomorrow at noon. Join the hunt, and contribute to the preservation of local history in Tompkins County.

Treasure Hunt '26 Q&A With Puzzle Writer David Wilson at The Histor...

09/09/2026

Ithaca Voice is speading the word about The Tompkins Treasure Hunt: https://ithacavoice.org/2026/09/the-history-centers-treasure-hunt-returns-with-another-10000-stash-of-jewels/

If Vasant Laplam and Casey Martin pique your interest, you can still register a team before noon THIS SATURDAY, September 12th.

09/09/2026

James Gibbs worked at the Ithaca Post Office. His wife Hortense spent her time on Ithaca's Southside reading with neighborhood kids -- the kind of quiet, steady community work that rarely gets a plaque. Together, the Gibbs family helped hold together a Southside neighborhood that was, for decades, the center of Black community life in Ithaca. Their story is one of nine we tell on our Unsung Ithacans tour -- because the people who held a neighborhood together deserve to be remembered as much as the ones who founded it. thehistorycenter.net/tours

09/07/2026

Look at a map of downtown Ithaca and you're looking at Simeon DeWitt's handwriting. In 1807, DeWitt laid out the streets around Aurora and Seneca -- the same grid you're walking (or driving, or sitting in traffic on) today. He has a park named after him, but most people who eat lunch in DeWitt Park couldn't tell you why. On our Unsung Ithacans tour, we start where his plan started. thehistorycenter.net/tours

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09/05/2026

Puzzle hunters: if you've never made the trip to the Finger Lakes for an event like this, September is the excuse you've been waiting for. The Tompkins Treasure Hunt sends teams across Tompkins County chasing $10,000 in hidden treasure, with a puzzle built by people who take this seriously. Unlock Tompkins County -- one clue at a time. tompkinstreasure.com

250 years of history. $10,000 in treasure. September 12, 2026.

09/04/2026

Every Unsung Ithacans tour is led by one of our trained volunteer and staff guides, who show up 15 minutes early, memorize nine stops' worth of history, and walk the same downtown blocks you've probably driven past a hundred times -- except they know exactly what happened on every corner. This week, we're thanking the guides who've spent their summer bringing these stories to life, rain or shine. Come meet one of them in person before the season wraps up September 19. thehistorycenter.net/tours

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09/02/2026

In 1904, Minnie Rowena Morse became one of the first women to earn a doctorate from the University of Jena in Germany. She came home, was ordained a Unitarian minister in 1906, and became one of the first women to speak at Harvard Divinity School. Then, starting in 1933 -- years before most of the country was paying attention -- she began lecturing across the United States on the dangers of Hi**er and Na**sm. She grew up in an Ithaca family known for a very different kind of legacy (the Morse Chain Company), but her own story rarely gets told alongside it. We tell it on our Unsung Ithacans tour. thehistorycenter.net/tours

09/01/2026

Two weeks out. If you've been meaning to register a team for the Tompkins Treasure Hunt, this is the reminder -- spots (and puzzle-solving partners) tend to disappear fast as the date gets closer. $10,000 in hidden treasure, one countywide race, and 250 years of local history built into every clue. Register your team at tompkinstreasure.com before it fills up.

250 years of history. $10,000 in treasure. September 12, 2026.

08/31/2026

Before Andrews Confectionery became a fixture on East State Street, Anthony Andrews already owned another shop just down the block. He built a business, and then built a better one -- a story that's easy to walk past today without knowing it happened right there. On our Unsung Ithacans tour, we stop at the storefronts that are still standing (or long gone) and tell you who actually built downtown Ithaca, one shop at a time. thehistorycenter.net/tours

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