Richardson-Bates House Museum

06/14/2026

Subscribe to our YouTube channel and as we post videos of lectures from history talks and History on Tap presentations, you won't miss any!
Thank you to volunteer Oliver Zaifnejad for making this happen for us! He has taught himself how to edit videos and is gradually preparing many of our archived ones.
So far, you can see:
Danielle Funiciello "Angelica Schuyler Church and Family Connections in Oswego"
Debra Allen: "Revolutionary War Veterans in Oswego County"
Dave Welsch "History of Music in Oswego Part 2"
Dr. Natalie Joy Woodall "Noteworthy Women of Oswego County"
Michael Parks "Painting Oswego Exhibit - Deep Dive"
Disclaimers: There will occasionally be a gap or some missing frames because the museum's camera stops after 30 minutes of video and needs to be restarted again, the lighting is not always good and the camera operator (me, Mary Kay Stone) is often inept! If anyone would like to volunteer to take future ones of better quality, I am joyfully accepting offers to replace me!

06/13/2026

The Oswego Public Library staff came for a tour yesterday as part of their staff development day. They toured the historic house, they got a description of the mystery of the Kingsford Oswego Starch Factory watercolor from exhibit creator Michael Parks, and they got “behind the scenes” in our own library and archives.

06/12/2026

Do we love showing the Museum to students? You bet we do!
Ten 3rd graders from Trinity School came with their teacher and four other adults yesterday. They were given the tour by volunteers Meg (Riley) Schneider and Mary Beth (Gallagher) Holgado, who had graduated from the school (then St. Paul’s) and are both retired teachers
To be able to show these students the timeline of our county history, and introduce them to inspiring heroes like Dr Mary Walker is priceless!

06/10/2026

Maybe someday, with enough old identified family photos scanned, facial recognition software could identify some of these people. 
Now on temporary display in an exhibit of paintings at the Richardson-Bates house is an almost 7 foot watercolor of the Oswego Starch factory and a couple of the wooden boxes that these workers probably made.

A ripped and worn photo of history. The Oswego Box Factory workers, circa 1880-1900.

06/07/2026

We are encouraging everyone to share in this celebration!

06/06/2026

Today, during the Lake Ontario Waterfront Festival at the H. Lee White Maritime Museum at Oswego, we honor the 82nd anniversary of D-Day and the National Historic Landmark WWII tugboat, LT-5, that participated.

Join us 12-4 for the free festival that features Fred Legawiec of WZLGA who will be representing LT-5 as part of International Museum Ship Weekend - an event hosted by Battleship New Jersey ham radio operators contact museum ships from around the world.

06/05/2026

American Cruise Lines sent two excursion tours to the museum today. Guests were from all over the country and we were happy to host them and share our stories.

06/03/2026

Deb Allen, county historian, packed them in last night at History on Tap at GS Steamers Bar & Grill as she told stories of Revolutionary War veterans and their families who settled in Oswego County.
See that 3” blue binder behind her? That is 800 pages of research that she has done with the help of Shawn Doyle from the Half Shire Historical Society. She has documented Patriot burials or families in most of the county’s 61 cemeteries. Well over 400 veterans so far! A book will be published eventually!
Deb is chairman of the Oswego County America25Fort Ontario.
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Just added to YouTube https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=VDY-UkSQd74