Richardson-Bates House Museum

08/01/2026

Happy August from the Richardson-Bates House Museum! We can't wait to see you this month:
📚 Tues. Aug. 4, 7 PM History on Tap at GS Steamers (free talk, grab a drink or dinner to show your appreciation for Steamers and their continued support of History on Tap)
🍨 Sun. Aug. 16, 1-3 PM Free Family Fun Day on the museum lawn
🛍️ Fri. Aug. 21 9-1 PM & Sat. Aug. 22 9- 1 PM, Landmark Lawn Sale on the museum lawn.

🧑‍🏫Museum Tours: Thursdays - Saturdays, 1-5 PM. Museum admission starts at $12 and includes a guided tour of our period rooms and gallery spaces. Discounts available for seniors, students, and children!

Looking for other ways to connect with us this month? Contact us about volunteering at Family Fun Day or the Landmark Lawn Sale. It’s also not too late to become a supporting member!

07/30/2026

July 30 is , created to recognize the vital contributions of interns. Our interns are a special group and we truly appreciate the curiosity, passion, and energy they bring to the Richardson-Bates House Museum. We're so privileged to play a role in their career development. Our upcoming newsletter will have a featured story on our interns. In the meantime, you can support our summer intern, Emma Green, by attending August 4's History on Tap to learn about her efforts in creating an exhibit on our collection of John Laurance papers.

07/27/2026

History on Tap - John Laurance, Founding Father, and his connection to Oswego.
Tuesday, August 4 at 7 pm at GS Steamers Bar & Grill
Emma Green created an exhibit for the county fair on our collection of John Laurance papers and will elaborate on her research at History on Tap.
He is one of our most significant Founding Fathers - and one you probably never heard of! His connection to Oswego is phenomenal through his land purchases with his great friend Alexander Hamilton, and because his son-in-law George McWhorter built one of our oldest stone houses.
It is free and open to the public. You are welcome to bring drinks from the bar into the Riverside Room, or even enjoy dinner before the event to thank the Broadwell group for letting us use the space.

07/23/2026

If anyone would like to support this worthy cause, please go to our donate page and select, in the “Use this donation for” drop-down box, “Dr Mary Walker Documentary.”

https://www.paypal.com/donate/?hosted_button_id=QX9SHEFRX53HN

OSWEGO — Shane Johnson pulled his Subaru Impreza into Rural Cemetery in the town of Oswego on summer day last year, grabbed his camera equipment from the back seat and

07/19/2026

Lights, Camera, Action! 🎬Shane Johnson's short documentary on Dr. Mary Edwards Walker will be screened at the Hamilton International Film Festival on Sunday, July 26 at 12:00 PM. After the screening, Johnson and other filmmakers will take part in a Q&A session.

The 18th annual Hamilton International Film Festival runs July 20-26 and brings filmmakers and film fanatics from all over the globe to the Chenago Valley. Single tickets to Sunday’s screening are $10, a festival pass is $40. For more information on the film festival: Hamilton New York International Film Festival

For more information on Johnson’s short documentary, his progress in expanding Dr. Walker’s story to a full-length documentary, and ways you can financially support his project, visit https://www.marywalkerfilm.com. OCHS is proud to support and serve as a nonprofit partner for Johnson!

07/13/2026

Preserving, understanding and sharing history is the passion we all share.

07/13/2026

We were happy to share the happiness! Lee and Brian Hickey and the descendants of the Tonkin family unveiled the newly restored stained glass window in the Tonkin mausoleum at Riverside Cemetery on Friday. Eva Corradino was invited to say a few words. Dan Ruddy, board member, and volunteers Veronica Gould and Mary Kay Stone also attended.
This historic site is worth visiting!
Riverside Cemetery of Oswego, NY
Scriba Historical Society
Oswego County Historian's Office
Girl In The Glass Coffin

07/11/2026

Symphoria at Fort Ontario gave Emma Green and Jacob Maloney another chance to display and talk about the John Laurance Collection exhibit that was created for the County fair.
What a perfect night for music and history!

07/11/2026

We were honored to host staff from the National Medal of Honor Museum in Arlington Texas today: Alex Rhue, SVP, Museum Engagement & Strategic Initiatives and Greg Waters, Curator.
Pictured in front of our Medal of Honor case: Eva Corradino, board President, Alex, Greg, Jacob Maloney, Museum Assistant, and Emma Green, Intern.
They also examined some of our original Dr Mary Walker documents and photos not on display
Dr. Mary Walker is one of the first honorees in their permanent museum exhibit (shown below.)
National Women's History Museum
National Medal of Honor Museum

07/10/2026

Stories from the Graves!
Local historian Dr. Natalie J. Woodall will lead a walking tour of the upper section of Riverside Cemetery on Saturday July 18 at 11:00 am. The address is 4024 CR-57, Oswego NY.
Tour begins at Page Memorial Chapel just inside the cemetery entrance, but cars will be guided to the upper section to park. The rest of the tour will be walking. Participants are encouraged to wear appropriate footwear and clothing. A walking stick or cane is advised on account of uneven ground. Program will last about one and a half hours. Reservations are not necessary.
A nominal donation of $10.00 per person, cash or check made payable to Friends of Riverside Cemetery will be collected at the beginning of the tour.
Dr. Woodall explains, “This program is intended to give participants a sense of local history in a less well known section of Riverside Cemetery. Among the prominent Oswegonians buried there are Civil War surgeon Carrington MacFarlane, Ladies’ Home founder Louise Braman Irwin, shipbuilder Thomas Mott and many members of his family, including Major Dorothy Mott, USMC, Abolitionists Edwin Winslow Clarke and his wife, Charlotte Ambler, and Normal School Professor Dr. Lida Penfield. These are local prominent men and women whose business endeavors, civic activities, and social involvement have contributed to the growth of Oswego City.”
Riverside Cemetery of Oswego, NY
Fort Ontario
Wreaths Across America at the Fort Ontario Post Cemetery
Oswego County Historian's Office
The Scriba Historian
Scriba Historical Society