The Chenango County Historical Society is an organization in

Norwich, NY Norwich is a city and county seat of Chenango County, New York, United States. Surrounded on all sides by the Town of Norwich,. The name is taken from Norwich, England. Its population was 7,190 at the 2010 census. Lt. Warren Eaton Airport ...

, devoted to preserving the history of

Chenango County Chenango County is a county located in the south-central section U.S. state of New York. As of the 2020 census, the population was 47,220. Its county seat is Norwich. The county's name originates from an Oneida word meaning 'large bull-thistle ...

. The Norwich campus consists of the Ward No. 2 Schoolhouse, where the museum is housed, the James S. Flanagan Research Center, Loomis Barn and the Miller Pavilion. The Historical Society hosts various events covering local historical events and topics. The organization publishes an annual

academic journal An academic journal or scholarly journal is a periodical publication in which scholarship relating to a particular academic discipline is published. Academic journals serve as permanent and transparent forums for the presentation, scrutiny, and d ...

documenting historical events.

History

CCHS was first established in 1939. In 1956, the organization received an

absolute charter A charter is a grant of authority or rights issued by the New York State Education Department (NYSED). The organization grants provisional and absolute charters to legally establish educational corporations including schools, libraries, historical ...

from

New York State New York, officially the State of New York, is a state in the Northeastern United States. It is often called New York State to distinguish it from its largest city, New York City. With a total area of , New York is the 27th-largest U.S. stat ...

. The Ward No. 2 schoolhouse was rewarded to CCHS by the county supervisors in 1958. The building was renovated immediately afterward. In 1962, the museum was reopened, housing various antiquities from the Central New York region. The Historical Society acquired the Ross Schoolhouse in

Preston Preston is a place name, surname and given name that may refer to: Places England *Preston, Lancashire, an urban settlement **The City of Preston, Lancashire, a borough and non-metropolitan district which contains the settlement **County Boro ...

, the Loomis Barn and the

Chenango Canal The Chenango Canal was a towpath canal in central New York in the United States which linked the Susquehanna River to the Erie Canal. Built and operated in the mid-19th century, it was 97 miles long and for much of its course followed the Chenan ...

building. The Journal of the Chenango County Historical Society debuted in 2012, with a new edition published annually during the summer. CCHS celebrated its 80th anniversary at the Chenango County Courthouse. In 2020, the

COVID-19 pandemic The COVID-19 pandemic, also known as the coronavirus pandemic, is an ongoing global pandemic of coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) caused by severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus 2 (SARS-CoV-2). The novel virus was first identif ...

forced the organization to adopt online only exhibits and events. It briefly offered invite only visits in November of that year, before closing again. CCHS commissioned a series of short online videos documenting the experiences of former students who attended the schoolhouse before its closure. On November 21, 2021, the organization celebrated the 125th anniversary of the building’s construction. On December 22, the organization received $49,500 from the

New York State Council on the Arts The New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) is an arts council serving the U.S. state of New York. It was established in 1960 through a bill introduced in the New York State Legislature by New York State Senator MacNeil Mitchell (1905–1996), ...

Collections

The museum hosts seasonal exhibits in the Community Gallery. Notable exhibits include the works of local artist Alice Hudson. The Commerce Gallery houses manufactured pharmaceuticals from the

Norwich Pharmacal Company Norwich Pharma Services, previously known as Norwich Eaton Pharmaceuticals and Norwich Pharmaceuticals, is a manufacturer, packager, and distributor of prescription drugs and over-the-counter products. Laboratory support services include stabilit ...

and historical objects from NBT Bank’s Norwich headquarters. Notable objects preserved by the Historical Society include an original

Mickey Mouse Mickey Mouse is an animated cartoon Character (arts), character co-created in 1928 by Walt Disney and Ub Iwerks. The longtime mascot of The Walt Disney Company, Mickey is an Anthropomorphism, anthropomorphic mouse who typically wears red sho ...

undergarment made in Norwich during

World War II World War II or the Second World War, often abbreviated as WWII or WW2, was a world war that lasted from 1939 to 1945. It involved the vast majority of the world's countries—including all of the great powers—forming two opposin ...

, a Norwich Piano from the 20th century and various products from the Norwich Pharmacal Company, including Pepto-Bismol and

Unguentine Unguentine is an over-the-counter topical antiseptic ointment produced by Lee Pharmaceuticals. It was introduced in 1893 as the first antiseptic surgical dressing ointment by Norwich Pharmaceuticals, who later brought Pepto Bismol to market. ...

References

{{Reflist

External links

Home

CCHS YouTube channel

Chenango County Historical Society Museum , Norwich, NY 13815
Historical societies Historical societies in New York (state)