Upcoming events

Switch to Calendar View

• Visit the Exhibit Hall

  • Start
    Wed, September 07, 2022
  •  
  • End
    Fri, December 30, 2022
  •  
  • Schedule
    64 sessions
  • Location
    Tompkins Center for History & Culture - 110 N Tioga St, Ithaca NY 14850

  
  

  Walk through local stories and discover the history of Tompkins County

  Open Hours

  Our Exhibit Hall is open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm throughout the year. 

  HOLIDAY HOURS - Exhibit Hall is CLOSED 11/24, 11/24, and 12/31. 

  Suggested Donation
  Adults: $10
  Child: $4

  BOOK IN ADVANCE

  Scheduling in advance secures your space during your requested time, but the Exhibit Hall will still be open to other visitors. If you would like to schedule a private visit with masked staff please contact community@thehistorycenter.net. 

  **Research visits to the Archives & Research Library must be scheduled separately by emailing archives@thehistorycenter.net**

  How long should I plan for?

  We suggest planning for at least an hour to explore the Exhibit Hall, but you may stay as long as you like. We encourage everyone to also explore the Community Arts Partnership Gallery, TCHC Community Tower Exhibit (rotates every three months) and Downtown Visitors Center located on the first floor.

  Visiting the Exhibit Hall

  The History Center is offering in-person visits to our state-of-the-art Exhibit Hall including our Timeline Tunnel, Story Vault, Eight Square Schoolhouse Replica, access to our six exhibit towers, and a close look at our 104 year old Tommy Plane! Private visits with only your group can be reserved in advance, walk-in's can be accommodated most days (W-Sat 10am-5pm).

  Our current exhibit 'reCOUNT: Facing our Census' will be on display April 2022-December 2022. Learn about the exhibit at thehistorycenter.net/reCOUNT

  Our museum is open and accessible to everyone and we offer a number of accessible options for visitors with specific needs. Learn more at thehistorycenter.net/accessibility

  If a member of your group has sensory sensitivities or physical/visual/auditory limitations please reach out to us with any questions or concerns about our exhibits and the space. We're happy to offer adjustments and options to ensure an enjoyable visit for everyone.

  Request an Exhibit Hall Scavenger Hunt, coloring pages, or museum activity sheet from the front desk when you check in for added fun for all ages!

  Our suggested admission price is $10 per adult, $4 per child. Your contribution is important for our continued ability to provide a public educational space within the community. No one will be prevented from visiting due to an inability to pay. Donations can be made during booking or in person.

  All visitors are encouraged to wear masks inside Tompkins Center for History & Culture. Our visitors include young audiences and others who are unable to be vaccinated. We appreciate your respect and awareness in supporting our Health & Safety Protocols to keep museum visits worry-free and accessible for everyone.

  Museum staff sanitize all touched surfaces in the museum daily. Review our full safety procedures at thehistorycenter.net/health

  *We try to accommodate visiting groups outside our normal operating hours when possible. Please contact community@thehistorycenter.net if you'd like to visit the museum or schedule a group field trip outside our normal operating hours. *

  Health & Safety

  The History Center is requesting that all visitors continue to wear masks inside the Tompkins Center for History & Culture. Our visitors include young audiences and others who are unable to be vaccinated. We appreciate your respect and awareness in following our Health & Safety Protocols to keep all our visitors safe.

  If you are concerned or are particularly vulnerable to the virus, please email us and we are happy to schedule private visit for you to explore the museum in a worry free way. Your comfort and safety is our number one priority!

  History Center staff will sanitize all touched surfaces within the Exhibit Hall daily.

  Please do not schedule a visit if you or any member of your group are awaiting results from a COVID-19 test due to symptoms or potential exposure, or were recently in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

  .

  LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  Our museum is located in the traditional and contemporary lands of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ' Nation (often known by the mispronunciation Cayuga), one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Learn more at thehistorycenter.net/land-acknowledgment.

  Show details
• History Forge Transcription Sessions (Volunteers Needed)

  • Start
    Sat, January 07, 2023
  •  
  • End
    Sat, June 17, 2023
  •  
  • Schedule
    12 sessions
  • Location
    110 North Tioga St, Ithaca NY 14850 - Located inside the Tompkins Center for History & Culture

  WHERE

  HistoryForge Transcription sessions happen every other Saturday from 11am-1pm. They happen in-person at the Tompkins Center for History & Culture on the Ithaca Commons usually in the Second Floor Conference Room.

  Be sure you're on the email list to stay in the loop! APPLICATION REQUIRED for new volunteers - We need to do some behind-the-scenes prep-work for each session! 

  What We'll Be Doing

  Help build the HistoryForge database for Tompkins County! We hold community transcription sessions twice a month on Saturdays from 11-1. In 2023 we will be working on the census records 1950 & 1870, as well as for the Town of Caroline (1880-1950), and Trumansburg (1880-1950)!

  To help with our behind the scenes processing of volunteer materials, please complete the volunteer form at least 4 days before the session.

  Complete Volunteer Application

  HistoryForge is a digital mapping and transcription project from The History Center in Tompkins County. We need help digitizing information from the 1940 Ithaca census to add to our HistoryForge database! Volunteers will read through the handwritten census notes from 1940, re-type/and or scan information about individuals, buildings, and businesses from that time period.

  YOU WILL NEED: A laptop or desktop computer, stable internet connection. We have a limited number of volunteer laptops available.

  About HistoryForge
  

  HistoryForge is a digital history project from The History Center in Tompkins County which combines historic maps and photos with census records of the people who lived in Ithaca, creating a way to visualize the history of Ithaca in the early 1900s. Learn more about the project here and the start of our database creation.

  Not available Saturdays but interested?
  Contact Eve at HistoryForge@thehistorycenter.net

  The HistoryForge project has been made possible in part by a major grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities: Democracy demands wisdom. The HistoryForge: Mapping Census Data to Visualize Local History grant was awarded in 2022-2024 through NEH's Digital Humanities Advancement Grant program. The project was also selected to receive funding through NEH's A More Perfect Union initiative.

  .
  LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT
  This project is digitizing post-colonization records of Tompkins County, which is located in the traditional and contemporary lands of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫˀ Nation (often known by the mispronunciation Cayuga), one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Learn more at thehistorycenter.net/land-acknowledgment.

  Show details
• Visit the Exhibit Hall

  • Start
    Fri, February 03, 2023
  •  
  • End
    Sat, June 10, 2023
  •  
  • Schedule
    77 sessions
  • Location
    Tompkins Center for History & Culture - 110 N Tioga St, Ithaca NY 14850

  
  

  Walk through local stories and discover the history of Tompkins County

  Open Hours

  Our Exhibit Hall is open Wednesday-Saturday 10am-5pm throughout the year. 

  HOLIDAY HOURS - Exhibit Hall will be closed: all Election Days, Juneteenth

  Suggested Donation
  Adults: $10
  Child: $4

  BOOK IN ADVANCE

  Scheduling in advance secures your space during your requested time, but the Exhibit Hall will still be open to other visitors. If you would like to schedule a private visit with masked staff please contact community@thehistorycenter.net. 

  **Research visits to the Archives & Research Library must be scheduled separately by emailing archives@thehistorycenter.net**

  How long should I plan for?

  We suggest planning for at least an hour to explore the Exhibit Hall, but you may stay as long as you like. We encourage everyone to also explore the Community Arts Partnership Gallery, TCHC Community Tower Exhibit (rotates every three months) and Downtown Visitors Center located on the first floor.

  Visiting the Exhibit Hall

  The History Center is offering in-person visits to our state-of-the-art Exhibit Hall including our Timeline Tunnel, Story Vault, Eight Square Schoolhouse Replica, access to our six exhibit towers, and a close look at our 104 year old Tommy Plane! Private visits with only your group can be reserved in advance, walk-in's can be accommodated most days (W-Sat 10am-5pm).

  CURRENT EXHIBIT - 'Knot Sew Fast: Patchwork of Tompkins County' will be on display February 2023-August 2023. Learn about the exhibit at thehistorycenter.net/knot-sew-fast.

  Our museum is open and accessible to everyone and we offer a number of accessible options for visitors with specific needs. Learn more at thehistorycenter.net/accessibility

  If a member of your group has sensory sensitivities or physical/visual/auditory limitations please reach out to us with any questions or concerns about our exhibits and the space. We're happy to offer adjustments and options to ensure an enjoyable visit for everyone.

  Request an Exhibit Hall Scavenger Hunt, coloring pages, or museum activity sheet from the front desk when you check in for added fun for all ages!

  Our suggested admission price is $10 per adult, $4 per child. Your contribution is important for our continued ability to provide a public educational space within the community. No one will be prevented from visiting due to an inability to pay. Donations can be made during booking or in person.

  All visitors are encouraged to wear masks inside Tompkins Center for History & Culture. Our visitors include young audiences and others who are unable to be vaccinated. We appreciate your respect and awareness in supporting our Health & Safety Protocols to keep museum visits worry-free and accessible for everyone.

  Museum staff sanitize all touched surfaces in the museum daily. Review our full safety procedures at thehistorycenter.net/health

  *We try to accommodate visiting groups outside our normal operating hours when possible. Please contact community@thehistorycenter.net if you'd like to visit the museum or schedule a group field trip outside our normal operating hours.*

  Health & Safety

  The History Center is a mask friendly space. Staff and visitors can wear masks if they desire, but it is no longer required.

  If you are concerned or are particularly vulnerable to the virus, please email us and we are happy to schedule private visit for you to explore the museum in a worry free way. Your comfort and safety is our number one priority!

  History Center staff sanitize all touched surfaces within the Exhibit Hall daily.

  Please do not schedule a visit if you or any member of your group are awaiting results from a COVID-19 test due to symptoms or potential exposure, or were recently in close contact with someone who tested positive for the virus.

  .

  LAND ACKNOWLEDGEMENT

  Our museum is located in the traditional and contemporary lands of the Gayogohó:nǫˀ Nation (Cayuga), one of the Six Nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy. Learn more at thehistorycenter.net/land-acknowledgement.

  Show details