Make a Gift to The History Center

From generation to generation people have been drawn to Tompkins County by the natural beauty of the area. But the people who came to this area so many generations ago didn’t just see the natural beauty. In their eyes the lake was a system of transport, and the waterfalls a source of power, and so in the natural beauty they saw a future.

The legacy of their hard work is all around us. Their trails have become busy thoroughfares bringing people from across the nation and the world. Their schools are a testament to the value of education — from a tiny octagon which after 180 years is still serving children, to a college and university that serve the children of the world. It is clear that our community was built with a vision for the future, and it is the future of tomorrow that we at The History Center are eager to serve.

Let us tell you about some of the exciting opportunities which The History Center hopes to implement on behalf of you, your children, and your community.

Over the past few years The History Center has begun to emerge as not only the custodian of the community’s past, but an important player in the construction of our future. We foresee a future in which The History Center takes an active role in applying the lessons of our collections and archives to provide a sense of place for our communities, and a context for contemporary civic decisions.

Reaching Out on the Web
In order to make its vast resources easy to access and more universally available, The History Center hopes to make thousands of photographs, documents and objects available on-line. We would also like to use the internet to begin collecting and making available oral histories, moving images, blogs, and many other non-traditional formats of historical preservation. Your gift will help us provide a new and meaningful service to current users and future generations.

Learning for All Generations
In our unique Eight Square School House, fourth graders attend school in 1892. Select graduates of the Student Historian Initiative for high school students become Corson Fellows, who received national recognition by proving Ithaca home of the ice cream sundae! Internships with Cornell and Ithaca College put local history at the fi ngertips of tomorrow’s leaders. Lectures, book discussions and access to our Research Library serve the intellectual interests of students and adults. With your support these programs can expand.

A Place for Civic Engagement
Building on past successes in hosting public discussion of contemporary issues, The History Center will identify questions and current events of long term impact and view them through the lens of history. The current discussion of Ithaca’s water source is an example of one which would benefi t from historical context and certainly there are many others. A gift from you in honor of this effort will help us become a trusted place for civic engagement.

Exposure for Our Treasures
Our collections are the community’s heritage. Exhibitions onsite and in public spaces help visitors, newcomers, and long time residents appreciate the visionary future that our predecessors constructed. Your gift will help us share their stories.

The opportunities are limitless. Join the people of Tompkins County who from generation to generation have made the choice to support the future. Make a meaningful gift to The History Center, and become a part of making history happen.

Gifts can be made online or by downloading the pdf brochure and gift form.  Please use the pdf form if you wish to make your payments in installments.

I'd like to make my gift online
I'd like to use the pledge form
Contact us about a charitable bequest

All contributors to The History Center will be acknowledged in our annual report unless you indicate otherwise. Your gift is tax deductible to the extent allowed by law.

© 2007 The History Center in Tompkins County