HISTORY HAPPENINGS
Sign up for our monthly email newsletter and occasional updates. You’ll hear from us two-three times every month.
A Mill of Many Names
In 1936, George Holden, a farmer from Lansing, donated a mill pick—used to sharpen millstones—from the Jim Ford Mill to the newly re-established DeWitt Historical Society, now The History Center in Tompkins County. Decades later, Robert and Margery Clauson of Alpine, New York donated two conveyor buckets from the Old William Haskin Grist Mill, along with photographs and related documents. While researching these materials for an upcoming exhibit, “The Power of Water”, we made a surprising discovery…
For 2026, “The Power of Water: A Dam Good Exhibit”
The History Center in Tompkins County announces its 2026 annual exhibit, The Power of Water: A Dam Good Exhibit, opening February 2026 following a January installation closure. This new exhibition explores the essential role water has played in shaping Tompkins County’s landscape, infrastructure, economy, and culture.
Tompkins County stands as a vibrant testament to the power of water, an essential resource that not only sustains life but also enriches our environment…