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• About UHS

About UHS

Who We Are

• A self-supporting organization, the Ulysses Historical Society is aided by  modest donations from the Village of Trumansburg and Town of Ulysses. Most funding comes from member dues, fundraising events, proceeds from the sale of local history books, Memorial donations and donations from members and visitors.
• Our museum is open to the public on select days from mid April to the first week of December. (See Events & Hours.) Along with permanent exhibits, we provide new exhibits each year featuring aspects of the town’s past.
• Our meetings, lectures, slide shows and special events are open to the public. We hold an annual spring luncheon, and other events such as quilt shows and tours of local historic sites.
• Each spring we provide a guided tour of our exhibits to the second-, third- and fourth-grade students in Trumansburg.
• We publish a newsletter for our members four times a year.
• We provide genealogy research assistance by appointment.
• Our officers are:
  Joan Garner (President)
  David Smith (Vice President)
  Barbara Coleman (Secretary)
  Catherine Allen (Treasurer)
  
• Our trustees are:
  Paula Austic
  Laurie Cronk
  Larry Green
  Karen Laun
  David Smith
  John Wertis
  
• Jean Dawson, Corresponding Secretary
• A number of volunteers organize events, staff the museum and catalog artifacts.  Each and every one deserves the thanks of the community.

Our History

• Founded in April 1975, the Ulysses Historical Society was granted an absolute charter in 1979 from the New York State Board of Regents as an education institution. 
• The society moved into its first home in April 1976 -- the basement of the Masonic Temple on Main Street in Trumansburg.
• In August 1996, Adrian and Richard Pearsall gave UHS a sizable cash donation to construct a new building to be dedicated to their father Adrian O. Pearsall, who had been a teacher, farmer, business man and school board president in Trumansburg.
• A public referendum March 19, 1997, approved the use of the school lot on South Street for our building.  A ground breaking was held May 12, 1997. Within days contractor Jim Stevenson started work and progressed with remarkable speed.
• On January 19, 1998, the society moved from its space in the Masonic Temple to the new building.

Our Mission

• The Ulysses Historical Society brings together people interested in history, especially the history of the Town of Ulysses and the surrounding area. Understanding the history of our community is basic to our democratic way of life and promotes a better appreciation of our American heritage.
• The society collects, preserves and displays materials that help to illustrate the history of the area -- its exploration, settlement, developments, and activities in peace and in war; its progress in population, wealth, education, art, science, agriculture, manufacturing, trade, and transportation.  Our collections include:  printed material, such as histories, genealogies, biographies, gazettes, directories, newspapers, pamphlets, catalogs, handbills, programs, and posters; manuscript material, such as letters, diaries, journals, memoranda, reminiscences, rosters, service records, account books, charts, surveys, and field books; and museum material, such as pictures, photographs, paintings, portraits, scenes, aboriginal relics; and material objects illustrative of life, conditions, events, and activities of the past and present.
• The Society provides for the preservation of such material for its accessibility, as far as may be feasible to all who wish to examine or study it, to co-operate with officials in ensuring the preservation and accessibility of the records and archives of the area and to undertake the preservation of historic buildings, monuments, and markers.
• The society disseminates historical information and arouses interest in the past by publishing historical material in the newspapers or otherwise; by holding meetings with pageants, addresses, lectures, papers, and discussion; by marking historic buildings, sites, and trails; and by using the media of radio and television to awaken public interest.
• The society cooperates with the state historical society to collect and prepare materials of state-wide significance, so that these materials can be made available to students and scholars.