Summer in the Finger Lakes
a time-honored tradition
This June, six Finger Lakes historical organizations will showcase exhibitions collectively entitled “Summer in the Finger Lakes,” which explore the history of vacationing, tourism and summer activities in the region. Partner organizations are the Ontario County Historical Society (Canandaigua), Geneva Historical Society (Geneva), Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society (Penn Yan), Chemung Valley Museum (Elmira), The History Center in Tompkins County (Ithaca) and Cayuga Museum of History & Art (Auburn).
From Lake Trout to Grape Pie: Summer Food in the Finger Lakes
Ontario County Historical Society
Many of the strongest vacation memories – and the economic base of the Finger Lakes region –are formed by restaurants, wineries, ice cream stands and farm stands that cater to visitors. At the same time,
summer memories of homemade food at the lake maintain a powerful lure. Today’s vacationers to the Finger Lakes join in the region’s many food traditions while creating new ones of their own. This exhibit will
explore the intersection of the region’s agricultural history and traditions with new tourism opportunities and the memories of longtime residents and visitors.
For more information, visit www.ochs.org or call (585) 394-4975.
From Steamboat Captain to Winery Host: Summer Work in the Finger Lakes
Geneva Historical Society
When on vacation, people rarely think about those who make the experience possible. As in any resort community, Finger Lakes residents make their living by providing services to visitors. Once steamboat
captains and train conductors were the workers encountered; today, it may be wine stewards, waiters or lifeguards. For residents in every generation, a summer job at an ice cream parlor, marina or hotel is a
sign of passage from child to adult. This exhibit will examine the historic nature of vacation work – from transportation and food provision to service jobs and retail.
For more information, visit www.genevahistoricalsociety.com or call (315) 789-5151.
From Steamboat to State Park: Public Access to the Finger Lakes
Yates County Genealogical and Historical Society
Over the centuries lake use has varied from transportation to industrial and agricultural to recreational. In the past, the lakes were viewed as beautiful, but primarily utilitarian. During the last century,
however, residents and visitors have come to see them as largely recreational features of the landscape. For more than a hundred years, residents and visitors have accessed the lakes by owning or renting
cottages or through boating and the network of local and state parks that dot the region. Increasing development however, puts the lakes at risk for all. Ongoing debates about water quality, the effects of
agriculture, noise levels, and new construction are a part of local life on every lake. Through maps, images, and interactive activities, this exhibition will examine how the use of the lakes has shifted and
how these changes have sometimes led to struggles among visitors, businesses, and residents. It will also address environmental issues that arise from increased land and water usage.
For more information, visit www.yatespast.org or call (315) 536-7318.
From Camp to Cottage: Finger Lakes Summer Homes
Chemung Valley History Museum
A house is a home: and a vacation house can be a tent, log cabin, trailer, old farmhouse, condo or huge new mansion. In the Finger Lakes, the traditional vacation home is a cottage. The cottage might be an old Victorian farmhouse with broad porch or a small cottage built by hand during the Depression. In general, it’s a lack of ostentation that characterizes a Finger Lakes cottage, along with plenty of room to sit,
relax and enjoy the view. This exhibit will look at the architectural and social changes as
sociated with the shift from simple wood frame cottages to the large 21st-century mansions now found on many of the
lakes. For more information, visit www.chemungvalleymuseum.org or call (607) 734-4167.
From Sacred to Stereotype and Back Again: Presentations of Native Americans in the Finger Lakes
The History Center in Tompkins County
The Finger Lakes’ earliest inhabitants were the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), most of whom were forced to abandon their lands during the 1779 Sullivan-Clinton Campaign. However, the Native American presence
continues in the region and the land holds spiritual importance to the Iroquois. Despite that, the images, place names, and “legends” of the Iroquois have been used for generations to entice visitors and
promote the area’s natural and historic attractions. Today, Native groups have reasserted their voice, focusing on their authentic traditions at sites like Ganondagan and at festivals throughout the region.
This exhibit will focus on the history of the Haudenosaunee presence in the Finger Lakes and how it has been depicted in association with summer and vacationing in the region.
For more information, visit www.thehistorycenter.net or call (607) 273-8284.
From Toddler to Teenager: Growing Up on Vacation
Cayuga Museum of History and Art
For many New Yorkers, summer at the lake is an integral part of growing up. Often vacationers to the Finger Lakes first encountered the lakes as babies, watched carefully by the water and eating in a high
chair. Inevitably those babies turn into young children, fastening on the life vest as they get in the sailboat. As teenagers they find the lake a great place to meet members of the opposite sex, then they
return as married couples themselves, bringing the latest generation to the lake to share in family traditions. Today with families spread apart and living busy lives, the annual lake vacation is a time to
reconnect family ties across generations. This exhibit will explore childhood in small cottage communities and the ways in which traditions develop and children transition into adulthood within this setting.
For more information, visit www.cayuganet.org/cayugamuseum or call (315) 253-8051.