Jamesville Community Museum

Jamesville Community Museum The Jamesville Community Museum provides the community of Jamesville, NY with historical information In 1985, when St.

The Jamesville Community Museum had its roots in two committees that existed in 1976. These groups organized Jamesville's bicentennial celebration and were responsible for the creation of the publication Water, Wheels and Stone which deals with the historical development of the community. Proceeds from the bicentennial activities were donated to the museum as were the proceeds from the original pu

blication of the book. An organizing committee met for nearly two years formulating the original concepts for the museum which was granted a provisional charter on June 23, 1978 by the New York State Board of Regents. A site for the museum was established in an unused portion of the Jamesville Elementary School approved for use officially by the Jamesville-DeWitt School district Board of Education. This was the beginning of an ongoing and fruitful relationship between the museum and the school that still continues today. The museum opened to the public officially on May 4th, 1980. Two exhibits on display at the time continue to be the backbone of the museum's collection. They are popular, important educationally, and specific to the museum's mission. One is a fifteen foot diorama depicting the Solvay Process and the raw materials for the process which come from this area (on "permanent loan" from the NY State Museum in Albany), the other is a noteworthy collection of local and NYS minerals. As the local school district consolidated from four elementary schools to two, it became obvious that every bit of space would be needed. The museum began to look for another site, and the collection was put in storage. Mark's Episcopal Church was forced to close its doors after 153 years of ministry in the community, and congregation and the Episcopal diocese offered the building to the museum for a consideration of one dollar. The church, built in 1878 after a fire leveled their 1831 structure on the site, is listed in Architecture Worth Saving in Central New York. And so, on December 8th, 1985, the museum opened to the public in its new home with exhibits and a gala holiday open house.

Despite the rain and "glitches" in our plans, so many of you came out to the parade and Memorial Day ceremony - thank yo...
05/25/2026

Despite the rain and "glitches" in our plans, so many of you came out to the parade and Memorial Day ceremony - thank you! Special thanks to our planning committee, including the Jamesville Fire Department and Mary Banac.

Did you miss seeing our fabulous military display today? We’re leaving it up for viewing during tomorrow’s museum hours,...
05/23/2026

Did you miss seeing our fabulous military display today? We’re leaving it up for viewing during tomorrow’s museum hours, 1:00 to 4:00.

Come one, come all!
05/12/2026

Come one, come all!

May the Fourth be with you!
05/04/2026

May the Fourth be with you!

A nice commemorative milk glass piece from the opening of the Merchants Bank in 1965.
04/11/2026

A nice commemorative milk glass piece from the opening of the Merchants Bank in 1965.

Regular museum hours start on Sunday, April 12, 1:00-4:00. Stop by to see our new exhibit, "The Irish Come to Jamesville...
04/10/2026

Regular museum hours start on Sunday, April 12, 1:00-4:00. Stop by to see our new exhibit, "The Irish Come to Jamesville, Letters Found and History Remembered." Also on display are some of the 150-year-old letters sent from Jamesville to Ireland. We've missed you!

A project very dear to our community. Everyone - students, teachers, parents, and community members - came together to b...
03/24/2026

A project very dear to our community. Everyone - students, teachers, parents, and community members - came together to build this playground!

The four chairs and bar room table in the first two pics, are survivors from the once popular DeWitt Hotel in Jamesville...
03/17/2026

The four chairs and bar room table in the first two pics, are survivors from the once popular DeWitt Hotel in Jamesville. It proudly sat where the present day Sunoco station and plaza entrance sit, right along the train tracks. It was demolished in 1965 to make way for the new “business section” as we know today where the bank and post office are. One of the popular beer brands that was served at the hotel bar was HABERLE’S CONGRESS beer, brewed in Syracuse from 1857-1962. It was the longest lasting locally brewed beer from the golden era of the local brewing industry. If you look closely at the black white pictures, you will see hints of this brand being enjoyed by the many locals who once patronized this “watering hole” from days gone by. Please share any stories you may have of the DeWitt Hotel in the comments below, we would enjoy hearing them!👏🍺🇺🇸

Spent some time today at the Jamesville Community Museum, sharing these images of the displays we proudly share to our p...
03/16/2026

Spent some time today at the Jamesville Community Museum, sharing these images of the displays we proudly share to our public audience. If you haven’t yet visited the museum, starting in April, we will be open Sundays 1-4pm, or by appointment only by reaching out to me or museum curator Greg Titus, [email protected], please make an effort to visit soon!🇺🇸

Here is another aerial photo of the same area, taken from the opposite direction, dated 1960. "Looking west, the Presbyt...
01/28/2026

Here is another aerial photo of the same area, taken from the opposite direction, dated 1960. "Looking west, the Presbyterian Church and DeWitt Hotel appear in the center of the photo. These were razed by 1965, and the shopping center was developed on vacant property to the north of these buildings." (Water, Wheels and Stone, pg. 163) The Train Depot gas and convenience store currently sits where once stood the DeWitt Hotel, shown in the second photo.

Address

6492 East Seneca Tnpk/PO Box 76
Jamesville, NY
13078

Opening Hours

2pm - 4pm

Telephone

(315) 492-4890

Website

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