Richardson-Bates House Museum

05/27/2026

The staff of the Dr. Mary Walker Health Center at SUNY Oswego came for a tour of the museum and the Dr Mary Walker exhibit. They were joined by George DeMass, the Town of Oswego Historian and former board member of OCHS, who told stories of Mary Walker and people who knew her.

05/20/2026

Thanks to the amazing volunteer Oliver Zaifnejad, who figured out how to put two sections of video together and get it on YouTube, Michael Park's presentation on "Painting Oswego" is now posted. The room was dark, and the focus goes in and out, but the slides are visible and the audio is excellent.

This talk by volunteer Michael Parks on his exhibit of Oswego County paintings for the Temporary exhibit in Spring 2026 at the Richardson-Bates House Museum ...

05/19/2026

The drawing room and part of the reception room were packed full for the presentation by Michael Parks of his exhibit “Painting Oswego.” Michael is a volunteer who has just completed his Masters in Art History from Syracuse University.
He explained why this carefully curated selection of scenes from Oswego were chosen to represent themes of landscape, childhood, marine life, and industry.  Fulton, Oswego, Mexico, and Minetto were all represented, and these were all local artists with familiar names like Kaskin, Burt, King, and Cummings.
The mystery of the origin of the almost 7 foot wide watercolor of Kingsford’s Oswego Starch Factory was explored and solved.
This very special exhibit runs through June and members are reminded if they want to visit for that alone, their entrance is always free!

05/16/2026

The Oswego Garden Club plant sale is going on until noon today!

05/16/2026

We hope you will visit the lawn this morning for the Oswego Garden Club’s plant sale from 9 am to 12 pm! 🌸We are open from 1 pm - 5pm, giving you plenty of time to bring your plants home before coming back for a visit. 😊

05/12/2026

in 2012, the Town of Oswego celebrated Dr. Mary Walker with a state proclamation in her honor. Continuing the legacy of celebrating Dr. Mary Walker on this day and everyday, we are excited to share with you “Courage and Conviction: Dr. Mary Walker’s War,” a short documentary by Shane Johnson. https://youtu.be/5eoc-yu2Iok?si=i5k8UzsAiYJGg9br

Shane Johnson is passionate about sharing Dr. Walker's story with the next generation. In fact, there’s so much more to share about Dr. Walker that Shane is working on developing a feature-length documentary. Visit www.walkerdoc.com or email Shane at [email protected] for more information about the project.

For more on the May 12, 2012 celebration and proclamation, check out this story by Steve Yablonski for Oswego County Today: https://oswegocountytoday.com/news/oswego/hundreds-turn-out-to-pay-tribute-to-dr-mary-e-walker/

Radical reformer. Civil War surgeon. Defiant suffragist. And the only woman ever to receive the Medal of Honor.This short documentary explores the extraordin...

05/11/2026

05/11/2026

The Oswego County Historical Society is thrilled to reveal the opening of a new exhibit titled “Painting Oswego.” A presentation will take place Sunday May 17, 2026, at 1:30 PM at the Richardson-Bates House Museum, 135 E 3rd St, Oswego, NY 13126. It is free and open to the public.

“Painting Oswego” was researched and curated by Michael Parks, a volunteer researcher with OCHS and an adjunct faculty member at Pratt Munson in Utica. The exhibit will feature artwork focused on 19th and 20th Century Oswego County.

Seen here is artwork created by well known Oswego County artist Evgenijis Kaskin more commonly known as Eugene. Born on February 12, 1912, in Riga, Latvia, Kaskin and his wife Rigmor immigrated to New York State in June of 1951. Kaskin settled in Mexico, NY in 1956 and was heavily involved in the Oswego County art scene. In February 1976, Kaskin and other local artists gathered to create “The Mexico Art Guild.” Meetings were held in the Mexico Academy High School art room. During the group’s first meeting a newspaper advertisement encouraged Mexico residents to bring samples of their work in any medium to help showcase the diversity of their community.

Paintings featuring Mexico, Fulton, and Minetto will be featured in the exhibit too. Be sure to visit the museum on Sunday May 17, at 1:30 PM to see Michael Parks present his work.

Heritage Foundation of Oswego County
City Of Oswego
Oswego History Records Center
Oswego County Tourism
Friends of the Library
iHeartOswego
Oswego County News Now
Oswego Public Library

05/09/2026

The Oswego County Historical Society is honored to share the opening of a new exhibit titled “Painting Oswego.” A presentation will take place Sunday May 17, 2026, at 1:30 PM at the Richardson-Bates House Museum, 135 E 3rd St, Oswego, NY 13126. It is free and open to the public.

“Painting Oswego” was researched and curated by Michael Parks, a volunteer researcher with OCHS and an adjunct faculty member at Pratt Munson in Utica. The exhibit will feature artwork focused on 19th and 20th Century Oswego County.

Seen here is "Children of the Sloan House" an 1870 painting created by artist George W. King. King was a sociable person who had connections all over the world. King jumped around trying to find patrons to buy his work and it was in Oswego where he found his success.

The Sloan House was owned by prominent Oswegonian George Beale Sloan, a politician, businessman, and banker. Who are the children in the painting of the Sloan House? Behind this scene are real individuals whose lives can be traced through historical records. Through census data, family histories, and local directories, the identities of the three children Caroline King, Louise Wheeler, and George Sloan Jr connect the painting directly to the community of Oswego.

This is a preview into one many of the other Oswego County paintings that will be on display. Stay tuned for more sneak peeks into this wonderful exhibit and be sure to visit the museum on Sunday May 17, at 1:30 PM to see Michael Parks present his work

Heritage Foundation of Oswego County
City Of Oswego
Oswego History Records Center
Oswego County Tourism
Friends of the Library
Oswego History Records Center
iHeartOswego
Oswego County News Now
Oswego Public Library

05/09/2026

The Oswego museums are represented at the Museum Association of NY conference in Albany!
Eva Corradino, Mary Kay Stone, and Jacob Maloney from the Oswego County Historical Society and Mercedes Niess from the H. Lee White Marine Museum.
Learning, networking and having fun!
H. Lee White Maritime Museum at Oswego
Heritage Foundation of Oswego County
Fort Ontario