Uncategorized

As we continue restoring and developing our historic garden, SLCCHC would like to offer you an opportunity to showcase your commitment to our heritage by purchasing a brick engraving in the Silas Wright House Memorial Walkway.

Your purchased brick will have words chosen by you engraved directly onto the newly installed brick pathway in the historic garden. This engraving opportunity is a wonderful way to commemorate special milestones and remember loved ones.

The next batch of engravings for the memorial walkway is planned for late 2026.

Join us in nurturing history and community by becoming a garden sponsor. Your support helps us maintain and care for our gardens, creating a vibrant space for everyone to enjoy. Choose from the five levels below and help our garden grow!

For more information, please contact engagement@slcha.org or call (315) 386-8133.

Join us Thursday, October 23, at 12:30 PM for our October Brown Bag Presentation!

Details:
Date: Thursday, October 23, 2025
Time: 12:30 PM to 1:30 PM
Location: In-person at 3 E. Main St., Canton, NY 13617 or virtually on Zoom (link will be e-mailed at registration)
Pricing: Cost of attendance is a $5 suggested donation, members are free.
Pre-registration is recommended.
Register online, call the main office at 315-386-8133, or e-mail carlene@slcha.org

Ticks and the diseases they carry are an increasing issue here in St. Lawrence County. Join Nick Hamilton-Honey from Cornell Cooperative Extension to learn how to identify ticks, prevent potential exposure, and control tick-borne disease in your own backyard.

Nick will also explore how climate change is influencing other local species, environments, and weather patterns in unprecedented ways.

(more…)

The St. Lawrence County Center for History & Culture will be closed on Monday, October 13, in observance of both Columbus Day and Indigenous Peoples' Day. We will reopen on…

“Two Hundred Years of Progressive Faith” is the title of an exhibit at the St. Lawrence County Center for History and Culture, marking the bicentennial of the Unitarian Universalist Church.

The exhibit opens with a reception on Saturday, October 11, from 2:00 PM to 4:00 PM, at the Silas Wright House & Museum, and will run through December 24.

The opening reception is free and open to the public. At other times, admission to the museum is $5 for non-members. Donations are always accepted.

The “Two Hundred Years of Progressive Faith” exhibit is part of a year-long celebration by the church of its 200th year. Among the highlights in the exhibit is a 7′ x 7′ quilt created in 1898. Each square was signed by female members of the church at that time. With the quilt display, there is a binder of biographical information about many of the signees.  The quilt was given to Rev. James M. Payson, then minister, and his wife, Flora.

Other highlights of the exhibit include photos and biographies of past ministers, photos of the original Union Church and construction of the current church, details about the church’s stained glass windows, and a map of the locations of the more than 30 Universalist churches that were in St. Lawrence County in the late 1800s.

(more…)

The La Présentation Association is proud to present a Revolutionary War reenactment event to be held on August 9 & 10 called the “Skirmish on the Oswegatchie!” This will be the first time they have hosted a Revolutionary War event at Fort de La Présentation.

For those not familiar with Revolutionary history in Ogdensburg, the British Army, after the French and Indian War, manned a Fort named Fort Oswegatchie until 10 years after the end of the War of Independence.

There were two Rebel scouting parties sent from the Mohawk Valley to gather information about the strength of Fort Oswegatchie. Those raiding parties are the theme of the association’s “Skirmish on the Oswegatchie” weekend event.

Each of our reenactor groups will be presenting programs for the public to enjoy, including a recreation of a legal challenge based on historical records. Jack Downing will be returning to continue a demonstration of dug-out canoe construction. For the first time, members of the Native North American Traveling College will be on hand to present programs relating to the culture and history of the Mohawk people.

(more…)

Join us Thursday, September 25, at 2:00 PM for our September Brown Bag Presentation!

Details:
Date: Thursday, September 25, 2025
Time: 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM
Location: In-person at 3 E. Main St., Canton, NY 13617 or virtually on Zoom (link will be e-mailed at registration)
Pricing: Cost of attendance is a $5 suggested donation, members are free.
Pre-registration is recommended.
Register online, call the main office at 315-386-8133, or e-mail carlene@slcha.org

As St. Lawrence County is just across the river from Canada, it is not surprising that families here have Canadian ancestors. For the past 7 years, Pamela Brant Wright has been researching the Wright family, who came to St. Lawrence County in 1815 from Canada. In the process, she has become very familiar with the resources available for genealogical research in Canada, particularly from 1770 to 1830.

In this Brown Bag Presentation, Pamela will discuss her experience utilizing sources like Canadian databases for genealogical research and original Canadian land documents. She will also go over some of the challenges associated with using Canadian sources and detail how to navigate two useful databases for finding Canadian ancestors.

(more…)

Come learn about the trees and geology of Heritage Park in Canton with artist Sara Lynch and Cornell Cooperative Extension Master Gardener Brad Pendergraft for the final installment of Sara’s Exploring Falls Island project on September 20th at 10:00 AM (rain date September 27th).

For the first hour of this event, participants will gather under the pavilion at Coakley Island, located on the Grasse River Heritage Trail. From there, we will walk the trail and learn from Brad about the trees and geologic features present on the island while collecting plants for artistic inspiration.

For the second hour, we will take the elements collected on our walk and head to the St. Lawrence County Center for History and Culture at 3 East Main Street. There, we will have the opportunity to examine assorted rock and mineral specimens from their collection and use them, as well as the plants collected on the walk, to practice watercolor painting from observation.

This event is pay what you can, and participants must pre-register to ensure there are enough supplies for everyone: https://www.eventbrite.com/e/falls-island-watercolor-explorations-tickets-1661692329489 

(more…)