Scroll down to see our upcoming events and programs!
GOHS Ballroom
Grand Opening Gala
Friday, June 12, 6-9pm
Third-Floor Ballroom (183 Main Street)
Join us on Friday, June 12, 2026, from 6-9pm, for the Grand Opening of our newly renovated historic third-floor ballroom at the Oneonta History Center & Museum (183 Main Street)!
The evening will feature local eats from neighborhood caterers, a cash bar, games, prizes, and a 50/50 raffle.
The renovation of GOHS’s historic third-floor ballroom, once the location for local community gatherings, events, balls, and live music, was completed last November. The restoration of the ballroom has created a new, multi-use cultural space with eco-friendly infrastructure, ADA compliant bathrooms, a kitchenette, and a state-of-the-art audio/visual system, while still embracing and preserving the ballroom’s historic charm and appeal. The ballroom is now available as a gathering venue, suitable for community meetings, lectures and speaker series, corporate and other organizational functions, celebratory events, and other gatherings.
The Gala will introduce the ballroom space to our community and highlight its potential use for educational and cultural programming, meetings, and celebratory events.
This event is free and open to the public, with donations encouraged.
2026 Summer
Walking Tour Series
1GOHS kicks off our 2026 Summer Walking Tour Series on Thursday, June 18, at 1:30pm with a Walking Tour of the historic Homer Folks Tuberculosis Hospital on the Job Corps campus, led by GOHS’s Bob Brzozowski, Bill Pietraface, and Janet Potter, former Homer Folks nurse Janice Downie, and former Homer Folks child patient Frank Marquette. This tour will begin at 1:30pm with registration beginning at 1pm at the front entrance of the Administration Building. Tour goers will then travel to the field house (gym) for a presentation by Janice and Frank on their experiences and memories of TB Hospital. Groups will then divide up and choose to tour either the exterior grounds with Bob and Bill (view the old nurses’ residence, medical staff housing, children’s hospital, power station, emergency shelter, and the outdoor campus, weather permitting) or the interior of the administration building (includes the operating room, autoclave and display, plus the stairwell exhibit). While this tour is by donation, space is limited to just 40 people, and we do request that you please RSVP by Monday, June 15 to directormm@oneontahistory.org or by calling the History Center at 607-432-0960, to reserve your space! To speed along check-in at Job Corps the day of, we request that when registering for the tour you are prepared to provide yours and your party’s name(s), date of birth(s), and drivers license number(s), plus your tour preference (indoor or outdoor). GOHS thanks Oneonta Job Corps Academy for their partnership and planning for this event.
Then, on Tuesday, June 30, join GOHS Trustees Frank Antonucci, Bob Brzozowski, and Art Torrey, who will lead a historic tour of Riverside Cemetery (behind the First Presbyterian Church, 296 Main Street). In honor of America 250, this tour will explore some of the sites of Oneonta’s Revolutionary War soldiers, early settlers, and famous families, like the Morenus, Swart, Walling, Ford, Fox, and Watkins families. This tour will meet at the gates of the Cemetery directly following the unveiling of the Riverside Cemetery NYS Historical Marker (shortly after 6pm). Please advise, terrain for this tour may be difficult.
Next, stop down to the pavilion for our annual tours of the historic Red Caboose in Neahwa Park during the July Fourth celebrations on Saturday, July 4 from 12-4pm. Join our own Bhanu Gaur at the Caboose for a chance to step inside, walk through, and get an up-close view of the Red Caboose and learn more about its history and the story of the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen.
Then, on the evening of Thursday, August 6, GOHS Trustee Bob Brzozowski and GOHS Member and retired NYC tour guide Don Cook will lead a Historic Tour of Downtown Oneonta! This tour will explore historic Main Street and will leave from the History Center (183 Main Street) at 6:00pm.
Last but not least, on Saturday, August 22 at 11am, GOHS Librarian Wayne Wright will lead a tour of the old Oneonta Fairgrounds (top of Fair Street near Belmont Circle). This tour will immediately follow the unveiling of the Oneonta Fairgrounds NYS Historical Marker.
All GOHS Summer Walking Tours are by donation and reservations are not required, unless otherwise noted. Additional tours may be announced in the coming months.
2026 NYS Historical Marker
Unveiling Ceremonies
In 2026, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s New York State Historic Marker Grant Program funded the purchase of two new yellow and blue historical markers in Oneonta for the U&D Depot and Riverside Cemetery. With the help of the Future for Oneonta Foundation, SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association, and other donors, GOHS has also individually funded two historical markers for the Oneonta Fairgrounds and Old Main. Each of these locations are a testament to Oneonta’s history of innovation, evolution, and enduring sense of community.
GOHS will hold public unveiling ceremonies for each historical marker. We will begin with the unveiling of the marker fo Riverside Cemetery (296 Main Street, behind the First Presbyterian Church) on Tuesday, June 30 at 6pm. The marker for the Cemetery honors Oneonta’s prominent families, early settlers, and war veterans buried there. Immediately following this unveiling, GOHS Board Members Frank Antonucci, Bob Brzozowski, and Art Torrey will lead a tour of Riverside Cemetery, highlighting some of the many Revolutionary War soldiers and early settlers buried there.
Next, GOHS will unveil the historical marker commemoratingthe U&D Depot (now the Depot Restaurant and Tavern at 4 ½ Railroad Avenue) on Friday, July 10, at 3pm. This marker commemorates the Ulster & Delaware Train Depot, the largest and final terminus station on the U&D line (service from 1900 – 1954).
In August, we will be joined by GOHS Librarian Wayne Wright for the unveiling of the marker for the Oneonta Fairgrounds (Date TBD). The Fairgrounds marker commemorates the site of the Central NY Fair from 1873 to 1927 and its racetrack (now Belmont Circle). Following the unveiling, Wayne will lead a tour of the historic Fairgrounds. *More information on this unveiling and tour to come! This marker is funded by the Future for Oneonta Foundation (FOF) and generous donor Wayne Wright.
For our final historical marker unveiling, we will be joined by SUNY Oneonta staff and the Alumni Association during Founder’s Week for the unveiling of the marker for Old Main [Oneonta Normal School] (7 State Street), will be held on Friday, September 4 (time TBD). Old Main, established in 1889 and razed in 1977, was the original site of SUNY Oneonta. This marker will be located at the foot of Maple Street at the intersection of State Street, where the original steps to the Old Main building remain. The marker is funded by the SUNY Oneonta Alumni Association.
Thank you to our partners, Mayor Dan Butterman and the City of Oneonta and their Department of Public Works for supporting the historical marker project; to GOHS Collections Assistants Andrew Kendall and Laura Santos and Volunteer Librarian Wayne Wright for assisting with the grant applications; and to our friends and colleagues at SUNY Oneonta for helping to make this round of historical markers a success!
Please join us in celebrating the continued preservation of Oneonta’s rich history.
2026 Cycle
Hometown Heroes Banner Program
In 2023, the Greater Oneonta Historical Society (GOHS) launched the Oneonta Hometown Heroes Banner Program. The program honors Oneonta’s hometown veterans with a custom 18×48” banner, mounted along the light poles in the town and city of Oneonta to honor veterans or those currently serving in the Armed Forces.
The Hometown Heroes banners are displayed from Memorial Day (May 26, 2026) to Veterans Day (November 11, 2026) each year, and each banner includes a photo of the veteran, their name and branch of service, time served, and any medals received.
GOHS would like to thank our sponsors, veterans, and the City and Town of Oneonta for helping make the 2023 – 2025 Hometown Heroes programs a success! We look forward to continuing the Hometown Heroes program honoring current and past servicemembers in 2026. Banners can be sponsored by anyone who would like to honor a veteran. A sponsor may be a business, a friend or family member of a veteran (or a group of friends or family members), or the veteran themselves. The honoree does not need to be a native of Oneonta.
Like last year, display locations for banners in 2026 will include light poles down Main Street, River Street, and Chestnut Street (up to West Street) in the City of Oneonta and Chestnut Street (from West End Avenue) and Oneida Streets in the Town of Oneonta.
The 2025 banners came down in November. They have been cleaned and stored at the Oneonta History Center (183 Main Street). If you are a banner sponsor that would like to pick up your banner(s), banner pickup will be available at the History Center during business hours (Wednesday – Friday, 12-4pm; Saturday 10am-4pm).
Banner sponsors that wish to renew the display of their banner for the next season may submit a 2026 renewal application for a small annual fee. Their banners will remain stored at the History Center until next season and put back on display. Any banner that is damaged or in need of repair will be reordered, at no cost to the sponsor.
Banner sponsors will also have the option of choosing their preferred location(s) for their banner(s). All banners (new and renewed) and their locations are on a first come first serve basis and spaces are limited, so be sure to renew your banner, or apply for a new banner, ASAP!
The deadline for applications for NEW banners for the 2026 cycle was Saturday, March 28, 2026. The deadline for applications for RENEWAL banners for the 2026 cycle was Saturday, May 9, 2026
(availability permitting).
*GOHS will replace damaged banners at no cost to the sponsor. Banners with normal wear and tear and/or fading are not considered to be damaged banners. If a sponsor would like to replace an older or worn banner, the sponsor will be responsible for the incurred cost of the new banner.
Stay updated on the 2026 Hometown Heroes Banner Program and learn more about the application process and deadlines by following GOHS’s social media pages @oneontahistoricalsociety. For additional inquiries, please contact program director Marcela Micucci (directormm@oneontahistory.org) or call the History Center at (607) 432-0960.
GOHS looks forward to the 2026 cycle of the Hometown Heroes Banner Program.
2025 NYS Historical Marker
Unveiling Ceremonies
In 2025, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s New York State Historic Marker Grant Program funded the purchase of two new yellow and blue historical markers in Oneonta for Center St. School and the historic Red Caboose. With the help of the Future for Oneonta Foundation, the Unitarian Universalist Church, the Schumann Foundation, and other donors, GOHS has also individually funded three historical markers for Sixth Ward, the Ford Mansion, and McDonald Tavern. Each of these locations are a testament to Oneonta’s history of innovation, evolution, and enduring sense of community.
GOHS held public unveiling ceremonies for each historical marker. We began with the unveiling of the marker for Center St. School (31 Center Street), on Friday, June 13. This marker commemorates the oldest standing school in the City of Oneonta, opened in 1897. Now the home to the Oneonta City School District, superintendent Tom Brindley and OSCD and Center Street School staff joined us for the unveiling.
Next, GOHS and the City of Oneonta unveiled the historical marker commemorating the Historic Red Caboose in Neahwa Park (15 James Georgeson Avenue) on Tuesday, July 1, in advance of the Fourth of July festivities. The marker for the Red Caboose honors Oneonta’s railroad history and the founding of one of the first and largest labor organizations, the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen (later Trainmen) in 1883.
Then, we were joined by Sixth Ward staples Dr. John Nader, Frank Russo, and additional honored guests for the unveiling of the marker for The Sixth Ward at the Oneonta Boys & Girls Club (70 River Street) on Friday, July 25. The Sixth Ward marker commemorates the Sixth Ward neighborhood, its diverse immigrant community, and the social and civic institutions they created.
The next marker unveiling, for the Ford Mansion (now Community Bank, 245 Main Street), was held on Wednesday, August 13, at 1pm. Once home to abolitionist Eliakim Reed Ford, the marker stands at the former location of the mansion, which was torn down in 1929. David Schumann, descendent of the Ford family, joined us for this ceremony, along with Harry Bradshaw Matthews, who spoke to the mansion’s reputed connection to the Underground Railroad.
Our final historical marker unveiling for McDonald Tavern (now Stewart’s Shop, 47 Main Street), was held on Thursday, August 28, at 3pm. The tavern, razed in 1961, was one of Oneonta’s first operating taverns and the reputed birthplace of acclaimed photographer of the West, Carleton E. Watkins. This marker was funded, in part, by a grant through the Unitarian Universalist Church Society.
Thank you to our partners, Mayor Mark Drnek and the City of Oneonta for supporting the historical marker project; to GOHS Collections Assistant Andrew Kendall, Center Street School historian Mark Parmerter and Secretary to the Superintendent Reggie Ranieri McGuinness, and the Milne Library at SUNY Oneonta for assisting with the grant applications; and to our friends and colleagues with the Oneonta City School District, the Oneonta Boys & Girls Club, Community Bank, and Stewart’s Shops for helping to make this round of historical markers a success!
Please join us in celebrating the continued preservation of Oneonta’s rich history.
(from left): OCSD School Board President Susan Kurkowski , Mayor Mark Drnek, OCSD Assistant Superintendent of Instruction and Curriculum Coleen Moore, Retired Center St, School Principal John Cook, OCSD Superintendent Tom Brindley, Marcela Micucci (GOHS), & OCSD District Clerk Reggie McGuiness at Center St. School
(from left): Marcela Micucci (GOHS), Bhanu Gaur (GOHS), & LRHS Co-Founder Jim Loudon
(from left): Sixth Ward AC President Bob Thomas, OBGC Vice President Tim McGraw, FOF Board President Gary Herzig, former Mayor John Nader, Marcela Micucci (GOHS), & Mayor Mark Drnek
(from left): GOHS Trustee Harry Bradshaw Matthews, Ford family descendent David Schumann, & Marcela Micucci (GOHS).
GOHS Trustee Bob Brzozowski & Marcela Micucci (GOHS).
2025 Summer
Walking Tour Series
GOHS kicked off our 2025 Summer Walking Tour Series on Thursday, June 26, at 1:30pm with a Walking Tour of the historic Homer Folks Tuberculosis Hospital on the Job Corps campus, led by GOHS’s Bob Brzozowski, Bill Pietraface, and Janet Potter, former Homer Folks nurse Janice Downie, and former Homer Folks child patient Frank Marquette. Tour goers enjoyed a presentation by Janice and Frank on their experiences and memories of TB Hospital. Groups then divided up and toured either the exterior grounds with Bob and Bill (view the old nurses’ residence, medical staff housing, children’s hospital, power station, emergency shelter, and the outdoor campus) or the interior of the administration building (included the operating room, autoclave and display, plus the stairwell exhibit). GOHS thanks Oneonta Job Corps Academy for their partnership and planning for this event.
Then, in July, we held our annual tours of the historic Red Caboose in Neahwa Park during the July Fourth celebrations on Friday, July 4 with our own Bhanu Gaur for a chance to step inside, walk through, and get an up-close view of the Red Caboose and learn more about its history and the story of the Brotherhood of Railroad Brakemen.
Then, on the evening of Thursday, July 24, GOHS Trustees Art Torrey and Liz Morley joined us again to lead a tour of downtown in the 1960s! This tour explored historic downtown in the “age of Woodstock” to coincide with our summer music exhibition, Schools of Rock.
On Saturday, August 16, GOHS Trustees Frank Antonucci, Bob Brzozowski, and Art Torrey led a historic tour of Riverside Cemetery. The tour explored the sites of Oneonta’s Civil War soldiers and famous Oneontans, like the Ford, Fox, and Watkins families.
All GOHS Summer Walking Tours are by donation and reservations are not required, unless otherwise noted.
Soccertown: Then & Now
Panel Presentation
Thursday, May 8, 6:00 - 7:30pm
Foothills Performing Arts Center (24 Market Street) Loft Space
On Thursday, May 8, 2025, GOHS held a public program to coincide with our current special exhibition, Oneonta: Soccertown USA at the Foothills Performing Arts Center (24 Market Street) Loft Space. If you were unable to attend the program, check out the recording of the event below, courtesy of Otsego Media!
The panel presentation, Soccertown: Then & Now, brought together past and present coaches and players from Hartwick College, SUNY Oneonta, Oneonta High School, and the community to discuss their experiences and Oneonta’s rich soccer history.
Moderated by Tony Avanzato, panelists included: Alex Brannan, SUNY Oneonta player & OHS Boy’s Soccer Coach; Jim Lennox, Coach of the 1977 Hartwick Men’s Soccer Championship Team; Ian McIntyre, Hartwick player & SUNY Oneonta & Hartwick Men’s Soccer Coach (& current Men’s Soccer Coach at Syracuse University); Mara Primmer, OHS player & SUNY Oneonta Women’s Soccer Coach; Tracey Ranieri, SUNY Oneonta Women’s Soccer Coach & Athletic Director; and Dave Ranieri, OHS & SUNY Oneonta player and SUNY Oneonta Assistant Coach.
The program was held in the loft space of the Foothills Performing Arts Center and was free and open to the public.
2024 NYS
Historical Marker Initiative
This year, the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s New York State Historic Marker Grant Program funded the purchase of five new yellow and blue historical markers in Oneonta.
The markers include the D&H Train Station, built in 1892, at the former site of Stella Luna Ristorante (58-60 Market Street); the Huntington Home, today the Huntington Memorial Library and Park (62 Chestnut Street); Damaschke Field in Neahwa Park, one of the oldest active ballparks in America (15 James Georgeson Avenue); the Wilber Mansion, now home to the Community Arts Network of Oneonta (CANO) (11 Ford Avenue); and the Oneonta Armory, built in 1905 (4 Academy Street). With the help of the Future for Oneonta Foundation, GOHS has also individually funded a historical marker for the Oneonta Ford Sales Building. Each of these locations are a testament to Oneonta’s history of innovation, evolution, and enduring sense of community.
Please join us in celebrating the continued preservation of Oneonta’s rich history.
Thank you to our partners, Mayor Mark Drnek and the City of Oneonta’s Department of Public Works, for installing the markers and for supporting the historical marker project. And a special thanks to our friends and colleagues at Huntington Memorial Library, CANO, Stella Luna’s, and Damaschke Field for helping to make this round of historical markers a success!
D&H Special Exhibition - April 22, 2023 - November 2023
This spring, GOHS will open our next special exhibition, to open in April 2023. Released in two parts, the exhibition will commemorate the bicentennial of the D&H Canal Company charter, which provided over 100 years of railroad service to the town and city of Oneonta.
Part I, Building Up Steam: The Rise of the D&H Railroad in Oneonta (April 22 – July) and Part II, Leaving the Station: The Fall of the D&H Railroad in Oneonta (August – November) will explore the rise and fall of the D&H Railroad and its operations in Oneonta from the 1850s through modern day, including the invaluable impact the railroad had on Oneonta’s economic, social, and cultural landscape.
On display in the Brzozowski Special Exhibition Gallery and the SUNY Oneonta Alumni and Buckingham windows, it will feature a variety of local D&H artifacts, documents, and photographs from GOHS’ collection.
The exhibit is curated by GOHS’ Executive Director, Dr. Marcela Micucci, and Associate Curator Bhanu Gaur, with the help of a talented team of exhibition designers, docents, advisors, and collections staff. This exhibition was made possible in part by a 2023 New York State Council of the Arts Support for Organizations grant.
D&H Special Exhibition - April 22, 2023 - November 2023
This spring, GOHS will open our next special exhibition, to open in April 2023. Released in two parts, the exhibition will commemorate the bicentennial of the D&H Canal Company charter, which provided over 100 years of railroad service to the town and city of Oneonta.
Part I, Building Up Steam: The Rise of the D&H Railroad in Oneonta (April 22 – July) and Part II, Leaving the Station: The Fall of the D&H Railroad in Oneonta (August – November) will explore the rise and fall of the D&H Railroad and its operations in Oneonta from the 1850s through modern day, including the invaluable impact the railroad had on Oneonta’s economic, social, and cultural landscape.
On display in the Brzozowski Special Exhibition Gallery and the SUNY Oneonta Alumni and Buckingham windows, it will feature a variety of local D&H artifacts, documents, and photographs from GOHS’ collection.
The exhibit is curated by GOHS’ Executive Director, Dr. Marcela Micucci, and Associate Curator Bhanu Gaur, with the help of a talented team of exhibition designers, docents, advisors, and collections staff. This exhibition was made possible in part by a 2023 New York State Council of the Arts Support for Organizations grant.