About Us

The Oneida County Historical Society was founded in1876 and has served since that time to collect, preserve and make accessible the past heritage of Oneida County and the upper Mohawk River Valley.

The Society has an active membership of over 700; a staff of three; a Board of Trustees of 17 men and women; and a volunteer group of 25.

Services center around (1) a research library; (2) a 5,000 sq. ft.  museum exhibit area running two concurrently; (3) weekly programs featuring guest artists, authors and historians and (4) a bookstore.
A message from Executive Director, Brian J. Howard

Welcome to the Oneida County Historical Society, 'your history place' . Explore the rich heritage of the Mohawk Valley with us; get to know your ancestors who settled here, or research our growth from the Erie Canal to the New York State Thruway. Tour our exhibits to get a firsthand look at the people, products, and industries that shaped who we are now. Attend programs featuring guest speakers on topics ranging from the Battle of Oriskany to the Great Depression.

Looking for something special? Since 1876 the Society has collected artifacts that tell the story not just of Oneida County, but of our nation since before the American Revolution. These include documents signed by several U.S. Presidents, including George Washington. Or, uncover your own story through our extensive geneological collections and library. Please return frequently to our website to stay informed of new exhibits and programs.

Leave us with a fresh perspective on Oneida County. What is your role? Are you a student, a professional, a laborer, a business owner? Or just a tourist on your way through? You make history every day. Thank you for making your history place a part of your life--today.


The society is located at 1608 Genesee Street, Utica, New York 13502-5425. (Map)
Hours of Operation:
Tuesday – Thurs, 10am – 4pm, Saturday, 11:00am - 3:00pm
Closed Sunday, Monday and Friday
Call 315-735-3642 or e-mail us at ochs@midyork.org.
More "About Us"
  • Thanks to the generous support of former Oneida County Executive Ralph Eannace, the Oneida County Legislators, Assemblywoman RoAnn DeStito, and many individual donors, Your History Place is now accessible to the physically challenged.
  • Your History Place conducts critical research on a wide variety of topics for family history researchers, students, teachers, businesses, government, authors, and others. The Society has free high-speed Internet connections available to members of the Society.
  • The Society cares for a growing collection of over 250,000 documents and books, tens of thousands of images (photographs, paintings, slides, drawings, etc.) and thousands of artifacts. Many are rare collection items that provide invaluable information for researchers.
  • Your History Place conducts teacher workshops on a variety of topics and our new Walking Tour to help area teachers educate students about our rich local history. Our primary source document teaching materials have been adopted throughout New York and in other states.
© 2009 Oneida County Historical Society, 1608 Genesee Street, Utica, New York 13502-5425
315-735-3642, e-mail: ochs@midyork.org
Website hosting services provided by Mid-York Library System, http://www.midyork.org