HISTORY CENTER IN TOMPKINS COUNTY

Connect to the past, uncover your local history

aka The History Center in Tompkins County   |   Ithaca, NY   |  www.thehistorycenter.net

Mission

THE HISTORY CENTER IN TOMPKINS COUNTY HELPS PEOPLE USE THE TOOLS OF HISTORY TO UNDERSTAND THE PAST, GAIN PERSPECTIVE ON THE PRESENT, AND PLAY AN INFORMED ROLE IN SHAPING THE FUTURE. IN ORDER TO ACCOMPLISH THIS MISSION WE: -PRESERVE AND ENCOURAGE ACCESS TO THE HISTORY CENTER'S UNIQUE COLLECTIONS; -SEEK OUT THE DIVERSE NEEDS AND INTERESTS OF OUR COMMUNITY; -DESIGN LEARNING EXPERIENCES AND PROVIDE SERVICES THAT RESPOND TO THOSE NEEDS; -CREATE OPPORTUNITIES FOR PEOPLE TO LEARN ABOUT THEMSELVES AND THEIR PLACE IN THE WORLD; AND -PROVIDE A NEUTRAL ENVIRONMENT FOR PUBLIC DISCUSSIONS THAT BRING HISTORICAL PERSPECTIVE TO CURRENT ISSUES.

Ruling year info

1972

Executive Director

Ben Sandberg

Main address

110 North Tioga St

Ithaca, NY 14850 USA

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Formerly known as

DeWitt Historical Society

The DeWitt Historical Society

EIN

15-6024061

NTEE code info

(Historical Societies, Historic Preservation) (A82)

IRS filing requirement

This organization is required to file an IRS Form 990 or 990-EZ.

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Communication

Blog

Programs and results

What we aim to solve

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Our programs

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

What are the organization's current programs, how do they measure success, and who do the programs serve?

Thaler/Howell Archives

Whether for genealogical research, or to learn about your house, or any other aspect of local history, you will probably find something, in the Cornell Local Research Library and Thaler/Howell Archives.

We have over 2,000 family genealogy files, over 100 oral history interviews, 250 bound ledgers, 440 scrapbooks, 1,200 maps, more than 3,000 local history books, extensive manuscript collections, newspapers dating back to 1819, and dozens of regional photographic collections from as early as 1865.

Contact our archivist at [email protected] with any questions about our holdings.

Population(s) Served
Age groups
Academics
Families

Our Exhibit Hall on the Ithaca Commons is a state of the art museum highlighting the history of Tompkins County and the Finger Lakes region thorough interactive displays with artifacts from our extensive physical archival collections.

Our Passage Through Time walkway begins with a video representation of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ' (generally known by the mispronunciation Cayuga) creation myth. This video was was made in collaboration with local representatives of the Gayogo̱hó:nǫ' Nation. We collectively acknowledge that Tompkins County is located on the traditional, ancestral, and contemporary lands of Indigenous people. All Native American items currently on display in our museum are on loan from the Cayuga Nation.

The timeline highlights snippets of Tompkins County history from the building of the famed Clinton Hotel, to the election of Svante Myrick in 2011, Ithaca's first African-American Mayor.

Our six P.L.A.C.E. (People, Land, Architecture, Culture, and Enterprise) Exhibit Towers each explore two local aspects of history. Digital displays, and pull out drawers with additional artifacts are present at each tower. The tower displays within the Exhibit Hall change twice a year, while the tower display in the Tompkins Center atrium changes every 3-4 months.

Our main attraction is our permanent exhibit of the 103 year old Tommy Plane, which visitors see as soon as they enter the hall. Tommy is a Thomas Morse Scout S4-B which was manufactured in Ithaca by the Thomas Morse Aviation Corporation in 1918. The plane was painstakingly restored by the Ithaca Aviation Heritage Foundation over 14 years, and took its centennial flight over Ithaca on September 29th 2018. The plane is still flight worthy, however we don't have plans to fly it again...yet.

Explore our Story Vault, housed in one of the original bank vaults of the Tompkins Trust Company, and listen to oral histories from residents and visitors to Tompkins County. You can even take the time to record your own!

Smaller exhibits change on a rotating monthly basis, with museum wide exhibit changes twice a year.

Population(s) Served
Age groups
Ethnic and racial groups
Family relationships

Where we work

Videos

Our Sustainable Development Goals

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

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How we listen

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Seeking feedback from people served makes programs more responsive and effective. Here’s how this organization is listening.

done We demonstrated a willingness to learn more by reviewing resources about feedback practice.
done We shared information about our current feedback practices.

  • How is your organization collecting feedback from the people you serve?

    Paper surveys, Community meetings/Town halls, Suggestion box/email,

  • How is your organization using feedback from the people you serve?

    To identify bright spots and enhance positive service experiences, To make fundamental changes to our programs and/or operations, To inform the development of new programs/projects, To identify where we are less inclusive or equitable across demographic groups, To strengthen relationships with the people we serve,

  • With whom is the organization sharing feedback?

    Our staff, Our board, Our community partners,

  • Which of the following feedback practices does your organization routinely carry out?

    We collect feedback from the people we serve at least annually, We take steps to ensure people feel comfortable being honest with us, We look for patterns in feedback based on demographics (e.g., race, age, gender, etc.), We engage the people who provide feedback in looking for ways we can improve in response, We act on the feedback we receive,

  • What challenges does the organization face when collecting feedback?

    It is difficult to get the people we serve to respond to requests for feedback, The people we serve tell us they find data collection burdensome, It is difficult to find the ongoing funding to support feedback collection, Staff find it hard to prioritize feedback collection and review due to lack of time,

Financials

HISTORY CENTER IN TOMPKINS COUNTY
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Operations

The people, governance practices, and partners that make the organization tick.

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Connect with nonprofit leaders

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  • Analyze a variety of pre-calculated financial metrics
  • Access beautifully interactive analysis and comparison tools
  • Compare nonprofit financials to similar organizations

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HISTORY CENTER IN TOMPKINS COUNTY

Board of directors
as of 3/27/2021
SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

Board leadership practices

SOURCE: Self-reported by organization

GuideStar worked with BoardSource, the national leader in nonprofit board leadership and governance, to create this section.

  • Board orientation and education
    Does the board conduct a formal orientation for new board members and require all board members to sign a written agreement regarding their roles, responsibilities, and expectations? Yes
  • CEO oversight
    Has the board conducted a formal, written assessment of the chief executive within the past year ? Yes
  • Ethics and transparency
    Have the board and senior staff reviewed the conflict-of-interest policy and completed and signed disclosure statements in the past year? Yes
  • Board composition
    Does the board ensure an inclusive board member recruitment process that results in diversity of thought and leadership? No
  • Board performance
    Has the board conducted a formal, written self-assessment of its performance within the past three years? Yes