New York State Historical Association (Cooperstown, N. Y.)

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The New York State Historical Association was founded in 1899 by New Yorkers who were interested in promoting greater knowledge of the early history of the state. They hoped to encourage original research, to educate general audiences by means of lectures and publications, to mark places of historic interest with tablets or signs, and to start a library and museum to hold manuscripts, paintings, and objects associated with the history of the state.

It was an ambitious undertaking proposed by the founders when they held their first official meeting on March 21, 1899, in the village of Lake George. But time has justified their optimism and the Association has grown dramatically during the intervening century into a successful and multifaceted institution.

In 1926, Horace Moses, another New Yorker interested in the history of the state, donated a permanent home in Ticonderoga, New York for the Association. The structure was a replica of John Hancock's famous house in Boston. In addition to Hancock House, Moses also gave a separate endowment to help run the Association.

In 1939 Stephen Carlton Clark offered the Association a new home in the village of Cooperstown. Clark, an avid collector, took an active interest in expanding the holdings of the Association and in 1944 donated Fenimore House, one of his family's properties, to be used as a new headquarters and museum. The impressive neo-Georgian structure was built in the 1930s on the site of James Fenimore Cooper's early 19th century farmhouse on the shore of Otsego Lake, Cooper's Glimmerglass.

Fenimore House was large enough to have both extensive exhibition galleries as well as office and library space. The collections and programs continued to expand and a separate library building was constructed in 1968. In 1995 a new 18,000 square foot wing was added to Fenimore House to house the Eugene and Clare Thaw Collection which is one of the nation's premier collections of American Indian Art. In 1999 in recognition of our world class collections we changed the name Fenimore House Museum to Fenimore Art Museum.

In 2014, organiziation applied to the New York State Board of Regents to add "Fenimore Art Museum" an alternate name, and in 2017 officially changed its name to Fenimore Art Museum, discontinuing use of New York State Historical Association completely and permanently.

Archival Resources
Role Title Holding Repository
creatorOf New York State Historical Association. New York State Historical Association records, 1909-1915 (bulk 1909-1910) New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn New York State Historical Association. [A collection of pamphlets pertaining to travel and tourism in New York State]. New-York Historical Society
referencedIn Cunningham, Mary E., 1911-1986. Mary E. Cunningham papers, 1835-1960 (bulk 1948-1960). Fenimore Art Museum (Cooperstown, N. Y.)
referencedIn DeMott, John Jacques. John Jacques De Mott papers, 1912-1929. New-York Historical Society Library
referencedIn Henry Allen Moe Papers, 1920-1975 American Philosophical Society
referencedIn Cardiff Giant collection, 1869-2003 (bulk 1869-1969). Fenimore Art Museum (Cooperstown, N. Y.)
referencedIn New York State Historical Association. New York State Historical Association scrapbooks, 1930(ca.)-1979. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Papers of John Coolidge and Agnes Mongan, 1909-2006 Harvard Art Museums. Archives
referencedIn Frederick Coykendall papers, 1923-1956 Columbia University in the City of New York, Columbia University Libraries
referencedIn Halsey family. Halsey family papers, 1870-1975. Cornell University Library
referencedIn New York State Historical Association. Historical Records Survey publicity files, 1937-1943. New York State Library
referencedIn Paul A. Freund papers Harvard Law School Library Langdell Hall Cambridge, MA 02138
referencedIn Jones, Louis C. (Louis Clark), 1908-1990. Louis C. Jones papers, 1853-1993 (bulk 1925-1987). Fenimore Art Museum (Cooperstown, N. Y.)
referencedIn McGown Hardware Store (Cooperstown, N.Y.). McGown Hardware Store records, 1851-1983. Fenimore Art Museum (Cooperstown, N. Y.)
referencedIn Oswald Garrison Villard papers Houghton Library
referencedIn Rath, Frederick L. Papers of Frederick L. Rath, Jr., 1917-2001 (bulk 1937-1988) University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
referencedIn Halsey family papers, 1870-1975. Division of Rare and Manuscript Collections, Cornell University Library.
referencedIn Thompson, Harold William, 1891-1964. Harold William Thompson papers, 1942-1955. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Rath, Frederick L. Papers of Frederick L. Rath, Jr., 1917-2001 (bulk 1937-1988) University of Maryland (College Park, Md.). Libraries
referencedIn Fox, Dixon Ryan, 1887-1945. Dixon Ryan Fox papers, 1925-1945. Fenimore Art Museum (Cooperstown, N. Y.)
referencedIn Papers, 1684-1938. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Papers, 1762-1913. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
creatorOf New York State Historical Association. Repository description. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Folk art records, 1938-1950. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Boyd, Julian P. (Julian Parks), 1903-1980. Julian P. Boyd papers, 1935-1980. Princeton University Library
referencedIn Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Office of Publications Book Files, 1973-1998. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, The Clark
referencedIn Cunningham, Mary E. Mary E. and Anna Cunningham papers, 1962-1992. Cornell University Library
referencedIn Papers, 1815-1985, 1842-1897 (bulk) New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Holden, Austin Wells, 1819-1891. Holden papers, 1820-1918. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Miscellaneous manuscripts, 1704-1980. New York State Historical Documents Inventory
referencedIn Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. Director's Office Records, 1955-1977. Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute, The Clark
referencedIn Cunningham, Mary E., 1911-1986. Papers, ca.1940-1970. American Periodical Series I
referencedIn New York State Historical Association. Institutional file. Brooklyn Museum Libraries & Archives
Role Title Holding Repository
Relation Name
associatedWith Boyd, Julian P. (Julian Parks), 1903-1980. person
associatedWith Chadaeyne family. family
associatedWith Clark, Stephen Carlton, 1882-1960 person
correspondedWith Coolidge, John, 1913-1995 person
founderOf Cooperstown Graduate Program in History Museum Studies corporateBody
associatedWith Coykendall, Frederick, 1872-1954. person
associatedWith Cunningham, Mary E. person
associatedWith Cunningham, Mary E., 1911-1986. person
associatedWith DeMott, John Jacques. person
associatedWith Farmers' museum Cooperstown, N.Y. corporateBody
associatedWith Fox, Dixon Ryan, 1887-1945. person
associatedWith Halsey family. family
associatedWith Halsey family. family
associatedWith Historical Records Survey (N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Holden, Austin Wells, 1819-1891. person
associatedWith Holden, James A. 1861-1918. person
associatedWith Holden, James Austen. person
employerOf Jones, Louis C. (Louis Clark), 1908-1990 person
associatedWith Jones, Louis C. (Louis Clark), 1908-1990. person
associatedWith Lipman, Jean, 1909-1998. person
associatedWith McGown Hardware Store (Cooperstown, N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith Moe, Henry Allen, 1894-1975. person
associatedWith Paul A. Freund person
associatedWith Rath, Frederick L. person
associatedWith Richards, Frederick B. person
associatedWith Rounds, Ruby M. person
associatedWith Sterling and Francine Clark Art Institute. corporateBody
associatedWith Thompson, Harold William, 1891-1964. person
associatedWith Ticonderoga Historical Society. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Work Progress Administration (N.Y.) corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Work Projects Administration (N.Y.). Research and Records Section. corporateBody
associatedWith United States. Work Projects Administration (N.Y.). War Services Section. corporateBody
correspondedWith Villard, Oswald Garrison, 1872-1949 person
associatedWith White, Lizbeth H. person
Place Name Admin Code Country
Cooperstown NY US
New York (State) NY US
Ticonderoga NY US
Subject
Archives
Art libraries
Art museums
Folk art
Folk art
Historic sites
History
Native American artists
Native American arts
Research libraries
Occupation
Activity
Education
Collecting
Exhibiting
Librarians
Publishing
Research

Corporate Body

Disestablishment 2017-03

Establishment 1899

Active 2014-01

English

Information

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SNAC ID: 87413263