New York History Comes Alive At These 11 Cool Historical Centers

While you are out and about doing a little "daytripping" this summer, stop in to the county historical society center where ever you are to learn the real story of each place.  Every county has a historical society, they are all open to the public with tours an exhibits, and you never know what you will find when you get there.

Here is a list of 11 random historical societies found around Upstate New York (other counties will be represented in the future).  We encourage you to stop in and explore.

What will you find?

Well, as the list tells you, the array of items is crazy.  You will see President Theodore Roosevelt's personal cigar humidor which is made out of a real rhinoceros' foot.  You will see a military jacket worn by an Upstate man who was at Ford Theatre the night Lincoln was shot.  The man helped carry Lincoln from the theatre and still has the president's blood on the jacket.  You will see a grand "Gone With the Wind" sweeping spiral staircase which has no support beams under it.  You will be in a house that Solomon Northrup once lived in.  He was the man who was kidnapped and sold into slavery in the South and whose story was told in the film "12 Years a Slave."  And you will see a historical society building that was attacked by the British in the Revolutionary War and still carries a cannon ball hole on their exterior wall.

Have your attention yet?

All of these have great stories and we hope you will visit them when you are on an Upstate road trip.