Oswego County Historical Society

The Oswego County Historical Society was founded in 1896 and incorporated through an act of the New York State Legislature. For more than a century it has preserved and promoted the history of the greater Oswego community through its collections and its museum in Oswego.

Its holdings include thousands of artifacts, photographs and manuscript collections documenting the county. In 1946 the society received the gift of a historic 19th-century Tuscan Villa-style house, which became its headquarters and public museum, the Richardson-Bates House Museum, a landmark on the National Register of Historic Places.

What to Know

• The society was founded in 1896 and incorporated by the state legislature.
• Its home is the Richardson-Bates House Museum, a Tuscan Villa-style residence from the 19th century.
• A 1946 gift of the house gave the society a permanent headquarters.
• The house is listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
• Thousands of artifacts, photographs and manuscripts document the county’s history.