Schenectady County Historical Society Museum

The Schenectady County Historical Society, through the acquisition, preservation, and exhibition of historic artifacts, documents, and structures, will educate residents and visitors about this dynamic past, so that Schenectady’s history will be preserved for the future.The Schenectady History Museum, located at 32 Washington Avenue in Schenectady, helps visitors explore the complex history of Schenectady County. Exhibits trace the area’s history from the earliest European settlers who traded with the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois), to the industrial and immigration boom of the late nineteenth and twentieth centuries. Visitors explore a diverse range of Schenectady’s history, including the fur trade, the American Revolution, the Erie Canal, General Electric, and the American Locomotive Company, while signature artifacts like the Liberty Flag and the Yates Dollhouse illustrate the deep history of this area. The main rotating gallery in the museum’s Vrooman Room has featured exhibits on a variety of topics, from Schenectady’s professional African American baseball team the Mohawk Colored Giants to the fashion, family, and faith of women in the Victorian era. Situated in the heart of the historic Stockade District of Schenectady, the Schenectady History Museum is the perfect starting point for discovering the history of Schenectady County.Originally housed in one of the rooms of the Schenectady History Museum, The Grems-Doolittle Library was expanded through a 3,000-square-foot addition to the building at 32 Washington Avenue in 1991.