Manlius Historical Museum reopens for the season

VILLAGE OF MANLIUS – The Manlius Historical Museum reopened for the season on July 4 with new exhibits and familiar staples for visitors to see.

From 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. Manlius Historical Society Director Linda Bailey and the organization’s docent, Sue Collin, were there to greet visitors the museum and give them informative walkthroughs of its rooms.

The historical society’s museum, located at 101 Scoville Ave. in the village of Manlius, encompasses memorabilia from all three villages within the town of Manlius. Its regular hours are currently 10 to 2 p.m. every Saturday until partway through the fall, and admission is free.

The hours for the museum were shifted up from the previous time slot of 11 to 3 p.m. to be more accommodating for visitors. Now, people can more conveniently start their day at the museum before venturing off to tackle other weekend tasks and activities, Bailey said.

Bailey said she has thought of possibly tossing some Fridays into the mix too in the event of special talks given by guest speakers either in the museum or the nearby Cheney House Research Center at 109 Pleasant St., wherever there’s enough room for attendees.

New exhibits on display in the museum include a local milk bottle exhibit, a 1952 road marker for Central New York’s first private preparatory school for boys, the St. John’s School—also known as the Manlius School—and anonymously donated, signed Frederick Burns artwork showing places like Limestone Plaza, Manlius Cinema and Sno Top.

There’s also an on-loan 48-star flag from the collection of Ron Barr and a photo of Dawley Farms’ steel-frame barn on the outskirts of Fayetteville—the first of its kind constructed in the entire country.

Visitors might also recognize the original Suburban Park witch’s head, a remnant of the amusement park’s Laff in the Dark funhouse courtesy of Michael and Debbie Allen, former Manlius residents now living in Boise, Idaho who also supplied the historical sign for the growing Manlius School exhibit.

Upon walking in, those entering the museum will also see a wall of rug beaters donated by local resident Karen Dunn. In the 1800s, those objects were commonly used for dusting, getting dirt out of bedding and cushions, and cleaning up coal that seeped into carpets.

The museum at the corner of Scoville Avenue and Smith Street further contains local athletic and fire department memorabilia, such as a firefighter helmet and a wool baseball uniform, as well as the trumpet-playing seraph weather vane that used to sit atop the Trinity Presbyterian Church’s steeple spire.

On the far wall of the museum’s back room, there will soon be a display of calendars dating back to the early 1900s that belonged to Minoa-based businesses.

The Manlius Historical Museum reopens every year on the Fourth of July because the Declaration of Independence’s bicentennial, July 4, 1976, was the date of the site’s dedication.

Collin said she likes when people who moved away from the area come back years later to visit the museum and tell unique stories of their local upbringings, thereby forming a collective history of the town through their memories.

From 9 a.m. to 2 p.m. on Saturday, July 27, the Manlius Historical Society will hold a trunk sale in the parking lot of the museum, which will have its doors open throughout the event so people can stroll in as they please.

For a $20 donation that goes directly toward the non-profit historical society, vendors can sell antiques, housewares and any other items they wish out of the trunks of their vehicles. To secure a spot, contact the historical society at 315-682-6660.