• Ways to Support SLCCHC During the Holiday Season

    Ways to Support SLCCHC During the Holiday Season

    Holiday Deals in the Museum Gift Shop

    Black Friday Deals (November 28)

    SLCCHC will be closed on Friday, November 28, for the holidays. However, you can still order from our museum gift shop online. Use promo code SHOPLOCAL15 to get 15% off your entire order. If you’re a member, use promo code SHOPLOCAL25 for an extra treat.*

    You can choose to have your items shipped or pick them up in person during business hours.

    If you have any issues, please e-mail info@slcha.org or call the office at (315) 386-8133 when we reopen at 10:00 AM on Saturday, November 29.

    *Some exclusions may apply. Memberships must be active for 2025 to use the membership discount. Please contact the office for more information.

    Small Business Saturday (November 29)

    SLCCHC will be open for Small Business Saturday. You may shop in person at 3 E. Main St., Canton, NY, or order from our museum gift shop online.

    If ordering online, use promo code SHOPLOCAL15 to get 15% off your entire order. If you’re a member, use promo code SHOPLOCAL25 for an extra treat.*

    You can choose to have your items shipped or pick them up in person during business hours.

    All discounts will be applied automatically when shopping in person.

    *Some exclusions may apply. Memberships must be active for 2025 to use the membership discount. Please contact the office for more information.

    Cyber Monday (December 1)

    SLCCHC will be open for Cyber Monday. You may shop in person at 3 E. Main St., Canton, NY, or order from our museum gift shop online.

    If ordering online, use promo code SHOPLOCAL15 to get 15% off your entire order. If you’re a member, use promo code SHOPLOCAL25 for an extra treat.*

    You can choose to have your items shipped or pick them up in person during business hours.

    All discounts will be applied automatically when shopping in person.

    *Some exclusions may apply. Memberships must be active for 2025 to use the membership discount. Please contact the office for more information.

    Community Support Matters

    Giving Tuesday (December 2)

    Created in 2012 in New York City, Giving Tuesday is an annual celebration held on the first Tuesday after Thanksgiving. This celebration was created from a very simple idea: creating a day that encourages people to do good. This year, we invite you to support our organization on Tuesday, December 2. It’s a wonderful opportunity to support SLCCHC by making a donation on this special day of charity. Every contribution makes a difference and is sincerely appreciated!

    This holiday season, you can give back to the St. Lawrence County Center for History and Culture in a variety of ways:

    To everyone who has already supported us in so many ways this year, and to those considering supporting us, you have our deepest gratitude.

    Our funding for 2026 has unexpectedly decreased significantly, so we’re counting on your generous donations to help us carry out our upcoming programs and initiatives in the new year. Without community support, our organization would not be able to continue the work we do. We truly appreciate everyone who has donated their time, knowledge, money, artifacts, and so much more.

    If you have any questions regarding how to support us, please contact Megan Royce at engagement@slcha.org or call the office at (315) 386-8133.

  • SLCCHC Annual Holiday Open House

    SLCCHC Annual Holiday Open House

    The St. Lawrence County Center for History & Culture invites you to our annual Holiday Open House at the Silas Wright Historic House & Museum on Friday, December 5 from 3:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

    This event is free to attend and open to the public. Enjoy good food with wonderful company and see the museum decked out for the holidays! Donations are always accepted.

    Holiday Program:

    50/50 drawings will be drawn at 4:30 PM and 6:30 PM.
    Gift basket silent auction will be announced at 6:30 PM

    • Individuals do not have to be present to win and may enter more than one drawing.
    • No limit to the number of tickets individuals may buy.
    • 50/50 Drawing Ticket Prices:
      • 5 tickets = $5.00
      • Arm’s Length = $10.00
    • Gift Basket Silent Auction:
      • Featuring products from local producers
      • Bid sheet will be available in the lobby
    • Door Prizes
      • Spin the Prize Wheel for a chance at a variety of prizes, including a free issue of The Quarterly* and a free 2026 SLCCHC Membership*
      • All prizes won from the Prize Wheel must be redeemed by 7:00 PM on December 5, 2025.
      • *Restrictions Apply

    Live music throughout the evening and a holiday music medley between live performances

    • 3:00 PM – Broad Band, playing a variety of holiday tunes
    • 4:00 PM – Kai Vebber, playing acoustic guitar
    • 5:00 PM – Merrie Friends, playing folk music
    • 6:00 PM – Full Spectrum Flutes, playing a variety of holiday tunes

    Refreshments provided in the County Gallery

    • Coffee
    • Hot Apple Cider
    • Clarissa’s Garden Tea
    • Hot Chocolate
    • Cold Beverages
    • Hors d’oeuvres
      • Featuring local producers across St. Lawrence County

    Self-guided museum tours

    • Guests are welcome to tour the museum at their leisure. Throughout the museum, crafting stations will be set up with take-home crafts for the whole family. Crafting Stations will be available as of 10:00 AM.
    • Visit the Research Room to view a selection of objects from our collection on display just for the Holiday Open House
    • Join the Canton Study Club at 2:30 PM in the Research Room for a special presentation on Victorian Holiday Traditions
      • “Holidays in Victorian Times” by Nancy Casey & Anne Ryan-Ruud (Canton Study Club)
    • Take-home mulling spices for mulling your own apple cider

    • Take-home historic recipes

    Drop-in Crafting Stations

    Crafting Stations will be set up from 10:00 AM to 7:00 PM on Friday, December 5.

    • Holiday Card Making
    • Penguin Paper Craft
    • Stuffed Sock Snowmen Craft
    • Victorian Seed Work Inspired Seed Ornaments
    • Memory Ornaments Inspired by Disney & Pixar’s Inside Out 2
    • Traditional Tin Punch Ornaments
    • Holiday Coloring & Activity Pages

    Please call the office at (315) 386-8133 or e-mail Megan Royce at engagement@slcha.org if you have any questions.

  • Seasonal Closure – December 24, 2025 to March 2, 2026

    Seasonal Closure – December 24, 2025 to March 2, 2026

    The St. Lawrence County Center for History & Culture will be entering its seasonal closure from Friday, December 24, 2025, through Monday, March 2, 2026.

    We will be open by appointment only for museum tours and research requests. Please contact the office at (315) 386-8133 or info@slcha.org to schedule a research appointment, museum tour, or use of the Children’s Attic.

    The front brick pathway will also be closed for the season and will reopen in the spring. Please continue to use our main entrance at the Red Barn Addition to visit.

    SLCCHC will also be closed for the following holidays:
    • December 24, closing at 12:00 PM for Christmas Eve
    • December 25, Christmas Day
    • January 1, New Year’s Day
    • January 19, Martin Luther King’s Birthday
    • February 16, Presidents’ Day

    Our Museum Gift Shop will remain open during our seasonal closure, as staff will be in the office periodically. Orders purchased through our online Gift Shop will continue to be processed as they are received. If you would like to stop in and shop, please call the main office at (315) 386-8133 to ensure the building is open.

    Normal hours will resume on Tuesday, March 3, 2026, when we reopen for the year.

    Thank you for your understanding!

  • Construction Has Started on the Red Barn Addition

    Construction Has Started on the Red Barn Addition

    The St. Lawrence County Center for History & Culture is excited to announce that our first Capital Building Project has begun: replacing the siding on the Red Barn Addition!

    As mentioned in our Summer Appeal Campaign letter, this past year we completed temporary, short-term repairs to the siding of the Red Barn Addition. However, due to deferred maintenance over the years and limited funding, the siding now needs to be replaced entirely.

    Continental Construction will complete the work this fall, with the project expected to finish before the holiday season. They will be using a high-quality, state-of-the-art composite material that will look just like the current material, but will far outlast the existing siding. They will also be installing new soffits of the same material and a new gutter system.

    Because of the high volume of work being done, there will likely be some congestion in the parking lot. Parking along Main Street will not be obstructed during construction. Additionally, our driveway may be closed for periods during construction, but the North Country Savings Bank entrance will remain open.

    Funds are still being raised to support this project, which is estimated to cost SLCCHC $175,000 to complete. We’ve raised around $4,300 so far through our 2025 Summer Appeal Campaign.

    If you’re interested in supporting this effort, please contact Megan Royce at (315) 386-8133 or engagement@slcha.org. You can also contribute through our online store.

  • Be Part of the Silas Wright House Memorial Walkway

    Be Part of the Silas Wright House Memorial Walkway

    As we continue restoring and developing our historic garden, SLCCHC would like to offer you an opportunity to showcase your commitment to our heritage by purchasing a brick engraving in the Silas Wright House Memorial Walkway.

    Your purchased brick will have words chosen by you engraved directly onto the newly installed brick pathway in the historic garden. This engraving opportunity is a wonderful way to commemorate special milestones and remember loved ones.

    The next batch of engravings for the memorial walkway is planned for late 2026.

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  • St. Lawrence County Center for History and Culture Awarded a Technical Assistance Grant from the Preservation League of NYS

    St. Lawrence County Center for History and Culture Awarded a Technical Assistance Grant from the Preservation League of NYS

    St. Lawrence County Center for History and Culture Awarded a Technical Assistance Grant from the Preservation League of NYS

    This grant will fund the completion of a Limited Condition Assessment for the Silas Wright House.

    Contact:

    Carlene Bermann, Executive Director, St. Lawrence County Center for History & Culture
    carlene@slcha.org

    Katy Peace, Director of Communications, Preservation League of NYS
    kpeace@preservenys.org

    CANTON, NY, 08/28/25 — The St. Lawrence County Center for History & Culture is one of this year’s Technical Assistance grantees. Their grant of $7,500 will fund a Limited Condition Assessment for the Silas Wright House. The Preservation League of NYS and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) are thrilled to help fund this important work. At its 2025 meeting, an independent panel selected 31 applicants in 20 counties to receive support totaling $347,500. Grants represent both of the League’s signature NYSCA regrants – Preserve New York (PNY) and Technical Assistance Grants (TAG).

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To explore more about occupied Indigenous land, visit: https://native-land.ca.

The St. Lawrence County Center for History and Culture occupies the traditional lands of the Haudenosaunee (the People of the Longhouse)/Iroquois Confederacy including, Kanienʼkehá꞉ka “the People of the Flint”/Mohawk, Onyota’a:ka “the People of the Upright Stone”/Oneida, Onondagaono “the Hill Place People”/Onondaga, Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ “the People of the Great Swamp”/Cayuga, Onongawaga “the People of the Great Hill”/Seneca, and Skarureh “the People of the Hemp”/Tuscarora who have stewarded this land through generations. This acknowledgment is not enough to honor the people and the land, but we hope that it raises awareness about suppressed Indigenous histories and promotes the visibility of Indigenous peoples.