New space shines light on Newfield’s history

Did you know the railroad route through Ithaca was once destined to bypass the city and instead go through Newfield, or a corrupt treasurer put a loophole in purchase agreements allowing land to be taken back if one payment was late during the seven-year deals and did not allow for a deed transfer until all of them were made?

Those tidbits of information barely scratch the surface of what people can learn when they visit with Newfield Historical Society volunteers. And now, thanks to a partnership between the organization and the Newfield Public Library, there is a place for those visits to take place more easily.

The Newfield History and Activity Center opened at 192 Main St. this spring, and Historical Society volunteers are there from 10 am. to 2 p.m. on the second and fourth Saturdays of the month. People can also make appointments to access the Historical Society’s extensive records and view items in its archives.

Previously housed in a small area at the library, the new center offers the Historical Society much more space.

“We have six or eight times the space we had before,” said Alan Chaffee, Newfield’s town historian since 1972 and president of the Newfield Historical Society. “I think it makes it a lot more accessible to the public.”

“It’s nice to be able to spread out,” said Jon Armstrong, administrator for the Historical Society’s Facebook page.

The center affords both organizations increased ability to offer more to the community. Not only does the library have full use of its building — the Historical Society previously occupied space on the second floor — but it also will make use of the center.

“The center has a full kitchen, and we will be offering cooking demonstrations and classes as part of our summer reading program,” said Sue Chaffee, Newfield Public Library director. “Some library volunteers created a community herb garden in front. We just started promoting a recipe each month that uses fresh herbs at the library and food pantry.”

The central meeting space will be used by the Historical Society and library as well.

“It’s really an awesome space,” Sue said.

Alan said the center has a lot of information for people who want to do genealogy research.

“I’ve copied records off all the stones in the local cemeteries,” he said, noting there are records for more than 100 local cemeteries at the center.

Those cemetery records, combined with census and deed information, create a wealth of resources for people trying to connect their family dots.

“These little historical societies have a lot of information,” said Joleen Krogman, the Historical Society’s vice president. “It’s not just the big guys.”

Among the gems in the archives is an 1859 business directory advertising more than 30 Newfield businesses, surrounded by a poem with many stanzas questioning why someone would go to Ithaca when they could get what they needed without leaving town, and an 1841 deed from the state of Connecticut to Jacob Trumbull. Stacks of Old Home Days programs, school yearbooks, memorabilia and plenty of papers are also available for perusing.

Preserving Newfield’s history is a lot of work, especially as donations continue to pour in from the community. Alan said the Historical Society needs volunteers “badly” to help with the effort.

“We need volunteers to catalog materials,” Krogman added.

People need to go through donated materials to record what the Historical Society has on hand as well as make copies. That allows the original items to be placed in the archives, while a copy is available for the public to view.

“There’s no specific age, probably teenagers on up,” Alan said when asked what the organization is looking for in volunteers. “People who have a real interest in history, and real accuracy and attention to detail.”

“We welcome anyone to come help out,” Armstrong said. “There’s a lot to be done.”

The information gathered while cataloging materials also goes into the Historical Society’s database, allowing volunteers to search for records much more easily.

“If someone comes in and wants to do research, we can search without even going into the archives,” Krogman said.

In addition to connecting with the community more at the Center, the Historical Society uses social media to highlight the town’s history. Armstrong said the organization’s Facebook page highlights local history with timely themes. For example, the Historical Society has been highlighting old photos of Newfield’s graduating classes celebrating milestones this year.

“We want to educate people to look back at history,” Armstrong said.

“That’s what we’re here for,” Alan said. “We want people to know how things were and how blessed we are to be here today.”

Krogman also noted that the town’s history continues to be written, and the Historical Society is ready to record it all for posterity.

“I suppose our goal is to show people that history isn’t dead,” she said. “History happens today.”

For more information or to volunteer, visit the Newfield Historical Society website at newfieldhistoricalsociety.org or its Facebook page, or email newfieldarchives@gmail.com.