HISTORY

HISTORIC ATTRACTIONS & ARCHITECTURE

Hungry for history? Take a self-guided history tour of Yates County and be amazed by the people and historic moments that helped shape our community and beyond.

Start your historic adventure by visiting the Yates County History Center in downtown Penn Yan. The campus consists of three different buildings with various permanent and rotating exhibits. Admission is free but donations are appreciated. Check their website for hours.

After your time at the history center, this is the opportunity to get out and discover the sites and landmarks of where history happened in the county.

The Birkett Mills, a local historic landmark in its own right, can be viewed from Main Street in Penn Yan. The current mill complex is one of the largest producers of buckwheat in the U.S. and continues to operate daily. find that history is blended beautifully with local shops, restaurants, and attractions.

The Penn Yan Historic District is historically significant as a reflection of the growth of the village from its early beginnings as a trading community for the Finger Lakes region, through its emergence in the late nineteenth and early twentieth centuries as the regional center for agricultural and viticultural production. Stop by the Yates County Visitors Center to pick up a copy of the “Historic Main Street Walking Tour” pamphlet.

Turn down East Elm Street where you’ll come across the Sampson Theatre. Built in 1910 as a movie theatre and vaudeville, the building holds much architectural and historical significance. The Sampson Theatre held some of the finest opera theaters in this part of the state and was the epicenter of entertainment locally for nearly two decades.

Robert Green Ingersoll Birthplace Museum, located in Dresden about 5 miles outside of the village of Penn Yan. The museum is typically open weekends in the summer and fall months and is a stop on the Freethought Trail.

In Dundee is The Old Schoolhouse Museum, run by the Dundee Area Historical Society. Open seasonally, check their website for up-to-date hours.

One of the most popular hidden gems in the entire Finger Lakes Region is Garrett Memorial Chapel, located on Bluff Point in the town of Jerusalem. The grounds are typically open for The Keuka Outlet Trail, a top multi-use trail in the Finger Lakes region, is not only known for its impeccable beauty and recreational opportunities. Be sure to make the time to venture to the 7-mile trail and take a journey through this historically rich site in Finger Lakes history. An illustrated guide to the Outlet Trail and Trail Maps are available from the Yates County History Center, Longs’ Cards & Books, and the Yates County Visitors Center. Listings PAGE 31

The Haunted History Trail of NYS features 3 locations in Yates County – Bishop/Gilette Headstone at Lakeview Cemetery, Miles Wine Cellars in Himrod on Seneca Lake and Spook Hill in Middlesex. View digital brochure or pick one up at the Yates County Visitors Center.

THE PUBLICK UNIVERSAL FRIEND, JEMIMA WILKINSON

Jemima Wilkinson was an American religious leader who brought hundreds of believers to Yates County, the largest settlement in Western New York. After suffering a severe illness in 1776, the Friend claimed to have died and been replaced as a genderless evangelist named the Publick Universal Friend, and afterward shunned both birth name and gendered pronouns. Publick Universal Friend launched a completely unique religious movement, where the teachings and social influence would permanently shift American views on religion, slavery, race, gender, and colonialism. Yates County History Center owns the largest known collection of artifacts and manuscript materials relating to Wilkinson and the Society of Universal Friends.