POMPEY HISTORICAL SOCIETY (Map)8354 US ROUTE 20
MANLIUS
NY 13104
(Historical Societies, Historic Preservation)
HTTP://WWW.POMPEYHISTORICAL.ORGOverview & Mission
The Town of Pompey Historical Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to preserving, documenting, and sharing the history of the Town of Pompey and surrounding areas. Its mission encompasses collecting and safeguarding historical objects and archival materials, cataloguing oral histories, and providing access to these resources through exhibitions, publications, educational programs, and genealogical research.
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The Society seeks to serve both local residents and visitors with an interest in regional history, offering a window into the rural, civic, and social heritage of one of Onondaga County’s oldest towns.
Location & Contact Information
Street address (museum & research center): 8347 U.S. Route 20, Manlius, NY 13104
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Mailing address: 8354 U.S. Route 20 (Cherry Valley Turnpike), Manlius, NY 13104
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Phone: (315) 682-4729
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Email: pompeyhistoricalsociety@gmail.com
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The physical museum and research center is located across from the Town Hall at the corner of Pompey Center Road and Route 20.
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History of the Society
The Pompey Historical Society was founded in 1976, in the wake of the United States Bicentennial celebrations. The local Bicentennial Committee chose to create a lasting legacy by forming the Society and publishing a two-volume local history book titled Pompey, Our Town in Profile.
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From its modest beginnings, PHS has grown into a full-fledged historical organization managing multiple heritage properties, archival materials, and community outreach programs.
What the Society Manages: Campus & Facilities
The Pompey Historical Society operates a small “campus†of facilities dedicated to preserving and presenting local history. These include:
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William G. Pomeroy Research Center and Museum — This serves as the main repository for artifacts, documents, photographs, and archival materials relating to the Town of Pompey.
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Pomeroy – Coe Heritage Center — Another building on the campus used for exhibitions, events, and community history programs.
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Pompey Center One-Room Schoolhouse — The historic one-room schoolhouse (District No. 10) located at 8354 US Route 20. This building was restored and reopened as a Schoolhouse Museum.
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Together these facilities form the core of PHS’s operations — combining preservation, research, public education, and community engagement.
The One-Room Schoolhouse: A Historic Jewel
One of the most distinctive assets of the Pompey Historical Society is the Pompey Centre District No. 10 Schoolhouse, located at 8354 US Route 20, Pompey Center. Important details about this building:
Built in 1857.
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Architectural style: Greek Revival, typical of 19th-century rural schoolhouses.
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Structure: A one-story frame building on a stone foundation; approximately 24 feet wide and 32 feet deep. It has a small belfry on the roof.
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It was in use as a public school until 1943, when it ceased functioning as a school building.
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The Town eventually gave the building to the Pompey Center Memorial Association, and in 1976 it became property of the newly formed Pompey Historical Society.
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After restoration, the schoolhouse was re-dedicated in 2012 and now serves as a museum.
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The Schoolhouse Museum features historical classrooms, desks, a wood stove, original-style outhouses, and artifacts reflecting 19th- and early 20th-century rural school life.
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Because of its historical significance and state of preservation, the Pompey Centre District No. 10 Schoolhouse was listed on the U.S. National Register of Historic Places on August 6, 1998 (Refnum: 98001007).
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Collections and Historical Materials
The Society collects a wide range of materials and artifacts relevant to the history and heritage of Pompey and its hamlets. These include:
Photographic collections: For instance, glass-plate negatives documenting buildings, people, and landscapes of historic Pompey.
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Artistic works: The JC Perry Collection, featuring drawings and paintings by John Calvin Perry (1837–1894), a Central New York artist.
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Genealogical records and research materials: An important resource for individuals tracing family history in Pompey.
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Local history documents and oral histories: These may include old newspapers, written histories, oral accounts, maps, school records, church records, cemetery lists, and more.
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Through these holdings, the PHS provides an invaluable window into the local heritage: rural life, early settlement patterns, education, community institutions, and evolving demographics.
Research, Educational Programs, and Community Engagement
The Society is actively involved in a variety of outreach and scholarly activities:
Genealogy / Research services: For those researching family histories, local lineages, historic properties, or community development.
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Exhibits and displays: The museum and heritage center host rotating displays, often reflecting a particular theme — e.g., local industries, schools, prominent families, or social history.
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Educational events and public programs: For example, in 2017 the Society focused on the centennial of women's suffrage and held a program titled From Boats to Votes: Suffragettes and the Erie Canal.
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Community events: One recurring tradition is the Strawberry Social, a social gathering with live music and food, often held in summer.
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Publications: The Society produced and continues to offer local-history volumes, including the foundational Pompey, Our Town in Profile.
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These programs help maintain community interest in local heritage, foster historical literacy, and engage both long-time residents and newcomers to the area.
Governance and Membership
The Pompey Historical Society is governed by a board of officers. As of the latest publicly available information:
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President: Anne Shelly
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Vice President: Jim Wilcox
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Treasurer: Paul Harvey
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Project Chair: Nancy Edwards
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Membership in the Society is open to individuals, families, and supporters; dues help fund its operations, programs, and preservation efforts. Membership levels (as shown on the PHS website) include: Individual, Senior, Family, Supporter, Partner, Sustaining, Patron, and Benefactor.
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Benefits of membership include receipt of the Society’s newsletter (published three times per year) and advance notice of lectures and community events.
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Contributions are tax-deductible to the full extent of the law.
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Historical Context: Town of Pompey
To fully appreciate the significance of the Pompey Historical Society, it helps to understand the broader historical background of the Town of Pompey:
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Early Indigenous and Colonial History: Before European settlement, the area was traditionally occupied by the Onondaga, a member of the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) Confederacy.
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Post-Revolution Settlement and Military Tract: After the American Revolutionary War, New York State laid out the Central New York Military Tract, allocating parcels to veterans. Pompey was one such area; many of its early settlers came from New England.
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Formal Establishment: The town was officially established by the Commissioners of the Land Office on July 3, 1790. When Onondaga County was formally organized in 1794, Pompey was one of its original four towns (alongside Lysander, Manlius, and Marcellus).
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Growth and Development: By 1800, 35–40 families had settled permanently in Pompey. By 1845, a census listed over 4,000 residents. As the community matured, farms, mills (powered by local streams), churches, schools, and hamlets developed across the rural landscape.
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Civic and Social Impact: Historically, Pompey — though rural — produced a disproportionately large number of public figures: by the late 19th century, the town had contributed members to the State Legislature, National Congress, the U.S. Senate, and held many prominent judicial, military, and political roles.
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Legacy Structures: Some of those early institutions remain (or once remained) in the form of churches, cemeteries, farmhouses, mills, etc. Many are privately owned; some have deteriorated — making the role of the Pompey Historical Society particularly important in preserving what remains.
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Thus, the PHS serves as a guardian of the town’s long and layered past—from indigenous heritage to colonial and post-Revolution settlement, through 19th-century rural life and on to modern stewardship of local memory.
Recent Activity & Public Engagement (Examples)
Recent programs and events hosted or organized by the Society demonstrate its ongoing vitality:
In 2025, for example, the Society scheduled a presentation titled The Loomis Gang, delivered by historian Sue Greenhagen (portraying a 19th-century lawman), about a notorious regional crime family.
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The Society continues to maintain its museum and heritage center, offering regular hours (most Tuesdays, and Sundays in the summer) — though visitors are encouraged to call ahead.
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Through its genealogical and archival services, the Society responds to research requests, helping community members trace family roots, reconstruct past lives in Pompey, and locate historic properties.
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The Schoolhouse Museum remains a popular attraction for those interested in 19th- and early 20th-century rural education, offering a tangible experience of how children once learned in a one-room schoolhouse.
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Significance & Importance
The Pompey Historical Society occupies an important role in local and regional heritage for several reasons:
Preservation of Local Identity: By collecting, preserving, and interpreting artifacts, buildings, and records, the Society helps maintain a sense of identity and community continuity — especially important in rural areas where development and change can easily erase a sense of history.
Educational Resource: The Society provides resources for historians, genealogists, educators, students, and the general public. Its museum and schoolhouse offer immersive history lessons; its archival holdings support scholarship; its events foster public interest in local heritage.
Cultural Memory: Through oral histories, photographs, documents, and physical artifacts, PHS helps to keep alive the memories of past generations — from early settlers, through 19th-century community builders, to 20th-century residents.
Historic Preservation: By saving and restoring the one-room schoolhouse (among other properties) and documenting buildings, cemeteries, churches, and early farms, the Society helps protect local historic assets from neglect or destruction.
Relationship to the Town of Pompey and Broader Region
The SocÂiety does not exist in isolation; it intersects deeply with the history of the Town of Pompey, its hamlets (Pompey Center, Pompey Hill, Watervale, Oran, Delphi Falls, etc.), and neighboring towns in Onondaga County. Through its collections, the Society chronicles the town’s evolution — from the early post-Revolution settlement by New England migrants, through agricultural development and rural community building, to the modern era.
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Furthermore, the Society helps to situate Pompey within broader regional currents: including patterns of migration, land grant allocation (the Central New York Military Tract), the building of mills and early industry, the development of rural education, and the shifting social and political contributions of its residents over time.
By doing so, PHS provides not only a record of local events but also a microcosm of New York State rural history.
Challenges & the Importance of Support
As with many small historical societies, the Pompey Historical Society relies heavily on volunteers, donations, membership dues, and grants to carry out its mission.
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Challenges may include:
Maintenance of historic buildings, many of which require ongoing care, restoration, and sometimes climate-controlled storage.
Cataloging, digitizing, and preserving archival material, particularly fragile items such as photographs, glass negatives, letters, maps, etc.
Engagement with a changing population, especially as demographics shift or as younger generations may be less connected to older local history.
Securing funding, especially for special projects (e.g., exhibitions, preservation efforts) or expansion of the collections or outreach programs.
Therefore, membership, public support, and community involvement remain vital to the long-term sustainability of the Society.