Second Sunday Speaker Series - Dec 12 - Charles Harrington

Franklin native Charles Harrington joins us Sunday, December 12 to discuss his book A Contemplative Life: Essays and musings from the last of the Baby Boomers. Available at Amazon.

Charlie grew up in Franklin, attended St. Mary School, and was the middle child in the large Harrington family with four older brothers and four younger sisters. One reviewer writes: “Harrington is a talented story-teller and writes about his childhood, romances, addiction and losses to inspire readers to learn from his experiences. He includes personal letters, photographs and poems that make his stories come alive. Readers can relate to his experiences and reflect on what he learned from them.

We are excited to welcome Charlie back home and have him discuss his book, reflect on his life and share his memories of Franklin. 

We hope you will join us for this next chapter in our monthly Second Sunday Speaker Series. Doors open at 1:00 PM, admission is free, and the presentation will start at 1:15. 

Please bring a non-perishable item for the Franklin Food Pantry. 

Second Sunday Speaker Series - Dec 12 - Charles Harrington

October events at the Franklin Historical Museum

The museum is happy to once again be participating in the annual Harvest Festival, Saturday, October 2. The museum will have a display of photographs depicting farms, farm life, animals, gardens and harvesting. The series of photographs from early 20th century Franklin, is from the private collection of Franklin photographer Nathan Wales’ images. The museum is also happy to be host vintage cars from the local car club, the Red Devils. We will serve apple cider and cookies on the porch. The Friends of the Franklin Historical Museum will have a table out front selling Christmas Ornaments from the gift shop. We look forward to you stopping by!

We’re very excited to have author Stephen Puleo return for our Second Sunday Speaker Series on October 10. Steve’s recently released book, Voyage of Mercy will be the topic of his presentation. Thousands of ships left Ireland during the potato famine in the late 1840s, transporting the starving and destitute away from their homeland. The first to sail in the other direction was the USS Jamestown, a converted warship stripped of its guns and committed to the peaceful delivery of food, clothing, and supplies.  The USS Jamestown, the Irish famine, and the remarkable story of America’s first humanitarian mission. Join us for this compelling presentation. Doors open at 1:00PM. Presentation to start by 1:15PM. This event is sponsored by the Friends of the Franklin Historical Museum.

The museum is open Thursday evenings 5 PM - 7 PM; Saturdays 10 AM - 1 PM and Sundays 1 PM - 4 PM. Visit our giftshop for fun and unique Franklin gift items. We are wheelchair accessible and admission is always free. Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street. 

October events at the Franklin Historical Museum

Franklin Historical Museum: Never Forget September 11, 2001 - A personal reflection

The Franklin Historical Museum is honored to welcome Franklin native, Paul Faenza as presenter in our Second Sunday Speaker Series, Sunday September 12 @ 1:15pm.

Everyone old enough to remember, can recall where they were when they heard about the events of September 11th, 2001. Retired NYPD Sergeant Paul Faenza shares his memories of that day and the days that followed in a one-hour power point presentation. As a member of the New York City Police Department, he responded to the scene immediately after the buildings collapsed and remained at Ground Zero for two weeks. 

He details that morning from a personal to a professional level and beyond. From wading through knee high dust to witnessing the collapse of Building 7; searching buildings, digging on the pile, and participating in an honor guard at the temporary morgue. This is not a history lesson, nor a political discussion, it only serves to provide a sense of what occurred that day in New York City from a First Responders point of view.

The purpose of Paul’s presentation is to ensure that people remember the events that occurred on this day twenty years ago. It also serves to remind us of the hundreds who have died or are sick from exposure at Ground Zero.  Please consider a donation to www.answerthecall.org . Their mission is to provide financial assistance and a network of support to the families of New York City Police Officers, Firefighters, Port Authority Police, and EMS Personnel who have been killed in the line of duty.

Please join us on this 20th anniversary weekend the 9/11 attacks for Paul’s first-hand account.

The museum is open Thursday evenings 5pm-7pm; Saturdays 10am-1pm and Sundays 1pm-4pm. Visit our giftshop for fun and unique Franklin gift items. We are wheelchair accessible and admission is always free. Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street. 

Franklin Historical Museum: Never Forget September 11, 2001 - A personal reflection

Franklin Historical Museum: Never Forget September 11, 2001 - A personal reflection

The Franklin Historical Museum is honored to welcome Franklin native, Paul Faenza as presenter in our Second Sunday Speaker Series, Sunday September 12 @ 1:15pm.

Everyone old enough to remember, can recall where they were when they heard about the events of September 11th, 2001. Retired NYPD Sergeant Paul Faenza shares his memories of that day and the days that followed in a one-hour power point presentation. As a member of the New York City Police Department, he responded to the scene immediately after the buildings collapsed and remained at Ground Zero for two weeks. 

He details that morning from a personal to a professional level and beyond. From wading through knee high dust to witnessing the collapse of Building 7; searching buildings, digging on the pile, and participating in an honor guard at the temporary morgue. This is not a history lesson, nor a political discussion, it only serves to provide a sense of what occurred that day in New York City from a First Responders point of view.

The purpose of Paul’s presentation is to ensure that people remember the events that occurred on this day twenty years ago. It also serves to remind us of the hundreds who have died or are sick from exposure at Ground Zero.  Please consider a donation to www.answerthecall.org . Their mission is to provide financial assistance and a network of support to the families of New York City Police Officers, Firefighters, Port Authority Police, and EMS Personnel who have been killed in the line of duty.

Please join us on this 20th anniversary weekend the 9/11 attacks for Paul’s first-hand account.

In October we welcome author Steve Puleo who will discuss his latest book Voyage of Mercy. A truly remarkable story about America’s first humanitarian mission.

The museum is open Thursday evenings 5pm-7pm; Saturdays 10am-1pm and Sundays 1pm-4pm. Visit our giftshop for fun and unique Franklin gift items. We are wheelchair accessible and admission is always free. Franklin Historical Museum, 80 West Central Street. 

 

Franklin Historical Museum: Never Forget September 11, 2001 - A personal reflection

August at the Franklin Historical Museum

The first event as we renew our Second Sunday Speaker Series will be Sunday, August 8. The presentation will be on the history of the Whiting and Davis Company and a look at Charles A Whiting, his family, his gardens and beautiful home, which once stood majestically on West Central Street. 

Many people from Franklin once worked for Whiting and Davis, or had family members who worked for them. The company is now under new ownership and we will hear from the current owner. The presentation on the Whiting Family & home will be from a private collection of glass plate negatives, from Franklin photographer Nathan Wales circa 1912. 

Doors will open at 1:00 and the presentation will start at 1:15. 

August at the Franklin Historical Museum

In September, we will have a special guest, Franklin native Paul Faenza, retired NYPD, who will share his 9-11 experience and his two weeks at Ground Zero. Scheduled for Sunday, September 12.

The Davis Thayer School Retrospective exhibit will be on display through the end of the summer.

While visiting the museum please stop in to our newly revamped gift shop for many unique Franklin items.

We are now back to our pre-COVID hours, Thursday evenings 5PM-7PM, Saturday mornings 10am-1pm and Sunday afternoons 1pm-4pm.  Admission is always free. We are wheelchair accessible. Come in and discover your history.

Franklin Historical Museum announces re-opening celebration - July 15

The Franklin Historical Museum is excited to announce the re-opening of the museum to its regular pre-pandemic operating schedule, Thursday evenings, Saturday mornings and Sunday afternoons now that all COVID-19 restrictions have been lifted in the state.

The museum will host a re-opening celebration on Thursday afternoon, July 15 at 5:00 PM. With a ribbon cutting, new exhibits and refreshments.

We are working on an exhibit celebrating the History of the Davis Thayer School. The building of course, was opened in 1924 as Franklin High School, and has served Franklin students for 97 years. Sadly, for many, it has closed its doors as of the end of this school year.  

Join us for a look back at the building, the students, faculty, athletic teams, stories and memories. 

• Do you have a special memory of the school? 
• Did you spend your High School years there? 
• Attend double sessions in the 70’s when it served as a Jr. High School? 
• Attend Davis Thayer Elementary? 

Many families had generations of students attend that school. We’d love to hear from you. Visit our Facebook page and share a memory, or email us at franklinmuseum1778@gmail.com. The exhibit will run from mid-July through the end of the summer.

We also have a new permanent exhibit on display, The Federal Parlor Room, from the Oliver Pond Home, generously donated by James C. Johnston in memory of his mother Clara J. Foss Johnston. The elegant pieces of furniture, from the Federal and Empire periods, are made of mahogany and were collected by the Johnston family over a period of many years. The room is beautifully appointed with fashionable décor from the family collection.

We will also be resuming our popular Second Sunday Speaker Series in August. The first event on the schedule, Sunday August 8, is a first look at the private collection of glass plate negatives from Franklin photographer Nathan Wales (1886-1969). These priceless images, purchased at auction, depict everyday life in Franklin from approximately 1910-1915. A selection of the now digitized photos will be presented and discussed. Join us and see how early 20th Century Franklin residents once lived. Their beautiful homes, their clothing styles, their cars, their pets and their daily lives were all captured for us to view.

Visit our newly refurbished Gift Shop with many Franklin related items.  We welcome back our regular patrons and new visitors alike. Thursdays 5 PM - 7 PM; Saturdays 10 AM - 1 PM; Sundays 1 PM - 4 PM. Admission is always free and we are ADA compliant. We’re always looking for volunteers to host, so let us know if you are interested in joining our volunteer team that keeps Franklin history alive.

Come in and find your history! We look forward to seeing you soon. 

Franklin Historical Museum announces re-opening celebration - July 15