On June 16 the Edinburg Historical Society will welcome Denise Cheney of the Edinburg Newsletter who will talk about the monthly publication serving the Edinburg-Northville area since the early 1980s.

The gathering, open to all, will take place at 7 p.m. at the Sand Hill Schoolhouse on Tange Road. We also welcome new members.

The society is also making plans for its July 21 program, where we’ll talk about the tornado that struck the town and caused heavy damage two years ago. Bring your stories and your photos. The program starts at 7 p.m. at the schoolhouse.

The Rural and Nellie Tyrrell museums on North Shore Road near the Four Corners will open to the public on Saturday, June 27 from noon to 3 p.m.  They will continue each Saturday until Aug. 29, except for July 4 and Aug. 1, which is the date for the summer sale at the Rural Museum. Other dates to remember are the Sept. 26 fall festival and the Holiday Bazaar on Oct. 24.

Come see our new display on the Copeland covered bridge at the Rural Museum. 

As always we welcome members and volunteers. Dues are only $5 per person or $10 for a family and can be paid to Treasurer/Edinburg Historical Society, PO Box 801, Northville, NY 12134. Also feel free to drop by one of our events and join in person.

Edinburg Town Historian Evonne Barber took Edinburg Common School students on a tour of historic sites in the town on May 28, including the Rural Museum. The elementary students in Celeste English’s class learned about bridges in the town and some of the many activities and jobs townspeople have been involved in over many years. Evonne was assisted by long-time historian Priscilla Edwards.

The Rural Museum’s exhibits include a Victorian parlor and kitchen, a general store, maple sugaring, blacksmithing tools, an old machine shop and a new display on the Copeland covered bridge.

Free tours to the general public will begin June 27 and run Saturdays until Aug. 29 except for July 4 and Aug. 1 at the Rural Museum and the Nellie Tyrrell schoolhouse, both on North Shore Road near the Four Corners.

Our Annual Memorial Day Baked Goods and Salads Sale will be held on Saturday, May 23 at the Rural Museum from 9am to 12pm. See you there!

Join the Edinburg Historical Society  on 7 p.m. Tuesday, May 19, at Sand Hill School on Tange Road when Darlene and Fred Lee offer a presentation on Isaac Thayer and other “hometown” patriots from the Revolutionary War whose final resting places are located in town cemeteries.

“Headstones can reveal things about the person there interred,” Darlene Lee says. “It turns out, there is science to the type of engraving on the stone.  The artwork can tell us about his belief in the hereafter. Poetry was frequently engraved on gravestones.” 

Thayer is buried in the Partridge Cemetery, on Sinclair Road. Little was known of him, according to Darlene Lee, who is a member of the Schenectada chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. His headstone was darkened with lichen and the inscription was barely readable, when a small group of volunteers found him.

If you are interested in learning more about the history of Edinburg and its people, please come to our meetings and consider joining the society. We plan a number of other programs and will have open houses at our museums this summer and more events in the fall. 

The Edinburg Historical Society has mapped out much of its schedule for 2026, with festivals, new exhibits and other ways for residents and neighbors of this historic town to get involved with learning about our past.

The Spring Bake Sale will take place from 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, May 23, at the Edinburg Rural Museum on North Shore Road at the Four Corners. Salads and baked goods are featured. 

The Summer Bake Sale, to include a variety of salads, will be 9 a.m. to noon Saturday, Aug. 1, also at the Rural Museum. 

Our Fall Festival will be 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Sept. 26, at the Rural Museum, with grilled cheese sandwiches, soups and other foods, including macaroni and cheese. 

Our Holiday Bazaar this year will be from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. Saturday, Oct. 24, at the Sand Hill Schoolhouse on Tange Road. It’s a little earlier than usual, so an even better chance to buy some holiday gifts, enter for the chance to win a basket raffle, grab some good food and, of course, meet or reunite with society members.     

Area vendors will sell their wares at each of the events, which are important fundraisers for the society. We’re a welcoming group, so please come patronize our events. 

Museum openings

The board set Saturday, June 27, as the opening day for the Rural Museum and the Nellie Tyrrell Museum — a former schoolhouse just down the road. The museums will be open to all on Saturdays during the summer until Aug. 29, except for July 4. We are forming programs, presentations and exhibits that may include a wintertime display, a special look at a little corner of town and Revolutionary War connections.