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Johnstown Historical Society & Museum

17 North William Street
Johnstown, NY 12095

Website: www.johnstownnyhistsoc.orgGo to website

Our mission is to discover, collect, preserve and display historical data, buildings and items relating to the history of the Johnstown, New York area.

Museum covers 300 years of local history, housing the cradle for the children of Sir William Johnson and Molly Brant, snowshoes of Nick Stoner, & Elizabeth Cady Stanton’s piano and several other interesting historical items.

Sir William Johnson, for whom the city is named, came to the area in 1738 from his native Ireland.   In 1762 Sir William began the building of Johnson Hall in John’s Town. (That’s the way it was spelled).  This was the beginning of the first settlement of any significance in the area.  And so the story begins. . .

In 1981 Dr. Robert Morris Palmer, Fulton County Historian, directed the compilation of a booklet entitled “Historical Fulton County, New York.”  The booklet describes Sir William’s rise to power and historical significance in the area.  The booklet is among the more than 3,000 documents, books, maps and manuscripts preserved by the Johnstown Historical Society.

The Johnstown Historical Society is 130 years old.  It began as an idea when eleven civic-minded citizens realized that Johnstown possessed a unique and precious historical heritage and that there was no repository for receiving and preserving artifacts.

Today, the Johnstown Historical Society is a small but dedicated group of individuals who work to preserve three buildings, the artifacts in those buildings, and the documents in its library.  It is a daunting task.  The Society needs to reach out to the community for its support and assistance.  Please read on to learn more about the properties and the mission and vison of the Society.