This collection contains photographs, catalogs, advertisements and articles from various publications. Also included is correspondence conducted between the Geneva Historical Society and others from the 1960s-2000s, mostly with Eleanor Clise, GHS Archivist. Most Fay & Bowen material comes from after the company moved from Auburn, 1904, until it closed in 1929; a couple of catalogs or copies are included from pre-1904. Also included are FayBow materials from the early 1930s.
These materials cover 1796 through the 1990s with histories, research, articles, and photographs on the building and its uses since it was built. Especially important are the deeds related to the Hygienic Institute’s Amos B Smith and James Knapp and the Pulteney Apartments, Inc.
This collection covers the years that America was involved in World War II and Geneva’s efforts on the home front, plus the years the ‘Our Boys Fund’ Committee was still going into the 1950s. There are publications made for the home front and for soldiers, ration books, articles, and photos; documents related to Our Boys Fund and the Geneva City Defense Council.
This collection includes ledgers, articles, and other miscellaneous ephemera related to WW Haviland, his pharmacy, and his other partners. The collection covers 1881-1924, though Haviland dies in 1921 some materials were kept together despite not being related. Staff may decide to split these materials up later on.
The Historical Society possesses quite a few pieces of Hotel Seneca that have been left behind including menus, wine lists, pamphlets, a napkin, and even pieces of wallpaper. There is not much material from the days of the Nester Hotel but rather the time period during which the building was Hotel Seneca, 1912-1982.
This collection covers the expansion of the company from Troy to Geneva. Many of the catalogues also contain information and photos of the Troy warehouse and salesroom. Catalogues and photos make up the bulk of this collection and cover the early days of the factory in Geneva and into the mid-20th century.
This collection covers the years 1817 through 1930 and includes deeds, mortgages, bonds, protests, catalogs, photos, invoices, and receipts. Deeds and tax receipts for land in Utah, Colorado, Iowa, Wisconsin, and others addressed to W&T Smith Co. point to their ownership of land in these states with connections to other nurseries. Most dates for deeds/mortgages/bonds are those for the date the deed was recorded by the clerk, not the date on the deed itself.
