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Paddock Family Edwin Paddock’s study has been converted to an exhibition space promoting the history and legacy of the Paddock
family- one of Watertown’s most prominent 19th century families. Edwin and Olive Paddock, who built the mansion that now houses the Jefferson
County Historical society, were great supporters of the museum and donated their home to house the Society’s collection in 1922.
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Jefferson County Room - Our Towns This newly opened exhibit traces
the history of the County from the original land purchases in 1792 through its golden era in the
early 20th century. Many of the artifacts and paintings included in this exhibition have never been
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The Iroquois Confederacy A display showcasing a sampling of the museum’s Native American collection, with a focus on the history
of the local New York tribes that made up the Iroquois Confederacy.
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The Civil War Collection This exhibition presents our visitors with jewels from our Civil War collection, including officer’s
uniforms, personal items belonging to Union General Joseph Hooker, and a collection of guns used during the conflict. Also on display are histories
and items from the Grand Army of the Republic.
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Victorian Etiquette and Ladies’ Costume Victorian Society was rich with social intricacies and complex rules of etiquette.
This exhibit explores some of those complexities in addition to presenting the visitor with the numerous layers of a Victorian lady’s costume.
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Gentleman’s Room While plenty is known about the personal life of Victorian women,
significantly less is known about the personal life of men- how did they spend their leisure
time? What did they do when they were at home? As a nod to our museum’s Gilded Age patron, Edwin
Paddock, a local businessman and financier, the museum has set up a replica of a men’s smoking
room. On display in the second floor gallery is a collection of snuff boxes, photographs, a
Tiffany grooming kit, and even a Louis Vuiton steamer trunk that belonged to New York Governor
(and Watertown resident) Roswell P. Flower
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Tyler Coverlets Harry Tyler was a famous Jefferson County weaver. The museum has a collection of over 40 of his coverlets
that are on rotational display.
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Historic Kitchens A comparison between early- and late-nineteenth century kitchens.
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Kinne Water Turbine Collection A collection of over 35 different water turbines, thought to be the largest in the world,
assembled and donated to the museum by engineer Clarence E. Kinne.
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Spinning and Weaving A display of historic tools and looms used by spinners and weavers during the processing of wool fiber.
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Farm Life One of two comprehensive exhibits in our historic carriage barn, this exhibit traces the 20th century evolution
of small family farms into the large farming corporations of today. Special emphasis is placed on the evolution of technology and labor, as
well as changes that occurred in the traditional work that women did and how those changes affected the social fabric of rural communities.
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The Open Road: the Evolution of Transportation Using our collection of horse drawn carriages and two fully restored historic
automobiles as a backdrop, the exhibit explores the development of transportation in America.
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Pink Schoolhouse Our fully restored, one room schoolhouse is brought to life for our visitors with antique student desks,
school books, historic maps, and case displays tracing the development of education in northern New York.
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18th Century Log Cabin Moved to Watertown from the town of Le Ray, our settler’s cabin is open for visitors to
come and experience what log cabin life would have been like for people in late 18th century Jefferson County.
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