Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center: A Members Tour

The Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center is housed in the White Mansion, an 1830 Greek Revival home. Hugh White, who built the house and whose brother Canvass invented the hydraulic concrete used in the Erie Canal, ran a successful concrete business in the area and served in the United States Senate. First, guests will visit the museum’s new temporary exhibit, Waterford: Crossroads of Revolution, which discusses Waterford’s pivotal role in the American Revolution. Next, our permanent exhibit details the history of Waterford from before European contact up to the 20th Century and includes several paintings by Ralph Savage, a local 19th Century painter influenced by the Hudson River School. Finally, visitors will see the Button Converse, our newly-restored 1857 hand pump fire engine manufactured in Waterford by the Button and Blake Company.

Your tour guide will be Michael Munsey, director of the Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center. He previously taught high school Latin for eleven years.