New museum focuses on Finger Lakes boating heritage
The Buffalo News
August 18, 2015
It’s always interesting to visit an attraction or museum in its infancy because this gives you the chance to see it grow and develop from the ground up. The Finger Lakes Boating Museum in Hammondsport, which opened its doors last year, is still a work in progress. However, after making the two-hour drive from Buffalo a few weeks ago, I could tell that it’s going to be one of those places I’ll want to keep coming back to, as there will always be something new being added to its exhibits.
The museum’s mission is to educate people about and preserve the history of boating activity and boat building in the Finger Lakes region. The museum opened last year, but the idea for it came in 1996, when a group in Penn Yan realized that the boating history of the Finger Lakes needed to be preserved. There were more than 50 boat-building companies in the Finger Lakes and Central New York spanning from the 1800s to the 1970s.
The first thing visitors to the museum should do is view the 13-minute video that highlights the various boat builders that were located in the Finger Lakes region, including Fay and Bowen, which used high-quality wood and huge engines, and also paid special attention to detail; the Thompson Boat Co., which initially made canoes before moving on to larger boats; and Penn Yan Boats, which made what were considered the race boats of the time and was the largest boat builder on Keuka Lake.
The exhibit in the next room focuses on the steamboats that traveled throughout the region. Several steamboat models are housed in glass cases and a video gives an overview about the steamboats. The adjacent room houses a variety of wooden rowboats and fishing boats, as well as a replica of a boathouse.
The museum has supplies for kids to make their own little wooden boats to take home, free of charge. Younger kids can learn how to spell their names with signal flags, learn about the weather, make a boat out of blocks, and read stories.
Another room of the museum focuses on inboard motor boats. Since the museum is an educational facility and an active teaching institution, it offers courses in boat building and restoring, as well as classes and demonstrations in knot tying, canoe building, and more. The museum’s website maintains a listing of classes being offered.
The Pat II, a 39-foot-launch which once was used as a mail boat on Skaneateles Lake, is being restored in the museum’s boat restoration shop. Once it is completed, the museum has plans to use it as a tour boat on Keuka Lake. Volunteers currently work on the boat on Tuesday and Thursday, but more days will be added in the fall and winter.
After heading to the second level, you’ll pass a wall display of Taylor wine bottles and other items pertinent to the Taylor Wine Co. Turn the corner to the left and you’ll find a display of canoes, many made by the Penn Yan and Dundee companies. The murals on the wall behind the canoes, which features wine barrels, along with pastoral and lake scenes, are from the days when the building was the Taylor Wine Co. The newest area of the museum, which opened in September, is just beyond the canoes; it features sailboats, outboard motor boats and outboard motors.
Take the steps down to the lower level and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time to when this was a winery, as the huge wine casks used in the winery operations are still in place. I can remember coming here for a tour of the winery back in the 1980s, so this was a blast from the past for me. This area, as well as the adjacent former tasting rooms, can be rented out for private functions, with catering done by the nearby Switzerland Inn. While there are many steps in the museum since the building is located on a hill, they do have a working elevator to make it more accessible.
Be sure to stop at the gift shop on your way out. It features nautical-inspired items, books on boating and boat building, and even some locally made wooden boats for kids that retail for only $5.
If you go
Finger Lakes Boating Museum, 8231 Pleasant Valley Road, Hammondsport, flbm.org, (607) 569-2222. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April 1 to Oct. 31 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Nov. 1 to March 31. The parking lot and entrance are located up the hill behind the museum.
Directions
From Buffalo take the New York State Thruway east to exit 46, I-390 toward Corning. This highway will merge into I-86; follow I-86 east to exit 38, Bath/Hammondsport. Follow Route 54 north to Route 54A north to Hammondsport. Turn left at the Pleasant Valley Inn and continue around until you see the signs to your left.
https://buffalonews.com/lifestyles/new-museum-focuses-on-finger-lakes-boating-heritage/article_5fef12c2-18ee-5f7e-ae58-2751ebace369.html
The museum’s mission is to educate people about and preserve the history of boating activity and boat building in the Finger Lakes region. The museum opened last year, but the idea for it came in 1996, when a group in Penn Yan realized that the boating history of the Finger Lakes needed to be preserved. There were more than 50 boat-building companies in the Finger Lakes and Central New York spanning from the 1800s to the 1970s.
The first thing visitors to the museum should do is view the 13-minute video that highlights the various boat builders that were located in the Finger Lakes region, including Fay and Bowen, which used high-quality wood and huge engines, and also paid special attention to detail; the Thompson Boat Co., which initially made canoes before moving on to larger boats; and Penn Yan Boats, which made what were considered the race boats of the time and was the largest boat builder on Keuka Lake.
The exhibit in the next room focuses on the steamboats that traveled throughout the region. Several steamboat models are housed in glass cases and a video gives an overview about the steamboats. The adjacent room houses a variety of wooden rowboats and fishing boats, as well as a replica of a boathouse.
The museum has supplies for kids to make their own little wooden boats to take home, free of charge. Younger kids can learn how to spell their names with signal flags, learn about the weather, make a boat out of blocks, and read stories.
Another room of the museum focuses on inboard motor boats. Since the museum is an educational facility and an active teaching institution, it offers courses in boat building and restoring, as well as classes and demonstrations in knot tying, canoe building, and more. The museum’s website maintains a listing of classes being offered.
The Pat II, a 39-foot-launch which once was used as a mail boat on Skaneateles Lake, is being restored in the museum’s boat restoration shop. Once it is completed, the museum has plans to use it as a tour boat on Keuka Lake. Volunteers currently work on the boat on Tuesday and Thursday, but more days will be added in the fall and winter.
After heading to the second level, you’ll pass a wall display of Taylor wine bottles and other items pertinent to the Taylor Wine Co. Turn the corner to the left and you’ll find a display of canoes, many made by the Penn Yan and Dundee companies. The murals on the wall behind the canoes, which features wine barrels, along with pastoral and lake scenes, are from the days when the building was the Taylor Wine Co. The newest area of the museum, which opened in September, is just beyond the canoes; it features sailboats, outboard motor boats and outboard motors.
Take the steps down to the lower level and you’ll feel like you’ve stepped back in time to when this was a winery, as the huge wine casks used in the winery operations are still in place. I can remember coming here for a tour of the winery back in the 1980s, so this was a blast from the past for me. This area, as well as the adjacent former tasting rooms, can be rented out for private functions, with catering done by the nearby Switzerland Inn. While there are many steps in the museum since the building is located on a hill, they do have a working elevator to make it more accessible.
Be sure to stop at the gift shop on your way out. It features nautical-inspired items, books on boating and boat building, and even some locally made wooden boats for kids that retail for only $5.
If you go
Finger Lakes Boating Museum, 8231 Pleasant Valley Road, Hammondsport, flbm.org, (607) 569-2222. Open 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. from April 1 to Oct. 31 and 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. from Nov. 1 to March 31. The parking lot and entrance are located up the hill behind the museum.
Directions
From Buffalo take the New York State Thruway east to exit 46, I-390 toward Corning. This highway will merge into I-86; follow I-86 east to exit 38, Bath/Hammondsport. Follow Route 54 north to Route 54A north to Hammondsport. Turn left at the Pleasant Valley Inn and continue around until you see the signs to your left.
https://buffalonews.com/lifestyles/new-museum-focuses-on-finger-lakes-boating-heritage/article_5fef12c2-18ee-5f7e-ae58-2751ebace369.html
