Tioga County Historical Society Celebrates a Major Makeover

A history museum in the village of Owego is preparing to hold a special reopening event to allow visitors to experience the improvements that have been made.

Tioga County Historical Society executive director Gerald Smith said plenty of work has been done over the last four months to upgrade the museum at 110 Front Street.

All of the carpeting on the upper level of the building has been replaced. The lower-level floors have been stripped and polished.

The museum's research center has been relocated to the upper level and archival collections have been moved to protect them from possible future flooding.

A "grand reopening fundraiser" will be held at the museum Saturday evening.

Three new exhibits will be open. One of the exhibits is based around an 1861 portrait of President Abraham Lincoln.

Another exhibit features a display of homespun textiles from the early 19th century with a timber frame loom.

The third exhibit focuses on the history of Earth Day, which was first observed in 1970.

The reopening program will begin at 6 p.m. Saturday. Refreshments and food will be available during the event, which will feature music provided by Rick Pedro.

WNBF NEWS VIDEO: A look at what we discovered during our visit to the Tioga County Historical Society's building on May 8, 2025.

Enter your number to get our free mobile app

Contact WNBF News reporter Bob Joseph: bob@wnbf.com or call (607) 545-2250. For breaking news and updates on developing stories, follow @BinghamtonNow on Twitter.