It is the desire of the Wilmington Historical Society to collect, preserve, display and interpret the documents, photographs and artifacts that tell the unique story of Wilmington, New York and the surrounding Whiteface Mountain Region.
EDUCATION The Wilmington Historical Society is able to offer programs to non-profits, schools and other organizations regarding the unique aspects of our local history. Each year, we do a co-operative project with the 4th graders at the Lake Placid Elementary School culminating in a History Fair. We also have the capability to present topical history displays at events such as Wilmington’s Festival of Colors. In addition, we have PowerPoint presentations which include:
- Santa’s Workshop History (3-part series)
- Wilmington History Tour
- Whiteface Mountain Ski History
- Wilmington History in Postcards
- Wilmington —-Where Mountain and River Meet
If you are interested in any of these offerings or are in need of a special program for your organization or group, please contact us.
RESEARCH
HOURS—- The 1st Tuesday of each month, 10am- 2pm or by appointment.
With many thanks to Harold E. Hinds, Jr., PhD and Distinguished Research Professor of History, the University of Minnesota, Morris (now retired) who donated a large portion of the genealogical and historical Adirondack books and reference materials now located in our library and collections. He has contributed over 300 books, 150 microfilms, journals and the copies of the files he used to create the Town of Wilmington, Essex County, NY Transcribed Serial Records (23 volumes). All of his books are indexed for quick research and are available at our library. They can also be purchased through our online bookstore! We invite you to do research in person, but we have some resources to share online to improve the ability for researchers to do some exploring from home. As we build our new website, please check back often as we continue to add new material on a regular basis.
Some of our favorite go-to selections from the Harold Hinds, Jr Town of Wilmington, Essex County, NY, Transcribed Serial Records are:
- 1850 census book
- 1860 census book including Civil War registration of soldiers. One of the few places to get a mother’s maiden name if it was listed.
- Cemetery Records book
- Methodist church marriage records (pre-1890 before the town was required to keep records)
Other favorites in our library written by local authors:
- Wilmington and the Whiteface Region in the images of America series written by the Wilmington Historical Society and published in 2013 by Arcadia Publishing.
- Echoes of Whiteface Mountain by Adeline Jaques (1980)
- A Brief History of the E.M. Cooper Memorial Library, Wilmington, NY by Dana D Peck (2005)
- Wilmington of the Adirondacks: A Brief History by Oliver W Winch (1974)
Favorites from our archives:
- Memories of Life in the Adirondacks, an autobiography by Evans Lucius Avery
- The Early Years by Donald G Marshall (b.1919) as told to Kimberly Marshall.
- The transcribed Wilmington newspaper articles from 1877-1881 giving local perspective to town news, transcribed and indexed by Kimberly Marshall
- Cemetery records
Online favorites include, but are not limited to:
Crafting a Personal Family History, digital edition is available at familysearch.org under catalog, and at Allen CO (IN) Public Library, “The Harold E Hinds, Jr. Genealogical and Family History Collection.” Also link to the 2011 “Additions, Clarifications and Errata for Crafting a Personal Family History”
If you would like to hire someone to help you with your research, please contact Tina Didreckson at tinadidreckson@gmail.com or by phone at 417-205-0709.