The Hobart Historical Society
The first recorded meeting of the Hobart Historical Society was on September 14, 1982. Erma (Hendry) MacArthur, June (Van Dusen) Meagley, Dorothy (Smith) Van Buren, William VanBuren, Betty Burke, and Helen (Hoyt) Kaufman were present at that first meeting. Dorothy, Helen, and Bill had grown up in Hobart. Helen’s father was owner of Hoyt’s Market on Main Street. Bill was the son of E.T. Van Buren, owner of a farm store on Cornell Avenue. Erma, who was raised on a family farm on Betty Brook Road, moved into the village in 1956 with her husband Leroy MacArthur when they purchased the Lewis White funeral home on Cornell Avenue. Erma was the village historian for many years. June, who grew up in Jefferson, moved to Hobart in 1957 with her husband Gordon when they purchased the pharmacy on Main Street. Betty came to the area when her husband was hired by the Hobart High School.
The Hobart Historical Society meet the first Wednesday of each month at 1 pm for their business meeting. We also have workdays every periodically when needed. In March of 2010, a historic half-hour presentation was included at the beginning of each meeting. All meetings are held at 57 Cornell Avenue, Hobart, NY. Anyone with interest in the history of Hobart and the surrounding area is welcome to attend the Society’s meetings.
Historical Society Headquarters
The Hobart Historical Society is headquartered in its restored building on Cornell Avenue in Hobart, NY. The building is formerly the home of the St. Andrew’s Masonic Lodge. When the Hobart Masonic Lodge closed, the Masonic building was deeded to the Hobart Historical Society.
The Hobart Historical Society has worked very hard to restore this former Masonic building into a working museum where the Village of Hobart, NY and the surrounding community’s historical artifacts and writings can be preserved for future generations to come. This website demonstrates how the continuous efforts of the society, many organizations, governmental institutions, and the surrounding communities have been contributing to the growth of the building into a working museum.
History has shown that change is a constant in Hobart and its surrounding communities. Therefore the Society has the challenge of maintaining and improving the building and its contents, while preserving and respecting them. Our goal is to continue to be vigilant in protecting the precious treasures of the past for generations yet to come. On behalf of the Hobart Historical Society, thank you one and all for being a part of our history.