About

The Schuyler County Historical Society was organized in 1960 to preserve, interpret and share the rich history of Schuyler County. Today, the Society operates the Brick Tavern Museum and the adjacent Wickham Rural Life Center in the center of Montour Falls at 108 N. Catherine St., also known as Route 14. The Historical Society's Lee School Museum is a short distance south.The Brick Tavern Museum is the oldest brick structure in Schuyler County. Built in 1828 as a tavern on the stagecoach route, our Route 14, the building has also been a boys school, a boarding house and a home to Dr. Charles D. Clawson, who operated Bethesda Sanitarium nearby. After Dr. Clawson's death, the building continued as a family home until his grandson, the late Charles Lattin, sold it to the Historical Society in 1974. The Brick Tavern Museum celebrates the county's part through permanent and special temporary exhibits. An outstanding collection of resource materials is used in the Research Library for genealogical and historical research. The Gift Shop spotlights the talents of regional artisans and offers a wide selection of books about local history.The Wickham Rural Life Center opened in a new, adjacent building in 2018. The Rural Life Center focuses on the agricultural and pre-electric home life of the county.The Lee School was acquired from the local school district in 1960. It is an 1884 wooden, one-room school, furnished as it was in the early 20th Century. The Lee School is located on Route 14, just south of Montour Falls. It is open for special annual events and by appointment.