2026 SEASON SNAPSHOT
2026 EVENTS:
GALLERY CELEBRATION
July 10, 5-7 PM
THAI FESTIVAL & CEREMONY
July 18, 10 AM- 3 PM
ANTIQUE & CLASSIC CAR SHOW
August 1, 10 AM- 2 PM
COLONIAL GARDEN PARTY
August 16, 5-8 PM
LIGHTING OF THE FIRETOWER
September 5, 9 PM
PEOPLE & PEAKS: ANNUAL ADIRONDACK STORIES
September 12, 10 AM-3 PM
HISTORIC IRONVILLE TOUR
September 22, 10 AM-3 PM
2026 PROGRAMS:
Films - Free Admission
Lectures - $8 (Free for Members)
THE WAR THAT MADE AMERICA:
THE STORY OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
June 25, 7 PM
Film Showing
The War that Made America brings to life a vastly important time in American history, when events set forces in motion that would culminate in the American Revolution. The dramatic documentary tells the story of the French and Indian War (1754-1763), which began in the wilderness of the Pennsylvania frontier and spread throughout the colonies, into Canada, and ultimately around the world. The showing will include 2 of the 4 segments of the series.
PBS, 2006, 120 mins.
THE CHAMPLAIN VALLEY IN 1776:
HISTORY & STORIES
July 2, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
DON WICKMAN
One author referred to 1776 as the "Year of Illusions." This describes the military situation in the Lake Champlain Valley. In Canada, the superior and well-disciplined British army sat as their trained navy and craftsmen constructed a fleet. To the south waited a ragtag, demoralized, disease-ridden American army with a fleet carved out of the wilderness. Which side would win? Through a combination of history and stories supported by illustrations, this program will examine a critical year of the Revolution.
LIBERTY! THE AMERICAN REVOLUTION
PARTS 3 & 4
July 9, 7 PM
Film Showing
Through a compelling mix of historical analysis, dramatic reenactments, expert commentary, and period documents, Liberty! The American Revolution explores the birth of the American Republic and the struggle of a loosely connected group of states to become a nation.
Episode 3 — The Times That Try Men’s Souls (1776–1777)
Following the Declaration, British forces arrive in New York, forcing Washington’s Continental Army into retreat. With enlistments expiring and morale low, Washington makes a bold crossing of the Delaware River, surprising and defeating Hessian troops at Trenton—reviving hope for the revolutionary cause.
Episode 4 — Oh Fatal Ambition! (1777–1778)
The new nation struggles for support and survival. Benjamin Franklin goes to France to seek an alliance while British campaigns aim to isolate New England. The American victory at Saratoga becomes a strategic turning point and helps secure French support for the Americans in the war, beginning to define the new United States and its future.
PBS, 1997, 120 mins.
SENECA RAY STODDARD:
AN AMERICAN ORIGINAL
July 16, 7 PM
Film Showing
The documentary explores the life and creative genius of landscape photographer Seneca Ray Stoddard (1843-1917), whose work significantly impacted the United States' environmental public policy, travel, and attitudes about the natural world. Over the span of forty years, Stoddard captured stunning images of a rugged and changing wilderness, including breathtaking scenes of life in the Adirondacks of Upstate New York.
WMHT, 2006, 60 mins.
SEARCHING FOR MY GREAT-GREAT-UNCLE:
SENECA RAY STODDARD
July 23, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
DANIEL WAY
The author of Seneca Ray Stoddard: An Intimate Portrait of an Adirondack Legend, Daniel Way, will share his journey through research and writing about the legendary photographer. Way’s book is the story of a remarkable American from upstate New York who emerged from humble beginnings during the post-Civil War era to become a renowned artist, author, photographer, explorer, surveyor, cartographer, traveler, inventor, and Adirondack environmentalist over a six-decade career. In so doing, he had a profound impact on the New York landscape that endures to the present day.
IRON WILL:
HOW ADIRONDACK ORE HELPED WIN THE REVOLUTIONARY WAR
July 30, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
PETER NELSON
The usual stories of Adirondack iron mining begin in the mid-1800’s. But decades before, Adirondack iron played an important role in the outcome of the Revolutionary War. Come learn how charcoal, a vital energy technology in the Adirondacks from the earliest days of Indigenous habitation to the first settlements, combined with the discovery of iron ore to help shift the balance of power in the Champlain Valley and alter the course of America’s battle for independence.
THE FOG OF WAR
August 6, 7 PM
Film Showing
Fifty years ago, in the spring of 1975, Saigon fell, and Vietnam was reunified, marking the end of the Vietnam War. The U.S. withdrew in 1973, but fighting continued until 1975. The Academy Award-winning film looks back at the U.S. involvement and the lessons it brought to and from that War through the eyes of Robert S. McNamara, Secretary of Defense under Presidents Kennedy and Johnson. Academy Award winner for best documentary feature.
Errol Morris, 2003; 107 mins
DESK SET
August 13, 7 PM
Film Showing
An American romantic comedy, produced during the early years of computer-based automation, that addresses the human cost of computerization. The film is a charming showcase for the legendary Hollywood screen team of Spencer Tracy and Katharine Hepburn. After initial clashes over technology and job security, the two find themselves drawn together, blending workplace tensions with romantic sparks. Based on the 1955 play The Desk Set by William Marchant, with a screenplay by Phoebe Ephron and Henry Ephron.
Directed by Walter Lang, 1957, 103 mins.
BACK TO THE WALL, FACE TO THE SUN
August 16, 6:30
Special Presentation for the Colonial Garden Party
BILL MCKIBBEN
In a bleak moment for the climate (and the political climate), the sudden sharp rise of renewable energy offers some possibilities for a safer, more democratic future. In his new book, Here Comes the Sun: A Last Chance for the Climate and a Fresh Chance for Civilization, McKibben argues that the rapid growth of cheap solar and wind energy presents a historic opportunity to combat climate change and build a more equitable society, despite the fossil fuel industry's resistance.
BENEDICT ARNOLD, AMERICAN ENIGMA
August 20, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
TOM MANDEVILLE
Benedict Arnold, American Enigma is an examination of an American hero, who was wounded twice in action and then transformed into America's most infamous traitor. Before defecting to the British in 1780, Arnold was a major general in the Continental Army and a trusted confidant of George Washington. Arnold distinguished himself in battles at Saratoga, Ridgefield, and Lake Champlain, and played a pivotal role in the American capture of Fort Ticonderoga. Tom Mandeville will delve into the enigma of Arnold.
A WAR AGAINST VEGETABLES, A WAR AGAINST WOMEN:
HAUDENOSAUNEE WOMEN'S EXPERIENCES OF THE REVOLUTION
August 27, 7 PM
Lecture/Presentation
MAEVE KANE
When George Washington ordered the "total destruction and devastation" of Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) territories in 1779, the offensive was to that date the largest and most expensive campaign of the American Revolution. What became known as the Sullivan-Clinton campaign aimed squarely at the agricultural heart of Haudenosaunee women's diplomatic power, cultural status, and national identity by burning cornfields and felling orchards. Continental soldiers constructed an American identity for themselves by destroying what they called Haudenosaunee women's "homes of contentment," and despite this Haudenosaunee women preserved their nations over the course of the war.
HARVEST OF SHAME
September 3, 7 PM
Film Showing
A TV documentary that exposed the harsh and exploitative conditions faced by migrant farmworkers in the U.S. It reveals how workers—many of them families with children—endured poverty wages, unsafe housing, child labor, and constant movement while remaining excluded from basic labor protections. The film contrasts America’s agricultural abundance with the invisibility and suffering of those who harvest the nation’s food, delivering a stark moral indictment of the system that allowed it. Discussion panel TBA.
CBS/Edward R. Murrow, 1960, 54 mins.
