![]() ![]() It was Richardson-Bates family that made the call to the president of the historical society after Christmas Day to give the ultimate Christmas gift, which was very proudly and unanimously accepted by the board of trustees. Four generations had been long-time members of the historical society and their mother Florence was among the first group of women to become members. It was a year later, on the anniversary of her death, that it was decided by her surviving children that the family homestead would be gifted to the historical society to be a public museum and headquarters in honor of their family legacy in the community. She tragically and unexpectedly died on Christmas Day in 1945. From the time she first moved in with her family, Florence loved to celebrate Christmas and hired local florists to fully decorate her home during the holiday season. Florence Bates was the last surviving member to live in the house. He moved in with his wife Florence (Morley) Bates and their four children: Betty, Norman, Jr., Sally and Maxwell Richardson Bates I. In 1910, Norman Bates inherited the family residence as the sole heir of Richardson family estate. “It houses an incredible collection of artifacts, documents, manuscripts, photographs and more, that showcases the rich history Oswego County.” “The museum truly serves as the community memory bank,” said White. Due to the gift of 90 percent of the original contents, it remains one of the most intact house museums in New York State. It is individually listed on the National Register of Historic Places and situated within the Washington Square Historic District. The opulent interior décor reflects the 19th century Victorian fascination with art, culture, education, and history. Richardson was a local attorney, successful real estate tycoon, businessman, civic leader and two-term mayor of Oswego. The unique example of this style of architecture was designed by architect Andrew Jackson Warner of Rochester, New York. ![]() This included his mother Naomi Richardson, sister Harriet Richardson-Bates and nephew Norman Bates. This iconic Tuscan Villa landmark was commissioned in 1867 by Maxwell Richardson for his family. In 1946, the three surviving children of Norman and Florence (Morley) Bates, gifted the family’s historic residence to be the society’s permanent headquarters and serve as the first public museum in Oswego County. The most momentous moment for the historical society was the generosity of the fourth generation of the Richardson-Bates family. Thereafter, the initial goal of the historical society was to promote, protect and preserve the history of Oswego County. This proudly remarked the first time the American flag was raised in Oswego at its military fort. This was shortly after a very successful and memorable centennial celebration week which honored the event of the "Evacuation of the British from Fort Ontario in 1796.” This recognized a legendary moment in American history when Oswego became fully free as a last territory in the country relinquished by the British, thirteen years after the end of the American Revolution. The Oswego County Historical Society was formed in 1896 by a group of prominent civic leaders of Oswego. "We welcome the community to join us in celebrating the holiday season in the spirit of an old-fashioned Christmas." ![]() "The historic Richardson-Bates House Museum will be fully decorated with remembrances of the special Christmas times that took place centuries ago," said OCHS board trustee Justin White. The event is free and open to the public. The theme for this year is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the first open house that took place at the Richardson-Bates House Museum in 1947. ![]()
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