Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association to open museums on Memorial Day

SCHOHARIE - With the 48th annual Spring Antique Show fundraiser in the books, Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association (SCHA) is gearing up to open its museums for the season.

The nonprofit continues to support and maintain two museums – the Schoharie Valley Railroad Museum on Depot Lane and the 1743 Palatine House Museum (the oldest house in Schoharie County) at 102 Warner Hill Road in Schoharie. Both are open from noon to 4 p.m. on weekends from Memorial Day through early October. Other showings can be made by appointment.

Money raised at SCHA’s annual spring and fall antique shows, Model Train Show and Holiday Crat Bazaar support the museums, as well as the Children’s Summer Theatre Program, which is on hiatus this year.

“All donations go into the Schoharie Colonial Heritage pot to support our Railroad Museum, the Palatine House, and events like our craft shows and children’s summer theater,” said Railroad Museum Director Thom Fries, who joined the nonprofit in 2019 after retiring from working on the railroad for 36 years. “We like promoting history – that’s why we do this.” 

In 1974, Schoharie Colonial Heritage Association transported the last remaining vehicle of the Middleburgh and Schoharie Railroad to Depot Lane in Schoharie from the Middleburgh flats, where it had been since 1936. The restored 1891 passenger car is on display for visitors, along with a restored 1917 wooden caboose donated by the Bridgeline Historical Society.

In addition, a period boxcar and a flatbed car are on display at the Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex, which also includes a 1920 scale model of buildings, cars and terrain of the area served by the Middleburgh and Schoharie Railroad. 

Just down the road a bit off Spring Street, you’ll find the Palatine House tucked away at the corner of Warner Hill Road. Built in 1743 as a Parsonage for Lutheran Pastor Peter Nicholas Sommer, the structure is one of the few buildings in the Schoharie Valley to escape destruction during the American Revolution.

Acquired in 1972 by SCHA, the house has been carefully restored to its original condition. A staff of knowledgeable historians, attired in period clothing, offers house tours, demonstrations and hands-on activities for children. Workshops and historical lectures are also held periodically throughout the season.

Admission to both museums is free, but donations are “cheerfully accepted.”

For information about SCHA and its museums, call 518-295-7505, email scha@midtel.net, or go to https://www.schoharieheritage.org.