UNLOCK HISTORY!
Wayne County History Museum is housed in the former Wayne County Jail and sheriff's residence, just a few blocks from downtown Lyons and the Erie Canal (Lock 27).
The museum has three floors of local history displays, a two-story carriage house, and thematic exhibits. Visitors can also meet the former Sheriff and step inside the old jail cells.
Main Gallery Exhibit for 2026
Bloodlines that Built America
Painting by Ira Randall of Naples, NY (1903 - 1986)
Explore the cultural landscapeof Wayne Co. 250 years ago.especially the Indigenous Haudenosaunee, European, and early African residents and settlers.
Opens April 23 at 5pm...
God-willing...
Honoring “True Valor”
Civil War monument dedication Aug 22
Join us to honor our veterans at Central Park in Lyons New York.
“True Valor” will be installed this summer in Central Park square in Lyons to honor thousands of boys and men from Wayne County who fought in the Civil War between 1861 and 1865. Ceremonies will include recognition of ancestors and descendants who also served.
Three Union soldiers of the 111th NY Volunteer Regiment will be life-size bronze statues mounted on a rose granite pedestal in the center of a 40-foot circular concrete patio. The monument scene depicts an infantryman protecting a color bearer as he retrieves the flag from a fallen soldier.
The Plaque just east of the monument recalls the scene and the speech by Rev. Brown of Clyde who honored the111th in Gettysburg at a GAR reunion when they erected the first 111th monument.
A Dedication Ceremony will be held Saturday, Aug. 22, with a variety of activities at Central Park from 10am to 5pm. Living history demonstrations, re-enactors and veterans in uniform, live music of the era and a formal dedication ceremony at 1pm.
The sculptor who created “True Valor” is Gary Casteel, who has created dozens of bronze sculptures, including several installed at Gettysburg National Military Park.
Funding for “True Valor” and related events is made possible through a donation to the Wayne County Historical Society by the
Isaac Mullie Family Foundation.
America 250
NYS 250 and Wayne Co 250 Events
This year, residents and visitors are invited to explore your identity throughout Ye Hills of Wayne with programs that contemplate, commemorate and celebrate the peoples that lived in this region, that came to this region, or that traveled through this region... 250 years ago.
The Museum of Wayne County History will explore this time period in our NEW exhibit that identifies the European and Native American beneficial connections and unfortunate dissentions.
Although Wayne County was not a formal county of the colony of New York in 1776, there were the people of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy that hunted here and made this land their home, as well as military scouts and traders who had been traveling through the region for more than 100 years.
COUNTYWIDE PROGRAMS
Learn and explore even more with our many town & village historians and historical societies.
Events and programs are free to the public.
Brewing Conflicts: Lively history-based discussions in local "coffeehouses".
Driving History Tours: Self-guided tours through Wayne County’s historic countryside to explore the people and places that shaped the region.
Speaking Engagements: Presentations Dr. Michael Oberg of SUNY Geneseo. "Stolen Ground" on May 13, Gates Hall, Williamson.
Educational Outreach: Public access and awareness promoted via schools, libraries, media, and online.
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The “America 250” programs are made possible through support from the New York State Department of Education, presented in partnership with Wayne County historians, historical societies, and community organizations and venues.
Upcoming Events
THANK YOU
to our Community Sponsors
Want to help us preserve & share our history?
Opportunities abound to be part of something bigger, that will leave a legacy.
VOLUNTEERS
Seeking persons and families who are willing to commit a few hours toward our mission.
Please fill out the volunteer contact form.
INTERNSHIPS
College and high school students are invited
to contact us to fulfill required hours of internship toward any major or civic participation.