The Central New York Living History Center
The Central New York Living History Center opened its doors in 2012. Each component of the four museums caters to a different theme of history. The Brockway Museum focuses on Brockway Trucks and the history of their 100 plus year reign in the Homer and Cortland Communities. The Homeville Museum concentrates on military and railroad history, as well as both local and national historical events. The Agricultural Museum in the big red barn tells the story of farming and agri-business of Central New York and all of rural America. The Firehouse and First Responders Museum opened in September 2023 and highlights antique fire equipment, police, and EMS displays.
Brockway was the first resident in the museum complex. The Brockway Museum is a combination of both permanent and rotating collections of antique Brockway Trucks. The BTPA (Brockway Truck Preservation Association) manages the Annual Truck Show the second weekend of August each year. The committee also works with Brockway truck owners who are willing to loan their Huskies for a year for display at the museum. The rotating display changes in late May or early June each year.
The Homeville Museum was the idea of Kenneth Eaton, an avid collector, who resided in the village of Homer. His dream was to have his entire collection remain intact in the Cortland/Homer area. He was a WWII veteran, who spent more than 35 years assembling the collection of over 10,000 pieces. In the collection are rare items of local and national political and economic significance, a massive collection of model trains, and a military collection that is second-to-none. This collection has direct connections to local history and veterans from the Civil War to the Gulf War. It also contains several military vehicles including the tank out front of the museum building. Unfortunately, Kenneth Eaton passed away in 2006 before the museum at the Living History Center came to fruition.
The agricultural component of the Living History Center includes a collection of antique tractors, vintage farm equipment, dairy, poultry, beekeeping displays, and an old-time farmhouse kitchen. The Cortland area has a rich agricultural history, which is still a way of life for many residents today. A model display of mid-1950s farm equipment and tractors has been newly added from the Cornell University archives.
The Antique Firehouse and First Responders Museum opened in September 2023. It contains hand drawn fire equipment, early-motorized fire engines, firefighter memorabilia, police and fire uniforms and protective gear, and early EMS packs. Some of our collection was previously on display at the FASNY Museum in Hudson, NY. The lifenet, firepole, and bunkhouse are memories of past years’ firefighting eras.
The CNY Living History Center, is located at 4386-4392 U.S. Route 11, Cortland – half way between Homer and Cortland near exit 54 (old exit 12) on Route 81.
The museum is open Tuesday through Saturday, 10 am to 5 pm (with last tour at 4 pm). Winter hours may vary. Admission includes all four museums for the price of one. Displays change annually, with additions and improvements continuously taking place. For more information and upcoming events, please visit our website at www.cnylivinghistory.org.
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