Ran Away with the Circus! August 17, 2025 at 7pm

Jane Oakes has been teaching people history for over 40 years. She lives in western NY and gives dynamic talks on Circuses. Jane has been described as "one of the area's most popular historical speakers whose well-illustrated programs are always lively and engaging."

Oh the excitement of seeing a poster announcing that a circus was coming to your town! Many a young person dreamed of running away with the circus, and some did! New York State has many interesting connections with American circus history. From "Yankee Robinson, who gave the Ringling Brothers their start, to P.T. Barnum's "Ossian Giant". You'll meet some New Yorkers who followed the lure of the sawdust circle.

This program is free and open to the public. Donations to support these programs are always welcome. There will be a raffle of a MacKensie-Childs Rosy-check ceramic fluted cake stand with tickets only $2 each or 3 for $5. Refreshments will be served.

COME ONE - COME ALL! THE CIRCUS IS IN TOWN! JANE OAKES WILL BRING THE CIRCUS ALIVE!

An Exciting New Raffle Begins Today!

Rosy Check Ceramic fluted Cake Stand

This piece is handmade and hand-painted in rosy hues, trimmed with gold luster and stamped by the Aurora artisans involved in its creation. Value is $500. It was donated by McKenzie-Childs.

Raffle tickets are $2 each or 3 tickets for $5. You can purchase tickets at the upcoming Doug's Fish Fry on July 5th at the Fire House in Union Springs from 11am-6pm. They are also available on weekends at the museum from 1pm-4pm and at our future programs. The next program is entitled Our World Underwater with diver Henry MacDonald showing some amazing underwater photos. This program will be at 7pm on July 13th.

We are also pleased to announce that the winner of the McKenzie-Childs compote bowl donated by Claire Morehouse was Ruth Bradley, Cayuga County Historian. Congratulations Ruth!

Sally Roesch Wagner - Historian, Author, Educator

The Frontenac Historical Society & Museum mourns the passing of a friend of the museum. Dr. Wagner, Founder of Matilda Gage Joslyn Center for Social Justice came to the museum in Spring 2023 to speak during Women's Recognition month. She was scheduled to return November 18, 2025 for a program entitled Women Voted Before the Revolution sharing how women of the Haudenosaunee people influenced the women's suffrage movement.

The National Women's History Museum issued a statement regarding Dr. Roesch shared in part in this recognition. "Dr. Wagner was a towering figure in the field of women's history. As one of the first individuals in the United States to earn a doctorate in women's studies, she devoted her life to amplifying the stories of women whose contributions had been erased or sidelined. Through her scholarship, teaching, and advocacy, she reshaped the narrative of American history to be more truthful, inclusive and just."

"She was founding director of the Matilda Joslyn Gage Foundation and Social Justice Dialogue Center, created to honor and restore the legacy of the radical suffragist Matilda Joslyn Gage. Dr. Wagner once said, 'I fell in love with a dead woman, followed her right across the country, and it changed my life.' That love and relentless pursuit of justice led her to establish the Gage Center in Fayetteville, NY, a vibrant home for truth-telling, activism, and community engagement."

In the Syracuse Post Standard, her family shared that "one of her most powerful legacies was uncovering the work of Matilda Joslyn Gage, a suffragist who they said was erased from history for being too radical."

Continuing from the Post Standard: "Her work on Gage started with a meeting in 1970 in Wagner's hometown with one of her mother's friends, Matilda Jewell Gage. Matilda Jewell Gage had a collection of letters and papers from her grandmother. Wagner made it her mission to restore Gage, a forgotten member of the suffrage movement, to her rightful place in history."

Rest in Peace Sally Roesch Wagner.