History Center Open to Public on Mondays
The Candor History Research Center will be open to the public on Mondays from 9 AM - Noon and by appointment at other times. Please call Nancy Riggs at 759-4001 to set up an appointment.
Inside the History Center
Candor History Center Contents
|
Ads
Annual Events St. Baldrick’s Daffodil Fest 4th of July Fall Fest Holiday Parade Arrests Assessment Rolls Barns of Upstate NY Births Books of Candor History Candor Candor Letters 1920s Chronological History of Candor Echoes From Yesterday History of Candor - 1897 Kingman I Remember When Ithaca and Owego Railroad Jacob Willsey Memories of Catatonk Memories of CCS My Life Growing Up The Settlement of Candor Small Town in Mass Society Town of Candor Village of Candor You Were a Little Boy Books of Other Local History Owego Newark Valley Spencer Tioga County Tompkins County Bridges Candor Bicentennial 1811-2011 Candor Business Letterheads Candor Historical Society Candor History/Research Candor Mardi Gras 1951-1961 Candor Telephone Company Candor Veterans since the Revolutionary War Candor's Hamlets Catatonk Gridleyville Hubbardtown Willseyville Catatonk Valley Woodcarvers hand-carved circus Catatonk Community Hall CCC Camp Straits Corners Cemetery Records from Local Cemeteries Census 1800, 1820, 1879 Churches Dams Disasters Family Files on many local families Family History Magazine Farming in Tioga County Gas Drilling Genealogies of Many Local Families Hollenbeck and Son Feed Mill Legal Library Local Government Town Village Maps of Candor from various years Military - residents in various branches of service and different wars Newspaper Articles 1917-2002 Newspapers Candor Courier 1899-1966 Most issues Candor Statement 2006-2011 Obituaries 1847-1848, 1873-2022 Old Candor Business Brochures Old Land Transactions Old Ledgers Property Transfers Railroads of Candor Revolutionary War Pensions Local School Alumni Newsletters Budgets CCS Communications Elementary High School History Renovations School Board News Sports Yearbooks |
Small Town in Mass Society
Social News 1899-2021 Tree Talks Tuesday Evening Club Thousands of Photos, many old Weddings/Engagements Candor Businesses Through the Years Antiques/Auctions Auto Sales Banks Bed & Breakfasts Beauty Shops Business Cards Business A-J Business K-Z Business Misc. Campgrounds Contractors Drug Stores Elderly Housing Factories A-F Factories G-Z Farms A-H Farms I-Z Fitness Funeral Homes Gas/Auto Repair Gas/Mini Mart Grocery Stores Hardware Stores Home Heating Hotels, Early Insurance Lumber Massage Medical/Dental Mills Newspapers NYSEG - Pipeline Photographers Post Office Restaurants A-G Restaurants H-Z Stores Misc. Tanneries Telephone Veterinarians Candor Organizations Through the Years Agriculture American Legion American Legion Programs Book Clubs Boy Scouts Candor Chamber of Commerce Candor Community Chorus Candor Community Club and Mardi Gras Candor Community Services Corporation Candor Senior Citizens Candor Youth Association Catatonk Valley Woodcarvers D.A.R. EMS Family Resource Center (Food Pantry) Fire Department 4-H Girl Scouts GLF Grange Historical Society Historical Society Programs Library Lions Club Logan Hill Nature Preserve Masonic Lodge Men’s Garden Club Misc. Organizations Nat’l Wild Turkey Fed. Celebrity Hunt New Quilters on the Block Snowmobile/ATV Clubs Travel Club |
Major Renovations and Donations Needed!
The Candor Historical Society’s History Center has undergone several much-needed renovations since we acquired the historic Grange building, located at 25 Main Street, in April 2016.
In order to accomplish this, the Historical Society has received many grants for the renovations that have been made so far. We have updated the electrical system, put in two new handicapped bathrooms and a new porch, insulated the building, built new outside stairs from the second floor, fixed a chimney, and taken care of code violations in the basement. We have also put in new windows and a new handicapped exit off the rear of the building. Projects completed in 2025 were a new roof and new siding.
Now, we are searching for grants for an elevator, or lift, so that everyone will be able to access the upstairs. We also need a fire alarm system that immediately alerts the fire department when smoke or fire is detected. The walls and ceilings need to be repainted, and the old wooden floors refinished.
We are applying for more grants all of the time, but the Historical Society is also soliciting donations from people interested in Candor history to be used specifically for this project. The Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, therefore donations are tax deductible. Those wishing to help fund this project can send checks to Candor Historical Society, PO Box 585, Candor, NY 13743, or by choosing the "DONATE" button below. Be sure to specify that the money is for the Building Renovation Fund. Contractors interested in submitting bids for the project can contact Gary Henry (607-659-7661).
In order to accomplish this, the Historical Society has received many grants for the renovations that have been made so far. We have updated the electrical system, put in two new handicapped bathrooms and a new porch, insulated the building, built new outside stairs from the second floor, fixed a chimney, and taken care of code violations in the basement. We have also put in new windows and a new handicapped exit off the rear of the building. Projects completed in 2025 were a new roof and new siding.
Now, we are searching for grants for an elevator, or lift, so that everyone will be able to access the upstairs. We also need a fire alarm system that immediately alerts the fire department when smoke or fire is detected. The walls and ceilings need to be repainted, and the old wooden floors refinished.
We are applying for more grants all of the time, but the Historical Society is also soliciting donations from people interested in Candor history to be used specifically for this project. The Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) organization, therefore donations are tax deductible. Those wishing to help fund this project can send checks to Candor Historical Society, PO Box 585, Candor, NY 13743, or by choosing the "DONATE" button below. Be sure to specify that the money is for the Building Renovation Fund. Contractors interested in submitting bids for the project can contact Gary Henry (607-659-7661).
Holding on to History
- By Jaime Cone, Ithaca.com, February 25, 2022
- Picture of Carol Henry, Candor Town Historian
There is something unique about Candor that inspires people to keep its history alive. That special something is actually the people, Henry said, who inspire each other to do the work, decade after decade, so that new generations can discover their town’s past.
The Candor History Center even has a dedicated group of volunteers that keeps everything organized; the women meet from 9 a.m. to noon every Monday to sort through documents and pull records and photos for the public to view. People can show up during that time, or they can call and make an appointment to view archived items at other times at (607) 759-4001.
“People coming in are no longer from Candor, or their families are coming to do some research on their family’s homes and businesses that their families were involved in,” Henry said. “So it’s nice to have that group together, and the ladies are spending so much time and doing a fantastic job.”
The Candor Historical Society is a very active organization with a new president, Nancy Riggs, who stepped into the role last June.
Renovations for the new history center building—the old Grange building on Main Street—have been underway for the last five years and are still continuing. Henry said the building still needs new siding, windows, doors, flooring in some areas, insulation, and new handicap bathrooms, as well as some septic and water work. The bathrooms are already paid for with a grant, but as with many of the ongoing projects, the actual construction will have to wait until the weather warms up.
Henry has already secured some grant funding for the renovations, and she continues to seek out new grant opportunities.
All of Candor History Center’s programs are free and open to the public, and they have a full schedule of education talks lined up for the coming year.
A New Home for History in Candor
by Jaime Cone, June 5, 2017 in The Candor Chronicle
The effort to transform the old Grange building on Main Street in Candor is slowly making progress. It’s a big undertaking for a town that has never had a central location to house its many historical artifacts, but Milt Dougherty and his friends and fellow history buffs are taking the first steps to make it happen.
Dougherty was at the large, white house with Dick Zavatto on a recent, bright May morning.
The pair had just finished showing the place to organizers from Broome-Tioga Workforce New York, which assists job seekers with training and employment opportunities. Their team agreed help paint the interior, Dougherty said. The Grange Hall was sold to the Candor Historical Society for one dollar
about a year ago after the group disbanded.
“They felt that the historical society could make best use of the building,” said Dougherty. The two-story building not only has a wide open downstairs with a kitchen but an upper level that is nothing but open space, perfect for public presentations.
It would be an ideal location for the Historical Society’s monthly programs, Dougherty pointed out, and as it was sold “as is,” the Society also inherited the dozens upon dozens of wooden folding chairs stacked against the wall. The downstairs would likely serve as a museum of sorts.
“We have a lot of material in various places, and we want to consolidate that and make it into a history center,” Dougherty explained.
He said that there is a lot of printed history, such as old newspapers, family documents, obituaries and books, that need a proper place where they can be stored. The Candor Historical Society currently has about 70 members.
Dougherty’s own interest in history stems from his family’s longstanding ties to the area, which date back to the early 1800s. Dougherty said that in the years to come the existence of the Historical Society will depend on its ability to attract younger members.
Already members have been making a point to add newer forms of communication in order to widen their reach. Recently a Facebook page was launched, which became very popular for its regular posting of old photos.
The Society’s monthly programs include presentations on a wide variety of topics, from notable locals in the Women’s Suffrage Movement to the history of Candor’s white-tailed deer population. They are held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Candor Town Hall on the last Wednesday of the month.
Dues to the club are inexpensive — just $15 or $10 for those over 65. Currently funding is what the History Society needs the most to get the Candor History Center up and running.
Dougherty was at the large, white house with Dick Zavatto on a recent, bright May morning.
The pair had just finished showing the place to organizers from Broome-Tioga Workforce New York, which assists job seekers with training and employment opportunities. Their team agreed help paint the interior, Dougherty said. The Grange Hall was sold to the Candor Historical Society for one dollar
about a year ago after the group disbanded.
“They felt that the historical society could make best use of the building,” said Dougherty. The two-story building not only has a wide open downstairs with a kitchen but an upper level that is nothing but open space, perfect for public presentations.
It would be an ideal location for the Historical Society’s monthly programs, Dougherty pointed out, and as it was sold “as is,” the Society also inherited the dozens upon dozens of wooden folding chairs stacked against the wall. The downstairs would likely serve as a museum of sorts.
“We have a lot of material in various places, and we want to consolidate that and make it into a history center,” Dougherty explained.
He said that there is a lot of printed history, such as old newspapers, family documents, obituaries and books, that need a proper place where they can be stored. The Candor Historical Society currently has about 70 members.
Dougherty’s own interest in history stems from his family’s longstanding ties to the area, which date back to the early 1800s. Dougherty said that in the years to come the existence of the Historical Society will depend on its ability to attract younger members.
Already members have been making a point to add newer forms of communication in order to widen their reach. Recently a Facebook page was launched, which became very popular for its regular posting of old photos.
The Society’s monthly programs include presentations on a wide variety of topics, from notable locals in the Women’s Suffrage Movement to the history of Candor’s white-tailed deer population. They are held from 7 to 9 p.m. in the Candor Town Hall on the last Wednesday of the month.
Dues to the club are inexpensive — just $15 or $10 for those over 65. Currently funding is what the History Society needs the most to get the Candor History Center up and running.
