Chautauqua County Historian Norman Carlson

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center will present the next program in its 2026 Here & There – Chautauqua County History, Travelers and Memories series on Thursday at 7 p.m.

America celebrates the 250th Anniversary of its independence this year; and all across the nation events are being planned to commemorate this milestone. Chautauqua County is no different.

There were no Revolutionary War battles in Chautauqua County, and precious few Native Americans and no white settlers living here at the time. Consequently people generally think our Revolutionary War heritage consists only of the veterans buried in local cemeteries and possibly a very few artifacts brought in by the earliest families. However, there are half a dozen or so ways in which the land that is now Chautauqua County did have some particular relevance to the war.

Chautauqua County Historian Norman Carlson will examine these ways in this talk. From the personal notebook of Eliakim Garfield which documented events between 1771 and 1797, including the outbreak of the Revolutionary War, and now resides at the Fenton Historical Center in Jamestown, to Continental currency notes from 1776 that were used to finance the war later found in Ripley, to suspicion that alleged turncoat Simon Ginty lived for a time in Chautauqua County, these connections and more will be explored by Carlson.

Carlson has been Chautauqua County’s Historian since 2024. He has extensive experience in the field having spent nearly 30 years as Collections Manager at the Fenton History Center in Jamestown and having been highly active in various local history organizations. Notably, he has volunteered with the Busti Historical Society for more than 50 years and has been involved with the Busti Bicentennial Committee, reflecting his dedication to preserving and promoting local history.

Admission to the lecture is free, with donations gratefully accepted. Opera House programming is made possible, in part, by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of the Office of the Governor and the New York State Legislature, and by the United Arts Appeal of Chautauqua County.

The 1891 Fredonia Opera House Performing Arts Center is a member-supported not-for-profit performing arts center with a mission to “present the performing arts for the benefit of our community and region … providing access to artistic diversity … and high quality programming at an affordable price.” It is located in Village Hall in downtown Fredonia. For a complete schedule of events, visit www.fredopera.org.