November 2002 Organization of the Month

Each month LARAC's Cultural Connection highlights
an Organization from the Adirondack Region
that offers arts and/or cultural programming.

Slate Valley Museum (Granville, NY)

Housed in a reconstructed 19th century Dutch barn, the Slate Valley Museum interprets the history of the slate industry in a region approximately 30 miles long and six miles wide along the Vermont and New York border. The boom and bust history of the industry began when slate was first discovered in the region in 1839. The exceptional, multi-colored slate deposit has had a profound impact on the life and culture of the area, attracting thousands of immigrants from Wales, Ireland, Eastern Europe and Italy.  Many stayed a lifetime, raising a new generation of slate makers. The Slate Valley became a melting pot of cultures. Through exhibitions, special events, and educational programs, the Slate Valley Museum celebrates the heritage of the region. 

Slate provides the common vein for visitors of all ages to explore geology, tools and technology, local history and immigration.  School programs and group tours can be scheduled year-round. The Museum Gift Shop offers an appealing array of slate items ranging from clocks to picture frames, and a selection of books about history, geology, immigration and slate roofing.

SLATE VALLEY MUSEUM HOLIDAY OPEN HOUSE in 2002
A Slovakian Christmas

Share in the Old World holiday traditions of local Slavic families, descendants of quarry workers who formed the bulk of the Slate Valley quarry workforce at the turn of the 20th century.  Learn about the symbolic foods served at the Svjatyj Vecer (Holy Supper), still observed in Eastern Catholic-Eastern Orthodox homes.  Bring the whole family to observe the visit of the Jaslichkary (Shepherds of Bethlehem), who sing carols and carry a nativity shrine in the shape of a small church. Enjoy Slovakian refreshment. Donations appreciated.

Ongoing Exhibit

Thrust from the Sea: The Geology & Geography of the Slate Valley

Grasp the fascinating geological formation and geographic scale of the Slate Valley in this expansive exhibit. Visitors of all ages will travel through 500 million years of the geologic time scale, from the origins of slate at the bottom of the sea to today’s quarry operations in the hills of Vermont and New York. The slate quarries and villages in the valley are highlighted in a 20-foot exhibition panel featuring turn-of-the-last-century historic maps and quarry postcard photos from the museum’s collection. Examine numerous rock specimens and interactive displays that further explain the genesis of slate, a metamorphic rock.

Visit the Slate Valley Museum
17 Water Street
Granville, NY 12832
518-642-1417

www.SlateValleyMuseum.org

Open year-round
Tuesday, Thursday and Friday, 1 to 5 p. m.
Saturday, 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.