Colorful and Historic
If you’ve never heard of Mackenzie-Childs, you will know plenty about it after spending some time in Cayuga County.
A manufacturer of high-end, hand-painted ceramics, furniture and other home goods, Mackenzie-Childs is one of the most beloved corporate citizens of Cayuga County. Its headquarters, located a short drive outside of Auburn, is a beautiful and fascinating place to visit.
Groups that make the trip to the “Mack-Childs” headquarters learn about the artist-inspired production process that takes place in on-site workshops, where crafters make more than 3,000 types of home products each year. A large gift shop and gallery features all manner of items decorated with the company’s signature “courtly check” pattern.
Next door to the main visitors building, beside a pond and neatly manicured pastures, is an 1870s Victorian farmhouse that now serves as a living showroom for some of the company’s most unusual products. After slipping protective booties over their feet, groups can tour the home and imagine what it would be like to live among the colorful, fanciful decor and antique furnishings.
Another historic home, this one in downtown Auburn, is also worth a visit for tour groups. The William H. Seward House was the home of a longtime public servant who famously ran against Abraham Lincoln for the presidency and then, after losing, served as Lincoln’s secretary of state and a member of the legendary Team of Rivals.
A tour through the home is a fascinating look inside Seward’s life, which includes tours of the world, Washington politics, an assassination attempt and secret smuggling of slaves on the Underground Railroad.
“It’s almost as if the Sewards stepped out for dinner and we snuck in to explore,” said director of education Jeff Ludwig. “The authenticity is really special.”
Highlights of the tour include the large dining room where Seward was known to host lavish dinner parties for foreign dignitaries, as well as souvenirs from around the world, paintings of 132 world diplomats and letters signed by Abraham Lincoln.
Glenn H. Curtiss Museum
In Hammondsport, not far from Corning, the Glenn H. Curtiss Museum honors a local man who became a leader in aviation and innovation during the early 20th century.
“Glenn Curtiss is considered the father of naval aviation” said the museum’s executive director Trafford Doherty. “We cover Curtiss and his achievements, but we also have a wide variety of other things here.”
Curtiss began his career as a bicycle manufacturer and later got into motorcycles, and the museum has a number of his early bikes on display, as well as vintage Harley-Davidson and Indian motorcycles. This expertise led Curtiss’ into aviation, where he experimented with a number of different concepts. The museum exhibits a number of his early prototypes and experimental aircraft, as well as a “flying boat” and other aircraft that became the basis of his legacy in naval aviation.
Walking through the museum, visitors get a look not only at Curtiss as an inventor, but also at the time in which he lived. Artifacts include numerous classic cars and carriages, as well as household items from the early 1900s.
The museum also has a number of aircraft, engines and other pieces of history that are under restoration in an on-site workshop. Volunteers work daily on restoration projects, and groups that visit the museum can tour the shop and talk with the volunteers about their tasks.
