Skimming the Cream of History

This guest post is by Kihm Winship, is an author who lives, walks, writes and works in Skaneateles. His blog “Skaneateles” chronicles the character and characters of this lakeside village. Enjoy!

The Creamery Museum of the Skaneateles Historical Society is a must-stop for visitors who enjoy learning more about their vacation destination. Located at 28 Hannum St., around the corner from the Sherwood Inn, the Creamery is packed with fascinating artifacts and exhibits that bring the village’s two centuries of history to life.

The museum’s newest wing displays a gallery of beautiful wooden canoes, rowboats and sailboats that were handmade in Skaneateles, including Lightning No. 1 — perhaps the most-famous sailboat built here — on loan from the Mystic Seaport Museum of America and the Sea.

The new, interactive lake model is one of the museum’s most popular displays; summer visitors can see where they are staying and place themselves in the history that has taken place up and down the 16-mile-long lake.

Of prime importance to many visitors, the Creamery has an extensive collection of research materials available for genealogical and historical studies related to the Skaneateles area. On Friday afternoons, a researcher is available to assist, advise and access one-of-a-kind archival resources.

The Creamery Museum comes with a history of its own. Opened in 1899, it was a place for local farmers to bring their milk to be processed, and for residents to buy the resulting dairy products. The business closed in 1949, and for many years the building stood vacant, but in 1989 a local businessman it the building to the Village. The Skaneateles Historical Society was then given the opportunity to renovate it as a museum, and in 1992 — thanks to time, talent and funding from the entire community — history had a home.

The Creamery is open on selected Fridays, Saturdays, and Sundays during the year:

Jan-April: Fri 1-4

May-June: Fri-Sat 1-4

July-Aug: Fri, Sat, Sun 1-4

Sept-Oct: Fri-Sat 1-4

Nov to Thanksgiving: Fri 1-4

Thanksgiving to Christmas, Fri, Sat, Sun 1-4

Feel free to call ahead – (315) 685-1360 – to be sure the Creamery will be open when you visit. Admission is free, although donations are gratefully accepted, and there’s a terrific giftshop.

Cosmos Pizza, 51 years on Marshall Street

Cosmos has been  on Marshall Street since 1963.

Cosmos Pizza and Grill offers a large slice of Syracuse University tradition. Nothing fancy to look at yet, it is as vivid a memory for me as crossing  the windy quad with a t-square at 2am, deafening basketball games in Manley Field House, and the endless sets of steps I traveled for four years.

The founder George Cannellos of Cosmos passed away in 2013 as Cosmos celebrated its 50th year. When I was a student Cosmos had few booths, and often long lines for a seat. They have doubled their space since then, and have a unique decorating style.

Another favorite Cosmos dish was the “THB.” A toasted honey bun with  ice cream and coffee around 11pm was fuel to get me through many all-nighters.

A recent visit to Cosmos for breakfast with our friend Professor Alejandro Garcia, provided a star sighting of Jerami Grant, the 6’8″ forward for  SU Basketball, who stopped by to pick up a breakfast sandwich.

Other famous SU stars to frequent Cosmos were athletes Ernie Davis, Jim Brown, Floyd Little and Carmelo Anthony.

Cosmos is open seven days a week, from 8am to 1 or 2pm, located on Marshall Street near the SU campus.

Armory Square, Syracuse

Walking around Armory Square you can find interesting shops and LOTs of places to eat

The Armory Square district in Syracuse was originally settled in 1804. The Erie Canal and later the railroad helped to put Syracuse on the map as a center for industry and manufacturing. Most of the area buildings were constructed between 1860 and 1890 as factories or warehouses.

Walking toward Armory Square on Jefferson

Part of  the Armory Square district consists of a circular street, West Jefferson, with Armory Square Park at the 12:00 spot (N) on the circle. The Jefferson St Armory was actually three buildings used to house both the cavalry and the infantry.

Today the area is bustling with hotels, restaurants, businesses, loft apartments as well as cultural elements such as the Museum of Science and Technology (MOST), the Red House Musical Theater on Fayette, and the Landmark Theater on S. Salina St.

We enjoyed a nice quiet lunch at Lemon Grass.

Well-known area restaurants include Pastabilities, and Lemon Grass and bc. We ate at Lemon Grass enjoying great service and a nice view onto the Circle.

Intrepid reporter working the square

This area is best known for its night life as it has a many bars close together, The Empire Brewing Company, Blue Tusk and The Syracuse Suds Factory, which in the summer open onto the square and street. It is fun to hop from one spot to another to listen to live music and sample local brews.

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