The 1890 House Museum and Center for the Arts is the former home of Chester and Ardell Wickwire. Built between 1888 and 1890 under the supervision of Architect Samuel Burrage Reed, the house was lived in by the Wickwire family until 1973. The Museum has begun restoration to bring the house back to its orgiginal appearance, and retains 40-60% of its original furnishings. The Museum seeks to preserve and restore the 1890 House (together with the museum's carriage house and landscaped grounds), and to interpret to the public the historical and cultural significance of this property. In addition the musuem strives to collect, preserve, display, and interpret to the public appropriate objects and artifacts for the purposes of recreating appropriate historical interior and exterior settings at the 1890 House and for scholarly study, exhibition, and public interpretation of America's cultural heritage during the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

Following the Death of Marion Goodrich Wickwire in 1973, the Wickwire mansion and its contents were sold at auction. The house was purchased by the Landmark Society of Cortland County with the intent to make the building into a museum. Many orginal family objects sold at the auction were then donated back to the museum. In 1984 the museum received its non profit charter from the New York State Education Department.

The museums collections include furniture, paintings, decorative art objects, personal artifacts, historic clothing, textiles, ephemera, and photographs.

The museum offers many types of educational programs including self guided tours for public, guided tours for schools, other groups, and the public for special events. A fall lecture series, exhibitions, and other special programs are offered each year.

Board of Trustees

Access: General Public

Appointment required: Yes

The museum publishes an quarterly newsletter and provides an annual report to its members.

• Whispers Near the Inglenook