Publications
Explaining Tompkins
describes how Tompkins County government has evolved over two centuries to become a critical part of the state and national social safety net and provider of an array of services that distinguish it from other levels of municipal government.
Living in Tompkins
presents 37 essays by a diverse group of community members about what living in Tompkins County has meant to them.
Permanent Residents
profiles 35 people who are buried in cemeteries throughout Tompkins County--war heroes and heroines, medical professionals, servants, educators, authors, architects, benefactors, scientists, and government officials going back to the early 19th century.
Political Tompkins
traces the shifting political winds and partisan preferences in Tompkins County by tracking the local results of presidential elections since (property-owning white males) were first allowed to vote for presidential candidates in 1828. The pamphlet documents the County’s remarkable shift from being “rock-ribbed” Republican, handing FDR four consecutive landslide losses, to one of the most liberal counties in America.
The Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫʼ People in the Cayuga Lake Region
Cornell University professor Kurt Jordan’s scholarly account of the Gayogo̱hó꞉nǫɁ (Cayuga) people, particularly those who lived along the southern basin of Cayuga Lake, from the ice age through today. Professor Jordan tells a fascinating story that replaces common lore with a carefully-researched history based on archeological evidence and written records.
Send These to Me
tells the story ethnicity and immigration in Tompkins County--of who came and when, how these newcomers were perceived, and how the county evolved from being a place where newcomers were met with suspicion to a time when the ethnicity of the recently arrived is honored and celebrated.
The Statues of Frances Perkins and Lucy J. Brown: A Brief History
A complete explanation of the statues unveiled on August 17, 2024 in Ithaca, New York, with biographies of the subjects and sculptor, and a look at how the statues were designed and made.