Town of Cicero Historical Society

The Cicero Historical Society is a registered 501C nonprofit dedicated to preserving and promoting the history of Cicero, New York. Our mission is to engage our community in discovering, preserving and celebrating our shared heritage through educational programs, exhibitions and collaborative partnerships. By fostering an appreciation for our past, we hope to inspire present and future generations to explore, learn from and contribute to our collective history.

Our organization's complex consists of three main buildings- the museum and learning center, a c.1800 log house and the Stone Arabia School which is a one room schoolhouse built on site in 1854. It is through these historic buildings that we are able to make our biggest impact towards our mission of preserving our history and engaging our community.

In November of 2023, one of our dedicated members noticed some water in the Stone Arabia School. It was then determined that the cedar shake roof had failed and was letting in a large amount of rain. We have since tarped the roof multiple times but are in desperate need of funding to replace the roof, especially before the winter weather moves in.

We are currently raising funds to replace the roof in the original style. While we have applied to grants and are hopeful about getting assistance from the Town of Cicero, we are looking at a $15,000 gap to get the cedar shake that is integral to the design and historic nature of the building.

Our original 1854 one room schoolhouse is one of a kind in the Town of Cicero- it is one of the only historic buildings left in town, it is the only historic building that has been preserved in its original state and it is the only historic building open to the public. If we are not able to replace the roof we will soon lose a wonderful example of the daily life of Cicero's past residents and an even rarer example of the childhood experience.

It is also the focal point of our Society's mission, a place where people can come and really feel connected to not only the past in general but also with the real life events of their family members. We have countless people visit every year who tell us that their parents or grandparents attended the school and how amazed they are to be in the same space.

Please consider donating or sharing our story so that we can reach as many people as possible and get the word out about saving this rare piece of Cicero history!