Ongoing Displays
Threading Lineage
We the People
cornerstone of the community
Permanent Displays
UNCLE SAM
SOUTH END TAVERN
BY WATER & BY LAND
STOVES OF TROY
Offsite Displays
From Horse Rail to Mobility Hubs
Past Exhibitions
The Pursuit of Happiness
Cultivating Community
THE WAY WE WORK(ED)
RENSSELAER COUNTY’S BLACK HISTORY
Exhibits
Explore exhibits on display at the Hart Cluett Museum!
Visitors interested in doing research using the collections at HCM can visit our Research Library.
Currently on Display
Threading Lineage
This exhibit explores connections between historical works from the Hart Cluett Museum collection and contemporary works of curating artists, Ally DeRusso and Victoria van der Laan.
We the People:
Voting & Democracy in Rensselaer County
This exhibit hopes to illuminate the intricacies of voting, democracy, and their interwoven legacies throughout Rensselaer County, in both the past and present, and further aims to inspire conversation and dialogue on the issues that continue to impact us today.
Cornerstone of Community:
The Founding of Rensselaer County Historical Society
Curated by Curatorial Assistant Elliot Gnirrep, this exhibit is the first of four installments highlighting the foundations of our organization and its continuing contributions to Rensselaer County, and beyond, in preparation for HCM’s 100th Anniversary in 2027.
Transportation by Water
Discover the way the Hudson River and Erie Canal have shaped the growth of Rensselaer County.
Permanent Displays
Uncle Sam
Permanent Collection
This colorful exhibit focuses attention on one of Troy’s most historic figures, Samuel “Uncle Sam” Wilson, and tells the story of how Troy became “The Home of Uncle Sam” by an Act of Congress in 1961.
South End Tavern
Permanent Collection
Thanks to a community effort to fund the purchase, the famous South End Tavern signs, including the Ladies Entrance sign, are on view, joining a number of other business signs from around the County.
By Water & By Land
Permanent Collection
The importance of the transportation network, river, road and rail, which allowed the city and county to become a national economic force beginning in the early 19th century cannot be underestimated.
Stoves of Troy
Permanent Collection
The museum’s major collection of Troy stoves and other decorative ironwork is on view in an installation that focuses on the history of heating and cooking technology.
Offsite Displays
From Horse Rail to Mobility Hubs: 175 years of Public Transportation in the Capital District
Currently on display at the Albany-Rensselaer station in Rensselaer, NY.
This exhibit showcases the origins and evolution of the Capital District Transportation Authority (CDTA). Exhibition research and images were provided by the Hart Cluett Museum of Historic Rensselaer County, Troy, NY. Art Direction by Professor Sara Tack and design by Design & Business Management Major Naomi Gaylor from Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute. This exhibition was made possible with the generous support of CDTA and Nigro Retail Properties. Additional support was provided by Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute through an undergraduate research program.
Previous Exhibitions
The Pursuit of Happiness:
Exploring Entertainment in Rensselaer County
Featuring documentation of the various ways in which entertainment has fostered and supported the growth of the communities that define the county landscape, this exhibit aims to uplift and provide agency to the lives and voices that make up Rensselaer County, both past and present, and how their own pursuits of happiness over the past 250 years have engendered a region rooted in the very ideals propelling the American Dream.
Cultivating Community:
Agriculture in Rensselaer County
Mar 25th - Dec 18, 2022
The history of Rensselaer County cannot be effectively told without acknowledging agriculture and the heavy impact it has had on the creation and cultivation of community throughout the county.
The Way We Work(ed)
Feb 28, 2020 – Dec 18, 2021
In collaboration with the Smithsonian.
The last 225 years hold stories about American workers that are too incredible to ignore: stories of hope, strength, dedication, unity, and bravery.
Rensselaer County’s Black History
Oct 25, 2019 – Dec 18, 2021
From the watercolor portrait of Peter F. Baltimore, a noted Black resident and abolitionist, to many other recent discoveries, a more comprehensive history of the Black community in Rensselaer County is taking shape.