The Richardson-Bates House Museum is located in Oswego, N.Y., and is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The museum offers a unique glimpse into the lifestyle of a prominent wealthy family, containing about 90% of the family’s original furnishings and most of their historic and ethnographic collections.
The Richardson-Bates House was built for Maxwell B. Richardson, an attorney, real estate broker and two-term mayor of Oswego. Other residents of the house included Max’s widowed mother, Naomi Richardson; his divorced sister, Harriet Richardson Bates; and Harriet’s son, Norman.
We are always looking for ways to make the Richardson-Bates House Museum more interesting. Retaining its authenticity is important, as it is one of the most intact house museums in the state, with six period rooms furnished with original decor, furniture, artwork, and a couple of partially furnished rooms.
We have many photos that Maxwell B. Richardson’s nephew and heir Norman Bates took of the house when Maxwell finished it in 1889, so many of the rooms were “set in stone” when the museum staff recreated them from the photos.
Max’s bedroom, shown here, only had the large black japanned fireplace and mirror, a chair and the elaborate marble-topped standing safe. No bed, bookcase or chandelier.
However, in 2022, we learned that one of the original bedroom bookcases had been returned from the Elizabeth Bates Cowles estate (Norman’s oldest child) in the early 90’s and was still in pieces in the attic. Comparing it to the photo, we could see that it was not Max’s bookcase with its elaborate header and pilaster detail, but obviously built at the same time for a different bedroom.
Our facilities volunteer Neal Johnson put it together. We filled it with period books from our research libraries and dressed it out with some of Max’s extensive collection of exotic items from around the world. We may look for some more original pieces to decorate it the way it looked in 1889 – the casual clutter. What do you think? More interesting?
This room, which was the master bedroom of the house, also contains our Dr. Mary Walker display and our Temporary exhibits.
The Richardson-Bates House Museum is open from April to December for guided tours, events and more. For more information, visit the museum’s website at https://oswegohistorical.org/ or call 315-343-1342.