The Oswego County Historical Society was founded in 1896 and officially incorporated through an act of the New York State Legislature. Since that time the society has preserved and promoted the history of the greater Oswego community for over a century. It has collected and maintained thousands of artifacts, photographs, and manuscript collections that document the county’s rich history. In 1946, the historical society received the generous gift of a historic 19th-century Tuscan Villa-style residence to serve as a permanent headquarters and public museum. Since that time the society has owned and operated the magnificent Richardson-Bates House Museum, a landmark listed on the National Register of Historic Places.