2024 Event Calendar

About the Museum

Slocum Howland, son of pioneer Benjamin Howland, built his cobblestone store in 1837 to serve local and regional commerce. The sturdy stone building in Sherwood, New York, suggested permanence and foresight. Sherwood became a center to exercise his Quaker belief in the equality of all. We know Howland participated in the Underground Railroad, using his extensive commercial connections to shelter freedom seekers and help them on their way.

Howland could hardly have imagined how the country would be torn by the Civil War in just 25 years or how his daughter Emily would continue the fight for equality well into the next century. Blessed with a long life, Emily worked tirelessly for African Americans’ and women’s rights until her death at nearly 102. From her home in Sherwood she became a nationally known leader in the women’s suffrage movement, a philanthropist, and an educator of women and African Americans.

Slocum’s granddaughter, Isabel, also a philanthropist, teacher and suffragist, rebuilt a house down the road and named it “Opendore,” reflecting her desire to open her home to the community. Together, Howland Stone Store and Opendore comprise the Howland Stone Store Museum. Both are on the National Register of Historic Places.

Sherwood itself, touched with Quaker history, a nerve center for equal rights with state and national connections, has been designated as the Sherwood Equal Rights Historic District. All twenty-eight designated properties tell stories of courageous and principled work in support of the basic American belief that all are created equal.

We invite you to Sherwood to hear them speak.

ADDRESS

Stone Store Museum: 2956 State Route 34B, Sherwood, New York

Opendore: 2978 State Route 34B, Sherwood, New York

Mailing Address: PO Box 124, Aurora, NY 13026

Hours

The museum will reopen for regular hours on Saturday, May 4, 2024. For off-season visits, call or email for information or to arrange tours with 5 days notice. Opendore is also open for visitors one hour before any scheduled programs.

Call: 315-303-2145

Write: Box 124, Aurora, NY13026

Email: hssmsherwood@gmail.com

Our Mission:

Approved by the Board of Trustees, June 10, 2020

The Howland Stone Store Museum tells the story of the Sherwood Equal Rights Historic District, a crucible for reform in the century following 1830. The Howlands and other area residents, inspired by Quaker values, were pioneers in pursuing abolition of slavery, voting rights for women, and education for all. 

The Museum is housed in the 1837 Slocum Howland Cobblestone Store and in Opendore, the 1910 Isabel Howland estate. The Museum preserves historic sites and makes archival material available for study. Exhibits and programming for all ages, often in partnership with schools and other institutions, connect the cultural heritage of Southern Cayuga County to the world of today. Its collections feature nationally significant women's suffrage campaign materials and the Gutchess women’s history archive. 

By sharing knowledge, building community, and preserving a valued past, the volunteers who power the Howland Stone Store Museum strive to inform and delight the public. The Museum inspires all who seek, as did Emily Howland, to realize themselves and to serve.