Phelps Mansion Museum
Program for Educators
The Phelps Mansion, located at 191 Court Street in Binghamton, is now a historic house museum chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. The Mansion was placed on the National Register of Historic American Buildings in 1973 and is a local treasure and national landmark.
We have programs for students in grades 3-12 that last about two hours. The students view a video about the Mansion prior to coming for their tour. There is also a booklet available to school libraries with line drawings and a written description of each room in the Mansion. While at the Mansion the students are given a tour, and then they play a game to find the location of various points of special interest. They may bring a bag lunch, sing songs of the era, and view toys that were popular when the Mansion was built (c. 1870). This program satisfies a number of the New York State learning standards.
There is also The Phelps Mansion Museum DBQ Resource Guide available for educators who schedule class tours of the Mansion. This guide emphasizes the use of primary documents and sources of information. The booklet includes historical information about the late 19th century, Binghamton, and the Phelps Mansion. There are lesson ideas related to the history of the Phelps Mansion, activities, examples of document-based questions, and a list of resources.
We have formed a partnership with the Teacher Center of Broome County, which includes 10 public, 1 BOCES, and 8 non-public schools (approximately 3,000 educators). We are working with this enlarged group to develop lesson plans to be used in the classroom. We are participating in the Sisters Program at Binghamton High School. Also, the interior design classes from Broome Community College come yearly to the Mansion as part of their curriculum.
Visits to the Phelps Mansion Museum are listed in the Broome-Tioga BOCES Services Guide under the heading, “Extended Classroom Project: Social Studies.”
For additional information about class tours, please contact Roberta Bills (607-724-9164)
or Sharon Alpaugh (607-648-3826), Chairpersons of the Education Committee.
February 2007
