Along Genesee Street, not far from Memorial Parkway, stands a stately, columned building marked by a lamppost sign that reads Oneida County History Center. It’s here where Joey Moore ’22 is spending the summer working as a funded Hamilton intern, a job, he said, that demands “a little bit of everything.”
Moore discovered this position through Dick Tantillo, Hamilton’s senior philanthropy adviser, whose wife had served as interim executive director of the museum. As a first-year student, Moore and his hockey teammates went to help out at the center, which made a lasting, positive impression on him. Fast-forward a few years when he was searching for an internship, and the History Center was brought up as a possibility. “And I was definitely interested,” Moore said.
As a part of the center’s small team of volunteers and interns, his day-to-day tasks consist of whatever is needed. “My main duties are working with fundraising, community outreach, social media, and letting our members know what’s going on through our email marketing platform,” Moore said. The center also has a quarterly newsletter, for which he has been writing and editing articles.
I’m writing letters and articles and editing … I don’t think I would be as good of a writer if I weren’t at Hamilton.
Speaking on his experience writing for the center’s newspaper, Moore expressed his gratitude for Hamilton’s strong emphasis on developing students’ writing ability. “That has helped me in this job, 100%,” he said. “I’m writing letters and articles and editing … all that stuff. I don’t think I would be as good of a writer if I weren’t at Hamilton.”
Major: Government
Hometown: Queensbury, N.Y.
High School: Northwood School
An important part of the center’s mission is engaging with the community. And while the pandemic certainly complicated that mission, Moore noted that the museum’s patrons have remained supportive, even if only through screens. Fundraising for the center has been very successful, he said. “We have a lot of great members who donate, and our online and in-person bookstores have been doing well.”
As an example, a recent book signing event that featured a local author who wrote about Utica’s abolitionist movement drew some 80 people via Zoom — in addition to the 30 who attended in-person. “It’s pretty cool to see how much the local history matters to people here,” Moore said. “There are always great people coming through the doors who want to learn more about it, and it is awesome to help people connect with their community.”
The Oneida County History Center is open to the public. Exhibits focus on subjects including World War I, women’s suffrage in Utica, and the Erie Canal.
