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Tompkins County Bicentennial Banner

On April 7,1817, by act of the New York State Legislature, the counties of Seneca and Cayuga were divided, and Tompkins County was formed.

In 2017, Tompkins County celebrates the 200th anniversary of its founding. The Tompkins County Bicentennial Commemoration Commission is coordinating a year-long community celebration to mark this significant milestone.

Please explore our website to find out more about how Tompkins County is commemorating this important anniversary during 2017, and how you can become involved in our County's Celebration.

We look forward to a celebration that will allow our residents to become better educated about the county’s rich history; that will better acquaint them with the diversity of our people and the services we provide in the present; and that will give us a time to look forward as to how we can best progress into the future for the benefit of all of our people.
Michael E. Lane, Chair of the Tompkins County Legislature Co-Chair, Tompkins County Bicentennial Commission

  Programs will entertain, educate, introduce residents to the workings of the county about which they might not know, and will involve using our history up to the present and to leave information about the county to the future. There will be a focus on what people appreciate about the county, how they live and work here, what places are of particular importance, and people of today and the past we might celebrate.
Carol Kammen, TC Historian Co-Chair, Tompkins County Bicentennial Commission

The Bicentennial Commission welcomes ideas and suggestions for the Bicentennial.

To suggest an idea or proposal, contact County Historian Carol Kammen at historian@tompkins-co.org, or by mail at Tompkins County Bicentennial Commission, care of the Tompkins County Historian, 125 E Court Street, Ithaca, NY 14850