GETTING TO KNOW - A University of New Paltz graduate in 2009 with a bachelor of arts in history and French, Mary Zawacki is passionate about the past — especially Schenectady County’s history.
Zawacki is the executive director of the Schenectady County Historical Society at 32 Washington Ave. in the Stockade District of Schenectady, joining the organization in 2014 as its curator and becoming executive director in 2017.
Q: Were you a history major in college?
A: I was a history major in college. I started as an English major because I like writing and communications. Then I took a Russian history class, and I was like, “Oh, this is what I want to do for the rest of my life.”
I was lucky to have a couple of college internships working in museums, specifically historic sites. I knew my career from a very early age, and I'm lucky in that way.
Q: Growing up downstate, was history a large part of your education?
A: Local history does get neglected in school. As a student, New York City is separate, but I wasn't aware of how much history New York State has. Coming to a place like Schenectady, which has been studied for so long by so many historians, is incredible. There have been so many wonderful historians who have done so much incredible work about local history here. And it's my honor to take their work and share it with the public.
Q: The Capital Region has been a backdrop for several movies. What does that mean to you as a historian?
A: I love that. I love that. My favorite movie of all-time was “First Reformed,” [released in 2017]. I don't know if it was filmed here, but it was supposed to be in Upstate New York [Ficticious Snowbridge, in Albany County].
I wish everyone would film their movies up here. I think upstate New York is so special. We have so much to offer. Of course, I'm watching “The Gilded Age” [an HBO drama series set in 1882 New York City]. I love spotting Washington Park, Troy. Maybe someday they'll come to Schenectady. My fingers are crossed for Season Three.
Mary Zawacki, executive director and curator, Schenectady County Historical Society.
Q: You don’t fit the stereotype of a typical historian or curator. What has the reception been like by your peers when you tell them about your position?
A: I don't get that from people my age. It's more often people who are of an older generation. Surprisingly, younger people are interested in history. I think many millennials really like this stuff. I’ve looked at our audience, and a lot of our programs will have couples coming for a date, which is great. Then you have millennial parents bringing their kids.
Q: You are celebrating the historical society’s annual Festival of Trees, but do you have a favorite event or exhibit?
A: I really love doing the big festivals out at Mabee Farm [Historic Site] because we can keep those free. It's affordable for everyone, and we just reach so many people through that. We get so many people through the doors of the Mabee House, which is fantastic because we're out of the way out there.
As soon as this opens [Festival of Trees], we will be going into planning for next year and what are some of the new ideas we can come up with. Those are still generating. So, I'm excited to put out our schedule and see what we'll have for 2024.
Q: Saratoga and Saratoga County are preparing to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War and its historic events there. Will the historical society be a part of that celebration?
A: We are planning big things going into 2025 and 2026. We have the Liberty Flag in our collection, and as far as we know, it is the only Liberty flag still in existence — a flag that local people hoisted on the eve of the American Revolution to show their support. It's from the 1770s. It's very frayed, very faded. It may be the only one in existence.
We're going to do a lot of activities around that — exhibitions and programming. We're excited to be a part of it. Schenectady wasn't a battle site, but there were people here who went off and fought and were involved in supporting this revolution.
Q: As a historian, where do you go to relax and unwind?
A: I live in the Stockade, so I'm often here. My favorite spot is Front Street. I love the houses on Front Street. I love how cheerful they are. I love seeing neighbors. I love seeing all the dog walkers, and I love going down to Riverside Park, especially at sunset.
Q: As curator and executive director, what is your view on your time at the Schenectady County Historical Society?
A: I'm lucky to be able to work for this organization because it is a very vibrant organization. We're very busy. We have a lot of stuff going on — a lot of the time. The staff is encouraged to be creative. So we're coming up with new ideas for exhibitions and programming, and that's a lot of fun for me.
The Schenectady County Historical Society is located at 32 Washington Avenue, Schenectady. The Festival of Trees exhibit runs through Dec. 23 from 10 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. daily.
