The Hannibal Historical Society was formed in 1979 for the purpose of preserving the history of the area. The organization is located in the historic Hannibal Community Center on Oswego Street in the Village of Hannibal. Originally, the building was a Baptist Church constructed in 1827, but now serves as the home of the Hannibal Free Library, the Hannibal Senior Citizens and a nursery school in addition to the Hannibal Historical Society.

The Society maintains a permanent museum collection in an upstairs room and features various other temporary exhibits within the community.  An ever expanding genealogy file has also been generated cataloging Hannibal surnames.  The Society maintains a sizable slide file of historic pictures from the Hannibal area.  Most recently, the Society has been digitizing historic Hannibal pictures.  Currently, the digitized photograph collection is approaching 1000 pictures.  At some point, it is the goal of the Society to digitize its existing slide collection for future Power Point presentations.  Currently, one Power Point presentation has been developed for use with the local fourth grade local history curriculum.

One of the most prominent activities of the Society in recent years has been the extensive research associated with the publication of the local history book, "Hannibal History in Pictures and Prose". The book was partially funded by a decentralization grant from the New York State Council on the Arts administered by Arts and Culture for Oswego County. 

Except for the summer months, the Society holds its regular meetings at 7:30 PM on the fourth monday of the month. A program of historical interest is presented at each meeting followed by refreshments. The meetings are open to all who are interested in preserving and sharing information concerning Hannibal's past.

The current President of the Hannibal Historical Society is Carol Newvine. For more information, correspondence can be addressed to: 

Hannibal Historical Society
P.O. Box 150
Hannibal, NY 13074

Or you may prefer to e-mail at: [email protected]

You are cordially invited to become a member of the Hannibal Historical Society. There are three forms of membership from which to choose:

Lifetime Membership:       $50.00
Family Membership:        $10.00/yr.
Individual Membership:     $ 6.00/yr

Checks should be made out to the Hannibal Historical Society and mailed to:

Rhonda Nipper, Membership Chairman
375 Merritt Road
Fulton, NY 13069
 

A membership card will be mailed to you as a receipt acknowledging your full-fledged membership authorizing your participation in all Hannibal Historical Society activities.
 

This comprensive local history book was published in 1994 by the Hannibal Historical Society after several years of painstaking research. The evolutionary development of the Town is graphically presented from the time of its creation up to modern times in 188 pages of narration interspersed with150 historical photographs and illustrations. Special attention is given to the individuals and organizations instrumental in the devolopment of the character of the community. In the appendix is a compilation of all the Hannibal high school graduates from 1901 through 1994.

As well as being a source of historical information, "Hannibal History in Pictures and Prose" is intended to be light entertaining reading for those, young and old, who desire to know more about the history of Hannibal. The book is sold locally at various Hannibal locations for $15.00 a copy. "Hannibal History in Pictures and Prose" can also be purchased by mail for $20.00 which includes the cost of shipping. Checks should be made out to the Hannibal Historical Society and mailed to: 

ATTN: Lowell C. Newvine
Hannibal Historical Society
P.O. Box 150
Hannibal, NY 13074

Please allow two weeks for the processing of your order. The Hannibal Historical Society sincerely hopes you enjoy your personal copy of "Hannibal History in Pictures and Prose".

The Hannibal Historical Society has persuaded the Higginson Book Company, a publisher of American local histories, to reprint "Hannibal's Historical Highlights", an account of the people and events that shaped the Town of Hannibal. The 280 page hard cover book was written originally by former Hannibal Town Historian and Mayor, Gordon W. Sturge, in 1949, and has been out of print for several years.  The new facsimile edition is hardbound in high quality buckram with the title stamped on the spline in gold.  Prospective buyers, please directly contact the company (Higginson Books) for the cost of the book plus shipping.

This book can be ordered by mail from the:

Higginson Book Company
148 Washington street, 
Dept. P, Salem, MA  01970 
Phone:     (978) 745-7170
Fax:        (978) 745-8025
e-mail:    [email protected]

OR......
The book can also be purchased directly at The River's End
Bookstore located at 19 W. Bridge Street in Oswego, NY.  The phone number is (315) 342-0077.

The Hannibal Historical Society as an organization is not selling the book, but rather as a public service has made arrangements to have the book reprinted in response to various requests pertaining to the availability of Gordon Sturge's "Hannibal's Historical Highlights".