Hartwick college

Willard E. Yager, the only son of David and Emogene Yager, was born in Oneonta, N.Y. on December 19, 1855. During the early years of his life Yager developed a deep sense of pride and curiosity in the Upper Susquehanna River valley's prehistory. After attending Phillips-Exeter Academy and Cornell University he entered Harvard University Law School, where he matriculated in the fall of 1877.

In 1882, after a law apprenticeship in Albany, Yager returned to Oneonta and assumed the editorship of the Oneonta Herald, a weekly paper. Retiring from the newspaper in 1890, he became a gentleman-scholar devoting his time to the study of Upper Susquehanna archaeology. During his life Yager assembled a local archaeological collection of over 6,000 meticulously documented artifacts. As well, he published several books about prehistory and Native Americans including: The Orite of Adequentaga, The Oneota, Non-Combatants, and Red Man as Soldier.

Willard Yager's interests in prehistory and the lives of Native Americans led him to seek out comparative materials from elsewhere in the United States, including a large collection of Southwestern ceramics and basketry and important Plains Indian materials. Formerly housed and curated in Yager's Long House Museum at 19 Ford Avenue, the collection has long provided a source for public education into local prehistory.

While Willard E. Yager should be given credit as a founding pioneer of Upper Susquehanna valley archaeology, equal praise should be given to his sister, Marion, for life-long support of her brother and as a champion of Yager's vision. As executor of Yager's last will and testament, Marion saw that her brother's wishes were fulfilled in finding a permanent home for his archaeological collection, ethnographic materials, vast library, and personal effects. Following his death in 1929, the collection was donated to Hartwick College, where it has remained ever since.

Willard E. Yager's Upper Susquehanna Collection is perhaps one of the best documented regional archaeological collections in New York State. Hartwick College is both proud and honored to provide stewardship for this historically and archaeologically important collection. It is our hope that "Selections from the Yager Collection" will provide the public with an introduction to this important figure in Hartwick College's history and provide a source for public interest into the prehistory of the region. The Jane des Grange Gallery is the new permanent home to the Yager Collection and we hope you will visit us periodically to see our changing exhibits.

Christopher Ian Gette
Academic intern for the Yager Museum of Art & Culture