As a municipal historian and independent historian, Sweeney researches, educates, promotes, and celebrates the history and architecture of Historic Homer, New York, which includes two Historic Districts: Old Homer Village and Glenwood Cemetery.
Besides articles in The New York History Review and a regular column in The Homer News, Sweeney has published three works of historical non-fiction. Lincoln’s Gift from Homer, New York: A Painter, an Editor, and a Detective tells the story of three native-sons of Homer with significant ties to the life and legacy of President Abraham Lincoln: Francis Bicknell Carpenter, William Osborn Stoddard, and Eli DeVoe. Death in the Winter Solstice: A Narrative of a True Murder Mystery in Homer was published as a fundraiser for the Cortland County Historical Society and describes the unsolved murder of Patrick Quinlan in 1894. Inspired by this “cold case” from Homer’s past, Sweeney wrote a work of historical fiction, The Suffragette’s Saga: A Murder Mystery. Martin’s third work of historical non-fiction is titled THE HEART OF CENTRAL NEW YORK: STORIES OF HISTORIC HOMER, NEW YORK. It is an informative and entertaining compilation of Martin’s articles on local Homer history that appeared in the Homer newspaper over a ten-year period. It has been described as “local history at its finest.” It is available through Amazon.com or at Bev & Co. in the historic Barber Block on Main Street in the village of Homer.
