County Columbia HERITAGE HISTORY&

SPRING 2002

Volume 1 Number One Published by the Columbia County Historical Society

IN THISISSUE:On Our Cover

“Salting Sheep”PAGE 3

“ye People Very MuchInclined to mutiny”

Columbia County and the1689 Leisler Rebellion

PAGE 4

The One-RoomSchoolhouse

PAGE 6

News of theColumbia CountyHistorical Society

PAGE 8

Columbia CountyHistorical Society

Development CampaignPAGE 10

History Around the CountyPAGE 12

Collections HighlightsPAGE 14

Columbia CountyHistorical SocietyEvents Calendar

PAGE 15

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CountyColumbia HERITAGEHISTORY&

Columbia County Histor ica l Society www.cchsny.org

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COLUMBIA COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETYBOARD OF DIRECTORS

STAFFSharon S. Palmer Executive Director

Helen M. McLallen CuratorRuth Ellen Berninger Educator

COLUMBIA COUNTY HISTORY & HERITAGEEDITORIAL BOARD

EditorHenry “Jim” Eyre

Assistant EditorsJulia Philip

David William Voorhees

Editorial CommitteeArthur Baker

George N. Biggs, IIIStephan M. Mandel

Design and ProductionRon Toelke

Ron Toelke Associates

Columbia County History & Heritage is published bythe Columbia County Historical Society and is mailedto all members of record at the time of publication.Copies may be obtained, as available, at $2.00 percopy from the Society offices at the Columbia CountyMuseum, 5 Albany Avenue, Kinderhook, New York,12106; 518-758-9265; www.cchsny.org

Hours:Monday,Wednesday,Friday 10:00 a.m.– 4:00 p.m.,Saturday 1:00 – 4:00 p.m.

Welcome to our newest initiative,Columbia CountyHistory & Heritage.The Board of Directors of theColumbia County Historical Society and I hope

that all of you will find this new publication both interestingand timely.We have long sought to bring to the residents ofthe county a publication that shares information on thedynamic preservation efforts that are taking place inColumbia County and imparts a knowledge of the rich histo-ry that we all share.

Respecting the traditions of the past, Columbia CountyHistory & Heritage harkens back to the original Bulletin ofthe Society, that was published from January 1928 to April1959. We are deeply indebted to Ron Toelke Associates,for the impetus to undertake this publication. Many thanksgo to Ron for his generously donated talents that account forthe artistic integrity and design of the magazine.

It is our intent to publish articles on local historical societies and their programs, and on unusual and littleknown segments of the county’s history and events.We urgeeveryone to contact us with schedules of upcoming eventsand programs of interest.As well, we hope that our readerswill submit articles related to historic events, preservationissues and efforts and the people who have been a powerfulforce behind the long and colorful heritage of ColumbiaCounty.

Columbia County History & Heritage is the first visiblesign of our fund-raising efforts and development program.We are beginning a serious drive to raise monies that willenable us to continue and broaden our educational pro-grams, outreach, and library services. As well, we areseeking desperately needed funding that will help us tomaintain, preserve and protect our four historic properties.It is an immense undertaking and we welcome all of yourgood-will, thoughts, ideas, and donations. We will onlysucceed if we have your help.

Susan Gerwe TrippPresidentBoard of Directors


Our Mission

The Columbia County Historical Society is aprivate, not-for-profit organization dedicated tothe preservation and interpretation of the history

and culture of Columbia County for its residents andvisitors.

It is the Society’s goal to encourage understanding,knowledge, and preservation of the county’s heritagethrough the acquisition and conservation of historiclands, buildings, objects and documents, and the spon-sorship of research, publications, exhibitions, and edu-cational programming.To help achieve its mission, theSociety owns, maintains, and interprets to the publicbuildings and collections of historical significance, andoperates a museum that includes exhibition galleriesand an extensive research library.

Susan Gerwe TrippPresident

John B. CarrollMarian GuerrieroVice Presidents

Carole MottSecretary

Woodruff L.Tuttle Treasurer

Stephan M. MandelAssistant Secretary

Sheldon EvansAssistant Treasurer

Arthur BakerGeorge N. Biggs, III

Albert CallanNancy Clark

Pamela CohenHenry N. Eyre, Jr.

John HannamWillis HartshornBeth O’ConnorRichard Ryan

Samuel O.J. SpivyColin Stair

Harry van DykeDavid William Voorhees

Columbia County Histor y & Heritage Spr ing 2002

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by Jim Eyre

Our cover portraitof Sherman Griswold

(1790-1864) and hiswife, Lydia Dean (1784-1845),is very large (93 3⁄4" x 49"), andis certainly the largest of theten portraits by James E.Johnson in the ColumbiaCounty Historical Society’scollection. It has the addeddistinction of bearing anothertitle, Salting Sheep, for that isthe very activity being per-formed by the Griswolds inthe painting. Handed downwith the portrait is a descrip-tion of this custom, whichholds that the men of theSpencertown community,where the Griswolds livedand farmed,would give salt totheir sheep every Sundayafter church.

The benefits of feeding saltto livestock were recognizedduring the 19th-century. TheBarn-Yard, a Manual of Cattle,Horse and Sheep Husbandry,published in 1866, stated“Salt in my judgment, is indis-pensable to the health ofsheep, particularly in the sum-mer; and I know not a flock-master among the hundredswith whom I am acquainted,who differs with me in thisopinion.It is common to give itonce a week while the sheepare at grass.”The idea that thistask was performed on Sunday,however, seems apocryphal.No documentary evidence hasyet been found to support thestory,which may have its origin

in an effort to explain the pres-ence of this well-dressed cou-ple in a pasture.The painting,with its combination of fineclothing and sheep, nonethe-less dramatizes the importanceof sheep to the community ofthis period.

During the first half of the19th century, wool growingand cloth manufacture weremajor industries in ColumbiaCounty.Sherman Griswold wasin the business and at one time

owned ten farms in the area.One of these farms,the HatfieldFarm, located in Spencertown,is shown in the background ofthe portrait,and the farmhousesurvives to this date. In 1837Griswold sold most of hisproperties and invested ina railway across ColumbiaCounty to the Berkshires.The Hudson and BerkshireRailroad failed and most ofthe enthusiastic investors losttheir investments. However,it seems likely that Griswoldmay have had some assets inreserve for the portrait wascompleted by Johnson around1837. In fact, land records sug-gest that Griswold was neverimpoverished, and in 1855 heowned another substantialfarm near Spencertown.

The first half of the 19thcentury had seen the popu-larization of art in America as

well as things native-made.Portraits were no longer theexclusive preserve of theupper classes and paintingsbegan to decorate the homesof an increasingly affluentand educated middle class.Itinerant or rural painterswere more frequently foundin the prosperous towns ofcounties like Columbia.

Born in Sandy Hill inWashington County, NewYork, James E. Johnson settled

in Kinder- hook in 1846.According to local tradition,Johnson boarded at 19 AlbanyAvenue and possibly taught atthe Kinderhook Academy. In1852 he married Sara AnnVan Vleck, the daughter of awealthy Kinderhook mer-chant and landowner withseven farms in ColumbiaCounty. He moved into theirspacious home (now theNational Union Bank ofKinderhook) and lived thereuntil he died in 1858. The1855 state census lists hisoccupation as “artist”.

Unlike the mask-like char-acter seen in portraits bysome of the plain painters ofhis day Johnson’s faces weremodeled and highlighted toshow contour, and skin tex-ture, though age and charac-ter remained disguised. Littleattempt, however, was made

to portray realistic fabrics orhair texture. Clothes were inthe then fashionably dullcolors for adults, while chil-dren frequently wore brightor white colors. His back-grounds showed his interestin landscape but also hisunperfected skill in handlingthem.

Most of his sitters weremembers of prominent fami-lies in Columbia County andknown to Johnson. EightSpencertown portraits andseventeen from the Kinder-hook area attest the impact ofthe artist on the community.However, some portraits forclients outside the county areknown, including those ofthe Henry B. Merrell familyof Sackets Harbor, New York,and Janet and RobertLathrop, children of GideonLathrop, a steamboat captainfrom Albany who later movedto Stockport.

The Johnson paintings areoften on display at theColumbia County HistoricalSociety Museum and Library inKinderhook where inquiriesand visits are welcome. TheGriswold portrait is on perma-nent display on the museum’ssecond floor.

The author has basedmuch of this article on JamesE. Johnson: Rural Artist andA Visible Heritage, by RuthPiwonka and Roderic H.Blackburn and available forpurchase in the MuseumShop.�

Portraits were no longerthe exclusive preserve of

the upper classes…

Salting Sheepor a Portrait of Sherman and Lydia Griswold c1837

By James E. Johnson (1810 – 1858)

O


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by David William Voorhees

Travelers disembarkingat the Hudson Riverhamlet of Claverack

Landing (now the City ofHudson) in the 1680s weremet with a landscape thatwas lush and welcoming.Four miles inland atClaverack Creek were “finefarms” with the tillable land“very delightful and pleasantto look upon.” But just belowthis veneer of peaceful seren-ity were seething tensionsbrought about by jealousiesover land grants as well asdeep seated religious differ-ences.

In the half-century preced-ing 1689 Europeans first set-tled the area of present-dayColumbia County. In 1649,while the region was stillunder Dutch control, PatroonKiliaen van Rensselaer pur-chased much of the land inthe county from theMohicans. In 1657 MajorAbraham Staats purchasedland from the Mohicans atStockport Creek. By 1661Kinderhook had been settledunder Beverwijck’s (as Albanywas then known) jurisdic-tion. In that year DirckWessels, Peter van Allen, JanLuycasen, and Jan HendrickDe Bruyn acquired landextending south from Kinder-hook, and in June 1662 JanFans van Hoesen received apatent for a tract that includ-ed most the present-day Cityof Hudson and part ofGreenport.

After England’s Duke ofYork, who later became KingJames II, acquired the region

from the Dutch in 1664, dif-ferences between Dutch andEnglish inheritance lawsbrought many of the Dutchland grants into question.Twogrants made by England’sgovernment in the 1680s cre-ated additional bitterness. In1684 King James II’s RomanCatholic governor, ThomasDongan, confirmed to RobertLivingston two thousandacres on Roeloff Jansen’s Killand 600 acres at Taghkanicand in 1686 granted himmanorial rights as paymentfor a debt. In 1685 PhilipSchuyler was granted a patentfor 800 acres lying along theGreat New England Path.When in 1688 King James IIincorporated New York intothe mega-colony of theDominion of New England,with the seat of governmenttransferred from New YorkCity to Boston, all propertytitles were again called intoquestion. To secure titles,New Yorkers now had to peti-tion for new patents fromBoston at the uniform

quitrent of two shillings, sixpence per hundred acres.Until this time most of thepatent and grant holders,with the exception of theStaats and Van Hoesen fami-lies, resided in Albany andoversaw their estates asabsentee landlords. Not sur-prisingly, then, the burden fellon the small farmers, whowere in the midst of a severeagricultural depression andwhose farms and welfarewere at stake. Naturally, tem-pers were high.

It is necessary to remem-ber that in 1688 most ofColumbia County remainedvery much part of the Dutchcultural world. In the seven-teenth century the Dutchbody politic split into factionsbetween the supporters ofthe town regents and sup-porters of the House ofOrange. In these protracteddisputes, politics closelyaligned with religious doc-trine. Strict Calvinists, whostressed a personal conver-sion to Christ and pietism,

supported the House ofOrange, while the followersof more liberal covenant the-ologies supported the regentclass. Politics and doctrineintertwined in New York as inthe Netherlands. The agricul-tural peoples who settledColumbia County were, liketheir counterparts in Europe,attracted to a popular piety.The absentee landlords, whoalso made up the Albanygovernment, tended towardthe more liberal doctrine.Hostility to the AlbanyConvention on ideologicaland legal grounds was thuswell in place in ColumbiaCounty by summer 1689.

In early November 1688the Protestant William, theDutch Prince of Orange,crossed the English Channelwith an invasion force of21,000 men and quicklyunseated his Papist father-inlaw, England’s King James II,who fled to France for safety.By February 1689 NewYorkers knew of the successof the invasion, and in Mayseveral militia companiesseized control of New YorkCity’s fort from King James’sregular troops. During thefollowing weeks the militiacaptains, as a Council ofWar, called for a conventionof representatives to “Concultwhat might be best & mostadvantageous for the welfareof the country & the protes-tant religion.” In late June aconvention of delegates fromNew York City and the adja-cent counties, known as theCommittee of Safety, assumedprovincial control. TheCommittee then elected sen-

“ye People Very MuchInclined to mutiny”:

Columbia County and the 1689 Leisler Rebellion

Abraham Staats house (c1660 or later), from A Visible Heritage,by Ruth Piwonka and Roderic H. Blackburn, (CCHS, 1977)


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ior New York City militia cap-tain Jacob Leisler to serve ascommander in chief of theprovince while awaitingorders from England’s newProtestant monarchs, Williamand Mary.

The government of Albany,meanwhile, decided to act onits own until receiving ordersfrom England and formed aconvention under the leader-ship of Mayor Pieter Schuyler,an appointee of King JamesII’s government. BecauseColumbia County was at thattime part of Albany County,and thus fell under the juris-diction of Albany, events inAlbany would have particularimpact on the course of theuprising in this region.

The New York version ofEngland’s 1688 GloriousRevolution, or, as it is morepopularly called, Leisler’sRebellion, was now wellunderway. Leisler and hiscohorts were quick to manip-ulate the unrest in ColumbiaCounty and the hostilitytoward the Albany Convention.In October 1689 the NewYork City Committee ofSafety sent Jacob Milbornewith fifty militiamen toAlbany to bring the “formercreatures to the late govern-ment” under their control.Before leaving for Albany,Milborne sent letters toKinderhook and Claverackwith promises that the peo-ple there would receive equalprivileges in the fur trade andwheat bolting, privileges thatAlbany’s regents had deniedthe communities in order tomaintain their monopoly.When visitors arrived inColumbia County in the latefall of 1689 they “founde yePeople Very Much Inclined tomutiny.”

Milborne arrived in Albanyon November 9. Marchinginto the crowded city hall, hegave a rousing speech inwhich he stated, “it was in[Albanians’] power to Free

Themselfs from that Yoke ofarbitrary Power andGovernment… of that Illegalking James, who was aPapist… and that now thePower was in the People tochoose new Civil and Military

Officers as they Pleased…and therefore they must havea free Election.” Such think-ing, according to thencurrent English constitutionaltheory and its adherence tothe divine right of kings, asone Albany critic noted,meant “All Authority turnedupside downe.”

At this point, the Staatsfamily, who were hands-onlandlords on their property atStockport Creek, emergedas leaders of the region’sLeisler faction. A mob choseJoachim Staats to demandthat Milborne’s troops, thenbilleted outside the city, beadmitted into the community.Staats’s efforts failed andMilborne was forced toretreat to New York City aftera group of Mohawks friendlyto the Albany Conventionthreatened to attack his militi-amen. Joachim would contin-ue to promote Leislerianinterests in Albany. (In 1711he would marry Leisler’sdaughter Francina.)

William’s invasion ofEngland had also initiated warwith France, which support-ed James II’s claim toEngland’s throne. Preparationswere now undertaken for aFrench invasion. Forts wereconstructed at KinderhookVillage and Pompoenik. Amidnight French and Indianraid on Schenectady inFebruary 1690, which left

most of that community’sinhabitants dead or captured,created panic. On March 20the Albany Convention capit-ulated to Leisler and the gov-ernment was turned over to acommission headed by

Joachim Staats, Jan HendrickDe Bruyn, Johannes Provoost,and Jacob Milborne.

Leisler now began acrackdown on opposition.Reformed ministers whopreached passive obedienceand James II’s manorial pat-entees suffered particularharassment. Labeled “PopishTrumpets” by Leislerians,many were forced to flee.Among these was RobertLivingston, who had benefit-ed from his friendship withJames II’s Catholic governor,Thomas Dongan. Leisler, how-ever, believed that he actedwithin a legal framework.After all, William’s declara-tions justifying his invasion ofEngland called upon magis-trates to disarm Catholics,dispossess them of office, andtreat those found “with Arms”or holding civil or militaryoffice “contrary to the laws ofthe land,” and those aidingthem, as criminals and punishthem accordingly.

Leisler then called America’sfirst intercolonial conferenceto meet in New York City todeal with the threat of FrenchCanada. Fitz-John Winthrop ofMassachusetts was appointedgeneral of the land forces toinvade Quebec. In July 1690Winthrop with a Connecticutcontingent arrived in Kinder-hook after marching a week“through the difficult andalmost impassable parts of

the wilderness.” Here theywere met by officers from theAlbany garrison, who escort-ed them to that city.Winthrop’s campaign was adisaster and Leisler had himimprisoned. Nonetheless,Leisler’s own administrationwas reaching its end. Hisopponents had gained the earof the new incoming royalEnglish governor, HenrySloughter. Sloughter, uponarriving in New York Citywith royal troops in March1691, quickly crushed themovement and imprisoned itsleaders, including Jan DeBruyn and members of theStaats family. In May 1691Leisler and Milborne wereexecuted for treason by hang-ing “til halfe dead” thenbeheading.

For Columbia County therepression of the Leislerianmovement was momentous.The manorial powers of thatfaction who had opposedLeisler were greatly en-hanced. Although in 1695Parliament reversed the trea-son sentence against Leislerand pardoned those inprison, the die was alreadycast for Columbia County’sfuture. A golden age of themanor lord in Columbia andadjoining counties haddawned. �

It is necessary to remember that in

1688 most of Columbia County

remained very much part of

the Dutch cultural world.

Detail of portrait of RobertLivingston (1654-1728), attrib-uted to Nehemiah Partridge,1718, from A Portrait ofLivingston Manor, 1686-1850,by Ruth Piwonka (Friends ofClermont, 1986).


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by Sharon S. Palmer,Executive DirectorColumbia County Historical Society

Since 1986 the one-roomschoolhouses that once dot-ted the rural landscape ofColumbia County have beenthe subject of my researchand occasional slide presen-tations throughout the coun-ty. I discovered a variety ofbuilding styles in each town-ship and hamlet of the coun-ty, with assistance frommany local residents. Fromthe simple wood shingledstructures often found oncounty crossroads to thesolid brick buildings built tostand the test of time, theschoolhouses can often beseen today, if you knowwhere to look. Some of themhave vanished, but manyexist as homes, farm build-ings, lonely ruins, or muse-um sites. I was fortunateenough to capture severalcounty schoolhouses on filmbefore they completely disap-peared from the landscape.

In celebration of thisimportant part of our com-munity’s heritage I wouldlike to share with you infor-mation gleaned from localresidents as well as from myresearch conducted at theNew York State Library. Thefollowing are excerpts froma report I prepared for theColumbia County HistoricalSociety in 1986 and a morerecent article.

America’s rural schoolshave been the backboneof education in this

country for more than twocenturies. Small districtschools were an integral part

of the community as theyserved the families of theimmediate vicinity. Even aslate as 1913 one half ofAmerica’s school childrenwere attending one-roomschools. Students came fromall walks of life. Even formerpresident Lyndon B. Johnsonattended a one-room schoolin Texas in 1912.

Our rural schools prac-ticed what today’s educatorsare encouraging, smallerclasses and programs thatallow students to progress attheir own rate. Family values,strength of community, andcultural continuity wereinherent in the one-roomschool atmosphere.

The teacher’s abilities, thecommunity’s resources, andthe students themselvesdetermined the quality of

education. Older studentsassisted younger ones, amethod we call peer teachingtoday. Children learned fromeach other as they listened torecitations by each grade level(often eight grades) in front ofthe entire student body. Oneteacher taught all grade levelsand served as principal,nurse,art and music instructor, as

well as gym teacher. Strict dis-cipline was the rule.Teacherscommanded respect and par-ents supported them. Duringoral interviews with formerstudents, willow switcheswere mentioned, though theyhad no memory of this formof punishment ever beingpracticed.

The more isolated the loca-tion,the more important a rolethe schoolhouse played, oftenmaking it the heart of the

community. The schools pro-vided a sense of place, bring-ing students and parentstogether for social occasions,meetings, plays, and otherevents. The schoolhouse fos-tered community spirit andcreated a family-like atmos-phere.Residents felt an intensepersonal pride in their districtschools.

At the turn of the centurythe concept of standardiza-tion began to take hold inrural areas. Schools intro-duced the Palmer Method ofPenmanship to achieve greaterlegibility. Arithmetic took apractical turn when used tosolve problems such as thevalue of a crop or how manybushels twenty acres willyield. Recitation and elocu-tion were stressed, as well ashistory, geography, spelling,and reading. McGuffey’s andother “readers” instilled valuesin the student’s young minds.

Close on the heels of stan-dardization came a push toconsolidate the school dis-tricts into larger centralizeddistricts serving families ina wider geographic area.Progressive educators soughtto eliminate rural schoolsin order to provide a moreefficient education system.Better roads, automobiles andschool buses were eliminat-ing the need for rural schoolswithin walking distance.

Columbia County’s ruralschools became the victimsof this change in the earlytwentieth century as NewYork politicians and educa-tors took an interest inimproving educational oppor-tunities for all rural children.The one-room district schools,established by the Common

The c1850 Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse stands on the Van AlenHouse grounds, Rte. 9H, Kinderhook. The Society conducts schoolprograms and guided tours from May through October each year.It served as a one-room school until 1945.

The more isolated the location,the more important a rolethe schoolhouse played…

The One-Room� S C H O O L H O U S E �


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School Act of 1812, slowlydisappeared as larger centralschool complexes replacedthem.

Beginning in the 1920s therural schools were intenselyscrutinized by Progressiveleaders who sought toimprove society through sci-entific reform. GovernorAlfred E. Smith, agreeing withthe experts studying the one-room schools, felt they hadbecome a cause of graveconcern to educators andthoughtful parents. Large,centralized schools, with thebenefit of state financial aid,would provide equal educa-tion for all, improved socialdevelopment, safe transporta-tion, better courses andimproved facilities.

Columbia County’s central-ization process progressedslowly from the first vote inNew Lebanon in 1928, wherefour districts centralized, tothe 1950s. GermantownCentral School initially cen-tralized in 1931 with threedistricts, annexing thirteenmore in the 1940s and 1950s.Twenty nine districts formedthe Roeliff Jansen CentralSchool in 1931, becoming thestate’s largest school districtto date. An editorial in theHudson Daily Star comment-ed; “The little one-roomschools… which were so gen-erally held in affection, areslipping behind the march ofprogress… it was not as effi-cient an educational machineas this new institution.” In1946 the Ockawamick CentralSchool was created from fif-teen rural districts. (More thantwo decades later, in 1969, theRoeliff Jansen and Ockawamickdistricts centralized further,becoming the Taconic HillsCentral School.)

Valatie, Kinderhook andChatham faced strong opposi-tion within the villages whereresidents strongly identifiedwith their existing Union

Free Schools.They feared los-ing their identity to a systemof mass education. Advocatesof the new system formedcommittees, conducted sur-veys and circulated petitionsto promote centralization andto bring the issue to a vote.

A growing population andrising taxes finally convincedvoters that larger schools andstate aid were desperatelyneeded. By a vote of 1,119 to511,eighteen districts formedthe Ichabod Crane SchoolDistrict in 1954. ChathamCentral School District wascreated in 1955 from twenty-four districts by a vote of 765to 141.

A new sense of prideemerged as students benefit-ed from the improved socialand academic opportunitiesof the centralized schools.On the other hand, one for-mer student of a one-roomschool recalled in an oralinterview: “When I went tohigh school (in the newly-formed central school) it tookme four years to get comfort-able with so many people!”

Interest in the one-roomschoolhouse is very apparenttoday with visitors toColumbia County seeking outthe historic c1850 IchabodCrane Schoolhouse, ownedand operated by the ColumbiaCounty Historical Society. It isrestored to its early 20th cen-tury appearance, includingartifacts from one-roomschools throughout the coun-ty. The Society’s educator,Ruth Ellen Berninger, con-ducts school programs there,where today’s students learnthe Palmer Method ofPenmanship,recite lessons onthe “lesson bench,” and dis-cover the differences betweenthis and their own schoolexperience. The schoolhousesits on the Van Alen Houseproperty on Route 9H,Kinderhook, and is open tothe public during the summer

months and by appointment.The existing structure,

which once stood at the inter-section of Route 9H andFisher Road, was moved to itscurrent site in 1974 on aflatbed truck.In the early 19thcentury an earlier schoolstood on the former sitewhen Jesse Merwin taughtthere and welcomed visitsfrom his friend, WashingtonIrving. Merwin, believed to bethe prototype for IchabodCrane in Irving’s The Legendof Sleepy Hollow, informedhis friend that a new schoolhad been erected in place ofthe old, familiar one. Irvingresponded in 1851 with dis-may over the loss of the oldbuilding. Jesse Merwin died in1852 and is buried in theKinderhook Cemetery.

Following centralization in1945, the schoolhouse stoodempty until 1952 when a spe-cial radio broadcast was aired

from the site. Honored guestEleanor Roosevelt dedicatedthe spruced-up structure as acommunity center, whereevents were held for the nextdecade. Several years of neg-lect followed, until the Townof Kinderhook moved theschoolhouse to the Van AlenHouse grounds in 1974 underthe auspices of the ColumbiaCounty Historical Society.

Concerned residents, whounderstand the value of pre-serving county history, arealso caring for the Rider’sMills, Clermont, Ancram, RedRock, Austerlitz, Copake, andother schoolhouses.Memoriesof the little buildings scat-tered throughout the county,where so many of our resi-dents were educated in a fam-ily atmosphere,remain strong.A poem by Phillip Engel, pub-lished in the CCHS Bulletin in1944, thoughtfully reminds usof our county’s rural heritage.�

The Riders Mills Historical Association is restoring this late 18th-century brick schoolhouse. It served as a school into the 1950s.

School House by the Road by Phillip A. Engel

The children going to the district schoolAfoot, and fed on nature’s hearty fare,

Are set in line for just as high a goalAs children are allotted anywhere.

Why rob these rural children of their scene,And substitute a playtime on the street?

In doing so, their birthright looks too mean.They will choose mates who find a farm no treat.

When once they turn their back on perfumed fieldAnd all that has been theirs, fresh aired and free,

Its essence will be foreign in its yield,And secondhanded in its potency.

The country has a tongue, and things to say,Why lead the children of the soil away?

COLUMBIA COUNTYHISTORICAL SOCIETY

PRESERVATIONHERITAGE AWARDS

In 2001 the Society initiatedthe annual PreservationHeritage Awards.These recog-nize organizations and per-sons who have made a signifi-cant contribution to preserv-ing the heritage of ColumbiaCounty. If you know any per-son or organization that youwould like to have consideredfor this annual award, pleasecontact the Society at (518)758-9265. All nominations forthis year must be submittedby the end of July, 2002.

The following were therecipients of this awardduring 2001:

The Clermont Town Board,for their efforts in restoringand preserving three historicproperties in the heart of thattown.

Dominick Lizzi, ValatieVillage Historian, for his var-ied efforts in fostering arenewed awareness of localhistory of the village.

Roy Shannon,whose sketch-es have enhanced the histori-cal displays assembled formany events in the Town ofStuyvesant.

Mary Howell, LivingstonTown Historian, for herefforts in establishing theLivingston History Barn as anew home for the many his-torical objects she has col-lected over the years.

The Society is proud torecognize the above for theirhistorical preservation efforts.

SOCIETY BESTOWSFIRST ANNUALSCHOLARSHIP

The Columbia CountyHistorical Society awarded a$1,000.00 scholarship to

Frederick Sutherland, whowill be graduating this yearfrom Hudson High School.This is the first of an annualaward by the Society to ahigh school student exhibit-ing exceptional interest inthe study of local and region-al history. This scholarshipmust be applied for throughthe guidance department atthe student’s school. Mr.Sutherland will be attendingBoston University this fall.Allof us in the Society wish himwell in his future endeavors.

If you are interested inbeing considered for thisaward, please contact theguidance office at yourschool.

SOCIETY ISRECENT RECIPIENTOF THREE GRANTS

Soc iety Awarded Prest ig iousFedera l Grant

The Columbia CountyHistorical Society has beenawarded a competitive GeneralOperating Support Grant of$56,996.00 from the Instituteof Museum and LibraryServices, a Federal agencylocated in Washington, D.C.The Society’s grant was oneof 178 awarded nationwidefrom a total of 826 applica-tions received by IMLS.

Robert S. Martin, the newDirector of the Institute ofMuseum and Library Services,said, “With more than$15,512,000 going to 178exemplary museums, IMLScontinues its long tradition ofrecognizing and supportingthe best of museum servicein America.”

Museums must demon-strate outstanding perform-ance in all areas of museumoperations to qualify for aGeneral Operating Supportgrant. They are one of the

most sought-after museumawards of the Institute ofMuseum and Library Services,an independent Federalagency that fosters leader-ship, innovation and a lifetimeof learning.

This grant award allowsthe Columbia County HistoricalSociety to continue to offer avariety of educational pro-grams to the local and region-al community, to keep theresearch library and exhibitspaces at the ColumbiaCounty Museum open to thepublic year-round, and tomaintain its high standards ofcollections care.

Upstate Histor y Al l ianceAwards Soc iety Technica l

Ass i s tance GrantThe Columbia CountyHistorical Society was recent-ly the recipient of a technicalassistance grant of $1,500.00from the Upstate HistoryAlliance. This grant will per-mit the Society to lead a col-laborative project to engagemuseum educators fromClermont and Olana StateHistoric Sites, Martin VanBuren National Historic Site,

and the Shaker Museum andLibrary in the creation of aneducational kit for middleschool children.

Lower Hudson Conference’sConser vat ion Treatment Grant

As noted on page 14 of thispublication, the Society wasawarded a grant of $1,726.00by the Lower HudsonConference to conserve thehistoric silk banner, designedand made in 1919 for theDaughters of the ColumbiaCounty Historical Society,the predecessor to what hasbecome the Columbia CountyHistorical Society.

The above grants are a tes-tament to the professional-ism of the staff and to theimportance of the Society’sactivities and collections.In addition to the fundingthese awards carry, theSociety appreciates thehonor bestowed on us bybeing considered worthy ofrecognition by the abovethree organizations. �


8

News of the Columbia County Historical Society

Frederick Sutherland, Hudson High School senior, received the firstannual $1,000 scholarship from the Society for excellence in thestudy of history. He will attend Boston University in the fall.Pictured are his parents, Frederick and Linda, and Harry van Dyke,member of the Board of Directors, presenting the certificate.


9

News of the Columbia County Historical Society

It is with great sadness thatthe Board of Directors andstaff of the Columbia

County Historical Societynote the passing of their ded-icated volunteer and friend,Harry Dennis Hamm. For thepast nineteen years Harryspent three days each weekin the genealogy library at theColumbia County Museumanswering written requeststhe Society received from allover the world. These letterswere from families seekinginformation on their ances-tors and Harry took fulladvantage of the genealogylibrary to meticulously searchfor answers. He was alwaysvery proud that his effortsresulted in letters of apprecia-tion and donations to theSociety. Despite his and hiswife Mary’s declining healthin recent months, heremained in close contactwith the Museum and main-tained his interest in ourgenealogy work.

A few years agoHarry met with long-time friends fromValatie, his home-town, searching forinformation to be“saved for thefuture.” He workedtirelessly sketchingby hand a detailedmap of the villageshowing places and names

remembered from his youth.This map is currently beingindexed as a historicalresource for future genera-tions.

Harry’s legacy will also liveon in the paintings of localscenes that he donated to theSociety’s collection, fromValatie street scenes to his-toric buildings in the commu-nity. The Society was veryproud to exhibit many ofthese paintings in the muse-um gallery in the summer of2000. Many of us will remem-ber Harry as the creator ofthe holiday raffle dollhousesthat he donated over theyears.They were very specialto him as well as to the win-ners.

The Board and staff wishto thank the family for nam-ing the Society as one of therecipients of memorial dona-tions in Harry’s memory. Inlight of his service and inter-est in genealogy research,

all donations will beapplied to acquiring

a d d i t i o n a lresources for theg e n e a l o g ylibrary.

Harry willbe rememberedfondly for his

warm friendshipand unfailing ded-

ication and will begreatly missed. �

HARRY DENNIS HAMMTHE SOCIETYNEEDS YOU

The Columbia County Historical Societydepends upon volunteers to help it in its manyendeavors. We are seeking individuals with experi-ence and interest in any of the following areas tocontact the Society and volunteer their time andeffort. Don’t hesitate to contact us even if you thinkthat your background is not suitable. We canexplore with you our needs and your interests todetermine how best you can help us.

If you are skilled in typing and/or inputting mate-rials into computers, you could help us manage andcatalogue our collection. Museum or archival expe-rience would be helpful. Please call Helen McLallen,Curator, at 758-9265. She will be happy to discuss inmore detail the type of assistance needed and whatis required.

We need people who have an interest in eitherwriting or presenting educational programs to helpthe staff Educator in this important outreacheffort. If you have an interest in developing suchprograms or working with students, please contactRuth Ellen Berninger, Educator, at 758-9265.

Finally, the Society can use help handling a widevariety of tasks in its library and office at theMuseum in Kinderhook. If you would like to assistus in these areas, please call Sharon Palmer,Executive Director, at the telephone numbershown above.

Columbia County History & Heritage is interested inhearing from you — if you have articles, pictures, or otheritems about Columbia County history and cultural heritagesuitable for publication, please let us know.The EditorialBoard will review all submissions, and all submissions consid-ered for publication are subject to editing.We regret that wecannot guarantee publication.

Want to advertise in Columbia County History &Heritage? Call 518-758-9265 for more information.

Compliments of


10

By Nick Biggs

The Columbia CountyHistorical Society hasundertaken a critical

three year effort designed toachieve the following fourgeneral goals:

• Expand the membershipbase and increase thebenefits of membership;

• Increase awareness ofthe Society throughoutthe county and reach outto new constituencies;

• Increase financial sup-port for the Society; and

• Realize program initia-tives in such areas aseducation, restorationand preservation, collec-tions, publications andexhibitions.

The Society over the past85 years has played an inte-gral part in the ColumbiaCounty community. During2001 nearly 15,000 personsattended various events spon-sored by the Society, our edu-cation and outreach effortsreached 3,000 students, andmore than 4,000 persons vis-ited the Society’s museumand library to view exhibi-tions and for historical andgenealogical research. Alsoduring the year the Societyawarded a $1,000 scholarshipto a deserving college-boundstudent, presented awards toseveral individuals andgroups in recognition of theirpreservation efforts, exhibit-ed three centuries ofColumbia County portraitsfrom our collection, and pre-sented four showings of thehistoric Monthie slides at var-ious locations. In recognitionof the Society’s importance tothis region, the Institute ofMuseum and Library Servicesawarded us an operating sup-port grant this past year—testifying to the quality of ourprograms and to the profes-

sionalism of our staff.Although we at the Society

are proud of what we haveaccomplished, we also recog-nize that we must do more.We must grow, expand theprograms and services thatwe offer, restore and preserveour historical sites, add to ourcollections and library, andcontinue to make theseresources available to theColumbia County community.

MEMBERSHIPA membership drive will

commence this spring withletters going out to a largenumber of residents.This is inaddition to the currentsuccessful practice of identi-fying newcomers to ColumbiaCounty and offering them theopportunity to join this Society.

In addition,a new “benefitsladder” has been createdwhich makes membership ateach level more valuable. Forinstance, membership at thePatron’s level of $100 will, inaddition to standard member-ship benefits, entitle themember to reciprocal privi-leges at other museums andhistoric properties.

If you would like to be amember of the Society or ifyou know someone that youbelieve would be receptive to

joining, please phone RitaLaffety at (518) 758-9265.

BULLETINAND WEBSITE

Another improved benefitto members is our new publi-cation, Columbia CountyHistory and Heritage. Thispublication is designed to pro-vide members with informa-tive and interesting articlesabout the history and heritageof the county and about theactivities of not only thisSociety but of other groupsinvolved in preserving theculture of this unique area.

We are quite excited aboutthis new publication and wel-come any comments that youmight have.Also, if you wouldlike to submit an article aboutsome aspect of the history ofColumbia County or wouldbe interested in working onfuture issues, please contactJim Eyre at (518) 851-9151 orJulia Philip at (518) 851-6351.

We are also in the processof creating a new website.Our new web address iswww.cchsny.org. This shouldbe up and running by May 25and we hope that you willvisit it periodically for updat-ed information and programschedules.

NEW EVENTSWe are introducing two

new events this year.One willbe Collectors’ Day, open tothe public, on September 21,2002 at the Society’s Vanderpoelhouse in Kinderhook. We areoffering collectors through-out the county the opportu-nity to display part of theircollections and to discussthese with interested atten-dees.We hope to attract largenumbers of exhibitors with awide range of different col-lections. If you would like toexhibit your collection at thisevent, please call Jim Eyre at(518) 851-9151. Please under-stand that we may not be ableto accommodate all whowould like to do so.Yet,pleasecall as soon as possible if youhave a collection and wouldlike to be part of this event.

During the Society’s annu-al greens show at Christmas,we will be sponsoring a tourof houses in the countydecorated for the holidays.Information on this newevent will be forthcomingthis fall.

FUNDRAISINGThe Society has operated

over the past several yearswith an extremely tight budg-et. We are proud of what wehave been able to accom-plish. However, we are at acritical stage in that we arefaced with a major need forincreased funding in orderto offer a broader range ofservices,programs and eventsand to continue to restoreand preserve our four majorhistoric sites. Hopefully, thenew membership drive willsubstantially increase themembership base and helpalleviate the need for opera-tional funds.

More importantly, theSociety has completed a num-

Society Begins Major Development Campaign

Continued on page 11

The restoration of the c1820 James Vanderpoel House, Route 9,Kinderhook, is one of the goals of the development committee'sefforts.

Published by Bullfinch Press in association with Historic Hudson ValleyWith an introduction by Michael Dwyer

C o l u m b i a C o u n t y H i s t o r y & H e r i t a g e S p r i n g 2 0 0 2

Pat & Larry Phone (518) 766-3008Fax (518) 766-9818

4228 Route 203 Post Office Box 219North Chatham, NY 12132

This is a magnificent vol-ume which beautifullyportrays the great

estates of the Hudson RiverValley offering some of thefinest examples of grand-scalenineteenth-century Americanarchitecture and landscapedesign. The houses, built bythe leading architects of theday, were country retreatsfor Livingstons, Roosevelts,Rockefellers, Vanderbilts, andAstors, among other illustri-ous families. With gloriousriver views and grounds thatsprawl over hundreds ofacres, most of the estates arenow open to the public.

With more than 200images in full color and somenewly commissioned aerialphotographs, this book is animportant compilation of thegrandest architecture fromthe region. A full descriptionof the ownership, architec-ture, furnish-

ings and landscape fromits concept to present dayaccompanies the presentationof each estate. An introduc-tion by architectural historianMichael Dwyer providesinsight to the beauty andimportance of the houses andtheir grounds. Extendedphoto captions highlight theperiod details in the furni-ture, textiles, and artworkon display.

The Columbia CountyHistorical Society is particu-larly pleased to have theLuykas Van Alen House fea-tured with a six page spread.Located in Kinderhook, NYand built in 1737, the VanAlen House provides a rareexample of early colonialDutch architecture. It is aNational Historic Landmarkowned and maintained by theSociety and is open to the

public during thesummer months.

The book iscurrently on saleat the Columbia

County HistoricalSociety

Museum shopin Kinderhook,

NY, with a10% discount

offered tomembers.�

Book Review:

Great Houses ofThe Hudson River

11

ber of studies regarding therestoration of its properties.These indicate that we willneed $1.6 million over thenext few years. If we canraise the monies necessary,we can restore the Vander-poel house and Van Alenhouse and farm to their origi-nal and historically correctcondition, preserve theIchabod Crane schoolhouse,and substantially improve themuseum and collections.Since all of the preliminarysteps have been completed,virtually every dollar expend-ed from now on will resultin visible improvements tothese sites.

The Society will beapproaching certain individu-als, companies and founda-tions this year in order tobegin the process of raisingthe needed funds. All are

welcome to help in this mas-sive effort. If you wish to con-tribute to the developmentcampaign, please make out acheck payable to ColumbiaCounty Historical Society,note thereon that it is for thedevelopment campaign, andsend it to the Society,P.O.Box311, Kinderhook, NY 12106.If you would like to learnmore about the developmentefforts and discuss how youcould best help us, pleasecall Peter Haemmerlein at(518) 758-7123 or Nick Biggs(518) 766-2872.

Although our aims arehigh and the task is some-what daunting, the Board ofDirectors, Officers and Staffof the Society are committedto achieving the goals set outabove and to better servingthe Columbia County com-munity. We encourage andwelcome your support in thismajor effort. �

Society Begins…continued from page 10


12

History Around the County

By Julia Philip

RED ROCKHISTORICAL SOCIETY

The old schoolhousewhich children of EastChatham attended until

the early 1940s was deededto the Red Rock HistoricalSociety this past February.The one room building wasbuilt in the late 1880s but fellout of use during the schoolconsolidation undertaken byNew York State in the 1930s.

Kenneth Ford was a stu-dent at the school in 1918.He is now 94 and still lives inRed Rock.

The building today is ahard walk up a steep(although short) hillside andthe two acres of land thatcome with it are overgrownby young saplings. It is thegift of Jane Endreson and herfamily who continue to owna nearby farmhouse.The RedRock Historical Society willhold its annual meeting at4 o’clock on June 14th at thesociety’s main building, theformer Methodist Church onRoute 24 to discuss plans todevelop this new property. �

RIDERS MILLSHISTORICAL

ASSOCIATION

The Riders Mills SchoolHouse was the firstpublic school built

with aid from the New YorkState legislative act of 1795that provided for construc-tion of buidings for the freeeducation of children of thestate. The schoolhouse wasconstructed by the NorthSchool Society in 1796 onland contributed by JonathanRider. The architecture andmaterials used are unusual.The school house is built of

brick and has a barrel ceiling.The only other school build-ing with this type of ceiling isin Williamsburg, Virginia. Justa year ago the building waslisted on both the state andnational historic registers andthe Association began a majorrestoration.

Last year the stone founda-tions and outside brick wallswere re-pointed and oldflooring and support beamsremoved so that a new sub-floor could be installed. Theearly overhead wiring wasalso replaced by an under-ground cable.

This year the Riders MillsHistorical Association has re-plastered the unusual bar-rel ceiling, and will paint theinterior windows and wallsand install antique flooringwhich has already beenacquired. The final step willbe the restoration of desksand other schoolhousearticles. �

GREENPORTHISTORICAL SOCIETY

The West Tollhouse ofthe Columbia Turnpikeis now the property of

the Greenport HistoricalSociety. The Federal building,which stands opposite theformer Lone Star Cementplant in Greenport, was con-structed in 1800 from lime-stone quarried from BecraftMountain which runs behindit. The Hudson City CommonCouncil, which acquired theabandoned quarry as part ofits water supply, transferredthe tollhouse building to theSociety for a token one dollarearlier this year.

The work to document thehistory and past usage of thebuilding was done by theGreenport Historical Societywith Joan Wrigley leading the

effort, and the building is listed now on both the NewYork State and NationalHistoric Registers.

In 1990 when the build-ing seemed a prey to scav-engers, Vincent Wallaceorganized a small group tostabilize the building andproclaim it “protected prop-erty” by inviting studentsfrom nearby schools towater-paint welcoming pic-tures on its windows. Schoolart teachers supervised thework, and the paintings havesent the message that thebuilding is cared for.

In 1800 Hudson was at theheight of its commercial pros-perity. Only four years previ-ously the city had been desig-nated a Port of Entry forcoastal and foreign shipping.Hudson’s city fathers wereanxious to speed the flow ofgoods to its port and in April1800 they engaged three con-tractors to complete respec-tive portions of the turnpike.The first tolls were collectedon November 15th, just oversix months later.

The Columbia Turnpikeran from Hillsdale toMartindale to Greenport

Old Chatham

Craryville

Hillsdale

87

87

9

9

9W

9W

20

22

9G

9G

9J

22

203

295

203

203

66

9H

66

23

217

199

82

TSP

TSP

2290

90

Hudson River

Catskill

Stuyvesant

ValatieKinderhook

Stockport

Hudson

Claverack

Germantown

Ancramdale

Livingston

Greenport

Chatham

1. Ancram Preservation Group, Inc.518-329-1612

2. Austerlitz Historical Society518-392-5874

3. Canaan Historical Society518-781-3001

4. Chatham Village Historical Society518-392-9236

5. Columbia County Historical Society518-758-9265

6. Germantown Historical Society518-537-3600

7. Greenport Historical Society518-828-4656

8. Livingston History Barn518-828-2969

9. New Lebanon Historical Society518-794-7675

10. North Chatham Historical Society518-766-3058

11. Red Rock Historical Society518-392-6065

12. Riders Mills Historical Association518-794-7146

13. Roeliff Jansen Historical Society518-329-2376

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3

4

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8

1

9

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COUNTYHISTORICALSOCIETIES

C o l u m b i a C o u n t y H i s t o r y & H e r i t a g e S p r i n g 2 0 0 2

13

History Around the County

where its toll stops werelocated and where the tollkeepers lived and collectedthe fees. The road was thepath for herds of sheep andcattle, wagons carrying hides,grain, hay, fresh produce,home crafts, and any otherproducts that could be sold inthe city of Hudson or trans-ported down river from itsimportant river port.The feesseem modest today — ninecents for a wagon drawn by asingle horse and $1 for onedrawn by a six horse team.Ahorse and rider went over forfive cents, a man walked fortwo cents. Sleighs in winterwent over for much less (a sixhorse sleigh was only four-teen cents) because the run-ners did less damage thanwagon wheels.

It is rumored, however,that the original investors gota good return on the $25,000they put up to build the high-way. It was in operation forover 100 years before theState highway departmenttook over maintenance of theright of way in 1907. �

CHATHAM VILLAGEHISTORICAL SOCIETY

The brick Federal-stylebuilding which stands,in some disrepair,

along Route 66 approachingChatham has finally becomethe property of the ChathamVillage Historical Society,which plans to restore thebuilding and develop thefour and one half acres ofland around it as an agricul-tural educational museum.The house and the land willreplicate farm life in the early19th century in ColumbiaCounty.

The house and farm landthat originally surrounded it

was first owned by theVanDeusen family who builtthe house and lived therefrom 1812 to 1820. TheSociety is researching theownership over the fortyyears from that time until itbecame the property of PhiloBlinn, a gentleman farmerwho bought the propertyabout 1860 and began todevelop it as a “modern” and“scientific” agricultural ven-ture.There are three volumesof Philo Blinn’s meticulousdiaries at the Chatham PublicLibrary, which record theproduction and operation ofthe farm from 1864 to 1872— a time when farming in theHudson Valley was the “busi-ness to be in.” The diarieswill be a starting place for thedevelopment of the buildingand future collections of theHistorical Society.

The farm was most recentlyowned by Clyde and MaudePulver who bought it in 1950.Later, when the Village ofChatham began to grow closer,farming was abandoned. Theproperty is now reduced tojust four and a half acres.

The Blinn-Pulver House isa two-storey building withcentral hallway and secondfloor ellipitical window thatare typical of the AmericanFederal Style. Much of theoriginal interior detail remains,and throughout the buildingenough of the original materi-al is left to allow accuratereconstruction.

The Chatham VillageHistorical Society is currentlyin the process of raising thefunds required to study andcomplete this exciting proj-ect. In support of this, achallege grant of $3,000 hasbeen offered by FrancisGreenburger �

CAUTIONTo all the fair sex that want information. Know that about thefirst of June last there came to the township of West Buffaloe aman with Mary Mitchell from Munsey who caled his nameWilliam Hunter and they resided at Abraham Mitchel’s, abrother of the said Mary, and they beded and boarded as manand wife for about ten days and then left her and come into thepart of the town which I lived, in company with AbrahamMitchel, who recommended the said Hunter to be a man ofhonor and good character, and he paid his addresses to me andafter a short courtship I married him without the consent ofmy firiends. Not long after our marriage I was informed thathis name was not Hunter, but David Miller, and that he hadfour wives, all of them alive. However, he denied his havingmore than two — and one of them lived at fishing creek in thiscounty by whom he had four children. My situation becomingsuch as would render me incapable of maintaining him anylonger he sent me abroad on business — and in my absence hestole a meal bag and packed up his duds and all my clothesexcept what I had on and absconded to parts unknown. He maybe easily known — he is about five foot eight inches high, hasa down-hang look, swarthy complexion and is a lazy, indolentpilfering illeterate, low bread fellow, is a copper by trade, butnever works till compelled by hunger, and is a fiddler and runsabout from place to place; had on when run away an old bluecoat, velvet pantaloons, and an old hat and has a fiddle and gun,the clothes he stole, one suit of white dimity, a number ofhandkerchiefs, caps, ribben, stockings, and so forth.

Elizabeth Baty

West Buffaloe, Oct. 11th, 1810

*** All the prenters in the state is requested to in Scert the Same

� The BEE �Vol. V Hudson, Friday, December 7 , 1810

From the Northumberland ARGUS: the following advertisement washanded in for insertion by a gentleman of this town to whom it wasdelivered at Deerstown and is inserted as it was received:

Old Time Advertisements edited by Jim Eyre

by Helen M. McLallen,CuratorColumbia County Historical Society

Among our collections isan item which dates tothe early years of the

Society. It is a silk banner, withthe Half Moon logo, designedand made in 1919 for theDaughters of the ColumbiaCounty Historical Society. TheSociety has received $1,726toward the banner’s conserva-tion from the ConservationTreatment Grant Program,administered by the LowerHudson Conference in associa-tion with the Museum Programof the New York State Councilon the Arts. The treatment isbeing conducted by textile con-servator Gwen Spicer of Delmar.

The banner was designed byfamed New York City photogra-pher Pirie MacDonald whosewife was an early member andtrustee of the society. It is con-structed of blue, yellow, andcream silk (the Society’s officialcolors were blue and yellow).The ship, with its sails billowing, is centered in the uppertwo-thirds of the banner, with the painted inscription, nowpartly missing, “DAUGHTERS OF COLUMBIA COUNTYHISTORICAL SOCIETY” below. Gold metallic braid and fringeedge the banner, which hangs from a wooden rod trimmedwith brass knobs and gold metallic cord and tassels.

The conservation treatment focuses on stabilization andpreparation for proper storage, rather than restoration.While its fragility, even after conservation, will still preclude

its use in exhibits, it will beavailable for occasional limitedviewing and scholarly researchand examination.

The Columbia CountyHistorical Society began as theColumbia County Women’sSociety in 1916. Originally aphilanthropic as well as histori-cal association, the memberssponsored two ambulances inWorld War I. In 1919 theychanged their name to theDaughters of Columbia CountyHistorical Society.They chose astheir logo the Half Moon, HenryHudson’s ship, to signify theimportance they placed on thecolonial Dutch cultural heritagein their Hudson River Valleycounty. Even in its early years,however, the Society lookedbeyond the Dutch portion of thecounty’s history as it conductedan extensive county-wide searchfor a building in which to pre-serve and display the collectionof county artifacts and docu-ments which they hoped tobuild. In 1925 the Society pur-

chased the home in Kinderhook which it called the House ofHistory (now the Vanderpoel house) and again changed itsname, becoming the Columbia County Historical Society.

We have only a handful of artifacts in the collection whichrelate to the Society’s earliest period, prior to acquisition ofthe House of History. This banner, despite its severelydeteriorated condition, is one of the more significant. It isa strong visual reminder of the Society’s youthful aspirationsand dreams.�


14

Highlights from the Society’s Collections


15

Columbia County Historical Society Calendar of Events

Please note in your calen-dars the following eventsand dates. For additionalinformation regarding these,call the Society’s office at(518) 758-9265 or visit ourwebsite at www.cchsny.org.

MAY 5The Society will sponsor ashowing of the Monthieslides at 3:00 PM at the FirstReformed Church, 23 Kinder-hook Street, in Chatham, NY.This presentation will featureGhent and New Lebanon.Admission is free to the public.

MAY 11An exhibition of paintings bythe renowned local artist,Fern Apfel, entitled “MuseumPeace: Reflections on aCollection,” will open with areception with the artist at4:00 to 6:00 PM at theColumbia County Museum inKinderhook. This exhibit isfunded in part by theDecentralization Programof the New York Council onthe Arts. Donations are wel-come. The exhibition willrun through November.

Ms. Apfel is a visual artistcurrently working in ink andcollage. Philosophically herwork speaks to the quality ofour daily lives, how the ordi-nary around us reveals much

about who we are and whatwe believe in.

The artist has used acombination of water-solublelithographic inks mixed withcollage materials for her fin-ished works. She collectedold stamps,envelopes,recipes,letters, pieces of well-thumbed books, and otherremnants of the past whichhave been combined tocreate paintings and sketchesof objects in the Society’scollection. The result is apastiche of image and text-that is at once nostalgic andprovocative.

As an additional feature ofthe exhibition, the Society’sCurator will exhibit approxi-mately 30 items from theSociety’s collection that arerepresented in Ms. Apfel’scontemporary works of art.The visitor will see theobjects that inspired the artistand thus will be better able tounderstand her motivation inthe creation of her work.From artifact to study tocompleted painting, this exhi-bition will interpret thecreative process.

Ms.Apfel studied at The ArtStudent League in New YorkCity. In 1995 she was therecipient of the EmergingArtist Award from the

Fern Apfel’s “Study,glasses.” This pencil sketch will be included in theexhibition.

FIRST COLUMBIANS &ANTIQUES FESTIVAL

JUNE 15The summer social season in Columbia County will bekicked off with the First Columbian’s champagne recep-tion preceding the Society’s annual Antiques Festival thenext day.The reception will be held from 5:00 to 7:30 PMon the lawn of the Van Alen house just south ofKinderhook on Route 9H. Attendees at this eventwill preview the dealers’ booths that have been set upfor the Festival, sip champagne, nibble on tasty horsd’oeuvres and bid on enticing items as the incrediblesilent auction. For instance, the NYRA has offered a dayat the races at Saratoga to some lucky bidder. Also, youwill have the opportunity to bid on a balloon ride highabove Columbia County donated by Wayne Van Allen andBalloon Meadows, Inc.Admission to the reception will beat $60.00 per person.

Also, at the reception Benefit Sponsors at $125.00 perguest and Second Century Circle members will have theadded pleasure of “hop-scotch” tours of dealers’ boothshosted by knowledgeable experts. After the gala recep-tion Benefit Sponsors will have dinner in one of an amaz-ing array of dining venues including homes featured incurrent issues of HOUSE BEAUTIFUL, HOUSE & GAR-DEN, and ELLE DECOR as well as in a current retrospec-tive of the county’s most talked about architect. Couplethe elegant surroundings with food by ColumbiaCounty’s best home chefs and you have a heady start tothe summer social season.

JUNE 16The 30th annual Antiques Festival at the Van Alen houseon Route 9H south of Kinderhook will be open to thepublic from 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM. More than 60 dealerswill have a wide variety of antiques for viewing and sale.Come to this exciting festival to seek out treasures to addto your collection and home. Admission will be $5.00per person, $4.50 with coupon (available at theColumbia County Museum).

While the 30th annual Antiques Festival is in fullswing at the Van Alen house, a picnic lunch will be host-ed in Kinderhook at a Vandepoel house (where Jameslived while constructing his home on Broad Street).This“Drop in the Bucket” lunch will be for the benefit of theJames Vandepoel house maintained by the Society andwill be limited in attendance.The donation to this eventwill be $30.00 per person. Please phone the Society at(518) 758-9265 to reserve a place at this affair and toreceive full information about this “Drop in the Bucket”lunch.

Continued on back page


Non-Profit Org.U.S. Postage

PAIDPermit No. 12Kinderhook, NY

5 Albany Ave., Kinderhook, NY 12106

Columbia County Council onthe Arts. Her work has beenselected five times forArtists of the Hudson-MohawkRegional exhibitions. Herwork is in the permanentcollections of the TangTeaching Museum & Gallery,the Schenectady Museum, theShaker Museum and Library,the University Art Museum atSUNY Albany and in numer-ous private collections.

MAY 25The Society will open the VanAlen and Vanderpoel historichouses for the season. Thesehouses may be touredThursdays through Saturdaysfrom 11:00 AM to 5:00 PMand on Sundays between 1:00and 5:00 PM. Admission is$3.00 for adults, $2.00 for stu-dents and seniors, and is freefor members and children

under 12.There is a discountif you tour both houses thesame day.

SEPTEMBER 15There will be a presentationof the Monthie slides featur-ing historic pictures ofGreenport. The location ofthis event is to be announced.A second presentation of dif-ferent slides of Greenportwill be shown on October 6,again at a location to be deter-mined. Both of these showswill be at 3:00 PM and will befree to the public.

SEPTEMBER 21As noted on page 10 in thispublication, the Society willbe hosting a new event atwhich collectors from through-out the county will exhibitportions of their collectionsand will discuss their inter-

ests with attendees. Thisevent will be from 9:00 AM to4:00 PM and is free to mem-bers It will be open to thepublic and will cost $3.00 perperson, $2.00 for seniors andstudents, with children under12 admitted free.We hope tohave a large number of col-lectors at this one-day eventexhibiting a wide range ofcollections. Come and seewhat others have in their col-

lections and compare noteswith them.

If you are a collector andwish to participate by show-ing your collection, we wouldlike to know of your interestas soon as possible. Please callJim Eyre at (518) 851-9151 todiscuss your collection andwhat you would like to displayat this event. After the showends, you will be invited to awine reception. �

Columbia County Historical Society Calendar of Events continued

The Antiques Festivalat the Van Alen House


For updated information about events and other activites of theColumbia County Historical Society, please visit our website at www.cchsny.org

County Columbia HERITAGE HISTORY&

Documents

Transcript of County Columbia HERITAGE HISTORY&