• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar

New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Adirondacks & NNY
  • Capital-Saratoga
  • Mohawk Valley
  • Hudson Valley & Catskills
  • NYC & Long Island
  • Western NY
  • History
  • Nature & Environment
  • Arts & Culture
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Food & Farms
  • Subscribe
  • Support
  • Submit
  • About
  • New Books
  • Events
  • Podcasts

Kinderhook’s Ruth Piwonka Receives Woman of History Award

August 20, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Ruth PiwonkaHistorian and preservationist Ruth Piwonka has been named the 2020 Martha Washington Woman of History.

This award is given annually by Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site to a woman who has made a contribution to the history of the Hudson Valley through education, promotion, or preservation. The honor was inspired by Martha Washington, an outstanding woman in history who resided in the Hudson Valley with her husband, General George Washington, during the last days of the Revolutionary War.

Ruth Piwonka is the Municipal Historian for the Village and Town of Kinderhook and sits on the Village of Kinderhook Historic Preservation Commission. For over 50 years she has been an independent curator and researcher regarding Dutch heritage and material culture in the Hudson Valley.

Piwonka shares her research, scholarship and documentation through her association with the Columbia County Historical Society along with being a published author and a mentor to students, colleagues and volunteers.

Piwonka’s history of volunteering is extensive. She was the first Director of the Columbia Land Conservancy, where she fought for the preservation of agricultural land and open space in Columbia County. She is a Fellow and current Treasurer of the Jacob Leisler Institute, an Elected Fellow of the Holland Society of America and an Elected Fellow of the New York Academy of History, to name just a few of her ongoing affiliations.

Due to Covid-19, Piwonka received her award at her home in Kinderhook, NY earlier this month. She will be honored at the 2021 Women’s History Month program, The General’s Lady, which will take place at Washington’s Headquarters in March.

Washington’s Headquarters is soliciting nominations for the 2021 Martha Washington Woman of History Award.Guidelines and an application can be found online, or by calling (845) 562-1195.

Photo of Ruth Piwonka provided.

Print Friendly, PDF & Email

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Columbia County Historical Society, Jacob Leisler Institute, Kinderhook, Public History, Washington's Headquarters

About Editorial Staff

Stories written under the Editorial Staff byline are drawn from press releases and other notices. Submit your news to New York Almanack here.

Reader Interactions

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Primary Sidebar

Help Support Our Work

Subscribe to New York Almanack

Subscribe! Follow the New York Almanack each day via E-mail, RSS, Twitter or Facebook updates.

Recent Comments

  • John Tepper Marlin on The Real Gilded Age: America’s Elite at Staatsburgh
  • Thomas Hughes on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • Bob Meyer on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • Thomas Hughes on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • Bob Meyer on 1920s KKK Recruiting Efforts in Northern New York
  • Gordon Mason on NYS Historic Barn Tax Credit Program Informational Session
  • David G Waite on Ellis Corners: Before Saratoga Spa State Park & SPAC
  • Eric braverman on Wall Street History: The Politics of New York’s First Banks
  • N. Couture on Haudenosaunee Creation Story & Sculptures with Emily Kasennisaks Stacey
  • Lee on The Mysterious Death of the Angel of Sing Sing

Recent New York Books

ben franklins world podcast
Spaces of Enslavement and Resistance in Dutch New York
ilion cover
Spare Parts
new yorks war of 1812
a prison in the woods cover
Visitors to My Street
Greek Fire
Building THe Ashokan Reservoir
ilion book cover

Secondary Sidebar

preservation league
Protect the Adirondacks Hiking Guide