Hudson Valley - Catskills

Thomas Cole Site Hosting Volunteer Info Open House

January 29, 2015 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site is opening its doors for an Information Open House on Sunday, February 15 at 12:30 pm for a one-hour program for all those interested in volunteering as a tour guide.

The Thomas Cole National Historic Site, located in Catskill, New York, is currently seeking volunteers to conduct tours of the house and studio. The organization is also recruiting Art Trail guides for their popular hiking program on the Hudson River School Art Trail where the views in 19th-century landscape paintings can be seen today in the Catskill Mountains. Volunteers are also needed for gardening and helping out at events. [Read more…] about Thomas Cole Site Hosting Volunteer Info Open House

Thomas Cole Site 2015 ‘Sunday Salon’ Preview

December 23, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

To begin their second decade of “Sunday Salons”, Thomas Cole National Historic Site’s 2015 schedule will focus on connections to the immediate present, in conjunction with the exhibition, River Crossings: Contemporary Art Comes Home, that opens in May 2015 at both the Thomas Cole site and Olana.

Sunday Salons feature wine, cheese and mind-opening presentations once per month on Sundays at 2 pm. Tickets are $9 per person or $7 for members of either the Thomas Cole site or Olana. Tickets can be obtained online or at the door. [Read more…] about Thomas Cole Site 2015 ‘Sunday Salon’ Preview

Photos of Copake Iron Works Area Sought

December 17, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Friends of Taconic State Park, the organization working to preserve and stabilize the 19th century Copake Iron Works, are seeking historic photos for its interpretative signage project.

Anyone with access to, or possession of, images of the site (especially the centerpiece blast furnace and any houses or other buildings located nearby) is encouraged to contact them at info@FriendsofTSP.org. [Read more…] about Photos of Copake Iron Works Area Sought

Soldiers’ Tales from an Old Cemetery in Oswego County

November 11, 2014 by David Fiske 1 Comment

There are a number of tombstones in the Feeler Family Cemetery in the Village of Cleveland in Oswego County, but two stand out.

Unlike the other twelve grave markers, these two are inscribed with the names of the deceased. Both of the men whose graves are marked were African Americans, and both served in the Army during the Civil War. [Read more…] about Soldiers’ Tales from an Old Cemetery in Oswego County

Furnace Fest at the Copake Iron Works on Saturday

November 4, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Friends of Taconic State Park invites history lovers to have a blast at “Furnace Fest at the Copake Iron Works” on Saturday, November 8^th from noon to 2pm. This year’s celebration will feature a display of 19th century ironmaking artifacts from the group’s museum project, a scavenger hunt on the Iron Works history trail, and lunch at the Iron Bar and Grill.

Since its establishment in 2008, Friends of Taconic State Park has carried out several preservation and stabilization projects at the Copake Iron Works including the construction of a protective shelter for the 19th century blast furnace, and extensive masonry repairs to the Engine House and Machine Shop. [Read more…] about Furnace Fest at the Copake Iron Works on Saturday

Washington Irving’s Spooky Tale of Mamakating Hollow

October 23, 2014 by John Conway Leave a Comment

It was once without question the best known ghost story set in Sullivan County, written by one of America’s most respected writers, and yet it is largely unknown today.

It combines detailed descriptions of the rich and bountiful beauty of this area in the 19th century with cleverly conceived ghouls as hideous as any in American literature.

It is Washington Irving’s 1838 short story “Hans Swartz: A Marvelous Tale of Mamakating Hollow” and it is still appropriate reading this Halloween season, more than 170 years after it was penned. [Read more…] about Washington Irving’s Spooky Tale of Mamakating Hollow

Newburgh And Highlands Historical Marking 130 Years

October 15, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Annual Meeting of the Historical Society of Newburgh Bay and Highlands will take place on Sunday, October 19th starting at 3:00 P.M. at their headquarters, the 1830 Captain David Crawford House in Newburgh. Members of the Board of Managers are to come together to review 2014.

Following the meeting a panel organized by Society member Tom Kneiser will discuss local buildings they have remodeled for vibrant new uses. [Read more…] about Newburgh And Highlands Historical Marking 130 Years

Columbia Co: Van Alen House Archeological Discoveries

September 25, 2014 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Since acquiring the Van Alen House in 1964, the Columbia County Historical Society has sponsored many archeological investigations on the property. When Matthew Kirk, Principal Investigator and Vice President of Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc. began work at the 1737 homestead, the archeological record was thought to be irretrievably lost after the 1960s, when the landscape was significantly altered with a bulldozer to create a pond. Despite the damage, significant archeological discoveries were made that helped to better understand the family that lived there. [Read more…] about Columbia Co: Van Alen House Archeological Discoveries

Community Day At Thomas Cole Historic Site Sunday

September 24, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Thomas Cole Historic Site will host a Community Day featuring free access to the site, live music, refreshments and family activities on Sunday, September 28th, from 1 to 4 pm, rain or shine.

Open for free visits will be Thomas Cole’s home and studio plus three art exhibitions: Master, Mentor, Master, featuring the 1845 period paintings of Thomas Cole and his young student Frederic Church; Postcards from the Trail 2014; and Thomas Cole’s Honey, Stanley Maltzman’s drawings of our 200-year-old Honey Locust tree. [Read more…] about Community Day At Thomas Cole Historic Site Sunday

Catskills Resort History: The Beginning of the End

September 9, 2014 by John Conway 112 Comments

Many of the 75 or so people at a recent Catskills History and Preservation Conference were shocked to hear that the Catskills’ heralded resort industry has been in decline since 1965.

That’s not unusual. Most newcomers – and even some old timers who should know better – find it hard to believe that the county’s heyday was over by the mid-1960s. Many cite the existence of dozens of hotels in the 1970s as proof that it couldn’t possibly be so.

And yet these days most historians agree that the Golden Age of Sullivan County’s tourism industry, which began around 1940, came to an end around 1965, and they cite a number of reasons for choosing that particular year. [Read more…] about Catskills Resort History: The Beginning of the End