From Hudson Valley Furniture (1937) to Decorative Paperweights (1947), to American Modern Art (1955), the Vanderpoel House exhibited an array of objects aimed at inspiring an interest in history and preservation within Columbia County. Some of the loaned pieces were eventually gifted into Columbia County Historical Society’s permanent collection where they remain the enjoyment of future generations. [Read more…] about Study of Style: Early Interpretations of Vanderpoel House
Columbia County Historical Society
Margaret Beekman Livingston: The Old Lady of Clermont
The Columbia County Historical Society Volunteers will host a talk, “The Old Lady of Clermont,” on Tuesday afternoon, February 16, 2016.
This free program, presented by Kjirsten Gustavson will begin at 3 pm at the McNary Center of St Paul’s, 6 Sylvester Street in Kinderhook, NY.
Margaret Beekman Livingston was a key figure in the history of Clermont. The mother of several prominent statesmen and shapers of the American Revolution, Margaret has an interesting story of her own. [Read more…] about Margaret Beekman Livingston: The Old Lady of Clermont
Columbia Co: Van Alen House Archeological Discoveries
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
Columbia County Magazine: The 1737 Van Alen House
The Columbia County Historical Society in Kinderhook, New York has published the latest issue of Columbia County History & Heritage magazine. The Spring/Summer 2014 issue is subtitled “Celebrating Our Legacy The Luykas Van Alen House 1964-2014”.
In honor of the Van Alen House 50th anniversary, Executive Director and Curator Diane Shewchuk solicited articles from local authors and scholars Ruth Piwonka and Roderic Blackburn, who have been involved with the National Historic Landmark 1737 Van Alen House since the 1970s. [Read more…] about Columbia County Magazine: The 1737 Van Alen House
Washington Irving and the (Re)Creation of Dutch NY
The history of Kinderhook is rich with the lore of headless horsemen, love-struck schoolmasters and a sleepy small town. This is primarily due to Washington Irving, his wild imagination, and the short-story “Legends of Sleepy Hallow.”
On August 2, New York Times bestselling biographer Brian Jay Jones will speak on the life of Irving and his habit of using artistic license when it came to the history of the area. At 4:00 pm at the Kinderhook Reformed Church (21 Broad St in Kinderhook), Jones will address the historical myths plucked from Irving’s satirical history The History of New York written in 1809 in his talk, “Washington Irving and the (Re)Creation of Dutch New York” as part of the Columbia County Historical Society’s Dutch New York: Fact and Fiction lecture series. [Read more…] about Washington Irving and the (Re)Creation of Dutch NY
Peter Feinman: New York and the Civil War
The Union may have won the war but the South has won Civil War tourism and its legacy. It’s an extraordinary fact of life that wherever the National Park Service has a site, a battle was fought there! And they are all in the South with the major exception of Gettysburg.
Time and time again presentations on life back then in antebellum (before the war) times begin with Gone with the Wind, still the box-office champion adjusted for inflation. What story does the North including New York have to tell that can compare with the pageantry of the South, the chivalry of the idealized plantation, and the glamour of Rhett Butler and Scarlett O’Hara, Clark Gable and Vivien Leigh? Freedom and preserving the Union that made the world safe for democracy in the three world wars in the 20th century should count for something, even for Confederates. [Read more…] about Peter Feinman: New York and the Civil War