Historic Cherry Hill in Albany will host “Swept Clean,” an immersive theatre experience written by Dr. Krysta Dennis, which tells the Gilded Age story of crisis and romance following the financial ruin of the Van Rensselaer descendants residing at Cherry Hill. [Read more…] about Immersive Theatre Performance Brings Gilded Age To Life In Albany
Historic Cherry Hill
Albany History Fair Returns to Cherry Hill Sunday
The 2022 Albany History Fair will be held in-person on Sunday, May 1st at Historic Cherry Hill.
An annual tradition for the past 23 years, the fair went virtual during the COVID crisis but returns this year with a full roster of presentations and activities. [Read more…] about Albany History Fair Returns to Cherry Hill Sunday
Historic Cherry Hill Grant to Support Multi-Site School Programs
Historic Cherry Hill has announced Multivocal Learning: Albany’s History for Albany’s Students, a school program collaboration with Albany County Historical Association’s Ten Broeck Mansion and the Underground Railroad Education Center at the Myers Residence and funded by the National Endowment for the Humanities through the American Rescue Plan (ARP). [Read more…] about Historic Cherry Hill Grant to Support Multi-Site School Programs
Historic Cherry Hill Planning Albany Teen After School Program
Historic Cherry Hill in Albany has announced that the museum has been awarded a competitive grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) to support an afterschool teen guide training program, History is Now, for the 2021-2022 school year. [Read more…] about Historic Cherry Hill Planning Albany Teen After School Program
Historic Cherry Hill Reopens Restored Interiors After A Decade
Historic Cherry Hill has reopened for public tours after a decade-long restoration project. Built in 1787 for Philip and Maria Van Rensselaer, Cherry Hill was lived in until 1963 by extended family, enslaved people, descendants, and servants — who left artifacts, documents, and stories behind.
The museum collection includes 70,000 artifacts and manuscripts, all of which were accumulated by the Cherry Hill household over the course of five generations and nearly 200 years. [Read more…] about Historic Cherry Hill Reopens Restored Interiors After A Decade
Albany’s Historic Cherry Hill To Highlight Slaves, Servants
Decades after slavery was abolished in New York, the Elmendorfs, Historic Cherry Hill’s 3rd-generation Van Rensselaer descendants in Albany, used orphaned African American children as servants.
Jimmy (1843-1885), Jane (1845-?), Richard (unknown), and Minnie (1852-1903) Knapp became wards and servants of several Van Rensselaer households after the death of their mother, Jane Jackson Knapp, in 1854.
Conjectured to have descended from prior generations enslaved at Cherry Hill — two of the children are named after Van Rensselaers — the children had quasi-family status, but were servants.
[Read more…] about Albany’s Historic Cherry Hill To Highlight Slaves, Servants
Featured Collection: Van Rensselaer Library Collection
The Van Rensselaer library collection at Historic Cherry Hill includes books inherited and collected by the Van Rensselaers who lived at the house from 1787 to 1963.
Books span the 16th through the 20th century and demonstrate the changing patterns and tastes in literature consumption, production, and marketing. [Read more…] about Featured Collection: Van Rensselaer Library Collection
Dramatic Tours Recapture Harrowing Night at Cherry Hill
On the evenings of October 16, 17, 18, 19 and October 23, 24, 25, and 26, Historic Cherry Hill will present a dramatic tour reliving the infamous 1827 murder that occurred at the Cherry Hill mansion, one-time home of the Van Rensselaer family.
The public is invited to step into the experiences of the Cherry Hill household on the evening of May 7, 1827, when a hired hand murdered a household member. [Read more…] about Dramatic Tours Recapture Harrowing Night at Cherry Hill
Albany’s Historic Cherry Hill (Historians Podcast)
This week on The Historians Podcast, Bob Cudmore’s guest is Deborah Emmons-Andarawis, executive director at Historic Cherry Hill, an 18th century house museum on South Pearl Street in Albany, New York. Hear about the lives of the former residents and the gripping tale of a murder at Cherry Hill in the 1800s. [Read more…] about Albany’s Historic Cherry Hill (Historians Podcast)
Historic Cherry Hill Names New Director
The Board of Trustees of Historic Cherry Hill has announced the appointment of Deborah Emmons-Andarawis as Director of Historic Cherry Hill (HCH). She has been serving as Acting Director since December 2017. [Read more…] about Historic Cherry Hill Names New Director