Everyday Will Be Sunday When the Town Goes Dry

by Eleanor (Ellie) Charwat

The focus will be on the Hudson Valley’s role in production, distribution, and sale of illegal liquor during prohibition. A PowerPoint presentation will accompany her talk.

Get ready for summer by cleaning out those closets—and help the Clinton Historical Society at the same time. Email info@clintonhistoricalsociety.org to find out when we begin to collect items for this year’s sale.

The story of John Dewey—Clinton Corners' legendary custom gunmaker—will be told by his son George in a presentation at the Clinton Historical Society on Friday, June 2. John Dewey had a national reputation for building highly accurate rifles and pistols. His business partners included the "Big Band" leader Artie Shaw, a renowned jazz clarinetist, composer, and bandleader, who died in 2004. Artie Shaw and his swing-era band were famed for hits including “Begin the Beguine,” "Frenesi," and “Stardust.” Shaw, whose eight wives included actresses Lana Turner and Ava Gardner, was also known as an expert marksman. Today John Dewey's shop and home are the site of the Evangelical Free Church on Salt Point Turnpike, not far from the Clinton Historical Society's Quaker Meeting House. George Dewey, who lived in Clinton Corners, is the founder and president of J Dewey Rods—Quality Gun Cleaning Equipment.

Every summer the Society organizes a special exhibit on a topic of local history in the Creek Meeting House. Exhibits are open to the public free of charge on weekends in July.


Music is the subject of this year’s interactive exhibit which runs July 8 - July 30 and will feature more than 22 vintage music machines and radios.

Click for details!

Every summer the Society organizes a special exhibit on a topic of local history in the Creek Meeting House. Exhibits are open to the public free of charge on weekends in July.


Music is the subject of this year’s interactive exhibit which runs July 8 - July 30 and will feature more than 22 vintage music machines and radios.

Don't miss 1930s ragtime piano player, Peter Muir, performing this Saturday, July 22 at 2 p.m. at the Creek Meeting House! All are welcome, free of charge.

Click for details!

It’s your last chance to see the exhibit that is the talk of the town!

See demonstrations of our antique music machines including c.1879 Swiss cylinder music box, 1890 parlor organ, 1895 Edison cylinder phonograph, 1903 Regina disc music box, 1925 player piano, 1930s Victrola, and 1950 Wurlitzer juke box.

Learn the history of radio from our “History of Radio” display panel and our twenty vintage radios, circa 1920 through 1950s, including a crystal radio set, a 1923 radio with 3 tuning dials, and a 1932 Philco cathedral radio broadcasting FDR’s “Day of Infamy” speech.

Experience our interactive exhibit demonstrating Morse code over an authentic 1879 transatlantic cable.

Reminisce over our seven large display panels showing original sheet music covers, music historical information, and backgrounds of the music and recording artists with photos for each decade from the 1890s through the 1950s, music machines “How It Works”, and a large collection of reproduced vintage advertising for music machines and radios.

Enjoy the interactive video station featuring 11 famous big bands and popular dances of the 1920s through 1940s.

Challenge yourself at a game of “Identify These Famous Radio Stars”.

Create a memory by having your picture taken in our 1920s Clinton living room including a vintage radio.

Click for details!

A talk and slide show presented by Cynthia Koch, Clinton Historical Society president and former director of the FDR Library in Hyde Park. This presentation reviews Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s family history, his love of the Hudson Valley and all things “Dutch” and the ways in which he used these concepts of home and family to connect with people and communicate his policies. This slide show highlights 50 images from the collections of the FDR Library.

This program chronicles the early history of the once thriving community that—until 1932—was part of the main route from New York City to Albany before a bypass was constructed around the quaint village. Staatsburg was well known during the 19th century for its ice-harvesting operations, the famous Staatsburg Ice Tool Company, and one of the oldest stagecoach stops in the region (now a private residence). Anthony will also present captivating details about four estates that once occupied the village.

Members open their homes every fall for an evening of fabulous food and drink to benefit the Society. Delicious hors d’oeuvres, homemade dinners, desserts, and beverages are donated by volunteer hosts throughout the community. The evening begins with wine and cheese receptions in two or three locations, then guests “progress” to one of more than a dozen intimate dinner parties held in private homes. The evening concludes with a cornucopia of home-baked desserts at the Creek Meeting House.

Using records from the Ancient Documents Collection of the Dutchess County Court of Common Pleas, tales and incidents from the seedier side of life in 18th and 19th century Clinton and its predecessor municipalities will be explored. These will include the fate of unwed mothers who fell afoul of the town fathers, a grisly murder of an infant that bridged the divide between Clinton and Pleasant Valley, and how Quakers interacted with the county courts.

Join us on the First Friday in December for a festive potluck supper and whimsical auction of “Secret Santa” wrapped gifts.

The Society hosts local crafters, a holiday tag sale, and a bake sale. A great way to get your holiday shopping started—while benefiting the Clinton Historical Society!

Our membership gets together for a potluck supper and to elect trustees and officers. Have a nomination for our Board? Please contact Kyle at kylecwells55@gmail.com. Please join us for this event! Bring your favorite dish to share. Beverages and dessert will be provided.

PETER MUIR RETURNS!
Those who attended our SRO performance of piano ragtime music
by renowned Peter Muir last summer will be delighted to learn that he is returning for another engagement! The Clinton Community Library and the Clinton Historical Society are once again cosponsoring this popular event at the Creek Meeting House on Thursday, April 26 with free lunch at 12:30 p.m. and performance to follow at 1:00 p.m. for the community. Peter is famous for his toetapping tunes and great sing-alongs. Join us for this free fun event!

Registration for lunch is required - please call 845-266-5530 to RSVP. All are welcome to join us for dessert and the lecture beginning at 1 PM.

Hidden Treasures of the Hudson Valley, Volume 2

New!

by Anthony Musso

Local author Anthony Musso will highlight several of the 55 historic sites in his book, "Hidden Treasures of the Hudson Valley", that are relatively unknown yet historically significant.

Stop by today, Sunday, May 27, for our half price sale!

1777 Then and Now--History and Its Implications

by Hon. Albert Rosenblatt

Judge Rosenblatt will speak about the political, social and cultural events occurring in 1777, the year the Creek Meeting House was dedicated.

Start your holiday shopping at the Clinton Historical Society Craft Fair!
Local artisans, bake sale, and lunch available.

Join us for a fun-filled evening of holiday spirit and warmth. Bring a covered dish to share and a gift for the auction. Auction proceeds benefit the Society's educational and archival mission and preservation of the Creek Meeting House. Desserts provided by the Clinton Historical Society Board of Trustees.

Kevin Oldenburg, a National Park Service Ranger at the FDR Presidential Library and Museum, will speak about the Civilian Conservation Corp. The CCC was a public work relief program that operated during the Great Depression. The CCC was a major part of President Franklin D. Roosevelt's New Deal that provided unskilled manual labor jobs related to the conservation and development of natural resources in rural lands owned by federal, state, and local governments. The CCC was designed to provide jobs for young men and to relieve families who had difficulty finding jobs during the Great Depression in the United States.

William "Chip" Holman of the William Holman Gallery, NYC, will speak about Rhinebeck artist Olin Dows. Dows was a combat artist during World War II who documented Army activities in the European theater. In 1940 Dows was commissioned to paint murals depicting local history in the Rhinebeck post office In 1941 Dows painted scenes of professions and industries in the Hyde Park post office. Olin Dows died in 1981 in Rhinebeck.

We are only weeks away from our annual Progressive Dinner fundraiser on Saturday the 27th of October!

This year, we will start by gathering at historic Meadowland Farm.  Join your friends and neighbors in the barn while enjoying hors d'oeuvres by local, world-renowned chef Gray Kunz, cheeses and a glass of wine.  There will be music by Austin Bonk and a preview of the items to be raffled later in the evening.

Guests will then travel to one of the private homes of the various hosts for a delicious dinner.

The evening will end at the Creek Meeting House for delicious "Sweets & Treats" and coffee.  New this year is our raffle of items donated by various merchants, shops and artisans in the community.

We look forward to seeing everyone there for a fun evening.

Please contact us at chsprogressivedinner@gmail.com to place your reservation.

2018 has been declared the "Year of the Veteran" in Dutchess County. Bill Jeffway, Executive Director of the Dutchess County Historical Society will present the DCHS traveling exhibit "Over Here", which highlights the contributions of Dutchess County's men, women, and children to the World War I effort. Craig Marshall, CHS Vice President will speak about World War I veterans from the Town of Clinton.

Start your holiday shopping at the Clinton Historical Society Craft Fair!

Join us for our Holiday Craft Fair and Tag Sale this weekend and a Community Tree Lighting after the Fair at 4:30pm.

Join us for a fun-filled evening of holiday spirit and warmth. Bring a covered dish to share and a gift for the auction. Auction proceeds benefit the Society's educational and archival mission and preservation of the Creek Meeting House. Desserts provided by the Clinton Historical Society Board of Trustees.

Tales from the Ancient Documents: Taverns And Squabbles in Clinton

Presented by Will Tatum.

Dutchess County Historian Will Tatum will present “Tales from the Ancient Documents: Taverns and Squabbles in Clinton”. While cataloging court records of the county’s Ancient Documents Collection, the office of the Dutchess County Historian has uncovered unique patterns relating to early life in the Town of Clinton. Why did Clinton lead the way in licensing taverns in post-Revolutionary War Dutchess County? Are there connections between the large number of taverns and instances of assault, bastardy, and other crimes in the town from the 1780s through the 1830s? Join us to consider these questions and other stories.

All About Eve is a backstage story revolving around aspiring actress Eve Harrington. Tattered and forlorn, Eve shows up in the dressing room of Broadway mega-star Margo Channing, telling a melancholy life story to Margo and her friends. Margo takes Eve under her wing, and it appears that Eve is a conniver that uses Margo. Directed by Joseph L. Mankiewicz.

To Catch A Thief is the story of a notorious cat burglar John Robie (Cary Grant) that retired to tend vineyards on the French Riviera. When a series of robberies is committed in his style, John must clear his name. Armed with a list of people who own the most expensive jewels currently in the area, John begins following the first owner, young Francie (Grace Kelly). When her jewels are stolen, Francie suspects John, destroying their tentative romance. John goes on the lam to catch the thief and clear his own name. Directed by Alfred Hitchcock.

Admission is free for CHS members and children and $3 for non-members. Refreshments will be available.

A Carriage Drive to Clinton Hollow ca. 1915

Presented by Melodye Moore and Bill Jeffway.

Using a recently discovered photo and poem album, Melodye Moore, Archivist, and Bill Jeffway, Executive Director, Dutchess County Historical Society will present "A Carriage Drive to Clinton Hollow ca. 1915". They will relate their research on two remarkable Clinton Hollow women—grandmother and granddaughter—and their rise to prominence in the early 1900s.

A tuneful, heartwarming story, The Sound of Music is based on the real life story of the Von Trapp Family singers, one of the world's best-known concert groups in the era immediately preceding World War II. Julie Andrews plays the role of Maria, the tomboyish postulant at an Austrian abbey who becomes a governess in the home of a widowed naval captain with seven children, and brings a new love of life and music into the home. Directed by Robert Wise.

Admission is free for CHS members and children and $3 for non-members. Refreshments will be available.

As part of the town’s 200th anniversary in 1986, the Clinton Historical Society organized a Landmarks Designation Committee to identify buildings whose age, architecture, importance to Clinton’s history, and state of preservation made them historically significant. In the 1988 nominations, the committee targeted buildings in each of the town’s seven hamlets. Properties designated as landmarks by the Clinton Historical Society are eligible for protection under Chapter 250 of the Town of Clinton Zoning Law.

Join us as we celebrate these 41 landmark buildings with an independent self-guided driving tour from 11am-4pm followed by a talk and reception from 4-5pm at the Creek Meeting House. Speaker to be announced.

Driving tour maps will be available for purchase on the day of the tour at the Creek Meeting House. $10 for members and $15 for non-members. RAIN DATE: 5/26/19.

Vietnam: A Seebee's Different Experience

Presented by Craig Marshall.

Clinton Historical Society's Vice President, Craig Marshall, will speak about his experience in the Vietnam war as a battalion interpreter and his work in the villages providing educational and social programs. His presentation will include many of the photos he took while there.

This pioneering documentary film depicts the lives of the indigenous Inuit people of Canada's northern Quebec region. Although the production contains some fictional elements, it vividly shows how its resourceful subjects survive in such a harsh climate, revealing how they construct their igloo homes and find food by hunting and fishing. The film also captures the beautiful, if unforgiving, frozen landscape of the Great White North, far removed from conventional civilization. Directed by Robert J. Flaherty.

Admission is free for CHS members and children and $3 for non-members. Refreshments will be available.

FINAL WEEKEND!

On display will be 1,500 original postcard images c1910 of buildings and sites in the towns and villages of Dutchess County c1910.  This collection highlights the “Golden Age of Postcards” (1907-1915) when seven 1-cent postcards were mailed for every person in the U.S.   The exhibit also includes over 80 original photographs of the landmark buildings, streets, and sites of “Olde Poughkeepsie” c1910, with a special feature of the seven fire companies of that era.  Smith Brothers Cough Drops, DeLaval Separator Co., and Adriance Platt Mowers are included in the display. This free exhibit will be open weekends from July 6 through July 28 from 1-4pm.

Denise Byrnes, chair of the Crum Elbow Meeting House Preservation Committee, will speak about the history of the Quaker meeting house on North Quaker Lane in Hyde Park and the restoration and preservation of this landmark structure.  It was built in 1797 with an addition circa 1810, and has an adjoining cemetery. Photos of the interior and exterior will be shown.

Please donate your unwanted household items of value for our fall tag sale. You may leave donations on the porch of the Creek Meeting House beginning September 6 - but please no electronics, clothing, or upholstered furniture.

Clinton Community Library and the Clinton Historical Society present the 1927 silent comedy, College starring Buster Keaton, accompanied by a full score played by John Baratta live on the organ.

In one of his best and most hilarious performances, Buster Keaton plays the ambitious "bookworm" suitor trying to win the heart of Mary who has eyes only for her athletic boyfriend, Jeff. Mishaps abound in his athletic endeavors, including a raucous rowing competition! Alas, Mary is kidnapped by a harrowed Jeff...can Buster save the day and "win the girl"?

Join us as we re-create the days when theaters featured silent movies with organists who matched the action on the screen with their creative playing.

Please note location and time for this event.

Anthony Musso has recently published his third volume of this popular series  featuring vintage landmark structures in the Hudson Valley.  Always  interesting, informative, and entertaining, with great images.

The Clinton Historical Society is collaborating with the Winnakee Land Trust on Winnakee's 13th Annual Tour of Historic Barns and Working Farms. The tour begins at the Creek Meeting House with cider donuts and coffee where attendees can view the reinstallation of the 2016 Barn Exhibit curated by Cynthia Koch, followed by a self-guided tour providing access to many of the barns in the exhibit and additional local farms that are typically closed to the public. The event concludes with a reception at 4:30 p.m. at the Rhine Valley Farm. For more information click here.

Please join us at our annual fall fundraiser. The evening begins at an area home for wine and cheese, then on to another house for dinner, concluding at the Creek Meeting House for coffee and dessert.

If you wish to be a guest or host a dinner please call Lisa at (845) 266-4903.

In honor of the passage of the 19th Amendment in 1919, former FDR Director Cynthia Koch examines Eleanor Roosevelt's relationship with feminism. When her husband endorsed women's suffrage in 1911, Eleanor proclaimed herself, "somewhat shocked as I had never given the question serious thought". In her 1933 book, It's Up to the Women, Eleanor wrote that she was not interested in the abstract idea of equality with men since it did not improve women's ability to change society. So was Eleanor Roosevelt a feminist?

Join us for an evening filled with good food and merriment! Bring a covered dish to share and a wrapped gift to auction.

Mark your calendar for holiday shopping at our fun and festive Holiday Craft Fair. Visitors always comment on the great community spirit that they feel when they shop our fair!

Sandra Opdycke will speak about this pandemic event that infected 500 million and killed 50 million people worldwide. In the United States, 28% of the population was infected.

Dick Coller will speak on the importance of railroads that contributed heavily to the early boom in the economy of the region, the many rail companies that were involved, and the survivors that today are essential to commerce and commuting.

Join us for our second annual driving tour!

As part of the town’s 200th anniversary in 1986, the Clinton Historical Society organized a Landmarks Designation Committee to identify buildings whose age, architecture, importance to Clinton’s history, and state of preservation made them historically significant. In the 1988 nominations, the committee targeted buildings in each of the town’s seven hamlets. Properties designated as landmarks by the Clinton Historical Society are eligible for protection under Chapter 250 of the Town of Clinton Zoning Law.

Join us as we celebrate these 41 landmark buildings with an independent self-guided driving tour from 11am-4pm. Stop at 12 highlighted locations, meet a docent, walk the grounds and hear about the history of the building. A reception and talk follow from 3:30-5pm at the Creek Meeting House. Speaker to be announced.

Driving tour maps will be available for purchase on the day of the tour at the Creek Meeting House. $15 for members and $20 for non-members.

Clinton Historical Society President Cynthia Koch will give a virtual talk about the jobs programs of the New Deal and their lasting contributions to our national life.

This will be a virtual presentation.

If you would like to receive the Zoom link for this presentation please email info@clintonhistoricalsociety.org by Wednesday, September 30, to register. Space is limited.

Town Historian and Clinton Historical Society Vice-President Craig Marshall will give a virtual presentation of the Town Hall, Library, Masonic Hall, Spooky Hollow schoolhouse and Wing's Hall - the latter a major social venue in Clinton Corners for almost 50 years!

This will be a virtual presentation.

All members will be sent the Zoom link.

If you are not a member and would like to receive the link please email info@clintonhistoricalsociety.org by Wednesday, November 4, to register.

NOTE: If you have trouble using this link please COPY and PASTE the email address into your email.

Presented by Ryan J. Orton, Secretary of Dutchess County Pomona Grange #32

What is the Grange? Most people think it's a farmerʼs organization. Not so! The Grange has been a political and social force for rural America since its organization in Washington, in 1867. At one time Dutchess County had 26 Grange units, with the Town of Clinton having the most with three in the hamlets of Clinton Corners, Pleasant Plains, and Schultzville. This program will outline the Grange historically and today, as well as its influence nationally and locally.

On February 5 at 7:30pm please click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Presented by Peter Bunten, chairman of the Mid-Hudson Antislavery History Project. A native of Poughkeepsie, he lectures on the local history of slavery, the antislavery movement, and the Underground Railroad.

In the middle decades of the 18th Century, Quaker communities – such as the Creek Meeting – were spreading across eastern Dutchess County and to points beyond. The area would go on to boast the largest settlement of Quakers outside Philadelphia. Almost from the beginning, these Quakers – along with their neighbors – found themselves at the forefront of the slavery-antislavery debate. We’ll explore some of the cultural and political aspects of this development, which link our local history to national events.

Presented by Mott historian Professor Carol Faulkner.

On March 5 at 7:30pm please click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Lucretia Mott was viewed in her time as a dominant figure in the struggle for equality. She was the “moving spirit” of the first women’s rights convention at Seneca Falls and envisioned women’s rights as an extension of the universal principles of liberty and equality

After the business meeting Craig Marshall, town historian  and CHS Vice President will present "History of the Town of Clinton".

The Town of Clinton was incorporated in 1788 as one of the eight original towns in Dutchess County. Clinton was settled as part of the 1697 Great Nine Partners Patent, with the earliest road in the county passing through it in 1713. Many vintage photographs will be exhibited relating to early schools, churches, a dance hall, railroads, mills, and more. Examples of its notable early architecture will also be shown.

On April 9 at 7:30pm please click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Presented by Jim Ormond, independent filmmaker

In 1929 Babe Ruth and the New York Yankees traveled to Sing Sing to play an exhibition game against the inmate team. Ruth blasted a fastball with such a force that it cleared the prison’s 40-foot wall. This new documentary looks at the game through the lens of social history, examining the events in major league baseball and the American prison system that led up to the Sing Sing game.

On May 7 at 7:30pm please click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Presented by David Turner

David Turner will speak on the many forgotten hamlets in the northern part of Dutchess County. Hear about the fascinating history of these locations. Included will be dozens of turn-of-the-century images of little-known hamlets from northern Dutchess County. In many cases he has before and after pictures of the buildings he will speak about—what their function once was and what it is today.

On June 4 at 7:30pm please click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Come see us at the book sale! We will have railroading and local history books for sale. Pick up a membership brochure and become a member.

Saturdays & Sundays
August 7 - 29, 1:00 - 4:00 pm

Over 200 vintage images document the history of Hudson River steamboats from the first Robert Fulton vessel through the Golden age, to the eventual decline. Read all about it in the Northern Dutchess News!

Presented by Jeri Diehl-Cusack, formerly of the Eleanor Roosevelt Val-Kill Partnership

On September 10 at 7:30pm please click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Meet three other women who married into the Roosevelt family: Eleanor’s grandmother, Martha Bullock “Mittie” Roosevelt, whom she never knew; Eleanor’s mother, Anna Rebecca Hall Roosevelt, whom she barely knew; and Eleanor’s mother-in-law, Sara Delano Roosevelt, whom she knew perhaps a bit too well.

Presented by Craig Cavallo and Dan Pucci, authors

This is a HYBRID event. You can attend in person at the Golden Russet Cafe or on Zoom using the link shown below.

New York's Hudson Valley is home to commercial apple growing in the United States. With a moderate climate and a quickly developing urban hub in what became New York City, the region was primed for supplying local markets with fresh eating varieties. Today the Hudson Valley produces nearly half of New York State’s total apple production, and some of the best cider in the country is made right in our backyard. Listen in as Craig and Dan explain how this came to be and where orchards and cider are heading in the future. Masks are required along with 6 foot social distancing seating.

LIVE EVENT LOCATION: Golden Russet Cafe 835 Fiddlers Bridge Rd Schultzville

ZOOM LINK: On October 1 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Cider Tasting follows the presentation! 

If you would like to participate in the cider tasting there is a $15 charge per person. Net proceeds from the tasting benefit the Clinton Historical Society.

NOTE: this is a ZOOM only presentation.

Presented by Bill Jeffway, Executive Director of Dutchess County Historical Society (DCHS), and Melodye Moore, Chair of DCHS Collections

Only Native People themselves can share the perspective, values, and history of their community. But there is a role for the non-native community as well in helping to protect and preserve archaeological sites and ensuring that our history is inclusive of a variety of perspectives. In addition to preservation priorities and methods, we’ll examine iconic examples of the “one story, one truth” model and discuss the tensions that can arise when balancing a wish to unite in a common identity involves the erasure of distinct communities.

On November 5 at 7:30PM, click here to join the ZOOM presentation!

On December 3 at 7:30pm please click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Presented by Dick Coller, a longtime member of the Town of Clinton Historical Society and trustee emeritus.

Dick will present an overview of how mankind has compensated for the uneven distribution of natural resources.

For example, coal, petroleum, iron ore and building materials are mainly concentrated in relatively remote locations and must be brought to central utilization locations. This has always been a huge expenditure of labor and material, whether by water or animal-driven transport or railroads.

The Holiday Potluck and Gift Auction previously scheduled for December 3 has been canceled.

Featuring local crafters selling their handmade wares. CHS volunteers will sell member-donated crafts, seasonal tag sale items, homemade soups, and baked goods. For more information please contact Judith at judithgrabowski@verizon.net.

Presented by Dr. Gray Brechin.

Dr. Gray Brechin is an historical geographer, the author of Imperial San Francisco, a frequent radio and television guest, and a popular public speaker. He is currently a visiting scholar in the U.C. Berkeley Department of Geography and founder and project scholar of the Living New Deal.

Dutchess County was transformed by President Franklin Roosevelt’s New Deal work relief agencies designed to lift the U.S. out of the Great Depression. From fine schools to roads and sewers, parks, post offices, and works of art still used and enjoyed eighty years on, it’s all around you but largely unseen. Dr. Gray Brechin will talk about the Living New Deal’s ongoing work to reveal a lost civilization whose creator lived at Hyde Park.

On January 7 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation.

Film and discussion led by Gregory Edmonds.

In honor of Black History Month — Red-Tailed Angels: The Story of the Tuskegee Airmen, produced by the Pare Lorentz Center at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, will precede a discussion led by Gregory Edmonds, President of the Ohio Memorial Chapter of the Tuskegee Airmen, Inc. The film was produced in 2006 and contains interviews with Tuskegee Airmen who are no longer with us.

On February 4 at 7:30pm please click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Presented by historian, speaker and writer Shannon Butler .

On March 4 at 7:30pm please click here to join the Zoom presentation!

Explore the Delano family and their rise to fame and fortune as the result of their involvement in the opium trade in China. Butler will offer her insights about the illegal business venture, including the Delano’s experiences during the Opium Wars and what they did with their wealth when they returned to the U.S. Eventually the fortune trickled down to Sara Delano Roosevelt and her son, 32nd President, Franklin Delano Roosevelt.

Our membership gets together for a potluck supper and to elect trustees and officers. Have a nomination for our Board? Please email info@clintonhistoricalsociety.org. Please join us for this event! Bring your favorite dish to share. Beverages and dessert will be provided.

Presented by Fred Schaeffer.

This will be a Zoom only presentation. The live event for this program has been cancelled.

When he served as chairman of the Walkway Over the Hudson, Fred Schaeffer led the organization’s efforts to convert the abandoned railroad bridge into the Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park. Fred's presentation will include a history of the Poughkeepsie–Highland Railroad Bridge and it’s conversion to the Walkway.

On May 6 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom meeting or join us in person at the Creek Meeting House.

A celebration of the installation of a new historic road marker on Fiddlers Bridge Road is set for May 22 at 2 PM. The Clinton Historical Society obtained a grant from the W.G. Pomeroy Foundation to purchase a permanent metal sign commemorating the local legend of the Fiddlers Bridge Ghost. The legend notes the 1808 murder of a local fiddler on his way home after playing at a dance. His body was found under a bridge (long gone) on what is now Fiddlers Bridge Road. The celebration will include a visit from the fiddler who will recite the legend, local musician Vito Petroccitto performing his original song "The Legend of Fiddler's Bridge Road", refreshments, hay rides and the sign unveiling.

This event will be held at the Primrose Hill Farm, 203 Fiddlers Bridge Road.

Presented by Crystal Middleton and Bob Schoch.

A joint presentation by Crystal Middleton, program coordinator at the Clinton Community Library, and Bob Schoch, owner of Primrose Hill Farm, on local history in Clinton. Crystal will show a children’s educational program that she developed and Bob will talk about plans to permanently preserve the farm, its collection of farm equipment, and historical records of the Cookingham family.

On June 3 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom meeting or join us in person at the Creek Meeting House.

The Clinton Historical Society summer exhibit features a look at early farming and farm family life in Clinton and Dutchess County before electricity and tractors arrived.  The strict nature-driven schedule of the farmer, the supportive tasks of his wife and business partner, the education of the children, and the social life of the family are described in text and vintage images.

** Highlights **

* Over 120 vintage images with captions

* 40 early farm-related artifacts

* horse-drawn antique farm implements

The exhibit is open every Saturday and Sunday in July, from 1-4pm.

Presented by Chip Holman.

Olin Dows (1904 - 1981) was raised at Glenburn in Rhinebeck and studied painting at Harvard and the Art Students League. A lifetime painter of Dutchess County scenery, he was a leader of Roosevelt's Depression era art programs in public buildings and post offices. Chip will speak on Dows' local work on the early 1930s and the period up to World War II. We are partnering with the Southlands Foundation which was founded by Olin Dows sister, Deborah Dows.

On September 9 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation.

Due to circumstances beyond our control this event has been canceled

Driving Tour 11AM – 4 PM

Garden Party Reception 4-5:30 PM

The Clinton Historical Society is holding its second annual driving tour of registered local landmarks on Saturday, September 24, 11 AM to 4 PM. Trained docents will explain the historical and architectural significance by providing exterior tours at ten historic properties. With the aid of a map provided by the Society, the tour is self-guided concludes with a garden party reception at an historic private home. The Town of Clinton is remarkable for its rich tapestry of historic properties and well-preserved rural landscape.  A recent historical resource survey identified 231 historically significant properties in the town.  Join us on September 24 and learn about ten of them as you ramble through the lanes and back roads the Town of Clinton, a little-known Dutchess County gem.

$30 members of the Clinton Historical Society/$50 nonmembers.

Presented by A. J. Schenkman, Gardiner town historian.

A. J. Schenkman has recently been named Best Author of 2022 by Hudson Valley Magazine for his book Patriots and Spies in Revolutionary New York. Mr. Schenkman is a prolific author on historical topics in the Hudson Valley. He is a teacher, popular historian, and frequent lecturer.

NOTE: This program is ZOOM ONLY!

On October 7 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation.

We're at it again! Our gigantic tag sale has been extended so if you missed us last week, stop by this coming weekend. There is still lots of great stuff for your shopping pleasure! 

This popular event brings members, friends, and neighbors together for an enjoyable evening. The first stop is for wine and cheese, followed by dinner at another home and ending at the Creek Meeting House for dessert and coffee. Guests pay a minimum donation of $50 per person for CHS members and $60 per person for non-members. If you wish to participate in this important fundraiser, as a host or a guest, please contact Lisa Noval at 845- 266-4903 or ljnoval@optonline.net by 10/5.

Presented by Dr. Mark Lytle, emeritus professor of history and environmental studies at Bard College.

Dr. Lytle will speak on the 1944 presidential election when both candidates were from Dutchess County. President Roosevelt—seeking his fourth term—was from Hyde Park, while Governor Thomas E. Dewey was from Pawling. Dewey campaigned against the New Deal and for smaller government and less regulation of the economy. This was the only time both presidential candidates were from the same county.

On November 4 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom meeting or join us in person at the Creek Meeting House.

Please join us for this festive and fun evening! Bring a covered dish to share & a wrapped gift to auction.

We'll also have delicious homemade soups and baked goods for sale! Eat in or take out!

For more info...

Presented by Dr. Vincent Cookingham.

Dr. Cookingham will speak at Clinton Town Hall on the Germond family murders. In 1930 four members of the family were brutally murdered on their dairy farm in Stanfordville. The murders remain unsolved ninety years later and Dr. Cookingham, a distant relative of the sheriff who initially led the investigation, has applied modern forensic knowledge to the case. Presented in partnership with the Clinton Community Library

This event requires registration. Please register here.

This event is being held in person at Clinton Town Hall, 1215 Centre Rd, Rhinebeck NY.
 

Presented by Charles Canham, Senior Scientist Emeritus, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies.

Forests of the Hudson Valley have seen constant change throughout the more than 12,000 years since the retreat of the Pleistocene glaciers. Although humans have been responsible for the most important transformations, the most dramatic changes followed European settlement. The future of those forests will be shaped by a new set of forces, including climate change and the impact of forest pests and pathogens.

On February 3 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation.

Presented by James Brands, Town Justice, Town of Clinton.

Jim Brands is a direct descendant of Johannas George Rymph, the earliest known member of the Rymph family to migrate from Germany in the early 1760s. The family settled in Hyde Park and became emblematic of many of the founding families of the community. Judge Brands and his wife reside on the family farm on Rymph Road and a number of his ancestors have been buried in the Pleasant Plains Cemetery on Fiddlers Bridge Road.

On April 21 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation or join us in person at the Creek Meeting House.

Presented by Patrick O’Hara.

A descendant of the Rymph family, Patrick O’Hara spent the summer of 2022 visiting local cemeteries while researching his family tree. Mr. O’Hara cleaned over eighty cemetery markers, writing narratives about the deceased and posting them to social media — and in the process stimulating interest and discussion on the upkeep of local cemeteries. He will discuss how to safely clean a gravestone, the best cleaning solutions to use, and basic tools and techniques.

On May 5 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation or join us in person at the Creek Meeting House.

Presented by Shannon Butler, Historian, Poughkeepsie Public Library District.

Using court records, early newspaper articles, and pamphlets, Shannon Butler discusses Dutchess County’s most gruesome murders from the 18th through the early 20th centuries—including one of the first female serial killers and the gruesome murder of a Poughkeepsie businessman. Ms. Butler, the author of two books and numerous articles, has worked in local history for sixteen years and is the creator and cohost of a historical podcast entitled “All My Favorite People Are Dead.”

On June 2 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation or join us in person at the Creek Meeting House.

Our “Clinton: Then and Now” summer exhibit features over 140 vintage images, some as early as 1900, of the town’s historic homes, general stores, schools, and churches, paired with current photos of each site.  The society’s extensive archive provided most of the historic images, while residents also contributed from their personal collections.  Interestingly, some sites show little change over the 100-year span, while others reveal great change. Included in the exhibit are “lenticular” photos from the 2007 summer exhibit which show in one photo either the “then” or “now” image depending on the angle the photo is viewed from.

The free exhibit will be open weekends from
1-4PM from July 8 through July 30 at the society’s 1777 Quaker Meeting House. Light refreshments will be served.

Stop by Our Booth and Say Hi!

We'll have books and maps for sale, membership brochures and a friendly face to greet you. If you missed our summer exhibit, "Clinton: Then & Now", this is your chance to catch it inside the Creek Meeting House along with a flower show by the Friendship Garden Club.

Presented by William P. Tatum III, Dutchess County Historian

Dr. Tatum provides an inside perspective on the challenges and rewards of using land records as historical resources through the example of the Gazely Farm, located on West Meadowbrook Lane. The deed records associated with this property link it back to the Great Nine Partners Patent, providing a historical chain that connects the earliest eras of European settlement in Dutchess County to the present day.

On September 8 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation or join us in person at the Creek Meeting House.

Presented by Joseph Vance

Joe Vance is an award-winning architect in New York City who has recently moved to the Town of Clinton. His firm specializes in residential design projects using 3D software that allows clients to visualize their project in “virtual reality” from inception through completion. Mr. Vance will speak on architectural issues common in rural properties, including renovation of a 1790s home and barns in the Town of Clinton.

On October 6 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation.

The Progressive Dinner fundraiser is on Saturday, October 21. This popular fall event brings members, friends, and neighbors together for an enjoyable evening. The first stop is for wine and cheese, then on to another home for dinner, and ending together at one location for dessert and coffee. If you wish to participate in this important fundraiser, as a host or a guest, please contact: Lisa Noval at 845- 266-4903 or ljnoval@optonline.net.

Presented by Harvey K. Flad, Professor Emeritus of Geography, Vassar College

In the nineteenth century, Hudson River School artists such as Thomas Cole and Frederic Church and landscape designers such as Andrew Jackson Downing, Calvert Vaux, and Frederick Law Olmsted planted the seeds of a national identity through their works in the Hudson River Valley. Professor Flad introduces this historic cultural landscape and presents some personal perspectives on local and regional efforts to preserve this heritage.

On November 3 at 7:30pm click here to join the Zoom presentation.

Save the date for holiday shopping at our craft fair! Plenty of beautiful handcrafted items from local makers and homemade baked goods will be on offer. Please note the new location at the Evangelical Free Church of Clinton Corners, 20 Shepherds Way, (due to construction at the Creek Meeting House). Shepherds Way is off Salt Point Turnpike diagonally across from the Creek Meeting House.

Our 2023 Vendors

Please note this event starts at 7pm.

Presented by the Honorable Albert M. Rosenblatt.  Judge Rosenblatt teaches at the New York University School of Law and is a retired Judge of New York State Court of Appeals. 

The Eight tells the story of Lemmon v. New York—or, as it's more popularly known, the Lemmon Slave Case. All but forgotten today, it was one of the most momentous civil rights cases in American history. There had been cases in which the enslaved had won their freedom after having resided in free states, but the Lemmon case was unique, posing the question of whether an enslaved person can win freedom by merely setting foot on New York soil—when brought there in the keep of an "owner."

The case concerned the fates of eight enslaved people from Virginia, brought through New York in 1852 by their owners, Juliet and Jonathan Lemmon. The Eight were in court seeking, legally, to become people—to change their status under law from objects into human beings. The Eight encountered Louis Napoleon, the son of a slave, an abolitionist activist, and a "conductor" of the Underground Railroad, who took enormous risks to help others. He was part of an anti-slavery movement in which African-Americans played an integral role in the fight for freedom.

The case was part of the broader judicial landscape at the time: If a law was morally repugnant but enshrined in the Constitution, what was the duty of the judge? Should there be, as some people advocated, a "higher law" that transcends the written law? These questions were at the heart of the Lemmon case. They were difficult and important ones in the 1850s—and, more than a century and a half later, we must still grapple with them today.

Albert M. Rosenblatt teaches at the New York University School of Law and is a retired Judge of New York State Court of Appeals. His previous books include Opening Statements: Law, Jurisprudence, and the Legacy of Dutch New York (coedited with Julia C. Rosenblatt) and Judith S. Kaye in Her Own Words: Reflections on Life and the Law, with Selected Judicial Opinions and Articles (coedited with Judith S. Kaye and Henry M. Greenberg), both published by SUNY Press.

Please join us after the talk for a Holiday Reception!

Presented in partnership with the Clinton Community Library. This talk is in person only.