Hello, my name is Luykas Groundhog.  I grew up in the beautiful field behind the Luykas Van Alen House, in Kinderhook, NY.  My parents always told me that my ancestors had lived on a Dutch farm.  I guess that’s why I’m so interested in history!  One day, there was a group of 4th graders from Germantown taking a tour of the Van Alen house, and I decided that I wanted to check it out.  I snuck in through the basement, and came up through a trap door in the floor.  Trap door is a good name though, I got stuck!  When the educators from the Columbia County Historical Society (CCHS takes care of the Van Alen House) discovered me, they were not happy!  They said that I should have taken a tour like the children were doing, rather than sneaking in.  After I explained how much I loved history, they asked me to be a history ambassador for CCHS!  This blog is about my adventures as I learn about the history of Columbia County.