March 2013
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A couple weeks ago, Jan Franz van Hedgehog-Orange-Ekaert invited me to visit him at his home, Stoddard Corner bookshop in Hudson. I love books (you can read about my visit to the Hudson Children’s Book Festival here and here), and Jan Franz told me they had lots of interesting historical books and documents, so I decided to check it out. Here I am with my hosts, Jan Franz the hedgehog and...
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In honor of women’s history month, I thought I might introduce you to some important women in Columbia County history, and artifacts from women in Columbia County. First up, Samantha Littlefield Huntley.
As you can see from her photographed portrait, Samantha Huntley was an artist. She was born Samantha Littlefield, but her family called her “Mantie.” The family home was in...
February 2013
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Happy Presidents' Day!
Once again, I thought I would celebrate Presidents’ Day by celebrating our 8th president, Martin Van Buren, who was from Kinderhook. Last year, I made a quick visit to his house (I’m still hoping to get a tour of the inside, when they open for the season!).
This year, I thought I would show you a neat object from our collection that features a painted portrait of Martin Van...
Happy Valentine's Day!
I hope you are all having a wonderful Valentine’s Day, celebrating the people that you love (and maybe enjoying some chocolate too!). Last year, I shared with you some printed Valentine’s from the historical society’s collection that were sent by people in Columbia County to their sweethearts. Printed Valentine cards are not the only way to show your love though! Some people...
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Skating, skating...
Since it is my first year not hibernating through the winter, I’m learning about some of the fun things people have done in Columbia County to pass the time in the cold weather. One way that people had fun (and still do!) when it got cold was ice skating. Columbia County has many lakes and ponds that are perfect for ice skating once they froze over.
Skating was such a popular pastime in...
NYPL Wire–The New York Public Library: Happy... →
Look at the beautiful groundhog print the New York Public Library posted today… my ancestors?
nypl:
Hopefully the groundhog (seen here in an image from our Rare Books Division) doesn’t see his shadow today - if he does, that, of course, would mean six more weeks of cold, hard winter. But if he does, NYPL has you covered. Drop into one of our nice warm libraries for many, many,...
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Happy Groundhog's Day!
Happy Groundhog’s Day… and Happy Birthday to me! (and also a very Happy Birthday to our library volunteer, Vieve!)
Groundhog’s Day is the day that people look to highly trained meteorologist (a person, or groundhog, who studies the atmosphere and weather patterns) groundhogs for the weather report. They want to know if we’ll have six more weeks of winter, or if spring is...
January 2013
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I'm back!
Hi everyone! Did you miss me? I missed you!
I suppose you’re probably wondering where I went. You see, groundhogs are not big fans of the cold and snow, so we spend our winters hibernating. We hibernate in a burrow underground. After we spend the fall eating and eating and eating (so that we have enough energy to get through the winter), we get cozy in our burrow, and go into a deep...
October 2012
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Happy Halloween!
I thought I would share this postcard from our collection, and some historic Halloween games with you today.
In the 1920’s and 1930’s, Halloween parties were a popular way to celebrate the holiday. On Halloween, people thought that the spirit world and the living world were closer than usual, and that it was a good time to try to tell your fortune, or get a glimpse into the future. Fortune...
September 2012
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A visit from Bull Moose on the Loose!
The other day, I was paid a visit by an internet friend (and fellow furry museum mascot), Bull Moose on the Loose! Theodore Moosevelt, as he is known, traveled all the way from Buffalo, from the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, where he works. He was actually in Kinderhook visiting our friends at the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site (MVBNHS), and took the chance to swing...
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Visiting Harvest Faire at Crailo State Historic...
On Tuesday, I wrote about the first part of my visit to Crailo State Historic Site for Harvest Faire… my tour through the house. Today, I thought I would focus on the great people I got to meet who were there for the festival.
First up, the tinsmith, Art Thorman:
The CCHS staff tells me that Art has been a part of a CCHS event at the Luykas Van Alen House before, but it was before my...
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Visiting Harvest Faire at Crailo State Historic...
This weekend, I took a little road trip to Rensselear County, to visit Crailo State Historic Site. Crailo is a Dutch house (like the Luykas Van Alen House), but it was built a little earlier (around 1707 for the first part), and it is a bigger house than the Van Alen house (at least after a couple of additions and changes early in its life). I choose to visit this weekend, because Crailo was...
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Visiting the Columbia County Fair, Part 2
Read about the first part of my visit to the Columbia County Fair here.
After I finished up my shift working at the Landmarks Visitors Collaborative booth in the fair house, I had some time to explore a little more of the fair. My first stop was the Heritage Village. In the Heritage Village, a variety of talented craftspeople demonstrate historic and more modern crafts. It was a lot of fun to...
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Visiting the Columbia County Fair, Part I
Last Friday, I got to attend my first ever Columbia County Fair! I did a little research on the history of agricultural fairs in Columbia County last week (you can read a bit about it here). I learned that Columbia County had at least two fairs in its history, both of which started in the 1800’s. The current Columbia County Fair, which is held each year in Chatham, was the first of...
August 2012
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Getting Ready for the Columbia County Fair
Do you know what today is?
It is the start of the Columbia County Fair! I’m looking forward to my first fair as a history ambassador. I’m planning on visiting on Friday evening… I promised my co-workers at CCHS that I would help out at the Landmarks Visitors Collaborative booth, in the main Fair House (the big yellow building). You can come say hello to me from 4-7:30pm on...
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Historic Stuyvesant Day
Last weekend, I was invited to be a guest at Historic Stuyvesant Day! The whole day was filled with activities to celebrate the town of Stuyvesant, and the people who live there. The day started off with a running race (the Ken Hummel Memorial 5K Run/Walk and Kids’ 1 Mile Chicken Run). Then there was a picnic!
Unfortunately, the weather didn’t totally cooperate for the day, but it all...
July 2012
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Independence Day at Clermont State Historic Site,...
To read about the first part of my day experiencing the Independence Day celebrations at Clermont State Historic Site with Bob the Livingston History Sheep, check here.
After Bob and I checked out the games, it was time to get serious— we wanted to learn more about the meaning of Independence Day. Lucky for us, there were some visitors who had “time traveled” all the way from the 1700’s! They...
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Independence Day at Clermont State Historic Site,...
In addition to my photos from the Civil War encampment at the Luykas Van Alen House, I also promised some photos from my visit to the Independence Day festivities at Clermont State Historic Site (and I’m a bit late, sorry!). Let me start by explaining that Clermont is a great place to spend the 4th of July, and not just because they have a great view of the Saugerties fireworks to end the...
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An apology
Before I start sharing my photos with you from the Civil War Encampment that took place here at CCHS last weekend, I want to make an apology.
Last week, I was saddened to hear of the news from Cedar Park Cemetery in Hudson, that twice, flags were stolen from the graves of veterans of the Civil War in the G.A.R. (Grand Army of the Republic, an organization that was founded by Veterans of the...
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Hi everyone, I just wanted to stop in and wish you a very happy 4th of July! I am having a very busy week… that means I will have lots of pictures to share with you later this week. This past weekend, CCHS held its annual Civil War Encampment at the Luykas Van Alen House. I got to meet lots of interesting Civil War Reenactors (people who dress like soldiers and civilians from the time of...
June 2012
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May 2012
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Ok, time for a history quiz! Its a fun one, I promise, and no, you didn’t need to study ahead of time. For the past couple of weeks, the staff at CCHS has been getting the Luykas Van Alen House ready to open for the season. The house has no heat, so it gets “put to sleep” for the winter, while there are no tours going on. That means that the dust covers have to be taken off the...
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A Visit to Franklin D. Roosevelt National Historic...
Last week, I went on a field trip to Dutchess County. Our educator, Ashley, was asked to come to a resource fair for teachers at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic Site and Library, in Hyde Park, NY, and she invited me along!
My first stop when we arrived was to have my photo taken with a statue of President Franklin D. Roosevelt and First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt. Franklin grew up in Hyde Park,...
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I just wanted to drop in and leave a quick note to remind you that CCHS’ sites open for the season this weekend! This weekend is New York State Heritage Weekend. That means there are great events at many different museums and historic sites all over New York State. To celebrate, CCHS is having an open house, with free admission to the Luykas Van Alen House, Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse,...
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Hudson Children's Book Festival, Part 2
I started to tell you about my day at the Hudson Children’s Book Festival… but it was such a busy day, I only got to tell you about the history books! There were also lots of books about animals, so I was hoping to find one about a groundhog…
In the exhibitor’s room, I got to meet the Very Hungry Catepillar! He was greeting people at the table for the Eric Carle Museum of Picture...
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Hudson Children's Book Festival, Part 1
Last weekend, I attended the Hudson Children’s Book Festival with CCHS’ educators. Have you ever been to the book festival? It is a wonderful place! There is a whole school gym filled with people who write great books for children. I got to meet lots of authors, and even some of my favorite characters from books.
Of course, I had to check out the history books. Here I am with Richard...
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April 2012
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The Chancellor's Sheep and Wool Festival at...
Yesterday, I told you all about the sheep that I saw at the sheep and wool festival at Clermont last weekend, and the wool things that are made from their fleece. Today, I thought I would share about some of the other animals and people I got to meet!
Did you know that sheep are not the only animal that you can spin yarn from? Fur from several different animals can be spun… even from a...
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The Chancellor's Sheep and Wool Showcase at...
Yesterday, I told you that I got to attend the Chancellor’s Sheep & Wool Showcase at Clermont State Historic Site, and I explained a little about why they hold a sheep festival there in the first place. Today, I thought I would show you some of the neat things we got to see and learn about.
Being a sheep and wool festival, I did get to meet some sheep!
A friend helped me get a closer...
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The Chancellor's Sheep and Wool Showcase at...
Whew! Last weekend was busy, but I got to see a lot of neat things, and meet great people!
On Saturday, my friend Bob the Livingston History Sheep invited me to come with him to the Chancellor’s Sheep and Wool Showcase, at Clermont State Historic Site! Since it was a festival that celebrated sheep, Bob had his own tent, and was even a clue in the scavenger hunt for children. Pretty neat!
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My friend Bob (the Livingston History Sheep) asked me to join him at the Sheep & Wool Festival at Clermont today. I can’t wait to meet some sheep, see the pretty wool yarn, and to learn more about the Livingston Family! Stop by and say hello (Bob is even handing out autographs!)
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People Who Preserve History: Benjamin Smith and...
Last Friday, I got to meet Benjamin Smith and Alex Culpepper, from the magazine Patriots of the American Revolution. Their time in Kinderhook at the village green was just one stop on their “Knox Trail Honor Walk.” So what is the Knox Trail, you ask? (I certainly did!)
The story begins all the way back during the American Revolution. In 1775, the city of Boston was under seige by...
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Last week was school break week again- that means I spent the week doing neat history activities with fun kids! We made marbled paper, poetry gardens, stitched samplers, and studied the shapes that make up the architecture of Kinderhook. By far, my favorite day was when we baked some Dutch recipes- just like the Van Alen family might have eaten!
First, we made a bar cookie, called Jan Hagel...
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Happy birthday, Washington Irving!
Today marks the 229th birthday of the author Washington Irving. Irving lived in Tarrytown, NY and wrote many stories set in the Hudson Valley. You may have heard of some of them: Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of Sleepy Hollow are two of his best known stories. Irving also wroteKnickerbocker’s History of New York,under the pen name Dietrich Knickerbocker.
The cover of the 1894 edition of...
