Thank You for Attending

August 3, 2015
Newsletter No. 2015.01

LINK HERE: Thank You for Attending

Thank you for attending!

I'd like to take a moment to thank you, the municipal historians and members of the historical community in Orange County, for the excellent service you provide. You regularly go above and beyond the expectations of your respective offices, and I'm honored to have had your support at the State of the Historical Community presentation. The program was warmly received by members of the Orange County Legislature and Orange County employees who attended and it will be uploaded to the County website so that it can be shared with those who could not attend. At a time when the County Historian's office and the Orange County Genealogical Society are displaced from 1841 Courthouse and funding for community programming through public budgets state-wide are at a low, it's increasingly important to share our experiences with our local officials. We are a group of professionals who, when faced with scarcity, do the best we can to garner our own resources. Yet we provide such a valuable service to the community that we should not be so hesitant to ask for support. I hope that Thursday's program was seen as a beginning point to opening many new discussions with County and Regional partners.

Questions to the Office During the event on July 30th, the office received many questions that were not able to be addressed in the forum. This new email newsletter is in response to the question: "Will Orange County help us by having it's IT department update, maintain and expand links for historians and history?" I will meet with the IT department and see what can be done to improve the historians directory and to expose more traffic to local websites. In the meantime this e-newsletter will help to keep the dialogue open. Please be sure to send your local event information or updates about the research you are engaged in to jporr@orangecountygov.com if you would like to have it included in future mailings.  Sincerely,  Johanna Yaun Orange County Historian

Please share & support these local events

Tuesday, August 4th at 10am Herb Day Lecture and Luncheon at Hill-Hold Museum This year's speakers Dick Desrats and Les Bloom, beekeepers and Master Gardeners, will offer a discussion on bees, beekeeping and honey.  The lecture begins at 10:00 am at the Skea Lodge. Then guests will enjoy a fabulous 3 course, herb themed lunch catered by The Eagle's Nest under a tent on the front lawn of Hill Hold Historic Homestead. Other highlights of the day will include a Silent Auction, a raffle for herb baskets, door prizes, shopping from a variety of herb plants or items from the Goosetown Gift Shop and taking a stroll through the charming colonial herb garden. Ticket are $45 each. To register, call 845-615-3828 or register online.

Wednesday, August 5th at 5:30pm Designing a Model Streetscape Urban Planning Presentation PAST FORWARD Event Series with architect Peter Smith. He will present this open discussion about ways to integrate environmental and safety issues with historic preservation in Newburgh's East End Historic District. They will test the "Complete Streets" concept on a specific  section of Liberty Street. Afterwards, the group will walk over to Liberty Street and mark out on the pavement how a re-planned intersection might look and work. More information available on the Newburgh Preservation Association Facebook e-invite.

Saturday, August 8th at 2pm Old Stone Schoolhouse Open House and Rededication The Minisink Chapter of the D.A.R. invites the community to share in a rededication of the Old Stone Schoolhouse. A restoration project was undertaken by the group over the past four years. The open house is from 1pm to 3pm with the ceremony taking place at 2pm. Bring a lawn chair, refreshments will be served.

What do you think is the most under appreciated historical resource in Orange County? "I think that the most under appreciated and under utilized resource in Orange County is the vast underground reservoir of stories latent in our historical sites and object collections.  While we often share some of the stories, as a general rule we have not tapped into the power of these communal memories and connected them to the daily lives of our citizens in a meaningful and personal way. The human drama that churns unfelt beneath our feet and passes unseen before our eyes is what will revitalize not only out historical community but will engender a sense of identity and pride in the general population." Sue Gardner Local History Librarian Town of Warwick Deputy Historian

Social Media Helpful Links Here's a blogpost dedicated to the art of using social media in a special collections library, I think you'll find a lot of helpful advice that relates to archive and museum collections as well. How to Destroy Special Collections with Social Media in 3 Easy Steps: A Guide for Researchers and Librarians by Sarah Werner History in the News Two news stories regarding archaeology of Early American churches dominated the feeds this week. Follow the links for the full articles. Archaeological Dig Site Reveals Treasure Trove of Artifacts Under Huguenot Street New Jamestown Discovery Reveals the Identities of Four Prominent Settlers