The State of the Historical Community

October 5, 2015
Newsletter No. 2015.06

LINK HERE: The State of the Historical Community in Orange County

The State of the Historical Community in Orange County & Region

On July 30th we invited elected officials, municipal historians, County employees and members of the public to join together to hear about our County's historical assets. The recording of the program is now available to view online. There's a crisis in historical societies and historic house museums across the nation. Membership dues and visitation are in decline. The costs of maintaining buildings and collections is exhausting resources. Volunteers are under pressure to digitize archives and make resources more widely available to the public without having the expertise or budgetary supports that would be necessary to do so. Exhibits and programming are stagnant while trustees work tirelessly to triage the symptoms. And the public is largely unaware of the treasures that these institutions have to offer. Over the past decade, local and State government budget cuts have resulted in reduced staffing and resources for municipal history offices. With fewer municipal resources, community institutions are also losing sources of expertise, advocacy and grant funding. The emphasis has shifted to economic development and smaller institutions with irregular staffing and programming are overlooked by tourism initiatives. Meanwhile history and heritage in pop-culture and immersive tourism are at an all time high. Using Dutchess County as a case-study a 2015 tourism report coordinated by the Taconic Region of the Office of Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation demonstrated that historic sites have a $65 million per year impact and employ over 200 full and part-time workers. In Orange County, the festivals, farmer's markets and businesses are capitalizing on the public interest in heritage by infusing their events and products with historical references. There's a glimmer of hope that historical societies and house museums will be renewed too. New York State has a few advantages: a legacy of preservation that dates back to the designation of Washington's Headquarters as the first public museum in the nation, a maze of small but astounding collections, museums and research libraries in every community, and a law requiring the continuity of municipal historians in every town, village and city. Back in July in Goshen, I delivered a "State of the Historical Community" address, in an attempt to identify the best opportunities, and the challenges, the history community in Orange County faces. I've posted the talk on YouTube in the hope that it will be a tool for fostering public awareness and cooperation among stakeholders. Sincerely,  Johanna Yaun Orange County Historian

State of the Historical Community The recording of the presentation can be viewed here: The State of the Historical Community

Click Here To View This Post On The New York State History Blog Website

Public Inquiry: This week the office received this request from a local teacher. I'd like to be able to gather information about school programs that are offered by local historians and museums so that we can inform the schools. Please email your contact, offerings, availabilities and fees to be included on the list. "I am wondering if you could provide some direction in my quest to expose our students to more local history. In the past, I was able to get a representative from Washington's Headquarters in Newburgh to present a talk on Revolutionary medicine to our 7th graders and also had a Orange Blossom re-enactor come in and talk to the students about the Civil War. I will be looking into those again but was wondering if you might be able to provide me with a few more ideas or people we could connect with. Any help you could provide would be appreciated."

For Historians and Museum Professionals Greater   Hudson Heritage Network Annual Conference & Awards for Excellence This year's conference theme,"Creativity Connects" explores the ways in which history and heritage organizations can think creatively to connect to new audiences, new funding sources, new stories to tell, and new ways to engage their communities. Program held on Friday, October 16 from 9am to 5pm SUNY Purchase Performing Arts Center735 Anderson Hill Road, Purchase, NY 10577.

Click here to REGISTER for the GHHN Annual Conference

Local Opinion: What do you think is the most under appreciated historical resource in Orange County? "Certainly the most underutilized resource in Orange County is the treasure trove of important historic architecture in the City of Newburgh. Restored and adaptively reused jewels such as the A.J. Davis designed Dutch Reformed Church and Vaux and Downing's Culbert House, later known as the Newburgh City Club, among many others, could help form the basis of a rejuvenated Newburgh economy based on historic site tourism in this uniquely valuable city." Alan Strauber President, Calvert Vaux Preservation Alliance

Please share & support these local events

A Taste of History throughout the Mid-Hudson Valley Sat & Sun, Oct 10 &11 Explore many of the MHHD sites partaking in this season's "Taste Of History" during Columbus Day Weekend. Museums will either have foods on location that have historical significance to their site or partnering with local restaurants offering discounts. Please contact each site directly for specific times and details.  Orange County sites: Crawford House and Newburgh Bay will be open October 11 for tours of the historic homestead. The title of the day's program is "A Freight Forwarders Taste of History. Come and sample some of the foods before they make their way to the docks. 845-561-2585 Museum Village will be open October 10 & 11, 11am-4pm offering delicious corn-cakes made right on the hearth. Staffed costume interpreters will be in buildings ready to give demonstrations. Partnering with The Caldwell House Bed & Breakfast. 845-782-8248 Orange Co. Farmers Museum, Montgomery - will be open October 10, 11- 4 hosting "Hudson Valley hops and Crops Festival".  There will be tasting of local wines, beers and ciders and food vendors from across the Hudson Valley and live entertainment from 2 local bands: 4 Gun Ridge and Badd Hat. 845-457-2959 Harness Racing Museum will be hosting a walking tour and collaborating with local restaurants. 845-294-6330 Link to the midhudsonhistoricdestinations.org for information about all of the participating site.

Twin Forts Day at Fort Montgomery State Historic Site Saturday, Oct 10 10am-3pm  The 238th anniversary of the defensive battles at Forts Clinton and Montgomery, the Twin Forts of the Popolopen. Built on the remains of Fort Clinton, Trailside Museums and Zoo will host a variety of activities. At 10:15 am, witness a special flag raising ceremony in the Fort Clinton redoubt by the 5th Regiment. Come experience musket firing, tours of the redoubt, patriotic music and more from our Trailside volunteers. The beautiful displays in the Trailside Historical Museum are not to be missed! Fort Montgomery State Historic Site will be hosting an encampment and reenactments. Phone: (845) 786-2701 Website Link

Lecture on 19th Century Grapes and Vineyards of the Hudson Valley at Crawford House in Newburgh Sunday, Oct 11 2pm During the early years of the nineteenth century, the Hudson Valley was the "breadbasket of the United States," which was one historian's way of describing the rise of commercial agriculture. Author J. Stephen Casscles will deliver a talk about his book, "Grapes of the Hudson Valley and Other Cool Climate Regions of the United States and Canada." Described as a field reference guide that explores 175 varieties of grapes, it also explores a history that includes growers, grape growing and wine making in the Hudson Valley. Website Link

Pumpkin Festival at Hill-Hold in Campbell Hall Saturday, Oct 17  Enjoy an afternoon of pumpkin rolling, guess the weight of the pumpkin, pumpkin painting, waxing leafs, scare crow making, face painting and a hay ride through the historic grounds of the homestead. Refreshments will be available for sale. A terrific way for the family to spend a Fall afternoon!Website Link

Tour with Ted at Motorcyclepedia in Newburgh Saturday, Oct 17  3-6pm Come and join us for an exclusive tour of Motorcyclepedia with our President and curator, Ted Doering, as he guides and educates us on the museum's extensive collection. Hear the stories and the history behind the bikes as Ted guides us through the past. This tour is open to the public and will fill fast! The tour is $20 per person and tickets must be reserved. The tour has 20 spots, so reserve your ticket today! Tickets are reserved on EventBrite and pay at the door. Facebook Invite

Orange County Historical Society Annual Dinner Saturday, Oct 17 6-10pm The Annual dinner will be held at the Gold Club at Mansion Ridge, guest speaker Rena Corey. For reservations or more information please email info@orangecountyhistoricalsociety.orgWebsite Link

Please email your answer to this question to be featured in a future issue.

'Kites Over the Hudson' at Washington's HQ in Newburgh

Flying kites at the 38th Annual Kites Over the Hudson event. Every year members of the Friends of the Historic Sites of the Hudson Highlands and Purple Heart Chapter 1782 hand out kites to 150 children to fly on site.

Oktoberfest to benefit McGarrah's Stagecoach Inn Museum in Monroe

(From l to r) Robert Valentine II, Master at Cornerstone lodge #711; John Ziegler Tyler; Diana KyDon, Orange County NRA, Johanna Yaun, Orange County Historian; Jonathan Williams, Secretary atCornerstone lodge #711; Mike McGinn, President of FOP Orange County; Michael Coleman, Tuxedo Park Police.