Ulster County

Minnewaska Preserve June Public Programs

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Minnewaska State Park Preserve has announced its June 2011 Public Programs. Pre-registration is required for participation in public programs, but parking is on a first-come, first-served basis. Early arrival to the Park Preserve is recommended as the Park Preserve may fill to capacity before noon, particularly on weekends. For outings, please wear appropriate clothing and footwear and bring snacks and water. A parent or guardian over the age of 18 years must accompany children wishing to participate in any programs. Unless otherwise noted, all programs meet at the Nature Center.

Saturday, June 11, 10:00 a.m. – 1:30 p.m.
Mountain Laurel Walk on Mossy Glen
Park Preserve educator Jillian Koehnken will lead this three-mile hike along the quietly babbling edges of the Peter’s Kill, a stream running through cool hemlock forests and tropical-feeling rhododendron stands along the Mossy Glen footpath. This trail does include some tricky footing, but the return trip along the Lower Awosting Carriage Road is an easy stroll. Pre-registration is required.

Sunday, June 12, 10:00 a.m. – 3:00 p.m.
Mountain Laurel Hike on the High Peter’s Kill
Join Laura Conner, Environmental Educator, for this approximately five-mile-long hike that features breathtaking views of the Rondout Valley and more from high atop the High Peter’s Kill footpath. Along the way, the mountain laurel should be spectacular in all their pink and white splendor of bloom. And, the hike will conclude with a walk up the Awosting Falls Carriage Road and past the magnificent 60 feet high Awosting Falls. Pre-registration is required.

Saturday, June 18, 11:30 a.m. – 12:30 p.m.
Mountain Laurel and Rhododendron Walk
Join Park Preserve educator Jillian Koehnken for a walk down to the cool edges of the Peter’s Kill stream to look for blooming mountain laurel and possibly even rhododendron. This one-and-a-half-mile loop trail does include a steep hill to climb and also a scenic view over the Rondout Valley and the Catskill Mountains. Pre-registration is required.

Saturday, June 18, 11:15 a.m. – 6:45 p.m.
Lake Minnewaska Beach Opens for Season
The swimming beach at Lake Minnewaska will open today for the swimming season. The small, shale-covered beach, which is located along the northwestern shore of Lake Minnewaska, will be open seven days per week until Labor Day, staff and weather permitting.

Saturday, June 18, 11:00 a.m. – 5:30 p.m.
Lake Awosting Beach Opens for Weekend
The swimming beach at Lake Awosting will open today for the weekend only. The swimming season will open seven days per week through Labor Day starting Saturday, June 25th. This beach, which is located approximately four miles by foot or bike from the Wildmere parking area, features a smooth rock slab beach on the remote and beautiful Lake Awosting.

Sunday, June 19, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Terrific Trees for Kids
Bring your children to the Minnewaska Nature Center to learn the basics about trees and why they are so important to us. First, we’ll take a walk on the trails near the Nature Center and kids will play a leaf-matching game. Then, we’ll head back to the Nature Center to learn how to age a tree and participants will make a “tree cookie” of their own life to take home. This program is recommended for children aged six to nine years old accompanied by a parent or guardian at least 18 years of age. Pre-registration is required.

Saturday, June 25, 10:30 a.m. – 12:00 p.m.
Scrambled Snakes Session for Families
Join Park Preserve educator Jillian Koehnken in the Minnewaska Nature Center for a program about slippery snakes. A brief lesson about the snakes found in the Park Preserve will be followed by our Snake Scents Game, where you are the snake and must determine what is inside a container by scent alone. After this short game, everyone will create their own snake jig-saw puzzle to take home! This program is recommended for children seven years of age and older, accompanied by an adult over the age of 18. Pre-registration is required.

Sunday, June 26, 10:00 a.m. – 2:00 p.m.
Four Mile Scenic Loop Hike
Join Laura Conner for a hike along the Mossy Glen footpath, which follows along the edge of the Peter’s Kill stream, and then up a short section of the Blueberry Run footpath to reach the easy-walking Upper Awosting Carriage Road. From here, we’ll walk towards Lake Minnewaska, where we’ll turn down the Scenic Sunset Carriage Road and follow that back down towards the Awosting Parking Lot, our original point of departure. Pre-registration is required.

For information and to register for programs, call the Park Preserve Office at 845-255-0752. Minnewaska State Park Preserve is open from 9:00 a.m. until 8:00 p.m. through June 5th. From June 6th through July 31st the Park Preserve will close at 9:00 p.m. The fee for parking is $8 per vehicle and there are no additional fees for public programs, unless noted. All fees are subject to change. Minnewaska State Park Preserve consists of approximately 21,000 acres of wild and scenic land located on Route 44/55, five miles west of the intersection with Route 299 in Gardiner, New York.

Minnewaska Carriage Road Project Begins

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A contract to restore the Millbrook Carriage Road in Minnewaska State Park Preserve (Shawangunk Ridge) is scheduled to begin this week. The project is expected to take 90 days to complete, though that time frame is largely weather dependent. The Millbrook Carriage Road and Gertrude’s Nose footpath will be closed for the duration of this project. Millbrook Mountain will be accessible via Millbrook Footpath for hikers only. Additionally, numerous pieces of heavy equipment will be utilizing Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road from the main parking areas to the entrance to Millbrook as this is the only access route for Millbrook Carriage Road. Patrons should be aware of construction vehicles on Lake Minnewaska Carriage Road and should yield to construction vehicles in an effort to speed project completion. Multiple signs will be placed in appropriate locations to notify patrons regarding the project, trail closures, and trail detours

Restoration and maintenance of the Minnewaska State Park Preserve carriage roads is an important undertaking that will ensure the preservation of historic pieces of this country’s heritage for future generations. The Preserve offers visitors an opportunity to enjoy the peaceful and natural environment that still remains undisturbed by modern technology. The carriage roads offer guests easy access to the majestic scenery surrounding the lakes, steep ravines, and scenic lookouts. The intention of the carriage roads was and still is to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional, while providing a safe and comfortable journey to previously inaccessible and rugged terrain. The resulting network of carriage roads continues to provide people with the same participatory experience in nature envisioned by the Smiley brothers more than a century ago. Preservation and restoration of this historical system of carriage roads is much easier if the process begins before nature has erased all identifiable attributes.

While some of the 35 miles of carriage roads at Minnewaska receive dedicated funding and are maintained to the highest standards for heavy use, many of them are in a serious state of decline and face restrictions of access and eventual closure unless incremental improvements are completed.The damage from floods, ice storms, and foot, horse, and bicycle traffic has led to the point where deferral is no longer an option, and reduced services are becoming more commonplace every year.

The Palisades Parks Conservancy has been awarded a $300,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Fund administered through The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the Mohonk Preserve, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation have launched an urgent joint initiative to rebuild the historic Smiley family carriage road network in New York State’s Shawangunk Mountains. Many of the 83 miles of hand-built broken stone are in stages of disrepair, some causing closure. This grant will continue to fund an existing network-wide planning and restoration campaign, as well as address the immediate needs of one significant stretch of carriage road, the Millbrook Mountain Carriage road.

Help is needed to support the Palisades Parks Conservancy reaching their goal of restoring the entire historic carriage road network at Minnewaska State Park Preserve for the enjoyment of future generations and protection of natural resources. They need over four million dollars to restore the 35 mile carriage road network at Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

Photo: Historic Carriage Road at Minnewaska State Park Preserve.

Sustainable Living, Historic Hudson Valley Style

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What can our past tell us about better living today and for the future? A free festival of demonstrations, tours and living history interpreters, presented at Senate House State Historic Site on Saturday, May 14, offers some out-of-the-ordinary suggestions. Designed for the whole family, this outdoor event will offer ways for people of all ages to learn about practices of the past and their relevance to choices we make today. This free event is perfect for families and people of all ages, and occurs rain or shine. For more information, please call (845) 338-2786, or visit www.nysparks.com.

Friends of Senate House is partnering with the Kingston Land Trust and Hudson Valley Vernacular Architecture to offer presentations on colonial gardening and cooking, herbal medicinals, creative darning of textiles, special tours of Senate House on the theme of sustainable building practices, hands-on activities for kids, and free admission to the Senate House and the site museum.

The Kingston Land Trust will present master gardener Allyson Levy of Hortus Conclusus who will be on hand at 11:30 and 1:30 to speak on the contents and uses of a colonial woman’s dooryard garden, and present the historic garden she created.

Dina Falconi, practicing herbalist and author, will speak with visitors about her own herbal preparations and medicinals, and present examples of her creations and the plants used to make them.

Rob Sweeny, member of Hudson Valley Vernacular Architecture, will give special tours of Senate House at 10:30, 12:30 and 2:30 on the theme of historic building practices and house-holding in 17th- and 18th- century Hudson Valley.

Peter Cutul, a history educator with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation at Fort Montgomery, will present on historic land-use, farming and food preservation practices, with objects and samples for all ages to explore.

Dawn Elliott will offer a creative darning clinic, so bring your textiles for a consultation and possible repair.

Scions of Patria, re-enactors of 17th Century Dutch life in the “New World,” will present hearth cooking of traditional foods and other colonial activities and traditions.

Hands-on activities for kids: Children can practice writing with the “green” writing tool of the colonial period (a quill)- learn about the history and uses of a plant, and pot a seedling to take home.

New York Heritage Weekend will showcase the Empire State to residents and visitors alike and to help kick off the summer tourism season- it offers the opportunity for participants to enjoy historic site programs that highlight the significant historical, cultural and natural resources of New York State. In anticipation of this statewide celebration, a new website has been unveiled: please visit www.HeritageWeekend.org.

This special event is sponsored and financially supported by the Friends of Senate House, the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area in partnership with the National Park Service.

Candlelight Tour of Historic Huguenot Street

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On Saturday, April 30th at 7:30pm, as the sun sets over the ‘Gunks, Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz will offer a special evening tour. Imagine a walk through time. Imagine getting the chance to see how people really lived 100, 200, even 300 years ago. Regular people like your own great, great, great, grandparents. How did they keep warm in the winters? How did they light the dark nights? Where did they take their meals? The iconic houses on the famous street are filled with stories and many original items that help to tell the tales. Now imagine experiencing all of this by candlelight – in the same place, at the same time of day, by the same kind of light as those who came before us.

With bright electric light at our fingertips today, it is easy to forget just how different life was in the years before electricity and in the formative years of the new technology. We’ll start with a glass of wine or sparkling water in the DuBois Fort and then we’ll move through the eras &#8212- the Jean Hasbrouck House, where Jacob and Esther lived by the light of the fireplace, betty lamps or a few candles- the LeFevre House, where Ezekiel Elting’s prosperous family takes advantage of oil lamps- and the Deyo House, where Abraham Brodhead’s New Paltz Electric Company brings the &#8220miracle technology&#8221 to late 19th century homes. This is better than reality TV. It’s real.

The DuBois Visitor Center is located at 81 Huguenot Street in downtown New Paltz. Tickets are $14 per person or $12 for friends of Huguenot Street. Advance reservations are suggested. For more information or to register, call 845.255.1660 or visit www.huguenotstreet.org.

Heritage Organization Announces Scholarships

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Historic Huguenot Street, the museum and National Historic Landmark District in New Paltz, New York, announced today the availability of scholarships for the 2011-2012 academic year.

The Hudson Valley organization administers four scholarship funds in collaboration with the Hasbrouck Family Association. Brothers Abraham and Jean Hasbrouck were among the Huguenot founders of New Paltz.

To be eligible, a student must be a sophomore, junior or senior in good academic standing as of September 2011. Applicants must be of documented Huguenot descent or be working toward a degree in historic preservation, art history or architecture at Columbia University, the State University of New York at New Paltz or Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. Some funding may also be available for either graduate or undergraduate students studying the impact of American Huguenot immigrants and descendants on American culture and/or language, or on the history of Ulster County, New York, during the period 1600 to 1800.

The Huguenots that founded New Paltz were part of the Huguenot Diaspora, a movement that forced French Protestants out of their homeland to settle in America and throughout the globe. Of prior recipients that were Huguenot descendants, many descended from Huguenots that founded New Paltz. Others have been descendants of Huguenots whose ancestors immigrated to places as far away as South Africa.

Awards are generally between $1,000 and $2,000. Applications must be received by August 31st. For more information about scholarships at Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org and click on “learn” or call (845) 255-1660.

Women’s Rights: Race, Class and Ethnicity

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This Saturday, April 9th, at 7:00 pm, Historic Huguenot Street will host another in its Second Saturdays Lecture Series. The featured speaker will be Harriet Davis-Kram, Professor of American History at Queens College in New York City. The title of her talk is “Women’s Rights: A Struggle of Race, Class and Ethnicity.”

The quest of American women for equal rights dates back to the 18th century. One need only read the letters Abigail Adams sent to her husband John at the Constitutional Convention, warning him, &#8220You’d better not forget the ladies.&#8221

By the early 19th century, women’s voices were often heard in the debate over the abolition of slavery, and a number of educated women began to see similarities between their own social, economic, and political status, and that of the slaves they were fighting to emancipate. A small group of abolitionists would go on to found the movement for women’s equality. Davis-Kram will explore this history and the internal tensions that were part of the fight for women’s equality.

New York women were very much a part of this movement. Sojourner Truth is well known for her leading role in advocating for the end of slavery. Less well known is the key role she played as an African-American woman in the later struggle for women’s rights. She was a contemporary of Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton, among others. So too was Lydia Sayer Hasbrouck, the Middletown woman who made her mark as a dress reformer and as the publisher of “The Sybil,” a 19th century women’s rights periodical. Saturday’s talk is a prelude to the reinterpretation of the Abraham Hasbrouck House at Historic Huguenot Street. When this house reopens in 2012, the story told will focus on the lives on women in early New Paltz.

Davis-Kram, who has been teaching for over 30 years, specializes in the areas of American Women’s History, American Labor History, Immigration, and New York City History. Dr. Davis-Kram also guides walking tours in New York City focusing mostly on the 19th-century up through 1920. Her talk is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities. Speakers in the Humanities lectures are made possible with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Legislature, and through funds from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.

The talk will be held in the LeFevre House, located at 54 Huguenot Street in downtown New Paltz. There is a suggested donation of $5. For more information, call 845.255.1660 or visit www.huguenotstreet.org.

Ulster County Groups Offer Trivia Night

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The Ulster County Historical Society and Historic Huguenot Street are joining forces to bring trivia to New Paltz. Tomorrow night, Friday, March 25th, the two organizations will offer “Trivia Night.”

The program in New Paltz is a continuation of the Trivia Nights the Ulster County Historical Society (UCHS) has offered previously at the Bevier House Museum, their headquarters in Stone Ridge. Recently, UCHS Administrator Suzanne Hausperg contacted Historic Huguenot Street (HHS) to see if they would like to collaborate. Richard Heyl de Ortiz, Director of Marketing, Development and Visitation for HHS, explains, “Suzanne called me to say that they wanted to take Trivia Night on the road and asked if we’d be interested in collaborating. I had thought the idea was a great one when they launched it last year and was happy to work together to make this happen.”

Trivia Night is a combination of national and local history, with perhaps even a bit of New Paltz history added in for this event. Individuals play in teams and all skill levels are welcome. The night also includes drinks, delicious hors d’oeuvres and prizes.

Trivia Night will be offered on Friday, March 25th from 6 to 9pm at Deyo Hall, 6 Broadhead Avenue, between North Chestnut and Huguenot Streets, in New Paltz. There is a $10 charge per person. For more information about this or about Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660. For more information about the Ulster County Historical Society, visit www.bevierhousemuseum.org.

Photo: The Bevier House Museum, home of the Ulster County Historical Society.

Met Curator to Speak at Historic Huguenot Street

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On Saturday, March 12th and Sunday, March 13th, the focus at Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz will be decorative arts. Peter M. Kenny, Curator at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, will present “Rensselaerwyck Revisitus,” an insider’s glimpse of the acquisition and installation of a quintessential New York Dutch room in the context of the most comprehensive collection of American historic interiors in any art museum in the country.

The Met’s New York Dutch Room comes from an 18th century house built by Daniel Peter Winne (1720–1800) on the famed Van Rensselaer Manor outside of present-day Albany. The architecture of furnishing of this room shares much with the museum houses at Historic Huguenot Street. Kenny, who is currently working on a book about Duncan Phyfe, is the Ruth Bigelow Wriston Curator and Administrator for American Wing at the Metropolitan Museum of Art. Kenny’s talk, which is part of the Second Saturdays series, will be offered on Saturday, March 12th at 7pm. There is an $15 charge ($12 for Friends of Huguenot Street).

On Sunday, March 13th, from 1 to 3pm, Sanford Levy, owner of Jenkinstown Antiques in New Paltz, will be joining Leslie LeFevre-Stratton, Curator of Collections at Historic Huguenot Street, for a special “Coverlets Roadshow” Evaluation. Do you have a coverlet tucked away in your home? Perhaps a family heirloom or a treasured antique store find? Ever wonder how old it is, how or where it was made and even what it is worth? Levy and LeFevre-Stratton are the folks to ask. Together, they will examine coverlets brought in by the public and share their expertise. All are invited. There is a $10 suggested donation. This event is offered in conjunction with Binary Visions: 19th-Century Woven Coverlets from the Collection of Historic Huguenot Street, which is on exhibit at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at SUNY New Paltz through March 18th.

Both events will be held in the LeFevre House at 54 Huguenot Street in New Paltz. For more information about these events or about Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660.

Dorsky Museum to Feature Historic Textile Expert

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Rabbit Goody, a leading expert in the study and manufacture of 18th and 19th century textiles, will be featured at a panel discussion at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art in New Paltz on Sunday, February 20th at 3pm.

The panel discussion is coincides with the exhibit currently on view at the Dorsky: Binary Visions: 19th Century Woven Coverlets from the Collection of Historic Huguenot Street. This exhibit features more than 20 coverlets woven from cotton and wool on water-powered looms in small factories across the mid-Hudson Valley during the first half of the 19th century. The exhibition is a particularly important opportunity for historians and scholars to conceive new ways of thinking about the visual power of these coverlets.

Rabbit Goody is owner of Thistle Hill Weavers in Cherry Valley, New York. For more than 20 years, Thistle Hill Weavers has been weaving luxurious custom fabrics, carpet, and trim for designers, home owners, museums, and the film industry. Goody specializes in creating accurate historic reproductions, working from surviving examples, documented patterns, and period weavers’ drafts. Goody was a consultant for the Binary Visions exhibit.

Joining Goody on the panel will be Leslie LeFevre-Stratton, Curator of Collections at Historic Huguenot Street and Jessica Poser, Assistant Professor of Art Education at SUNY New Paltz. Poser has used the textile collections at Historic Huguenot Street as the inspiration for some of her most recent works of art. The panel will be moderated by Brian Wallace, Curator at the Dorsky Museum.

The panel discussion will be held in the Student Union Building closest to the campus entrance off South Manheim Boulevard and is free and open to the public.

For more information about the exhibit and the panel discussion, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or www.newpaltz.edu/museum.

Washingtons Birthday Celebration at Former Headquarters

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Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site is celebrating George Washington’s birthday. To mark the occasion there will be three days of celebration, Saturday, February 19th through Monday, February 21st, 12:00 PM until 4:30 PM. Come by and wish General Washington a “Happy Birthday” on one – or all three – of those days. Admission to the three-day event is by donation.

Each day of the weekend celebration, actor John Koopman will portray General Washington while Thad MacGregor, an 18th and 19th Century musician, will perform in the Headquarters. Accompanying him will be his little wooden sidekick, Limber Jim, a favorite with children of all ages. Thad’s musical selections always add a party-like atmosphere to the occasion.

Daily Highlights:
Saturday, February 19: festivities will highlight the 5th New York Regiment performing drills in honor of the General.

Sunday, February 20: the 5th Connecticut Regiment will provide military flair and color with demonstrations and discussions.

Monday, February 21: Lamb’s Artillery and Morgan’s Rifles will round out the weekend, firing off salutes to General Washington. After all, what’s a birthday party without some noisemakers?

Lectures and Activities:
Throughout the weekend, historical subjects of interest will be presented in the Museum.

Saturday and Monday, topics will be “Tavern Talk –18th Century Female Proprietors” and “George Washington &#8211 18th Century Dentistry.”

Sunday, “Washington and The Circular Letter” and “Medicine During the Revolution” will be presented. A quill pen workshop will be provided and you’ll also be able to take home a personal silhouette.

The bookseller will be plying his wares, while the Museum Marketplace will have souvenirs and gifts for sale.

Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site is a registered national historic landmark. It is located at the corner of Liberty and Washington Streets within the city of Newburgh’s East End Historic District. Call 845-562-1195 for further details or directions.