2024 Guest Speakers Schedule
The New Paltz Historical Society is pleased to announce that we are continuing our monthly presentations virtually through Zoom, you can attend safely from your own home!
We will begin live presentations in April!
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Past Presentations (2023)
January - No Speaker
February 27 ~ John Orfiteeli on the Landmark Commission. (ZOOM)
MARCH - Mon, Mar. 27 – Wendy E. Harris - And After That to Ashes: “Slave Codes” and “Slave Courts” in Eighteenth-Century Ulster County, NY (ZOOM)
APRIL - Mon, Apr. 24 - Bill Merchant, of the D&H Canal Museum on John Roebling and the D&H Canal (LIVE)
MAY - Mon, May 29 (Fifth Monday) - Rabbi Emeritus Bill Strongin on "The World's Longest Hatred," Antisemitism as a form of bigotry for 2,400 years.
JUNE - Mon, Jun. 26 - Paul O'Neill –New Information About Sojourner Truth. (Note: Meeting will be held in the Steinberg Room of Elting Memorial Library, New Paltz, at 7:00 pm.)
JULY - Mon, Jul. 31 (Fifth Monday) - John Cox on “The Art of the Cooper: A look at the barrel's local historical significance and the coopering process.”
Past Presentations (2021)
January 6 ~ Bill Merchant - Immigrants and the D&H Canal
Our guest speaker, Bill Merchant, will present an illustrated talk on: "Immigrants and the D&H Canal", Wednesday, January 6, 2021, at 7:00 p.m. This program tells the story of the immense impact immigrant workers had on the D&H Canal, with stories of both common workers as well as a few more prominent immigrants who worked for the Canal Company.
Bill Merchant is a very active historian. Among his roles he is the Deputy Director for Collections, Historian and Curator (as well as Past President) of the D&H Canal Historical Society, of High Falls, NY. He is also the President of the D&H Transportation Heritage Council and he is also the Vice President of the Ulster County Historical Society.
He has presented on the subject of the D&H Canal extensively at the Canal Museum, as well as many other local cultural institutions. His presentations feature many wonderful period photographs of the Canal from the Society’s extensive collections. He is currently working on a book about the D&H Canal.
Bill has enlightened and entertained the members and friends of the New Paltz Historical Society before, in both 2018 and 2019.
His first presentation for us was “The D&H Canal, 19th Century Engine of Prosperity,” which told the story of the Canal, how it was created in 1828 to carry Pennsylvania coal to NYC, and how it fueled the Industrial Revolution in America and was America's first million dollar private enterprise at a time when most canals were state funded.
His second talk "The History of the DePuy Tavern from 1797 to the Present," told the story of this famous old building, a High Falls NY landmark, and the people associated with it from the time it was built in 1797, through the Canal era, and on into the 20th century, including its time as a world renowned restaurant, and finally its new life today as the Delaware and Hudson Canal Museum.
You must Register in advance to attend this meeting, click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZAtdOyuqDoiHte6qz5r6k17-toeg--5wBVA
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
February 23 - Susan Stessin-Cohn - Hidden Heritage: The Life of the Reverend James Murphey
The New Paltz Historical Society would like to announce that our normal first Wednesday presentation is being rescheduled, and will take place as an online event on TUESDAY, FEBRUARY 23, 2021 from 7 PM EST – 8:30 PM EST
Our Co-President, Susan Stessin-Cohn, will be presenting a talk titled Hidden Heritage, hosted by Elting Memorial Library of New Paltz, as part of their Black History Month program. Details about the talk are in the Press Release below. This event is open to the public, and we invite you to register to attend. As a Zoom event, you can attend from the safety of your own home!
Born into slavery as the illegitimate child of Jane, the bi-racial slave of David Johnston,
of the town of Washington (Milbrook) in Dutchess County, James Murphey was condemned to a life of secrecy
during an age when being of African descent meant a life of persecution and discrimination.
Join us on Tuesday, February 23rd to hear the true identity of this local early 19th century minister.
Guest Speaker: Susan Stessin-Cohn is a former professor of Education at SUNY New Paltz. She has received the Bruce Dearstyne Award for excellence in the educational use of local government records as well as The New York State Archives Award for the best use of primary local documents in New York State.
She has served as Director of Education at Historic Huguenot Street and chair of the New Paltz Historic Land Commission. She is currently the Historian for the Town of New Paltz, New York and serves as Co-President of the New Paltz Historical Society.
You Must Register in Advance to Attend, Click here to Register
March 3 - Paul O'Neill - The History of the Ulster County Courthouse
Since 1689 the Ulster County Courthouse has stood at the epicenter of our community. From the first settlers to the present day, in war and in peace, the Ulster County Courthouse has been the rallying point for the momentous events that have transformed our community, our State and our Nation. The Committee of Safety met in the Ulster County Courthouse in February of 1777 and from their toil was born the great State of New York. The New York State Constitution, the model for the United States Constitution, was written in the Courthouse by none other than national founder John Jay. After its passage the Constitution was read in public for the first time on the Courthouse steps.
Through the halls of the Courthouse have walked Presidential Candidates, United States Supreme Court Justices, Founding Fathers, Freedom Fighters, leaders of industry, military and government. A reflection of the people it serves, the Ulster County Courthouse and the achievements to which it gave rise hold a unique place in the history of Ulster County. Come discover the people and events that have made our Courthouse one of the singular locations in the United States.
Paul O’Neill grew up in New Paltz, was an attorney in New Paltz and Kingston for 15 years, including 14 years as the Assistant District Attorney covering New Paltz, and is now the Commissioner of Jurors for Ulster County. He worked at Harp & Harp in New Paltz during law school and for a few years after he was admitted to the bar. He states that Peter Harp did much to help him appreciate the history of our area.
Join us on Wednesday, March 3, 2021, for what is sure to be an interesting presentation on a local landmark.
7:00 pm Eastern Time (US and Canada)
Register in advance for this meeting by clicking on the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEvdu6gqTotHNy_SDB5yMHDv_mkLo_Qlbt6
August 4 - Matthew Thorenz - Blooming Grove and Washingtonville
An illustrated Photo Talk by Matthew Thorenz, take a trip back in time through photographs selected from the just published book, Images of America: Blooming Grove and Washingtonville. Author and Local History Librarian Matthew Thorenz compiled 204 images for the book from the collections of the Moffat Library of Washingtonville, local historians, and longtime residents, to tell the story of these Hudson River Valley communities. Join him on a visual journey through the past and discover the people, places, and events he discovered over the course of writing his first published book, the first to be written about our area in nearly 30 years!
September 1 - Marilou Abramshe - New Paltz's Western Hamlets-Butterville and Libertyville
Past Presentations (2020)
July 29 - Grave Encounters: Hudson Valley Headstone Design
The New Paltz Historical Society is pleased to announce an event you can attend safely from your own home! We will be hosting our first Virtual Event on ZOOM, Wednesday, July 29, 2020, at 7:00 p.m.
Our presenter is Marisa Hayes, and her illustrated talk is titled, "Grave Encounters: Hudson Valley Headstone Design." Her presentation features many images of headstones she has collected during her ongoing research in various local Hudson Valley cemeteries. She compares the designs found in local cemeteries to the classic designs of New England headstones described in the work of archaeologist James Deetz.
You must Register in advance to attend this meeting, click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/…/tZEkdu2orDkiG93DDLFqJOMxzJizXx9cZ…
After registering, you will receive a confirmation email containing information about joining the meeting.
September 2 - The Preservation of the Fishkill Supply Depot
The New Paltz Historical Society is hosting Lance Ashworth, President of The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot (FOFSD), as our September Guest Speaker. We will be streaming his illustrated virtual presentation on ZOOM, on Wednesday, September 2, 2020. Lance’s topic, "The Preservation of the Fishkill Supply Depot,” will focus on the Fishkill Supply Depot preservation effort, his organization (FOFSD), the history of the Fishkill Supply Depot, the current Site and Soldiers’ Cemetery, Preservation Strategies and Historical Research. You can attend this talk from the safety of your own home.
NOTE: You must Register in advance to attend this meeting, click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMvdumoqjovGNQMmQmHMnLPoZtu7RwE4alW
October 7 - Perrine's Covered Bridge: Fiction & Fact
The New Paltz Historical Society is proud to host Ronald G. Knapp, for an illustrated lecture titled, "Perrine’s Covered Bridge: Fiction & Fact."
Many people are fascinated by covered bridges, and our area had a history of many covered bridges, with the still standing Perrine's Covered Bridge crossing the Wallkill River a few miles north of New Paltz.
There is much inaccurate information in published and unpublished sources about Perrine's Bridge, the site of which was in the Town of New Paltz until a northeastern section of New Paltz was calved off to enlarge the Town of Esopus in 1843. Ron has scoured the primary sources concerning crossings at the site of Perrine's Bridge, and uncovered much new information.
The construction of three covered bridges in the same 1840s decade—Perrine’s, Phillies, and one in the village of New Paltz—across the Wallkill River within fifteen miles of each other, helped connect the area to communities beyond when a network of new roads was also being laid out. Only Perrine's Covered Bridge remains, which many see as New York's most outstanding extant historical bridge.
While we have the physical Perrine's Covered Bridge to connect us to the past, unfortunately facts concerning bridges at that general site and even the date of its construction are not clearly known. Indeed, printed sources frequently give conflicting and inaccurate information about this bridge.
Based on a review of actual documents from the first half of the nineteenth century, this talk will provide some clues, clarifications, and corrections concerning Perrine's Covered Bridge, and others in the Wallkill watershed, even as there are some mysteries that remain.
NOTE: You must Register in advance to attend this meeting, click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEpcuqhrz0sE9anNYg1siRNDiI1H6TuZ525
November 4 - Lost Industries of Ulster County – Kingston's Omnibuses & Trolleys, presented by Marilou Abramshe
NOTE: You must Register in advance to attend this meeting, click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZUsdeispj0vG9QtYHYFjrG3mN1AsgKY-y4t
December 2 - Cooking by the Book: Celebrity Chefs, Cookbookery, and the Changing Landscape of American Cuisine, with food historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson
NOTE: You must Register in advance to attend this meeting, click the link below:
https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZMoceqqqD0qHdCO4reYQXU4KKs-WmKeJXdM