By Thea Burgess, HRH Board President
We did it! Thanks to our members and friends, we raised $16, 175 – over and above our goal for our annual appeal. Knowing many causes are worthy of your financial assistance and attention, we truly appreciate your donations. If you haven’t yet contributed and would like to or if you want to make an additional gift, please do so here. Your support allows us to offer robust programming and resources and keep the Elmendorph Inn and Story Studio in tiptop shape.
We are excited to announce Historic Red Hook’s receipt of a Partnership Grant from the Richard Hampton Jenrette Foundation in support of expanding our educational programming in the Elmendorph Inn. Edgewater in Barrytown is one of the sites that the Foundation supports, and in turn, the group is partnering with their neighbors to support local history. We have also been awarded a grant from the Greater Hudson Hudson Heritage Network, allowing us to buy archival supplies to house our textiles and small objects collection.
Thanks to the Dutchess County Legislature, our Rev250 Fall Speaker Series lecture series launches this fall. Also, a pamphlet, similar to those used in the 1700s to inform people about events, will go out to all residents in the Town of Red Hook later this year. You can find all of our REV250 related events and news at www.historicredhook.org/rev250. Many thanks to County Historian Will Tatum for advocating for and shepherding the county’s funding of countywide events in anticipation of Rev250 next year. (To thank our legislature and also request similar financial support next year, contact the members at CountyLegislature@DutchessNY.gov.) Dutchess County is unique statewide in providing Rev250 programming grant money. With your support in sending messages to thank the legislature and by attending our events and those of county historic societies, we will make a strong case for continued support. Discover more about Dutchess County’s Department of History and its programming here, and learn about all the countywide REV250 programming from Destination Dutchess here.
Will’s service exemplifies why the New York State Genealogical and Biographical Society (NYG&B) names him as one of two 2025 honorees of its “Preservation in Action annual series, which spotlights leaders and trailblazers whose innovative work inspires, educates, and has a lasting impact on the genealogy and family history field. This year’s theme, ‘The Power of One,’ celebrates those who have conducted impactful archival in New York State” which you can read more about here. Keeping busy, Will is chairing our Programs Committee again, taking over from interim chair and HRH Vice President Amanda Bodian. If you would like to join the committee, send us an email at info@historicredhook.org.
Thanks to Red Hook Pressure Washing, the Elmendorph Inn received a cleaning earlier this month, donated by proprietor James Cantatore, who is reachable at 845-768-2470.
Work continues on the interpretive plan for the Inn. Planning, community conversations, and specialist input are all well underway. In June, we hosted a productive discussion on the role of taverns as civic spaces in the early republic and the potential for museums to serve as civic spaces today. Participants included museum educator Sarah Jencks (Every Museum a Civic Museum), historian of taverns, Dr. Kirsten Wood (Florida International University), and foodways historian Sara Evenson (SUNY Albany). Later this month, we’ll hold a second conversation focused on placing Red Hook in the broader history of Dutchess County and highlighting stories often left out of the historical record. Advisors include Will Tatum (Dutchess County Historian), Edward L. Moran (Ulster County Historian), Myra Armstead (Professor of History, Bard College), Christian Ayne Crouch (Director of the Center for Indigenous Studies, Bard College), Bill Jeffway ( Dutchess County Historical Society), and Zachary Veith (Historic Huguenot Street). A third conversation, to be held later this summer, will bring together local Red Hook leaders to explore how the Elmendorph Inn can become a more inclusive and actively used community space.
Additionally, we are hard at work growing support to fund this initiative to bring education programs and expanded open hours at the Elmendorph. To this end, Historic Red Hook is now featured in the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley's Wish Book, making it easier for potential donors to find and fund our work. You can find our profile here.
To thank our volunteers and welcome new recruits, Historic Red Hook is hosting a volunteer welcome and overview of opportunities to lend a hand to our organization. Please save the date for the evening of Friday, August 22. You can find details and RSVP below.We can’t wait to see you at this event! In the meantime, we’ve updated our volunteer opportunities webpage on our website, so please take a look and let us know if you’d like to jump in and lend a hand! Learn more at www.historicredhook.org/volunteer.
Thea Burgess, HRH Board President
Volunteers busy at work this year in the Operations Committee (left) and Collections Committee (right).