Historic Red Hook to host Then and Now Festival, Saturday June 3

By Rick East, Trustee

Local residents passing by the Elmendorph Inn each day may think of our historic group, Historic Red Hook, as a bunch of old codgers sitting around debating the minutiae of dates and historical events. (Although we do like to brag about the fact that Red Hook is home to the oldest Society for the Detection and Apprehension of Horse Thieves. (We have their earliest meeting minutes in our collections, and yes, their group still meets today! )

But Historic Red Hook is much more than that. Our mission is to engage the community in conversations about Red Hook’s unfolding story. We accomplish this by collecting, preserving, and promoting Red Hook’s history, maintaining the historic Elmendorph Inn as a community center, creating dynamic public programs, and partnering with local community organizations. 

By Christopher Klose

Before the widespread adoption of television in the early 1950s, radio was still king. Faithfully each week, millions upon millions of Americans tuned in “same time, same station,” to Guiding Light or other favorite “soap operas,” so-called because they were “brought to you” by Ivory soap (“99 and 44/100 percent pure”) or other popular brands. Everyday stories kept listeners entertained.

By Nancy Bendiner

As one travels down Prince Street today, one may notice the unassuming and well kept building at #10 that proudly wears a sign: “RED HOOK GRANGE” in bold red letters, with “No. 918” just below. Built in 1850, according to records in the Dutchess County Parcel Access records, there have been a few alterations over the years but not many. In those records, it is listed as a “former Village building.” 

The sign was recently repainted, according to Lisa Ross, whose family purchased the building from the Grange in 2012. The sign stands, she says, as a symbol of what the building has stood for over the years, a building that was once the “people’s town hall.” It was the location of the fire department and ambulance station, possibly in the 1940s. When anyone mentioned the Grange, she said, people knew what that meant and where it was. Though the Grange organization in Red Hook is gone, her family donates the downstairs space so local groups can have meetings, “for the good of the community.” Some of those who have used the space include the Little League and the Red Hook Sports Club. The upstairs space is rented. 

By Claudine Klose

In the summer of 2014, then-Town Historian Wint Aldrich received a phone call from a Mrs. Juliet Moynihan of Houston, Texas, inquiring whether he knew anything about a Red Hook Academy. She had inherited from her grandmother a lovely sampler stitched by a “Juliett Wheeler” at the “Academy in Red Hook.” Later that year, Juliet Moynihan generously donated the sampler to Historic Red Hook, bringing with it the remarkable story of how she had acquired it.

Juliet Moynihan’s orphaned grandmother, Marie Jordan, had been raised by a foster mother, Ella M. Higbie, in Fairport, New York. Ella’s parents were Nathan Higbie and Mary A. Wheeler. In Ella’s old age, she had moved in with Marie Jordan and left her the Wheeler sampler. Juliet had been told that Mary Wheeler had made the sampler but noting that it bore the inscription “Wrought by Juliett M. Wheeler,” she had searched for information on a Juliett Wheeler and found nothing. Fortunately, Historic Red Hook was able to identify Juliett (Juliette) as the older sister of Mary A. Wheeler.

By Thea Burgess, HRH President

Those who knew James Budd Hardin understood he loved the Hudson Valley, especially Red Hook where he grew up. Jim’s attachment to his hometown remained extremely strong although he lived in Washington, D.C., for 44 years. His Hudson Valley books were close at hand on a lower shelf of his bookcase in his living room, recalls his nephew Michael Hardin. Because Jim owned over 3,000 titles, this within-reach placement symbolizes how much he treasured our area. His connection to Red Hook is exemplified by the generous bequest he made to Historic Red Hook. Michael and his mother Teresa Marie Hardin and the widow of Jim’s older brother, the late Peter Warner Hardin, recently visited the Elmendorph Inn and delivered a check for $25,000, a gift from Jim to his hometown.

The Historic Red Hook Board of Trustees met on January 7 to update last year’s strategic priorities to carry the organization through the end of 2023. After considering Historic Red Hook’s past goals, examining our accomplishments in 2022, and considering our immediate needs, the Trustees agreed upon the following priorities:

Our overall goal for 2023 is to increase recognition of HRH as an accessible resource for meeting local needs through strengthening our community’s overall sense of historical identity, character, and belonging. We will achieve this goal by…

By Thea Burgess, HRH Board President

When Patsy (Braig) Vogel-Hansen, former Historic Red Hook trustee and current collections committee and archives volunteer, was in high school, she recalls students being let out of classes early because of bad weather. It wasn’t a snowy nor’easter. Rather a major storm line threatened the town’s apple crop. The severe winds and hail would mar the yet-to-be harvested fruit. Students along with parents and neighbors and others in town converged on the orchards to help the farmers pick their produce and save the apples that fall. That story, to me, is the essence of Red Hook.

By Nancy Bendiner

Nancy is a longtime volunteer on the Historic Red Hook Collections Committee

When Bill Stagias donated two portraits to Historic Red Hook (HRH), I was moved by the faces of the two people portrayed who stare with solemnity into what was their world. A young woman and man, whose names were handwritten by a now-deceased family member on the glass covering the images: Henry V. Shaw and Mamie Shaw.

Henry and Mamie’s portraits found a place on the wall in the family home. They were honored, yet over time the details of who they were and their lives dimmed with each new generation. According to Mr Stagias, a descendant, family lore suggests they were a married couple.

The Collections Committee at Historic Red Hook often seeks to learn more than initially known about the items that come our way. Sometimes it is possible to discover glimpses of what Red Hook was like at the time an object was created. We go back in time, and the object speaks to us, offering a story about people, places, and long gone eras. Sometimes, new questions are raised whose answers for now remain elusive.

By Claudine and Christopher Klose

Although closed this year, we have welcomed visitors to the Archives Room by appointment, continued our research, and prepared for moving the collections to their new, more accessible home in the StoryStudio.

By Elliott Bristol and Donna Brown

You might ask: is dendro contagious? Well, no, it isn’t, and it doesn’t cause any pain. Dendrochronology, or the short version dendro, is the science of dating wood. We all learned in grade school that counting the rings tells us how old a tree is, but how could the number of rings identify the year it was cut? As we came to understand, the pattern of the width of annual tree rings corresponds to annual climate variations, establishing a pattern of dry seasons and wet seasons. Comparing wood cores to known profiles allows for precise dating of when the tree was growing. And having the bark edge in the sample identifies when the tree was cut.

By Christopher Klose, HRH Member

We are indebted to avid, early photographer Harriet Martin Dey, of the Upper Red Hook Martin family, for capturing this summer tableau of “putting up” hay in the barn at the dawn of the Twentieth Century. Because fully two-thirds of a farm’s output was needed back then to feed the horses (and mules), the rural rubric was simple: make hay – or else: no hay, no motive power. It took weeks of slow, heavy teamwork by farmers, their families, hired hands, and stock to cut, rake, stack, load, and stow the hay in the barn for the coming winter.

By Thea Burgess, HRH President

When Americans commemorate our history, the Stars and Stripes typically wave in the background. When fireworks shoot up red, white, and blue on the Fourth of July, we think of the American Revolution. When we sing “The Star-Spangled Banner,” we unify, and we may remember our military standing firm against the British bombardment of Fort McHenry in the War of 1812. And when the American flag is ceremonially lowered or raised, we stand a little taller and respectfully contemplate. During the Civil War after the defeat of the Confederacy at their capitol of Richmond, VA, the country witnessed the Confederate flag being lowered in defeat and the Union flag hoisted in victory. Tivoli (and New York City) resident Col. Johnston Livingston de Peyster of the Union Army was credited with that important act after Richmond’s fall in 1865. Yet the fog of war and competing agendas complicated the issue of who should receive that significant and symbolic honor.

By Daniel Middleton

This piece originally appeared in the Summer 2006 edition of About Town.

It is a scene from a sly Noel Coward comedy. Imagine an elegant old house on the banks of the Hudson built in the style of a Roman temple. The simple box shape made of stucco and brick is distinguished by its front: a triangular roof supported by six large columns shading a lengthy portico with a stunning view of river and distant mountains. A warm evening in springtime is fading to darkness, and the guests make their way from porch to dining room which glows in the fading like. The drink is flowing and everyone is having a good time. Conversation is witty and competitive among the guests, many of whom are notables from the arts and academe.

By Elio Estersohn

My grandfather was a 1st Lieutenant during WWII, in what is now the Air Force. Carl J Estersohn was a fascinating guy. He was a splendid father, spouse, brother, and grandpa. He lived to the age of 93. The aforementioned was healthy and joyful for 92 and a half of those years. During the last several months of his life, however, he had some health issues with his heart and his arteries, and was in and out of hospitals during that time. In his final two weeks we brought him back home because we knew he would not live for much longer, so we wanted him to expire in the comfort of his own home. The morning before he passed he couldn't communicate that well, which was worrisome. He passed during the halftime show of the Super Bowl. It was a coincidence, but felt very calculated, since he was a big fan of football. My grandfather changed the lives of so many, including my own. He was a war hero, an orthodontic surgeon, an entrepreneur, and a family man. He was and always will be a role-model.

By Nancy Bendiner

As I walked down the driveway to a yard sale in Red Hook, New York, on that pleasant summer day, little did I know what that walk would mean. Soon I eyed boxes stacked in the garage which did not appear to hold the usual yard sale items. A few papers near the top of the contents beckoned to me, the dedicated document sleuth. With the permission of the family, I explored further and found a cache of family memorabilia, old photos, documents, a few genealogies, and carefully constructed albums, some of which pertain directly to Red Hook history.

From the look of things, I thought that much of this yard sale treasure could find a place in the archives of Historic Red Hook (HRH). I presented this possibility to Butch Fell, son of the recently deceased Gladys Fell (1927-2021) who had lived in the house where the sale took place. He kindly offered to donate these items that his mother and his father Harold Fell (1924-2011) carefully collected over many years.

By Sarah K. Hermans

In recognition of Mental Health Awareness Month this May, Hermans explores the experiences of Red Hook residents with treatment and medical institutions in the nineteenth century. *Please note that this article may contain difficult historical topics regarding mental health and illness.

In the Victorian Era and Gilded Age of the mid- to late- nineteenth century, the term “mental health” was practically unheard of. If a person needed help or exhibited behaviors that didn’t mesh with society, there were few options for them. Those who were seen by a doctor were sometimes prescribed rest, isolation, confinement, or a slew of somatic (physical) treatments that did not actually help, such as trepanning, bloodletting, purgatives, and the infamous lobotomy. The idea of treating troubling thoughts and moods with non-invasive therapy or drugs that pin-point neurological issues only gained traction in the greater medical community in the 20th century.

By Nancy Bendiner

Flowers, trees and plants can offer visual delight and remove us from our worries. No doubt the ladies who founded and continued the garden clubs of Red Hook felt this inspiration and aimed to make our world a better place. So doing, these ladies help us learn about their times.

A Seed is Planted

The Red Hook Hotel saw the launch on March 9, 1942, of the Red Hook Garden Club, with Mrs. Merrick C. Phillips as its first president. On that day, the Red Hook “Business Men’s Association” committee provided entertainment. Some of the surnames of the first members are recognized today in the Red Hook community: Kerley, Cookingham, Tremper, and Hart.

More than ten years later, on September 30, 1953, a second garden club in Red Hook was launched: the Dutch Village Garden Club. The founder, Mrs. Herman Mandell (formerly Viola Teator), greeted 17 attendees at her home for the first meeting. In honor of the Dutch heritage of Red Hook, a Dutch motif was chosen, with the tulip as club flower. Charter members’ surnames included, among others, Bathrick, Boice, Fraleigh, Hart, Donerly, Coon, and Cole.

By Claudine Klose

Posing for a group photo circa 1929, the women of the Historical Club of Upper Red Hook personified the “cream” of local society. All wives of successful farmers and professionals and overwhelmingly Dutch Reformed and politically conservative, they were civic-minded and wanted to promote education and enlightenment in their community. The exclusive “by invitation only” club was formed in 1901 as “The Monday Club,” but because Mondays were typically wash days, they decided that “laundry and literary pursuits were a bad combination,” so moved the meetings to Fridays and renamed the group the Historical Club of Upper Red Hook.

By Sarah K. Hermans

Susie Fulton (October 1861–1913) was the daughter of Elisha Fulton (27 Apr 1824–26 Mar 1903) and Margaret Smith (25 Feb 1827–14 Jul 1884). She and her sister, Jennie Z. Fulton, never married and were both teachers at one time or another at Jackson Corners, Cokertown, Elizaville, Rock City, and Mount Ross. Susie taught kindergarten in Red Hook in a large “double house” at the upper end of North Broadway and school at District No. 7 in Rock City before 1872, when the school was in its old location.

By Claudine and Christopher Klose

In honor of Black History Month, it is a privilege to share our quest to piece together the story of Red Hook’s long-lost African American burial ground and its people.

Writ large or small, history depends on research. Lots of it! Old deeds, church, town and village birth and death records, census data, tax records, family correspondence, personal reminiscences, newspapers, family histories, letters, photo albums, and much more are our sources.

From a copy of a deed in our archives, we know that on June 12, 1850, local landowner Elisha Finger sold a small plot near the Mill Pond located on Mill Road for $150 to the “Cemetery Association of Colored Inhabitants.” The founding trustees of the cemetery were Uriah St. Paul, Thomas Jefferson, Prince Ellsworth, Tobias Grant, Philip Johnson and Joseph Human (Herman misspelled perhaps?).