2010: Exhibitions and Events
We would like to thank all those who who have generously supported HSW. If you haven’t already joined us, we invite you to become a member one of Woodstock’s oldest institutions. HSW is supported totally by your membership dollars and remains an all-volunteer organization. Should you have any questions, or wish to inquire about volunteering at the Historical Society, e-mail us at: info@historicalsocietyofwoodstock.
It’s your history, help us keep it alive.
2010 Schedule of Events
Unless otherwise noted, all events take place at the Historical Society of Woodstock on lower Comeau Drive
(directly across from the old firehouse on Tinker St.)
JUNE
The Mountain House: Dreams in the Sky
HSW-Eames House on Comeau – exhibit
Saturdays and Sundays, June 12-July 25, 1-5 pm
Opening Reception Friday, June 11, 7–9 pm
see below for more info
Walking Woodstock
Walk through Comeau and book signing
with Michael Perkins and Will Nixon
Walk beginning at Eames House on Comeau
Saturday, June 12, 1 pm
Excerpts from a
Documentary Film in Production:
The Catskill Mountain House
and the World Around
with Tobe Carey
On the Porch Series – Eames House on Comeau
Sunday, June 27, 3 pm
see below for more info
JULY
Woodstock Night life
with Janine Mower and Friends
On the Porch Series – Eames House on Comeau
Sunday July 18, 3 pm
A Presidential Visit: Ulysses Grant comes to Overlook
with Woodstock Town Historian Richard Heppner
On the Porch Series – Eames House on Comeau
Sunday, July 25, 3 pm
Folksongs of the Catskills – the Spirit of Camp Woodland
HSW Eames House on Comeau – exhibit
Saturdays and Sundays, July 31 – September 12, 1-5 pm
Opening reception, Saturday, July 31, 1-5 pm
AUGUST & SEPTEMBER
Folksongs of the Catskills – the Spirit of Camp Woodland
Presentation with folk music by Pat Lamanna and Sue Rosenberg
former Camp Woodland campers, and noted folksingers Joe Hickerson, Eric Weissberg, Mickie Vandow
On the Porch Series – Eames House on Comeau
Saturday, August 14,
Heritage Folk Music is presenting Joe Hickerson live at the Kiersted House, Main St, Saugerties, NY on August 15, 3-5 PM
Folksongs of the Catskills – the Spirit of Camp Woodland
Paul Mishler, author of Raising Reds, and Associate Professor of Labor, Indiana University South Bend, will give a talk on connecting Camp Woodland to the Woodstock Festival of 1969. He will also sign copies of his book.
On the Porch Series ˆ Eames House on Comeau
Sunday, September 12th, 2-4 pm
Exhibition of Vintage Holiday Cards from the HSW Archives
November 20 – December 12
Exhibit of Vintage Holiday Cards from the HSW archives, crafted by Woodstock artists, offer a unique glimpse of Woodstock winters past.
Our Holiday Sale includes: the world famous “HSW Cookie Collection” cookbook, hand-made mittens, books on local history, vintage postcards, giclée prints, hand-made ornaments, gifts from local craftsmen, homemade cookies, and a ginger bread house raffle!
The Historical Society of Woodstock Victory Garden Project
Through the support of generous Woodstockers and your membership dollars, the Historical Society of Woodstock is bringing back the Victory Garden. During World War II, victory gardens flourished all around Woodstock. In an effort to bridge past with present, HSW is launching a multi-generational gardening effort involving young people from Woodstock and “mentor gardeners” (who remember Victory Gardens and/or who love to garden). Those involved will help with interviews and research about World War II gardens in Woodstock and will plant and nurture a small vegetable garden behind the Historical Society’s Eames House. Along the way, they will also learn the importance of local homegrown food today. Participants will enjoy a final harvest of the garden with a potluck feast at the end of July. This fun and engaging project could use a few more Mentor Gardeners and interviewees.
The Mountain House: Dreams in the Sky
Summer is underway at the Historical Society of Woodstock with our new exhibit, The Mountain House: Dreams in the Sky, now open and receiving wonderful reviews from those who have visited. Dreams in the Sky offers Woodstockers and visitors alike a unique look at a long lost era as Overlook Mountain – home to the Cold Spring (MacDaniels) Farm House (1863), Mead’s Mountain House (1865), the Reynolds House (1898) and the grandest of all Woodstock’s offerings, the Overlook Mountain House (originally built in 1871) – beckoned those from New York City in search of a connection with nature, summer air, and a touch of romanticism as inspired by artists such as Thomas Cole. High in the morning clouds, socialites, bankers, the idle rich, authors, artists, and even presidents (Ulysses Grant visited Overlook in 1873) mingled as they took their meals, sought entertainment in the company of others, and explored their physical surroundings where, as an Ulster and Delaware Railroad advertisement offered, they could climb “to the breezy crest that pierces the clouds and (bathe) in the filmy vapor that flits up the mountainside.”
Featuring a remarkable display of photographs, artwork, artifacts and text, The Mountain House: Dreams in the Sky, is open to the public, free of charge, every Saturday and Sunday from 1:00 to 5:00 p.m. The exhibit runs June 12 through July 25th. The Historical Society of Woodstock is located on lower Comeau Drive (directly across from the old Woodstock firehouse.)
Folksongs of the Catskills – the Spirit of Camp Woodland
Camp Woodland, 1939-1962, was located in Woodland Valley outside of Phoenicia, New York —about 20 miles from Woodstock. Camp Woodland evolved out of the New Deal programs that provided work for artists and was shaped by the progressive movement in education. A folk music incubator, Camp Woodland “honored the past, understood the importance of old traditions and cultures and the need to preserve and learn from them.” From the beginning, the camp set out to collect the folk songs, lore, and history of the Catskill Mountains. This exhibition includes images (as well as two 1940s films sequenced with Pete Seeger’s music), memorabilia, and documentation of Camp Woodland from the HSW Collection, archives at SUNY Albany, and from private collections of former campers.
Annual Holiday Exhibit and Sale
Eames House on Comeau
November 20-21
November 27-28
December 4-5
December 11-12
Saturdays 10-3 pm and Sundays 1-4
Winter Memories of Woodstock
Eames House on Comeau
longtime Woodstockers remember winter days and nights … interviewed by the children in the Historical Society of Woodstock History Club.
Winter Tales: Stories and Family Art Workshop
1:00-3:00 p.m. Story telling based on the books of Woodstock children’s book writers and illustrators Maud and Miska Petersham. Then, inspired by these stories and the exhibit of Woodstock artists’ holiday cards from the collection of the Historical Society of Woodstock, you are invited to join WAAM arts educator Beth Humphrey to create your own memorable cards.
The First Christmas Eve on the Village Green
A presentation by Woodstock town historian Richard Heppner that tells the tale of the very first Christmas Eve on the Village Green, Woodstock’s oldest and most beloved tradition.
The Catskill Mountain House and The World Around –
Excerpts from a new film by Tobe Carey
In keeping with HSW’s exploration of the role mountain houses of the 19th century played in our region, excerpts from a soon-to-be released documentary film, The Catskill Mountain House and The World Around will be shown at the Historical Society of Woodstock on Sunday, June 27 at 3PM. Filmmaker, Tobe Carey, will be on hand to speak and answer questions about the making of the film. The LIMITED SEATING preview showing will include segments from the full length documentary which will be available in early fall, 2010.
The story of the rise and fall of the Catskill Mountain House is a compelling tale of steamboat and railroad empires, bitter rivalries, exclusive private preserves, fabulous art and picturesque landmarks that celebrated the Catskills as part of the American “Grand Tour” and as America’s “First Wilderness.”