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The Quilts of Historic Huguenot Street
Why did women quilt? Sewing is a traditional skill and task that women learned and performed on a daily basis. Quilting was not only a functional task, but for many women it was a leisure activity; one that became a means of expression, creativity, socializing, and community building.
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An Excellent Likeness: Portraits from the Permanent Collection of Historic Huguenot Street
An exhibit of portraits from the permanent collection of Historic Huguenot Street opened in July of 2010, in a newly-restored gallery space in the LeFevre House, and represent individuals from families with ancestral ties to early New Paltz. Prior to this exhibit, most of the works in this exhibit had not been seen in a gallery setting for many years. When Historic Huguenot Street made the decision to transform a large part of the Grimm Gallery at Deyo Hall into a centralized and protected collections facility in the mid 1990s, many of these portraits were put into storage.
Some of these sitters were born here on land and in homes owned by their families for generations. Others represent the American trait of migration, moving away beyond the confines of the original settlement to establish new homes and fortunes elsewhere.
All but one of the sitters in these pictures was born in the 19th century. These individuals had attained a level of economic security and community status that required acknowledgement - in the form of a portrait to share with friends and family, or with business associates. The paintings on exhibit here are emblematic of the prosperity that many descendants of early New Paltz realized.
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Binary Visions: 19th Century Woven Coverlets from the Collection of Historic Huguenot Street
This online exhibit builds upon the exhibition of the same name, currently installed at the Samuel Dorsky Museum of Art at the State University of New York at New Paltz (SDMA). This exhibit is a collaboration between SDMA and Historic Huguenot Street (HHS). Featured here is a selection of 19th century woven coverlets, along with photographs, and historical documents from the Permanent Collection of HHS that provides additional information about woven coverlets and carpet weaving.
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As the Seasons Turn: The Greeting Card Collection of Historic Huguenot Street
A Sampling of the hundreds of greeting cards in the collections of Historic Huguenot Street. Christmas, Valentines, Birthdays and more.
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The Colonial Manuscript Collection
The Archives at Historic Huguenot Street contains wills, legal papers, letters, receipts and additional documents dating back to the mid 1600s. They are an excellent resource for those seeking to learn more about the earliest years of an immigrant community such as New Paltz. Viewed together, these documents also offer a window into colonial New York.
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Before Hudson: 8,000 Years of Native American History and Culture
This exhibit, which complements a traditional exhibit currently installed in our DuBois Fort Visitor Center, illustrates the history of the people living in this area prior to European contact. Based on archaeological finds from Historic Huguenot Street, this exhibit demonstrates that the history of this area did not start with Henry Hudson. Rather that for thousands of years prior to “discovery”, the people who inhabited this land had a developed, fascinating culture. More than eighty projectile points, pottery fragments, trade beads and other artifacts have been unearthed and cataloged into Huguenot Street’s collection.
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The Missing Chapter: Untold Stories of the African-American Presence
in the Mid-Hudson Valley
Based
largely on documents found the Archives at Historic
Huguenot Street, Archives Specialist Susan-Stessin
Cohn has brought to life an important of the area's
local history that more people need to know about.
Presented in cooperation with Hudson River Valley
Heritage, a project of the Southeastern New York
Library Resources Council.
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A Notion
to Sew: The 19th Century Needlework of Hylah Hasbrouck and Her Daughters
at Locust Lawn
A Notion
to Sew came out of a two year project to inventory the furnishings
and household items of the Hasbrouck family at Locust Lawn, a striking
Jeffersonian manse and farm complex built in 1814 by Josiah Hasbrouck.
In 1885, the family locked away all their personal effects and furnishings
in part of the house. The house was rented to tenant farmers for
almost 75 years before it was given to Historic Huguenot Street in 1958.
The exhibit showcases the handiwork of four Hasbrouck women and puts
their work into context with the social movements of their time.
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Education in a Valley Fair
The early American
education system began with the small quaint interior of a local church
and later flourished to include large institutions that prepared young
adults for the world ahead. New Paltz experienced a similar development
in its education system. It began in 1689, in the modest log Walloon
Church, when the small French-speaking community hired schoolmaster
Jean Cottin. What followed was the New Paltz Academy, the Normal School,
our Central School District and the State University of New York at
New Paltz -- an institution that sits high on its hill to show stature
of a great college that came about through these extraordinary changes
in education.
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I Regret to Inform You: The Civil War Letters of Johannes LeFevre
This collection of letters reveals the story of young Civil War soldier Johannes Lefevre. While mustered in with the 156th New York Volunteer Army, Johannes fights in many battles including the famous Battle of Winchester. His letters cover many topics, from concern for girls to discussion of camp life and the horrors of war. Although he is severally wounded at the Battle of Cedar Creek, doctors assure his family that he will recover shortly. Tragically, however, Johannes succumbs to gangrene in a Virginia hospital far from his family back home in New Paltz.
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Mary Ann Thorne Chadeayne's Legacy
This collection contains photographs, genealogical information, letters, a signature album and images of quilts and other textiles, pertaining primarily to the family of Mary Ann Thorne Chadeayne.
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The Civil War Collection of James T. Thitchner
James T. Thitchner
grew up in a small hamlet in the town of Plattekill, which is just south
of New Paltz. He was born in 1835 to Quaker parents. Despite
the Quakers' pacifist beliefs, he enlisted to serve for the Union in
the Civil War at the age of 27. This collection focuses on the
letters written by Thitchner during his service. Unlike the glorious,
lofty letters written by wealthy, learned officers and later used to
craft period novels, Thitchner's writings represent a rarer and perhaps
more interesting glimpse into the realities of the War from the perspective
of a poor soldier. From his letters, we learn of the actual woes
of combat and the fears of war from the front lines, where frequently
not an officer was to be found.
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Hidden Heritage: The Story of Reverend James Murphy
In
the course of routine work in the Archives at Historic
Huguenot Street, Archives Specialist Susan Stessin-Cohn
and then intern Brandon Pendergast stumbled upon
an intriguing document from the early 1800s, Letter
to Rev. Particular, Synod of Albany, concerning
"The Memorial of Ann Bevier and Rachel Westbrook,
members of the Reformed Protestant Dutch Church
of Rochester." Thinking it was a
memorial testament, they read on. It turned
out to be nothing like what they thought.
This well-composed letter revealed a sad and forgotten
tale involving a charismatic and loved minister,
slavery, race and a lie. The stage was rural
Ulster and Dutchess Counties. This exhibit
illustrates the reality of race in early New York
state and the lengths a man had to go to in order
to live out his chosen destiny.
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The Photography of Erma Dewitt
An Exhibit Created by the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection
of the Elting Memorial Library
Erma Dewitt, who lived in New Paltz for over 70 years, documented life in this very special small town. Her photographs of the 1940s and 1950s feature the stone houses that dot Ulster County, as well as events large and small. A remarkable treasure of images curated by Susan Stessin-Cohn with the financial support of Dirk Dewitt, Erma's son.
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The Civil War Letters of MEEKER G. GRIFFIN
The seven letters in this small collection detail some of the events relating to the Civil War experience of Private Meeker Griffin. Griffin mustered in Company C of the 56th Regiment of the New York Veteran Volunteer Infantry in 1861 and later transferred to the Navy on December 31, 1863. One of the highlights of the collection is Meeker's mention of his visit with President Abraham Lincoln.
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The Life and Death of Leah Catherine Deyo
Leah Catharine Deyo was born in New Paltz, NY in 1818 and resided in the Hudson Valley until her death in 1849. John and Katia Jacobs, descendants of Leah Catharine preserved a collection of her correspondence, daguerreotypes, clothing and photographs. They generously donated it to the Haviland-Heidgerd Historical Collection at the Elting Library in the 1980s. This exhibit chronicles different aspects of Leah Catharine's life and offers a glimpse into the daily life of a mid-nineteenth century woman. All of the digitized materials in the Leah Catharine Deyo Jessup Collection are available on the Hudson River Valley Heritage website. Selected items from the collection are featured throughout this exhibit.
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Around the Table: Early Cooking in the Hudson Valley
In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries, the kitchen was not only the physical center of the household, but also the social center of the home. The hearth was used for warmth, cooking and as a place for the older generation to teach skills to the younger generation. Food served as the bond between family, friends and neighbors making it’s preparation very important. A fully stocked kitchen as Harriet Beecher Stowe described above was not essential, but useful; each cooking utensil helped to simplify meal preparations. A woman could manage her kitchen with a few essential items and could cook without the direction of a recipe. As time progressed, newer tools were created and recipe books became more common but the hearth and the food that was made there remained at the center of life on Huguenot Street.
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