Putnam Valley Historical Society
Preserving local history since 1968
Coming up this season
With much of the area recovering from the series of storms and extended power outages, Our American History made it’s return. We had a small gathering at the library for local author Deborah Rafferty Oswald on March 10 where she shared her inspiration and research methods and materials for her book, The Girls of Haviland. Afterwards she autographed copies of the book.
The next Our American History will be on April 14th – Palisades Amusement Park: A Century of Fond Memories with Vince Gargiulo.
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We will be holding a series of Show & Tell & Scan days at the museum this upcoming season. We are interested in seeing what old photos, documents (including genealogy documents and records), and reasonably sized objects (i.e., objects that are easily carried from your car into the museum without assistance) you have relating to the history of the town. We’ll scan the photos and documents, photograph all your cool stuff, and provide you with a digital copy. In return, we’re asking that you allow us to share them (with credit) through our programs, displays and exhibits, in response to information requests, and on social media. Each session will be several hours long, so you’ll be able to chat with your neighbors and friends, see what other information the museum may have about your house/family/neighborhood/that old building you’ve always wondered about/etc.
There will be four sessions, split into geographical areas
- Lake Oscawana
- Lake Peekskill
- Roaring Brook
- Greater Putnam Valley
The dates will be announced shortly, so whether your family’s been here for three or four generations, or you are a newer resident that moved into an old house and found some cool stuff, or have somehow acquired anything related to the history of Putnam Valley, start thinking about what you’d like to share with us! The Where Are We album on Facebook will also be updated next month, so take a peek through there to see if you recognize any of the houses and have any information about them!
And finally….the exhibit for this year will be about the Revolutionary War in (now) Putnam Valley and the surrounding areas. The official opening will be in early May. If you haven’t ever been to the museum, or it’s been a while, say, since kindergarten, this will be a great year to come back. See you soon!
One last note – the building is still winterized. We’ll let everyone know when it’s open again.
The Return of Our American History
Our American History is back for 2018! Join us for our first session on Saturday March 10 as we welcome local author Deborah Rafferty Oswald. 
We’ll also be announcing a few exciting things in the next couple of weeks…museum open dates, our 2018 exhibit, and a series of information gathering/sharing sessions. Think…show and tell among residents and community members. If you have old pictures, documents, maps, ephemera, etc… about Putnam Valley and Lake Peekskill, we’re interested in it.
We hope to see you soon!
The year is winding down
The final Our American History program of the year is this coming Saturday, December 9th, at 10:00AM at the PV Library.
Our Holiday Boutique will also be open this weekend. Stop by and pick up a few gifts for your family, friends, teachers, coaches…or reward yourself for all the running around you have to do this time of year! We have something for everyone, and some new items will be here this weekend.
See you this weekend!
It’s holiday boutique time!
It’s that time of the year again – our annual holiday boutique! We still have room for vendors. If you’re interested, send us an email (putnamvalleyhistory@gmail.com) or a Facebook message. 
The Return of Our American History
We held our annual meeting at Watson’s Restaurant and Bar on the 15th, and a good time was had by all. Mike Adamovich and Cathy Hanson were welcomed as new board members.
Last night was our Halloween event featuring guest speaker Priscilla Keresy. We tried having a theme this year – an Evening at The Speakeasy.
And finally…returning in November…Our American History!
In deference to Putnam Valley’s Veteran’s Day ceremonies, November’s program will be held on Sunday November 12th at 1:00PM. Still at the Library, November’s program will feature Putnam County Historian Sarah Johnson, speaking about the Women’s Suffrage movement in our county.
December’s program will be back at it’s usual second Saturday morning time slot.
Our annual Holiday Boutique is right around the corner as well, December 2-3 and 9-10. Do you live locally and have handmade crafts or goods you’d like to sell? Send us an email – putnamvalleyhistory@gmail.com, and keep an eye out here and on Facebook for updates.
Annual Meeting
Our Annual Meeting is coming up on October 15th, with a new location and different time than years past…We’ll be meeting at Watson’s Restaurant and Bar at Oregon Corners for brunch from 12:00pm – 2:00pm this year instead of later in the day.
This year, we will be honoring the Tompkins Corners Cultural Center for all their contributions to the community. While invitations have been mailed out to our membership, anybody is welcome to attend. It’s $40.00 per person – and if you’d prefer to pay online rather than sending in a check, you can use the PayPal link on the right.
Bannerman Trip is Sold Out!
After stopping by the post office this morning, the Bannerman trip on September 24th is fully booked! If you are interested in being on a waiting list, send us an email with your name and best contact information.
A Visit to West Point
On July 28th, a small group went on a tour of nearby West Point. We were fortunate enough to have gotten some pictures of the grounds…
…to compare to these pictures that are about 120 years old! The first four glass negatives in our collection are of West Point, taken sometime between 1895 and 1905 (by our best estimate, which is based on the dates on the negative folders).
While we can thank Michael Bennett for the crisp, color photos we have no idea who took the black and white photos. One of the many mysteries at our little museum. Whoever it was had ties to Putnam Valley and Peekskill, some of the slides are of the Barger family. But that’s another post for another day.
Our American History will return in September – we’ll be at Town Day in September – another trek to Bannerman is on Sunday September 24th, our Annual Meeting is in October, and plans for our Halloween Event are being made. Some smaller, community focused events are also being put together – keep an eye out here and on Facebook for more details – as well as plans for next year, when we celebrate our 50th Anniversary. In the meantime, visit the museum on Saturdays from 10:00AM – 2:00PM. You can check our our recent donations – 3 portraits of members of the Hadden family.
Alexander Hamilton, West Point, Bannerman Castle.
This past Thursday was the conclusion of the 2017 spring season of Our American History – and boy did we go out with a bang! It was our best attended session yet, with around 60 people in attendance. Many thanks to Rand Scholet for a wonderfully entertaining, informative, and exciting glimpse into the remarkable life of Alexander Hamilton.
We’d also like to thank the Tompkins Corners Cultural Center for lending us their space. The lawn outside was the perfect stage for our two lead actors to show us what (supposedly) happened that fateful day in Weehawken, New Jersey.
Stay tuned for a video of the duel.
Our American History will resume in the fall, but in the meantime we have a tour of West Point to look forward to, on July 29th
As well as registration for the fall tour of Bannerman Castle! If you missed it the first time around, or simply want to see it again – sign up soon! The spots filled very quickly last time.
Mark your calendars (or add it to your phone)
There’s a change in our schedule for Our American History for July…instead of being held on the second Saturday (the 8th) at 10:00AM, it will be on Thursday July 13th at the Tompkins Corners Cultural Center (the former TC Methodist Church) on Peekskill Hollow Road, at 7:00pm. Join us that evening for a presentation by Rand Scholet on Alexander Hamilton – George Washington’s Indispensable Partner, enjoy some summer evening treats…and witness a reenactment of the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr that only Putnam Valley can pull off. You may be wondering who will be filling those famous shoes, you may have heard rumors – make sure you’re there to see it for yourself!
Putnam Valley: A Look Back by Sallie & Wylie Sypher
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Putnam Valley: A Look Back by Sallie & Wylie Sypher
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Putnam Valley Historical Society 