THE IMPORTANCE OF (LOCAL) HISTORY

For many, the name “Pine Plains” evokes a dot on the map while driving along the Taconic State Parkway, but to relegate the Hudson Valley town to a bypassing point on a map is to commit a history lover’s faux pas.

For those who have benignly wandered into that particular offense, and I’m forced to include myself, there’s no time like […]

For this special tenth anniversary issue, Main Street Magazine uncovered the interesting history behind some of our local towns and how they were granted their names – and this is just a tiny sampling!

As we go about our daily lives – going to work, shopping, attending cultural events, and gathering with friends – we often find ourselves in different towns […]

When you really consider the everyday things around you, they start to seem like tiny miracles. – Amy Shearn

Next June 12 marks the 40th anniversary of the dedication of the “old Copake Falls Church” as home to the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society (RJHS) and Museum. The building itself, rescued from neglect and adaptively repurposed, turned 130 years old in 2022. Throughout […]

Alexandra Peters gave me a private tour of her sampler collection on display at the Sharon Historical Society through October just after this enthralling exhibition opened in June. It was a very personal introduction to the art and meaning of needlework samplers which reveal the lives of American girls and their families from 1700 to 1850. The professionally hung show […]