HistoricalSociety
Stephentown
President:
Bill Zimmerman
794-8430
Vice Presidmt:
733-0196
JudithPierson
RecordingSecretary:
PatriciaFlint
733-5871
Cor responding Secretary:
733-5935
IsabelKrebs
Treasurer:
733-5935
Neil Krebs
Rob€rtGorman
733-9661
733-0t96
SandyHamer
733-5923
Bill Jennings
733-s170
BeverleyMcClave
733-6772
Dale Riggs
733-s25A
CarolineWhite
Newsletter
July, 2004
VoltrmeV[, Number I
Strawberry Festival Breaks Records
More than 2m poundsof
fresh, iuicy strawberries - tn all-time record were sold to more than
330 visitorc to the 23rd
annual Strawberry Festival on June2lth.
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They camefrom noar
andfar to eqioy generous
portionsof shawberry
Hallqr: Yolunteers(1.to r.) Mary Gorman,Alice Mather, Sylfia
COMMITTEE
Leibensprger
andPat Bowmanhelp cat and slicesomeof the 203
shortcakewith or without
CHAIRPER,SONS
poundsofjuicy sffmtberriessold at the fuciety's StrmtberryFestival.
biscuits,ice creamand
topping; to buy pies and Starting at 8 a.m. Friday morning, the "A Team" arrived
Cemeteries:
Help Wanted!
tarts; andto visit with
at The Berry Patchwift picking bucketsin hand. Ninety
WiU you help?
friendsandneighborslur- minuteslater, they presentedthe awaiting"B Team"
Collections:
733-5170 der the te,nton the grounds with 203poundsof strawberriesto be cleaned,hulle4
Bev McClave
Fandroising:
of The Berry Patchon a
slicedandreadiedfor Sunday'sFestival. A third group
733-5250 beautiful, sunnySunday
CarolineWhite
of volunteersmadehomemadebiscuits,pieg tarts and
Ctenealogt:
afte,nroon,
chocolatecoveredstrawberriesfor Sunday'sev€,nt.
733-5136
Virginia Atnater
Heritage Center:
733-5170
Bev McClave
Historic Buildings
SylviaLeibeirsperger 733-5716
I"andscaping:
7336t72
Dale Riggs
Membership:
733-0196
JudithPierson
Nominating:
733-s250
CarolineWhite
Newsletter:
733-0196
SandyHamer
Program:
(413) 738-5420
PatBorman
YouthCoordinator: Help Wanted
Refreshments:
733-566,8
Alice Mather
Com ing. U p :
Ol o n o T rip, I nt erest ing F oll Progroms
A fascinatingmixture of socialactivities,prognlmsthat delveinto the history of
the areaanda field trip to one of the region's most unusualhistorical atffac'tions
is scheduledfor the remainderof the year. Organizedby ProgramCommittee
Chair PatBowmanwith the invaluableassistanceof committeemembersIsabel
KrebsandMeredith Rhindress,most of the programswill follow the brsiness
portion of the Stephentoum
Historical Society'smonthly meetings,which begin
at7:30 p.m. on the first non-holidayMonday of eachmonth.
A field trip to Olanaon July 29 highliehtsthe summerschedule.Home of
landscapepainterFrederickEdwin Church,a founderof the HudsonRiver
Schoolof painting,the 1870-76mansionwasbuilt in the Persianslyle. It commandsa dramaticview ofthe HudsonRiver andthe Catskillsbeyond.
Continued on Page 3
a
Stephentou,n H ist or ic al Soci ety
Page 2
Clean Out Your Garage:Tag Sale Set for August 7
If you haven'tbeenputting asideitemsfor the annual
Wsale, now's the time to cleanout your basement
andgarage.The CommunityTag Sale,which benefits
the SHS,will be held ftom 9 a.m.to 3 p.m. on Saturduy,Augrrst7 atGardner'sfield on Route22. In case
of rain, the eventwill be held the following d^y, Sunduy,Augrrst8.
sale. flue to the limited storagespace,itemscanonly
be acceptedat the StephentownHeritageCenterbetween I and4 p.m. on Friday,August6.
No Feeto Set Up Your Own Teg SeleTeble
n
Area residentsandnonprcfit organizationsmay also
setup their ovrntag sde tablesat the event. Thereis
no fee or advancereservationrequired,but particiTag Saleco-chairpercon
Bev McClaveindicated
pantsmust providetheir own tablesandchairs. Setthat no clothing or largeapplianceswill be accepted, up time beginsat I a.m.on the day of the tagsale.
althoughsmall appliancesin working conditionwill
be accepted.Donateditems shouldbe broughtto the FOR INFORIIIATION: contrct Bw McClave at
733-5170or Libby Kogen et 733466i2.
Wsale site asearly as 8 a.m.on the morningof the
ow
New Fall Festival Set for September19
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A new harvestcelebrationis in the bakesalefeaturingbreads,muffitrs, pumpkinpainting for kids
works for the Stephentowncommu- cookiesandother bakedgoodies
of all ages. Dale Riggs,ownerof
plus kids' activities.
nity. Scheduledfor I l:00 a.m.to
The Berry Patch,is growing a spep.m.
4:00
on Sunday,September19
cial batchof pumpkinsfor the chilFree ReclpeExchrnge
at The Berry Patchon Route22,the
drenisportion of the Fall Festival
Membersaneaskedto startcheck- event.
new fimdraisingactivity will r€placethe CraftFest,which experi- ing their files for favorite appleand
Help Wented
enceddeclining interestin recent pumpkin recipesfor the bakesale
and for the specialfree RecipeEx- Yotn help is neededto makethis
yeals.
changethat will be anotherfeature eventa suscess.To sigr up for the
Applesandpumpkinswill reigr of the Fall Festival.
bdcesaleor for more information
supr€meat the family-oriented
Pumpkin Peinting for the Kids contactDaleRiggs at733-6772or
event: appleandpumpkinpie with
SandyHamerat 733-0196.
A highlight of the festivalwill be
ice creamor topphg,
"
Sword Among RecentGifts to SHS
A Sword, possiblyusedin the
Civil War, wes r nscentgift to
the SHS, alongwith otheritemsof
historicalinterestthat will help
educatefuture generationsabout
the lives of the peoplewho onse
lived in the Stephentownanlea.
Among acquisitionsreceivedduring the first six monthsof 2004
are:
A swordcontainingan inscriptionon the blade,
o
An egg separator made by
the International Harvester
A print of an 1877steel
If you
donatingan
engravingof hdac Pratt,
ical interest
who wasborn in Stephen- item or
ical Sotown on October30, 1790, to the S
ciety, pleaseeontactCollections
A postcqrdof the Valley
CommittoeChair Bev McClave at
View SnackBar,
733-5170.
TJ
I
Stephentmtn H istorical Society
Page3
SHS Fall Progransr Continaed
Other SHS programsscheduled Iron Worhs' featuing William
for the remainder of 2fi)4 inEdwards
A trip to the nearbyAmerican
clude:
o l)ecember 6 - Holiday PotMuseumof Firefightingis alsopart o August2 ofnnsof Rensseluch ond Party and'Olf the Reof the day rip to Olana.Oneof the loer Coanty' featuringKathryn
cord" featuringWallaceStock
oldestmuseumsof its type,it inSheehan
o Jenurry 3 - oWorkingwith
cludesmorethan73 firefighting
oThe
Wool" feahring IsabelKrebs
Shaf
machines(onedatingftom 1725), o September13ing of New Yorh: Mttsclc, Wind,
memorabiliaandpaintings.
Woterofeatuing RobertArnold
The costof the field trip to Olana
Meetingsof the Stephentown
olegendsof
andthe AmericanMuseumof Fire- o October 4 HistoricalSocietyarefree,open
Rensselaer Coanty' featuring
fighting is $7. For infomation
to the public andareheld at the
JohnRoy
and reservations,call Pat BowStephentownHeritageCenteron
mrn at 413 738-5420.
Garfield Roadin Stephentown.
o Novemberl-oRichmond
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sive debtfor himselfandhis tenants.Whenhis heirstried to collect
the rentsduethem,a populist antirent movementensued,finally resultingin the overthrowof the entire Patroonsystern.
ca
to
to develop.
the Van Rensselaers
gaveleasein
turn,
The Patrootrs,
holdsto selectedlocal individuals.
The Patroonprovidedcapital for
infrastructure.The leaseholders
providedmanpowerfor development.This symbioticsystem
workedwell for about50 yeals.
But our StephenVan Rensselaer
III, the GoodPatroon,was lax in
collectingrents,resultingin exten-
©
The featuredspeakerat the May
3rd meetingwasDr. SungBok
Kim, Professorof History at the
University at Albany and an expert
on New York's colonialhistory.
He entertaininglyexplainedthe
Patroonsystemandits application
to HudsonRiver Valley development.The Dutch WestIndia Company neededsettlers.They gave
hugetractsof landto families like
w
n
snd their Tenants
Th e Van R ens s e l a e r a
The FascinatingLettersof the Moflitt Family
shehadbecomeperonally acBarbaraUrban,the featured
speakerat the April 5th meeting quaintedwith the family.
of the SHS, wasintroducedto the "Most of the materialconsisted
Moflitt family when,6 a retired of letterccollectedby Mts. John
social studiesteacher,shebecame JayMoffitt (neeLucy E. Gardner
a volunteerwith the Rensselaer I 835-1928)betrveenherselfand
CountyHistoricalSocietyin
membersof her immediatefamily,
Troy.
businesspapercand other docu-
children,Charles,wasa teacherat
Disfiict A Schoolin Stephentown
andalsoin ColumbiaCounty.
DaugtherOra died in childbirth.
The lettersgrve insight into the
family's day-to-dayactivitiesand
changesocctnringat that time.
To organizethe Moffitt papers,
Urban sorted,then sortedagain:by
Handeda box of 600-800pieces ments,"[Jrbanstated.
autlror,chronologicallyand finally
of paperthat had beendonatedto
The Moffitts lived on Wanple
by subject. Shethen createda narthe Societyby a SpringfieldtilRoadin the Garfieldsectionof
tiquesdealer,Urban's adventurc Stephentownand farmeddairy cat- rative to seweas a guide for future
began.Two yearslater, the task tle, ftrits andgrains. Oneof their rcsearcherswho might be interestedin furtlrer study.
was finishedand Urban felt as if
I
Stephentown H istorical Society
Page 4
ALEBERLE REVIVESMEMO.
RIES OF THE'BIG BAND' ERA
ATJUNE MEETING
SUMMERTIME
READING:
--
T -Y-
SHS
It wasa trip down memorylanefor manymembersof the audienceattendingthe Junemeetingof the Stephentovrn
Historical
Society. Al Eberle,the youngerbrotherof singersBob andRuy,
talkedaboutthem,their musicalfamily andgrowingup in
HoosickFalls.
Top Mele Vocalistsof their Day
-/
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PUBLICATIONS
Summertimeis a goodtime to catchup
on reading,andyou'll find interesting
readingin the following publications,all
availablevia mail or at the Stephentown
HeritageCenter.
To orderby mail, checkthe items
wanted,makeyour checkpayableto the
StephentownHistorical Society,and mail
this form with your name,addressand
checkto: SHS,PostOffice Box I l, Stephentown,NY 12168.
l- PictorialAlbum 2 (lg7g)
$8.75
f Bicentennial
Album 3 (1984) $8.75
f PictorialAlbum 4 (lgg2)
$8.75
f zilthAnniversaryAlbum 5
$10.25
ie
So
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when world war II camealong,Bob andRayjoinedthe
Army. Both pickedup their singingcareersat the endof the wff,
but they neverregainedtheir pre-warpopularity. Othersingers
suchas Frank Sinatrahad replacedthemas superstarsof the day.
Bob diedof a heartattackin l98l andRaydiedin 1979- and
both werenearlypenniless.
ty
ri
to
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Ray'sbig breakcamein 1938,whenbandleaderGlennMiller
askedBob if h€ hadany brathersat hornewho could sing. Miller
hired Ray. Both brotherswent on to havesuccessfulcareersin
radio,television,film andon stage.
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Raisedin Jack'sHotel,the family homeandbusinessat the
cornerof Elm StreetandRailroadAvenue(now gone),Al and
his 9 brothersandsisterswerealwayssinging. Bob won $40on
FredAllen's AmateurHour, wasdiscoveredby Tommyand
Jimmy Dorseyandjoined the DorseyBrothersbandin 1935. He
wasan instantsuccessandwent on to becomeoneof the top
malevocalistsof the My, alongwith Bing Crosby.
-rr -O!
tl ltli.
l-
'
t-
Half a Chicken for Half a Buck
At the meetitrB,Eberleshowedfamily moviesof his brothers
whenthey wereyoungboys,playedsomeof the big bandmusic
that featuredBob andR"y, andtalkedaboutJack'sHotel. "We
featureda regularspecial-half a chickenfor half a buck---can
you imaginethat?"Al reminisced.His father,Jack,placeda
largeboardoutsidethe hotel wherehe would postthe scoresof
his favoritebaseballteams,€sp€ciallythe NY Yankees,asthe
gameswerebroadcaston radio. "My dadwould put a pianoon a
flat wagonandpull it aroundtown with Mom playing andhim
singing. Thosewerethe 'goodold days'," he said.Many membersof the Eberlefamily havenow relocatedto Florida,but Al
still livesin HoosickFalls.
'
(lee8)
StephenVan Rensselaer
III $12.75
A PictorialReflection(19S4)
Epitaphsin the Only
Stephentownon Eanh
$16.75
f A Placefor All Seasons
(1939)$2.00
36 pg. Calendarof Essays& Illus.
_
' OnceUpona Year(1991) $4.50
HistoricalCalendarof Rensselaer
&
ColumbiaCotrnties
r Norccards
Each@ $.50
(Seasonal
& Scenic)
6/ $3.00
l2l $5.00
l- Postcards
(3 Scenes) Each@ $.35
l2l $3.50
Stephentown Historical Society
SIIAKER STYLE STUDIED
IN STEPHENTOWI\
ASCATTERED PEOPLE
By DcvidFlint-Ihe EastwickPress
A specialpresentationon June6, sponsoredby the Rensselaer-Taconic
Land Conservancyandthe StephentownHistorical
Society,featued ProfessorGerald
McFarlord,authorof A ScatteredPeople.
The book follows ProfessorMcFarland's
ancestors,who participatedin morethan
their shareof eventsasthey movedwestward in the early daysof America. In 1769,
DanielHull exploredCherryPlainand in
1770broughthis family there. In 1771,
DanielandJamesDennisonarrived,followed by cousinArchibald and Margaret
RogersGreenfield,parentsof the speaker's
gr eat-greatgreatgrandmother.
By BtllZlnmennan
n
"The peculiargraceof a Shakerchair is dueto the fastthat an
angelmight comeand sit on it," saidThomasMerton. Sharon
Koomler, Ctuator of Educationand Collectionsat the Shaker
Museumand Library in Old Chatham,providedthis quotein
her talk on ShakerStyle atthe Marchmeetingof the Stephentown Historical Society. Koomler saidthe ladder-backchair is
exemplaryof the simplicity andutility of Shakerdesign,their
carefulwork in everythingthey madeandtheir bent for adapting local andcontemporarystyl6s,combiningdurability and
function and having fi.rnctiondefine form. Shesaidthe Shakersaspiredto live in the world but not of the world.
l
ca
ty
ie
The Revolutionstifled development,but
the economyboomedstartingin the 1780's,
andthe peoplecontinuedto movewest.
New landsgavepeoplethe opportunityto
developandexerciseinfluence.
So
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H
is
Koomler illtrstratedher talk with slidesthat showedthe
cleanlines andbasicforms of not only chairsbut alsocabinets
andcupboards,baskets,boxes,bucketsandpails,clothingand
drawitrgs,aswell asbuildingsandthe layoutof their communities.
St
Settlerssold land in crowdedcoastalareas
andpouredsweatequity into new lands.
Although the Patroonownedthe land, the
tenantsownedthe improvements.Cherry
Plain settlersservedbriefly in the Revolution, often returningto tend or harvesttheir
crops.
ri
to
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to
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"Put handsto work and heartsto God," was their moffo.
Thesevaluesshowedup in the designand craftsmanshipof
their work. The productionof ladder-backchairsat the New
LebanonShakercommunitybecamea major industrythat
lasteduntil 1942. TheNew Lebanoncommunityalsoproducedand sold seeds,patentmedicinesand some77,W0 oval
woodenboxes. The village of Mount Lebanon"at its height in
1860,coveredsome6,000acresandhadmorethan 100buildings.
Jerry Grant,Director of Researchat the ShakerMuseumand
After the presentatior,the group hiked
Library, saidthe institution waspleasedto rcceivea "Save
someof the areaof intercstalongCherry
America'sTreasrlres"grantto investigatethe feasibilityof acPlainHill Road.
quiring the Mount Lebanonsite and restoringthe GreatStone
Barn to housethe museum,which would be relocatedfrom
Old Chatham.Grantsaidthe museumstaffis very excited
aboutthe prospectof bringingthe collection"home," as 80%
of the ShakerCollection,the mostcomprehensive
in Americ\
INMEMORIAM
originatedat Mount Lebanon. The GreatStoneBarn wasthe
largestin America. A fire in 1972destoyed the timber struc- Jane E. Dnyer (4 128139
- 4/26104)
ture but left the massivestonewalls standing. A fundraising
Ellen E. Lewis(7114123
- 6115104)
carnpaignwill soonbe underway to raisefuirdsto construct
the bam and rehabilibte otherendangeredstructuresat the
North Family site of the Mount kbanon sommunity.
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Stcrlrul.tarrilr, $,n
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Web site: rYTyTY.cbsco.com/shs
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E meik shs@we
$ 10.00
$ 25.00
Supporting Member
Life Member
N,Ieke your tnxdeductible
$ 50.00
$ 200.00
check payable b:
Sbphentown lTistorical Society
P.O. Box 11
Stephentonrno I\fY 121ffi
Our meeting$ ane held rt7z30 p.m. on fte frrst
younre innon-holiday Monday of each montF
Yited b join u$.
et
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H
Pleasejoin us to lern aboutthe history of Stephe,ntown arcaandits residents,to help preservethat
knowledgefor future generationsandto enjoy our
programsandactivities.Our membershipyear is
JanuaryI to December31 andall me,mberships
are
turdeductible. Individual, SupportingandLife meirtlbershipsarefor individualsonly.
So
is
St
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
to
ep
HistoricalSociety
Stephentown
COMMT]I\[ITY
TAG SALE!
SaturdilyrAugust 7
9 t.m to 3 p.m.
(Rain Date: Augrrst 8)
Gardner'sField, Route22
Do yourselfandyour communitya service:clean
out your garageand basementand donatecastoffs
(no clothingor largeappliances,please)in good
conditionto the Stephentoum
Historical Society.
Or, setup your own tflg saleta.ble.For information
contactBev McClave(733-5170)or Libby Kogan
(733-6662).