|
AWARDS FOR EXCELLENCE
GHHN's Awards For Excellence program seeks to recognize and commend exceptional efforts among GHHN members. Awards are made to projects that exemplify creativity and professional vision resulting in a contribution to the preservation and interpretation of the historic scene, material culture, and diversity of the region.
Awards will be presented at the 2026 GHHN Annual Conference,
to be held on Tuesday, October 27 at the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, NY.
2026 Awards for Excellence are presented to:
Area of Achievement: Program
Derfner Judaica Museum + Art Collection at Hebrew Home at Riverdale
Celebrating LGBT Sculptor Stuart Edelson
Bronx, NY (Bronx)
This award is in recognition of the Derfner Judaica Museum + Art Collection’s work to preserve and interpret the legacy of New York-based LGBT artist Stuart Edelson through the conservation and exhibition of his sculpture Memory Object. The project, supported by original research by Senior Curator Emily O’Leary, brought renewed attention to Edelson’s work through interpretive materials, a multilingual digital guide, and Pride Month programming that shared his life and work with a broad public.
Fort Ticonderoga
REAL TIME REVOLUTION®
Ticonderoga, NY (Essex)
This award is in recognition of Fort Ticonderoga’s REAL TIME REVOLUTION® programming, which immerses audiences in the American Revolution as it unfolded, day by day, 250 years later. Grounded in primary sources, artifacts, and current scholarship, the program presents the Revolution not as a settled outcome, but as a series of daily choices, sacrifices, and consequences.
Area of Achievement: Project
Boscobel House & Gardens
Boscobel Loyalist Trail
Garrison, NY (Putnam)
Area of Achievement: Project
This award is in recognition of the creation of the Boscobel Loyalist Trail, conceived of and executed by Communications & Marketing Manager Abby Addams, which connects 20 historic sites across New York and beyond to illuminate the often-overlooked Loyalist experience. As America marks its 250th anniversary, the Trail expands our understanding of the American Revolution while building public awareness of these remarkable places and the complicated stories of loyalty, division, and belonging that continue to resonate today.
Trench Brady, Digital History Resource
Sergeant Chirp Dispatch
Poughquag, NY (Dutchess)
This award is in recognition of Sergeant Chirp Dispatch, a character-driven augmented reality program that brings Revolutionary War history to life at nine historic sites across Dutchess County. Created by Trench Brady for under $9,000, the program features Sergeant Chirp, a cricket in a tricorn hat, who engages families through QR-code augmented reality encounters without requiring an app.
Harness Racing Museum & Hall of Fame
Equine Science and New York Agriculture Exhibits
Goshen, NY (Orange)
This award is in recognition of the Harness Racing Museum’s new multimodal Agriculture and Equine Science exhibits, which celebrate the culture and contributions of New York State agriculture while exploring the relationship between equine anatomy and movement. The exhibits also examine how the quest to understand animal movement contributed to the development of motion picture technology and provide a foundation for new educational programming.
Heckscher Museum of Art
Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History
Huntington, NY (Suffolk)
This award is in recognition of Emma Stebbins: Carving Out History, the first solo exhibition to honor the work and life of neoclassical sculptor Emma Stebbins, best known for her iconic Bethesda Fountain in Central Park. The exhibition and accompanying catalog helped return Stebbins to her rightful place in art history and generated unprecedented press attention for the Heckscher Museum.
Historic Huguenot Street
John Hasbrouck, A Most Estimable Citizen
New Paltz, NY (Ulster)
This award is in recognition of Historic Huguenot Street’s online exhibition John Hasbrouck, A Most Estimable Citizen, which reveals the story of a Black child born in New Paltz under New York’s gradual abolition laws. John went on to become an early Black landowner and voter in the town and kept two remarkable account books that provide a rare window into his life and experiences.
Hudson River Museum and Groundwork Hudson Valley
Throwing Shade on Extreme Heat: Designing Shade Structures for Yonkers
Yonkers, NY (Westchester)
This award is in recognition of an exhibit resulting from Hudson River Museum’s partnership with Groundwork Hudson Valley on a three-year initiative addressing extreme heat challenges in Yonkers through community-driven solutions and innovative environmental strategies. Throwing Shade on Extreme Heat demonstrates how community partnerships can create climate-resilient infrastructure that is both effective and elegant.
Senate House State Historic Site
Museum Building Upgrades and New Exhibits
Kingston, NY (Ulster)
This award is in recognition of significant improvements to the Senate House State Historic Site, including two new permanent exhibitions, Revolution Comes to Kingston and Vanderlyn the Artist, and a modernized main lobby. The new exhibits incorporate updated research, collections, technology, and interactive elements while expanding the stories and perspectives presented to visitors.
The Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation
The Long Island History Hunt
Riverhead, NY (Suffolk)
This award is in recognition of The Long Island History Hunt, a scavenger-hunt-style contest that invites visitors to explore 26 local museums and historic sites connected to the American Revolution. This free, family-friendly program encourages participants to take selfies at each location and upload their photos to the website for a chance to win prizes.
Area of Achievement: Publication
Central Synagogue Archives
Three Central Synagogue Rabbis: Their Sermons in Changing Times
Manhattan, NY (New York)
This award is in recognition of Three Central Synagogue Rabbis: Their Sermons in Changing Times by Hasia R. Diner, a Central Synagogue Archives monograph that explores how the sermons of three rabbis, serving during different periods, reflected the changing societal needs of their respective times.
National Comedy Center
Funny Stuff: How Comedy Shaped American History
Jamestown, NY (Chautauqua)
This award is in recognition of Funny Stuff: How Comedy Shaped American History, a collaboration between the National Comedy Center and the Smithsonian Institution that brings together stories from their collections through vibrant photographs and illuminating essays. Written by historians responsible for safeguarding these cultural treasures, the book explores how comedy shaped American history while taking readers behind the scenes to uncover the stories behind these American heirlooms.
Tuxedo Park Fire Department
TPFD125
Tuxedo Park, NY (Orange)
This award is in recognition of TPFD125, a full-color illustrated book self-published by the Tuxedo Park Fire Department to celebrate 125 years of all-volunteer service protecting the lives and property of the Town of Tuxedo and Village of Tuxedo Park. The publication commemorates the history and service of the department in a community of approximately 2,000 residents in Orange County, New York.
Congratulations to all the awardees!
| 
