Welcome to the FIRST all digital Hurley Heritage Society Prologue!

For almost 50 years, the Hurley Heritage Society has maintained and operated

the Hurley Museum, which continues to be open and free to the public. We are

an all-volunteer organization that protects and preserves materials, documents

and artifacts pertaining to the Hurley area, and raise awareness and educate the

public of the town's special heritage through events, lectures, programs, tours,

and community initiatives.

We are pleased to launch the first edition of our new digital PROLOGUE, which will deliver quarterly updates on events, programs, and insights into local Hurley history. In addition, we will send timely emails with updates on HHS activities, including our highly anticipated ZOOM lectures.

  The Museum opens on Saturday May 6^th when we are excited to unveil two new exhibits, POST OFFICES OF HURLEY 1837 TO THE PRESENT and EAGLES NEST: EXPLORING THE MYTHS AND REALITY. An opening reception with refreshments will be held from 1-4 on that day, please join us and meet the curators of the exhibits. Feeling nostalgic? The post office exhibit includes a representation of a vintage post office constructed with actual parts of our Hurley post office.   

  A list of current activities is included in this PROLOGUE. We have also designed a new rack card which will be available at the museum, the Town Hall and Ulster Tourism racks.

  The museum will once again be open free of charge from 1-4 PM on Saturdays and Sundays from May through October.  Walking tours will be available on the fourth Sunday of each month. We continue to operate as an all-volunteer organization. If you have an interest in volunteering as a museum greeter, a tour guide, working in the gift shop, or any other capacity, please contact me or visit our website at  https://www.hurleyheritagesociety.org/volunteer/

 Volunteer training will be taking place on April 23^rd at the museum.

   In closing, THANK YOU to our members, volunteers and community. It is through your generosity and support that we continue to grow.

Diane Blakely

President

Hurley Heritage Society

Dianeblakely@hvc.rr.com

(845) 943-0493  

April 23 Volunteer Training Day at the museum

April 29 Cleanup Day Volunteers welcome to help spruce up

the museum to prepare for the Spring opening

May 6 Museum Opening Day and reception for the new exhibits

May 19-20 Plant Sale pick up (orders placed 1-2 weeks in advance)

Sept 22-23 Mum sale pick up (orders placed 1-2 weeks in advance)

Oct 9 - Nov 3 Hurley Scarecrow Invasion

Oct 18 – 29 HHS Autumn Auction

Library/Children's Events - check website for scheduled events

Hurley Walking Tours

Available on 4th Sunday of the month at 2pm May - Oct       

MUSEUM HOURS

Free and open to the public; donations welcome

Open May 6th through October 29th

Saturday - Sunday 1-4pm

It’s time to look forward to spring and plan for your gardens. The

Hurley Heritage Society is taking pre-orders for flats, pots, and hanging baskets of beautiful plants grown by Saunderskill Farms, Accord and 6-inch planters from Boice's Farm, Saugerties filled with a mix of flowers (Lobelia, Million Bells, Petunias - to name a few). 

The forms will be mailed the first week of April. They will also be distributed to

various locations throughout Hurley. Please return your completed form to

Flo Brandt, 132 Woodland Drive, Hurley, N.Y., 12443 by May 4th.

Pick up for the pre-orders will be at the museum grounds Friday, May 19th,

between 4 and 6 p.m. The backyard of the museum will be accessible on Saturday, May 20th for those who can't pick up their orders on Friday . We will also sell left over plants at that time.

Please check the Hurley Heritage website for any additional

information regarding the sale that may be forthcoming.

All proceeds from this sale go directly to the Hurley Heritage Society and benefit the maintenance of the gardens and grounds of the museum. 

Please feel free to call Flo at (845) 331-8767 if you have questions or need forms.

Wally Cook, a longtime member of the Hurley Reformed church will be the guest speaker at an upcoming lecture taking place on April 19^th, 2023 at 1 PM at the church.

Mr. Cook will be sharing his knowledge of the history of the church, focusing specifically on the ministers who have served the community since the early 1800’s.

  The lecture is titled: A Story of the Pulpit – Our Past Pastors



  This lecture promises to be both informative an engaging, providing attendees with a deeper understanding of the church’s rich history.

  For those unfamiliar with the Hurley Reformed Church, it is one of the oldest churches in the area with a long and storied history. Founded in the early 19th century, the church has played an important role in the spiritual and social lives of the Hurley Community for generations. The lecture will offer a unique opportunity to learn about the church’s history, including the challenges and triumphs of the ministers’ influence.

 Everyone in the community is invited to attend this special event. Mark your calendars for April 19^th at 1PM. To reserve a seat, call the church office at (845) 331-4121

‘Ron’ Rifenburg, 92, passed away on January 29, 2023, leaving behind a legacy of devotion to the Hurley Heritage Society. Ron was a past President of HHS whose volunteer contributions made possible the purchase and furnishing of our museum building in 2000.

    He and his wife, Shirley, chaired many of our Corn and Craft Festivals.  Ron could do just about anything the museum required, including crafting iron and leather colonial reproductions, making tables for the Board room and events, electrical wiring, painting, Memorial Day floats…you name it, he did it!

   The embodiment of Ron’s commitment and spirit can be seen everywhere you look in the museum. In 2002 a plaque honoring the Rifenburg’s service to HHS was hung in the doorway of the museum’s Dutch Room. 



   How fortunate we were to have a member like Ron who dedicated so much of his time and talent to our organization. We are grateful for his stewardship.

If you have a passion for Hurley and local history and are looking for a way to get more involved in the community, the Hurley Heritage Society offers many opportunities!

Founded almost 50 years ago, our mission is to preserve, protect, educate and celebrate the town of Hurley’s unique heritage. We are an all-volunteer organization, and sponsor a variety of activities including walking tours of historic main street, our popular ZOOM lectures on local culture and history, children’s activities in partnership with the Hurley library, and informative demonstrations. 

We also operate the Museum which remains free and open to the public, and houses the Dutch room and a gift shop. This year we will also unveil 2 exciting new exhibits. Volunteers are needed to greet visitors when the museum is open on weekends, volunteer in our gift shop, assist with events, and maintain our collections, the museum, and grounds. 

We will be holding a volunteer information and training session at the museum on April 23^rd. If you are interested, please go to the volunteer link on the HHS website.