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April 2026

All-digital Hurley Heritage Society Prologue

President's Message

Welcome to the 2026 HHS Season

It seems that Spring took a little longer to arrive this year, but after the long Winter the first signs are finally here. For the Hurley Heritage Society, that means our volunteers are busy preparing the Museum and Gift Shop for our Spring opening on Saturday, May 2^nd. We have a very exciting year planned, including the opening of a brand-new exhibit in the Ernest C. Myer exhibit room. In addition to a new exhibit, we announced the return of Hurley Heritage Day, a fun-filled family day of crafts, food, and history to be held on September 19^th. Read on for details of these and more events!

Please join us on opening day to see what’s new at the Museum and meet some of the volunteer staff. Light refreshments will be served. While here, be sure to visit the Emil Zullo Library exhibit, The Wynkoop House, Inspiring the Arts Across the Centuries, which is entering its final season.  

 We have several Zoom lectures planned for 2026. Our first, The River People: Seasonal Life in the Hudson Valley Five Centuries Ago, presented by Justin Wexler, received rave reviews! It was followed by “Revolutionary Women,” a conversation with Poet Kate Hymes and historian Erin von Holdt about the numerous roles Ulster County women played on both sides of the Revolutionary War, which has its 250th anniversary this year.

Our next lecture, to be presented by Reynolds “Rennie” Scott-Childress, Building the Old South Plantation in the Hudson River Valley: Middle Class Idylls of Service and Status is scheduled for April 30^th.   

The Museum and gift shop at 52 Main Street, Hurley, are open free of charge from 1-4 PM on Saturdays and Sundays from May through October.  Walking tours of Historic Main Street are available on the fourth Sunday of each month. We continue to operate as an all-volunteer organization. We welcome new volunteers! If you have an interest in volunteering as a Museum greeter, a tour guide, working in the gift shop, or any other capacity, please visit our website at  https://www.hurleyheritagesociety.org/volunteer/

 As always, a heartfelt THANK YOU to our members, volunteers and the community. It is through your generosity and support that we continue to grow. 

Diane Blakely

President

Hurley Heritage Society

dianemblakely@gmail.com

A fresh coat of paint this winter thanks to Dale Bohan, Gail Whistance, Angie Mahdavian, Joan Castka, Erin vonHoldt, Mike Rice, Amy Rice.

Our Museum season ended in October, but activity continued to flourish!

On October 19^th HHS hosted the awards reception for the runners, following the Cap2Cap 5K run on the last day of the Burning of Kingston. This annual event is sponsored by the Rotary Club, and benefits the Ulster County SPCA.

Our Fall On-line Auction was a huge success! Proceeds from the auction help us maintain our building and grounds, and continue to offer new programs and events. In addition to the beautiful bluestone walkway at the Museum’s rear entrance, this year we purchased a much-needed new water softener. Thank you to trustee Pat Findholdt for coordinating these upgrades. 

On December 13^th, the Daughters of the American Revolution visited the Old Hurley Burial Ground to lay wreaths on the graves of Hurley residents who fought in the Revolutionary War. HHS members joined the DAR to recite tributes during the ceremony. 

We ended the year with our annual Holiday Boutique, our annual sale of holiday merchandise donated by our very generous members. Proceeds from this sale help us maintain the shop and keep it up to date with new merchandise. Donations are accepted throughout the year, and can be left on our back porch.

In December we retired our very popular Hurley Post Office exhibit, and started planning our new exhibit to be unveiled in the Spring. I wish to extend a very heartfelt Thank You to our dedicated members who worked tirelessly over the past three months painting our exhibit rooms to prepare for the installation: Dale Bohan, Gail Whistance, Angie Mahdavian, Joan Castka, Erin vonHoldt, Mike Rice, Amy Rice spent countless hours working in the Museum, and the results are stunning. 

The HHS Board of Trustees continued to meet monthly, and we would like to express our gratitude to the Hurley Fire District #1 and the Hurley Fire Company for opening their meeting room to us during the cold winter months. We appreciate your support!   

It’s time to plan your Spring 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 are being mailed during the first week of April. Forms can also be found online at the HHS website, and will be distributed to various locations throughout Hurley.  Please return your completed form to:

Flo Brandt, 132 Woodland Drive, Hurley, N.Y., 12443 by May 1^st. 

Pick up for the pre-orders will be at the Museum grounds Friday, May 15th, 4 to 6 PM,  and Saturday, May 16^th, 10 AM to 3 PM. We will also sell any leftover plants at that time. 

Please check the Hurley Heritage website should there be additional information regarding the sale.

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.

Thank You to Our Volunteers

Hurley Heritage Society Lecture Series

The next installment of our lecture series will be hosted on ZOOM on April 30th, 7pm.

“Building the Old South Plantation in the Hudson River Valley: Middle-Class Idylls of Service and Status, 1875-1900”  will be presented by Reynolds "Rennie" Scott-Childress. Reynolds Scott-Childress teaches history at SUNY New Paltz and the Inter-University Centre, Dubrovnik, Croatia. His work focuses on the categories and practices of race and class in US history.

Middle class Americans did a strange thing after destroying slavery in the Civil War. Instead of creating a national culture that celebrated the Union victory, they invented an "old South" plantation myth, replete with loyal mammies, benevolent masters, and banjo orchestras. This talk will describe the development of the myth in the Hudson River Valley and offer an explanation for its popularity.

Pre-registration required for this lecture:

https://us06web.zoom.us/.../register/XipFhwjBTreiOLaV7NysAw

New Exhibit - Hurley in the Revolution:
History Happened Here

Come to the Hurley Museum and help us celebrate the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution! Our new exhibit tells the stories of Hurley residents during the war years. We feature women and children, landowners and tenant farmers, immigrants and indigenous people, enslaved and free people of color, servants, loyalist neighbors and spies. This broad look at life in Hurley during the War of Independence gives visitors a more tactile and complete experience than ever before. Textile production for the war effort, mainly women’s work, became a vital industry during this period. Visitors learn about raising sheep, growing flax, dying, spinning and weaving in Hurley. Crops, farming, and milling are explored. Intricate family histories and connections are on view, not only for those who owned the homes that remain today, but also for those who had much less. Complicated Patriot and Loyalist dynamics and the motives and coercion behind allegiances may surprise you. Many of the old stories are told, but with new perspectives and nuance. A Lego diorama of Main Street is sure to delight the kiddos and those still young at heart! Please join us in exploring what liberty and freedom meant for all the residents of Revolutionary Hurley. We can’t wait to see you!

Complementing the exhibit are a series of events being offered throughout the season: Demonstrations, lectures, book signings, and activities for the whole family. On Opening Day, Saturday, May 2nd, Rob Sweeney will have some of his lovely heritage sheep grazing on our front lawn while Gina Martin and Erin von Holdt demonstrate linen and wool spinning. Don’t miss it! For the latest details on our events, visit our website www.hurleyheritagesociety.org.

The Hurley Museum is at 52 Main Street, Hurley, NY. Open weekend afternoons May through October, 1 PM to 4 PM. Free admission.

We are finalizing plans for our 3^rd Hurley Heritage Day, which returns to the Hurley Museum and Library grounds on September 19^th, 2026.

Date: Saturday, September 19th, 2026 (Rain Date 9/20, 11-4)

Time: 10:00 AM to 4:00 PM (set-up 8:00 AM to 9:30 AM)

Place: Hurley Heritage Museum and Hurley Library, Main Street in Old Hurley

We once again have an incredible day planned! We will have food trucks, live music, crafts, crafts and antique vendors, children’s activities and informational tables from local groups. Watch our website for updated information on participating vendors.

Our previous Hurley Heritage Days were highly successful and enjoyed by all who attended, and our 2026 event promises to offer even more. Be sure to visit our website at www.hurleyheritagesociety.org and follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/HurleyHeritageSociety to stay up to date on Hurley Heritage Day 2026!

We are actively recruiting craft vendors and are very much in need of volunteers who can assist with the logistics of the day, for instance monitoring the Handicap parking, selling raffle tickets, guiding visitors to events, cleaning detail, general ‘runners’, and more.

We still have spaces available for additional vendors. Application forms are online on our website. Space is available on a first-come, first-serve basis and space cannot be held without prepayment. To apply for a 10x10 vendor space, please complete the application and return with full $50.00 payment before August 29, 2026. (Vendors are to provide tables and covering.) Reservations will be confirmed upon acceptance of application and payment.

For more information on vendor applications or to volunteer, please email hhd@hurleyheritagesociety.org.

Hurley Heritage Day is sponsored by the Hurley Heritage Society. In addition to fresh local farm products, antiques, and specialty foods, the accent is on hand crafted goods, such as pottery, glass, fabrics and textiles, woodworking, and jewelry. We welcome you to demonstrate your art to the many visitors who will attend the festival!

Advertising is planned in newspapers, radio, and internet. In addition, flyers will continue to be distributed in the Hudson Valley. Hurley Heritage Day will attract media coverage during the event as well.   

We are also seeking sponsors which are crucial to making this day not only successful but possible. Our sponsorship tiers are:

• Heritage:$2,500 (only one available, you will be our presenting sponsor!!)
• Patriot: $1,000
• Historian: $500
• Rooster: $250
• Tulip: $100

Hurley Heritage Day sponsors will be recognized as follows:

• The Heritage Sponsor will be recognized as the Presenter of Hurley Heritage Day, receive a complementary table at the event, receive 2 ads in the Prologue, our quarterly on-line newsletter, plus all below
• Patriot Sponsors will receive one ad in the Prologue, plus all below
• All sponsors will be listed on display signage at the Museum
• All sponsors will be announced on the HHS Website
• All sponsors will be recognized in the Prologue
• All sponsors will be listed in event announcements (Facebook, Constant Contact)
• All sponsors receive complementary coffee at the event
• All sponsors will receive a complementary raffle ticket at the event

To become a Hurley Heritage Day Sponsor, visit the Hurley Heritage website, www.hurleyheritagesociety.org, then click on Hurley Heritage Day Sponsorship Opportunities.

The bricks on our beautiful walkway on the front lawn of the Museum serve as a lasting tribute to our loved ones. Last year we were excited to announce that after a brief pause, we are once again offering the opportunity to purchase a commemorative brick.

Show your support for the HHS Museum by purchasing a brick in your family’s name or to honor someone close to you. For a $125 donation your brick will be added to the walk.

The inscription may be composed of as many as four lines of eighteen characters. If interested, please contact Maureen Bowers at (845) 331-3665 (home), (914) 466-0710 (mobile),  or send an email to mobowers@aol.com.

Thank you to Eric Fiore who has graciously volunteered to manage the installation of the bricks and upkeep of the walk, and to Maureen who is managing the ordering process. Eric and Maureen have taken over these responsibilities from Wally Cook who managed the program for many years.  

We’re busy getting ready for the shop’s reopening and ordering some new gifts that will tie in with our new exhibit, Hurley in the Revolution: History Happened Here. You’ll find children’s historic folk toys, books about the revolution and Dr. Joseph Diamond’s new book, Archeology in Kingston.  And of course we have your old favorites - Hurley tee-shirts, hats, and books.

New volunteers are needed to work at the shop when the Museum opens in May. The shifts will be 1-4 on both Saturday and Sunday. If you’re interested in helping out, please contact  Kathy McMahon (kmcmahon287@gmail.com, 845-340-0051 (home) or 845-399-0317 (cell), or go to the volunteer link on the HHS website: Hurley Heritage Society | Hurley Heritage Museum | Hurley NY.

We look forward to seeing you when the shop reopens on May 2^nd! 

Our walking tours of historic Main Street saw record breaking numbers last season. Many thanks to our guides, Angie Mahdavian, Richard Cattabiani, Mike Rice, Joan Castka and Lise Hopson.

Tours will resume this season on the 4^th Sunday of the month, May - October. Knowledgeable guides share unique stories and historical facts, as the tourist stands before stone houses 230-330 years old, and imagines the life and times of their occupants.  

Tours begin at the HHS Museum, 52 Main Street, Hurley, at 2PM. For more information and to register please visit our HHS website at  guided Walking Tour of Hurley's historic Main Street. Registration is required in advance to ensure a tour guide is scheduled.  You will not be charged at the time of registration. Donations of $5 are payable at the door, children under 12 are free.

Main Street Hurley, a National Historic Landmark, is compact and small enough for easy walking to view many of the historic locations, and other properties are only a short distance away. Please download or print our Walking Tour Brochure for a self-guided tour map which identifies 27 historic sites in and around the village of Hurley.

Contact us at Info@hurleyheritagesociety.org to arrange for private or group tours.

If you have a passion for Hurley and local history and are looking for a way to become more involved in the community, the Hurley Heritage Society offers many opportunities! Founded over 50 years ago, our mission is to protect and preserve 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 an all-volunteer organization, and sponsor a variety of activities including walking tours of historic Main Street, our popular ZOOM and in-person lectures on local culture and history, children’s activities and informative demonstrations. We also operate the Museum which remains free and open to the public, and houses the Dutch room, Gift shop and 2 exhibits. 

Volunteers are always needed to greet visitors, volunteer in our gift shop, assist with events, and maintain our collections, the Museum, and grounds. If you are interested, please go to the volunteer link on the HHS website: Hurley Heritage Society | Hurley Heritage Museum | Hurley NY

This year we have a particularly urgent need for volunteers who would like to get involved in Hurley Heritage Day, which will be held on September 19^th, on the grounds of the Hurley Museum and Hurley Library. We are actively recruiting craft vendors, and will need volunteers to assist with the logistics of the day: Monitoring the Handicap parking, selling raffle tickets, guiding visitors to events, making stage announcements, general ‘runners’  and more. See the Prologue article on Heritage Day for more information on how to get involved.

We are accepting membership donations for the upcoming 2026 season. If you would like to renew your membership, or become a new member, please use the form below, or join through our website at https://www.hurleyheritagesociety.org/join/

The Hurley Heritage Society maintains and operates the Hurley Museum, which is free and open to the public May through October. We strive to collect and preserve materials, documents and artifacts pertaining to the Hurley area, including Old Hurley, West Hurley and Glenford. Our mission is to raise awareness and educate the public of the town’s unique heritage through events, lectures, programs, tours and community initiatives.

Your membership dues enable us to maintain our Museum building, and to continue to provide activities for the community and visitors to our beautiful historic Hurley. You will also receive our periodic newsletters with advance notice of planned activities, our quarterly Prologue, discounts in the Museum shop, and discounts to HHS sponsored events. 

Thanks to the generous donations of  our members, last year we were able to improve the safety of the back entrance to the Museum with a  beautiful new bluestone sidewalk.  We also started a new program offering scholarships to high school graduates going on to college and focusing on history.  

Please help by sending your tax-deductible donation to:

Hurley Heritage Society

C/O Barbara Zell

237 Thomas Street

Hurley, NY 12443

Dues and donations can also be made through our website using PayPal 

https://www.hurleyheritagesociety.org/join/

Membership levels are as follows:  

(  )     Single                         $30

(  )     Family                        $40                        

(  )     Patron                     $175

(  )     Lifetime Support    $300

(  )     Donation                  ____

For timely email updates on HHS activities and our quarterly Prologue, please provide your email address.