Roeliff Jansen Historical Society

04/09/2026

April 9th RJHS Newsletter
https://mailchi.mp/4c29fd454095/wallace-bruce-burying-the-hatchet-love-loss-after-wounded-knee

04/07/2026

The following footage “Copake 1986”, was shot on half-inch videotape on July 1, 1986, by the late real estate executive Richard Ader (1942–2023). Ader was a seasonal resident of Copake with his wife and family. The footage was later uploaded to Mr. Ader’s YouTube channel.

Recorded on a typical summer day, the video begins in the hamlet center and captures many of Copake’s most iconic buildings and structures (several now gone) which included the Copake Memorial Clock, King’s Steak House (formerly the Holsapple House), the Copake General Store (formerly Wilkinson’s Store), the Copake Pharmacy, the Copake Inn, Harvey Roberts’ Garage, the A.D. Langdon barn and silos on Church Street, and of course, the much-loved and sorely-missed Copake Theatre, lost to arson in 1990.

Together with a brief drive south along County Route 7 to West Copake — passing the Astor Guest Cottage — this footage functions as a kind of personal time machine, transporting viewers to a distinct moment in the town’s recent past. Be sure to listen for the faint bugle calls drifting over the lake from one of Copake’s many summer camps, just before the footage ends.

The Roeliff Jansen Historical Society gratefully thanks Pamela Ader for granting permission to reproduce and share this footage on our website and YouTube channel. RT:10:34

Original footage: © 1986 Richard Ader. Reproduced with permission.

12/03/2025

Wednesday, Dec 3 | 6PM | Author Talk with Pamela McColl
Join us for a festive author talk with Pamela McColl, co-sponsored by the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society. and the Roeliff Jansen Community Library. McColl will discuss her latest work of nonfiction, The Wondrous Mrs. Claus: A Literary & Pictorial Review of the Christmas Character.

Pamela McColl, author of Twas The Night: The Art and Celebration of the Classic Christmas Poem—winner of a Benjamin Franklin Book Award—returns to the Roe Jan community with a new chapter in Christmas history. In 2023, the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society hosted McColl’s bicentennial lecture on “A Visit from St. Nicholas,” paired with an exhibition of 350 historic editions of the famed holiday poem.
On December 3rd at the Roe Jan Community Library, McColl will lead audiences on a journey through nearly two centuries of storytelling and artistic interpretations of Mrs. Claus, the focus of her new book The Wondrous Mrs. Claus: A Literary & Pictorial Review of the Christmas Character. This richly illustrated publication is the first comprehensive look at the evolution of Mrs. Claus—who debuted in print in 1849—across fiction, poetry, theater, music, and film.
“As a kindred spirit to her benevolent and most merry husband, ‘The First Lady of Christmas’ embodies living with the essence of Christmas in one’s heart,” McColl writes.

ancramny

11/26/2025

Copake Cowpaths is a richly detailed family memoir chronicling the Dunning brothers’ boyhood on their Copake, New York, dairy farm during the 1950s — a decade of hard work, close family ties, and deep-rooted rural values. Written by David Dunning, along with his five brothers, the book celebrates the rhythms of farm life while preserving family and community history for future generations.
 
The narrative is a treasure trove of local historical tidbits such as the locations of several still-remembered iconic stores, schools, homes, farms, train lines, and depots. Remnants and minutiae of a small town world - now gone, but not forgotten.

Use the QR code (shown on the third picture-card) to download your own pdf copy today!

ancramny

11/14/2025

Download a free pdf copy of "Copake Cowpaths" at https://www.roeliffjansenhs.org/

Copake Cowpaths is a richly detailed family memoir chronicling the Dunning brothers’ boyhood on their Copake, New York, dairy farm during the 1950s — a decade of hard work, close family ties, and deep-rooted rural values. Written by David Dunning, along with his five brothers, the book celebrates the rhythms of farm life while preserving family and community history for future generations.

The narrative unfolds through vivid scenes of daily farm routines — haying in the summer heat, milking cows, tending to chickens and pigs, and learning life’s lessons under the firm yet loving guidance of their parents. Their father, an industrious entrepreneur and role model, taught responsibility, craftsmanship, and perseverance; their mother, a dedicated teacher, balanced career and family while instilling a respect for education and language.

Woven throughout are stories of the family’s origins — from grandparents who left Massachusetts and Vermont to settle in Copake in the 1930s, to their parents’ early marriage and the establishment of The Copake Equipment Company, which they later purchased. Interspersed family anecdotes trace the evolution of Copake itself: its general stores, grange, auction house, and the ever-present dairy landscape that defined mid-century Columbia County life.

Memorable chapters recall childhood adventures at the farmhouse, summers at “camp” in Vermont, holiday visits to Aunt Margie’s house, and lessons learned through youthful mischief and chores. Photographs and recollections evoke a time when communities revolved around farm work, faith, and family, and when every generation took pride in the land that sustained them.

The narrative is also a treasure trove of local historical tidbits such as the locations of several still-remembered iconic stores, schools, homes, farms, train lines, and depots. Remnants and minutiae of a small town world - now gone, but not forgotten.

10/05/2025

The annual antique bicycle auction at the Copake Auction draws experts, collectors, and enthusiasts from around the country and around the world. In advance of Copake Auction’s 33rd Annual Bicycle Auction, as part of the Sites to Celebrate Exhibit, RJHS is offering the opportunity to preview this remarkable collection and hear Mike Fallon’s fascinating stories about the history of the myriad of bicycles on view.

In addition to the bicycle collection, this year, Mike will also be showing and discussing a unique collection of Midget Racing Cars, primarily from the 1940s and 50s. Go to our website for mor information, or email [email protected] and say you would like to attend the Copake Auction Preview, and indicate how many in your party will attend. And remember, our exhibition Sites to Celebrate is open Fridays and Saturdays, 2 to 4 pm thru 10/26!

09/13/2025

The History of the Copake Grange (1902 - 1922) 
by Copake Grange Historian Janet Mackin
TODAY! Saturday, September 13 at 2 pm

Location: The Roeliff Jansen Historical Society

This book is a micro-history focused tightly on the first twenty years of the Copake Grange. Author Janet Mackin’s goal was to transform the grange minutes of those years into a summary that would allow readers to know how the early members worked together, made decisions, educated each other, socialized, and accomplished great things.

About authoring this unique book, Mackin says,  “I have read the minutes many times and between the lines, found what I believe to be the feelings, opinions, hopes, frustrations, and disappointments of these early members. I now see them as real people, much like their counterparts in today’s Grange - admirable, hard-working, and good-spirited.”  
This book talk, sale and signing will be held at 
The Roeliff Jansen Historical Society
8 Miles Road, Copake Falls, NY

08/21/2025

Sunday, August 24th - 2 PM
Boston Corner 1731 Survey Marker, Ancram
Jane Peck and others from the Boston Corner Community Organization

Once part of Massachusetts, cut off by the Taconic Mountains and far from that state’s law enforcement, the isolated valley became a haven for criminal activity, until it finally became part of NYS. Residents Carol Falcetti and Norman Osofsky live on the farm where the original 1731 border marker was recently uncovered—reminding us of the town’s wild and shifting history.

Sunday, September 7 - 2 PM
Copake Little School, Copake
Stephanie Sharp

Copake’s beloved “Little School” — a two-classroom Union Free School built in 1921. Now listed on the National Register of Historic Places, the school is being lovingly restored by current owners Stephanie and Adam Sharp

Site visits are free! See full schedule and easy registration instructions on our website .org. And don’t forget to see the exhibition at the Roeliff Jansen HIstorical Society
8 Miles Road. Copake Falls NY
Open Saturdays and Sundays 2 to 4 pm thru October 26th. Email [email protected]
Local History is knocking. Let her in!

08/11/2025

https://mailchi.mp/7760f36497a0/in-search-of-the-bash-bish-inn-site-visit-with-jane-peck-sunday-817-2pm

08/07/2025

Sites to Celebrate: Local History Revisited – the Exhibition, and now
The Video!

Produced by the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society (RJHS), this 37-minute video is a fascinating introduction to our 2025 summer exhibition, Sites to Celebrate: Local History Revisited. The exhibition highlights over a dozen historic preservation and adaptive reuse efforts across the Roe Jan region.
Created in partnership with the Copake Historic Preservation Committee, Historic Hillsdale, the Copake Grange, and other community groups, the project reflects a shared commitment to preserving the region’s rich architectural and cultural heritage.

Featuring original documents, vintage photographs, rare artifacts, and recently unearthed tools, the exhibition brings local history vividly to life. Informative panels and multimedia displays—including this orientation video—explore each featured site and its broader historical significance.
Many of the sites shown in the video are included in our guided site visit tours, offered on select Sundays throughout the summer. For the full schedule and to register, go to RoeliffJansenHS.org, or see our profile.

The museum exhibition extends to Oct. 26th, Saturdays & Sunday 2 to 4 pm

The RJHS - 8 miles Road,
Copake Falls, NY

08/07/2025

08/07/2025

The Astor Guest House Chapter - See short video on our linktree on profile
This short chapter from the Roeliff Jansen Historical Society traces the story of Henry Astor III—grandson of John Jacob Astor—who left New York society in 1871 to settle in rural West Copake with his wife, Melvina Dinehart. There, they built an opulent country home and, in 1902, a gracious Victorian guest cottage. Though the main house was lost to fire in the 1940s, the guest cottage survives and is now being lovingly restored by current owners Ali and Casey Kochy, who share their deep affection for the home and its history.