Rhinebeck Historical Society

05/29/2025

Join us tomorrow, 5/29/25 @ 7:00pm in the Starr Library's Local History Room (entrance in the rear) for a presentation by Susie Williams, Lenny Miller, and Eve D'Ambra on "Southlands Past and Present."

PROGRAM DESCRIPTION: A look at the Southlands Foundation and its heritage through the vision of its founder, Deborah Dows, and her legacy that continues today at the farm and riding school.

We look forward to seeing you there!

Send a message to learn more

04/22/2025

Join us on Friday, 4/25 @ 7:00pm at the Starr Library Local History Room (entrance in the rear) for a presentation by Linda and Duane Watson on "200 Years of Fashion Preserved at Wilderstein."

DESCRIPTION: From outer wear to underwear, from swimming costumes to ball gowns, the garments cared for at Wilderstein document the interests and activities of the Suckleys and their extended family from the late 18th century to the late 20th century. With a wealth of images, Linda and Duane Watson define the scope, conservation, and preservation of this unique collection, bringing these outfits once more to life."

We hope to see you there!

Send a message to learn more

05/12/2024

Here is a link to our great April 2024 program "Peter DeWitt's Twisted Web--Money, Industry & Power in 18th century Dutchess County" given by Dutchess County Historian Will Tatum.

Here is the link to the video:

05/12/2024

Friday, May 31 at 7:00 PM, At the Starr Library Local History Room, entrance in the rear.
Kevin Snyder – “The History of Funeral Homes”,

Kevin’s talk will be on the history of the funeral industry in the United States from prior to the Civil War to present. Included will be some local information and a display of ephemera including sidelines of the undertaking business.

He is a lifelong Northern Dutchess resident, graduated from SUNY and has been a licensed
funeral director since 1976.

Send a message to learn more

04/20/2024

Friday, April 26 at 7:00 PM, On Zoom



Will Tatum - Peter DeWitt’s Twisted Web: Money, Industry, and Power in early Dutchess County

Captain Peter DeWitt (1722-1790) was among the most wealthy and connected residents of colonial Dutchess County. His estates straddled the border of modern Rhinebeck and Hyde Park, while his business connections and money lending extended throughout the county. From mills to stores, DeWitt sat at the center of a complicated array of credit, debt, and business collections. Join Dutchess County Historian William P. Tatum III on a journey through DeWitt’s account ledgers and related material to explore the network of relationships that bound families and individuals together across the county during the Era of the American Revolution.

Michael Frazier is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Dutchess County Historian WILL TATUM to speak about Peter DeWitt's Twisted Web--Money, Industry & Power in 18th century Dutchess County
Time: Apr 26, 2024 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/84970701302?pwd=bVR0ZS82UmJ5ZWdMdzNld3FBYS9RUT09

Meeting ID: 849 7070 1302
Passcode: 174650

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04/20/2024

https://youtu.be/IYEzZ-1t1gc

The history of farming in Rhinebeck

03/24/2024

Last months presentation at the Starr Library

DeGarmo, self proclaimed “old-time abolitionist”, wrote articles for “The Liberator”, a widely circulated anti-slavery newspaper published in Boston, a book ...

03/24/2024

Hi Everyone, next Friday, March 29, we have a great program, Live at the Starr Library. Mike Frazier will be talking about the history of farming in Rhinebeck.
Friday, March 29 at 7:00 PM, At the Starr Library Local History Room, entrance in the rear.

Mike Frazier – Farming in Rhinebeck

From Indigenous People prior to the 1700’s to today’s Farmer’s Market, agricultural purposes and practices in Rhinebeck have changed in a multiplicity of ways. The speaker will address those changing roles as they appear at a number of sites, including at the Palatine Farmstead, the Grange, the violet growers, and among the great river estates.

01/21/2024

Friday, Jan. 26 at 7:00 PM, On ZOOM, David Miller – Life in Rhinebeck in the early 1900’s The first two decades of the 1900’s were the heyday of postcards. Before telephone or telegraph were in general use, sending postcards was the quickest, simplest, and cheapest way for most people to communicate. It was much like today’s “Tweeting”. People sent millions of these cards to friends and family to simply say, “Having a great time, see you when we get home.” Several years ago, Scott Cruickshank allowed me to scan the 450 postcards of his collection of images of Rhinebeck. I will use 100 of the postcards to tell you a story of what life was like in Rhinebeck 100 or so years ago.

Michael Frazier is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: David Miller, Rhinebeck in 1900
Time: Jan 26, 2024 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/89203087749?pwd=UEI5QWRQa0owOXlvNHJ4aHFyREdSdz09

Meeting ID: 892 0308 7749
Passcode: 520029

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11/12/2023

Check out our newest YouTube video!
2023-10 Will Tatum - The People of Wurtemburg: An Exploration of Eighteenth-Century Rhinebeck

Founded in the 1750s, the hamlet of Wurtemburg is one of Rhinebeck’s best preserved eighteenth-century cultural landscapes. Join Dutchess County Historian William P. Tatum III, Ph.D., for a deep dive into the people who settled what was then known as the “Wittenburgh Tract” and the elements of their every-day lives through the early nineteenth century. This presentation combines primary sources ranging from the Morgan Lewis Map at the Rhinebeck Historical Society to land and tax records preserved at the Dutchess County Clerk’s Office to the DeWitt Family Papers at the New York State Archives. Learn how the leadership of Wurtemburg bargained with Henry Beekman for land rights, what the hamlet’s early residents purchased at local stores, and how they made a living.

Founded in the 1750s, the hamlet of Wurtemburg is one of Rhinebeck’s best preserved eighteenth-century cultural landscapes. Join Dutchess County Historian Wi...

09/20/2023

Friday, Sept. 22 at 7:00 PM, On ZOOM, Joan Frederick – The Girl from Rhinebeck

Serving in the military during a war is never pleasant, but those who serve consider themselves fortunate if they have someone in whom they can confide the details of their daily lives. This program is about one such girl and the eight World War II soldiers who were her correspondents between 1941 and 1946. The girl was a 1942 graduate of Rhinebeck High School, Jeanne Bigelow. Jeanne’s daughter—our speaker Joan Frederick-- recently found 565 of these letters in the back of a chest of drawers when cleaning her mother’s house to prepare for caretakers. Among the eight men we find four fighting the war in Europe, one a POW, one a Seabee in the Pacific, one flying the China Hump, one at the Kaiser Shipyard in Vancouver, one who sadly becomes a victim of the war in Europe. In their own voice, they gloss over the terrors of war and their stress and reach out in affection to the girl back home.

HERE IS THE LINK:

Michael Frazier is inviting you to a scheduled Zoom meeting.

Topic: Rhinebeck Historical Society--World War II Letters to the Girl from Rhinebeck
Time: Sep 22, 2023 07:00 PM Eastern Time (US and Canada)

Join Zoom Meeting
https://us02web.zoom.us/j/87601418134?pwd=b1FrTWh3RVVQQ1UyVWFkaUJKWC9WQT09

Meeting ID: 876 0141 8134
Passcode: 384216

Find your local number: https://us02web.zoom.us/u/kbYFEmHpnF

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05/30/2023

Here is the video of the RHS May program at the Starr Library. It was given by Joanne Lukacher and Stacy Whittaker describing the Dutchess County Sampler Initiative and the upcoming Sampler ID Days. The video is finished and you can find it at the link below. I want to thank Jeff Christensen for both filming the program and helping with the editing. This will serve as an intro to the June 2-3 live event at the Starr known as Sampler ID Days (see description below).

Presenters tell the history of early American samplers and show many of the Dutchess County samplers of that time.