DCHS Historic Preservation & Awards Celebration May 31, 2026
Congratulations to 2026 Awardees & our sponsors and supporters for such a successful event!
The DCHS Historic Preservation Award.
Bob Chiulli, The Brinckerhoff Inn.
Bob Chuili was part of the transformation and revitalization of the City of Beacon. Over the years, Bob converted had converted many old spaces for what we call “adaptive reuse” which is a way of preserving historic building and ensuring more likely success over the long term by having them function in the contemporary economy. He restored different types of old buildings including churches, factory buildings and Victorian houses. He converted old factory spaces into artist lofts. Having been satisfied by having done a great deal of this work, Bob retired to Flordia. But not for long. Bob interrupted his retirement by an opportunity he felt he had to embrace. The Brinckerhoff family, who had been living on this site for over 300 years, were selling the historic home and land. Bob recognized that this project was like no other – and was a genuine fitting crown to years of commitment to preservation through reuse and adaptation.
Everyone knows how fundamental the physical revitalization of Beacon was to the revival of its economy and community. Here, the project was on a much more personal and intimate scale. Bob’s work on the Brinckerhoff House has been done with great care and thought, combing the best the 21st century can offer with an adaptation of the historic structures that remain. Bob was once quoted as saying this project was the “icing on the cake” to years of such work, and we are in complete agreement. The Dutchess County Historical Society is pleased to award its 2026 Historic Preservation Award to Bob Chiulli for his work in make the historic Brinkerhoff house a vital part of the local economy and community.
The Helen Wilkinson Reynolds Award
for the necessary, accurate pursuit of historical truth.
Melodye Moore.
This award honors the local historian who is “an exemplar of the necessary and accurate search for historical truth as practiced by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds.” For fifty years, the Dutchess County Historical Society and the broader history community have benefited from the vision, stewardship, and determination of Melodye Moore. First joining DCHS in 1976 through the Glebe House Committee, Moore quickly emerged as one of the key figures responsible for guiding DCHS through eras of transition, institutional uncertainty, and renewal. Rising from board member to curator and executive director by 1979–80, she played a central role in identifying, organizing, and preserving DCHS’s collections during the complicated move from the Adriance Memorial Library to Clinton House. Moore combined practical collections management with long-range institutional vision. She secured grants, expanded staffing, and strengthened relationships with regional and state preservation leaders. In 1986, Moore transferred to Staatsburgh State Historic Site, where she spent 24 years advancing stewardship and interpretation, reclaiming and restoring respect for both the mansion and its collections.
Returning to DCHS in 2011, Moore strengthened its collections program while mentoring a new generation of public historians and managing the relocation of collections to Rhinebeck. Her leadership of the Hyde Park New Guinea community project was instrumental in enshrining it as a collection and narrative of statewide and national importance.
She has created an enduring legacy through her leadership and advocacy for the DCHS Yearbook, and her unwavering insistence that “collect, preserve, and present” remain central to the mission.
“Two figures have been essential to the success of the Dutchess County Historical Society over the past century,” said Dutchess County Historian Will Tatum, “One of those is Helen Wilkinson Reynolds. The other is Melodye Moore. They stand together as historians, planners, and innovators whose vision has fundamentally shaped our Dutchess history community, which has long been the envy of counties across New York State.”
The Eileen Mylod Hayden Award
for excellence in Education.
Robert McHugh.
Robert McHugh is a resident of Millbrook and President of the Millbrook Historical Society. In his role as a teacher of United States history at Arlington High School in LaGrange since 2003, he follows in the footsteps of his parents, both of whom were history teachers.
McHugh connects students with the local history of Dutchess County through hands-on projects. He guides students in researching historically significant local people, buildings, and events and in securing grants through the William G. Pomeroy Foundation with a goal of installing official historical markers throughout Dutchess County.
Among the 16 markers that have been installed in Poughkeepsie, Hyde Park, LaGrange, Washington, Millerton, Wappinger, and Amenia since 2023 are markers commemorating Gaius Bolin, Ed Wood, Eddie Collins, Smith Thompson, and Lee Miller; the NAACP Amenia Conferences; Poughkeepsie’s first city hall; and three 19th-century school buildings that are still standing.
His teaching emphasizes original research, civic engagement, and the idea that local history can make broader American history more meaningful and personal for students. By involving students directly in archival research, public presentations, and marker unveilings, McHugh has helped create a growing network of community-based historical interpretation projects in the Hudson Valley.
The Franklin D. Roosevelt Award
for early notable achievement.
Charlotte Hampton.
Charlotte Hampton joined DCHS as part of a Community Engaged Learning project during her senior year at Vassar College, where she studied art history. Utilizing her robust skills as an art historian and natural aptitude for archiving, Charlotte began organizing, describing, and accessioning hundreds of paintings and sketches by the Poughkeepsian artist Caroline M. Clowes. Her work culminated in the creation of a nuanced finding aid that grants an unparalleled understanding of this unique material.
After graduating from Vassar in May 2025, Charlotte returned to DCHS as a volunteer, transitioning to work on Caroline Clowes’ personal papers. In this ongoing project, Charlotte employed her insightful analytical skills to create a detailed manuscript catalogue. The archival tools she has developed over the last year and a half are already providing unprecedented access to one of DCHS’s most important historical collections for researchers and the public alike.
In addition to her in-depth collections work, Charlotte utilizes her adept research skills to represent DCHS by writing articles published in the Northern Southern Dutchess News. She has also provided invaluable assistance to DCHS staff in day-to-day projects and helped construct crucial information architecture. Charlotte’s thoughtfulness, initiative to learn, inquisitive approach, and attention to detail have had—and continue to have—a resounding impact on the Dutchess County Historical Society.
The Dutchess Award
for exceptional contributions to the Dutchess County community.
Neil J. Caplan, Executive Director and Founder
The Bannerman Castle Trust.
Bannerman Island, or Pollepel Island, which sits in the Hudson River, has long held a special place for generations of people living along its shores—from Indigenous communities and early Dutch settlers to its role during the American Revolution, when efforts were made to defend the Hudson Highlands against the British fleet.
In 1900, Frank Bannerman purchased the island and began constructing a munitions storage facility, along with a Scottish-style castle that served as a retreat for his family.
The property was transferred to the New York State Parks Commission in the 1960s with the Commission’s intention that it remain “forever wild.” In the 1970s, Neil Caplan, together with members of the Bannerman family and others, led the effort to “Save Bannerman Castle.” This initiative resulted in the formation of the Bannerman Castle Trust, dedicated to preserving this remarkable site while enabling visitors to experience its history and enjoy it as a venue for theater and the arts.
The Dutchess County Historical Society is proud to recognize Neil J. Caplan, Executive Director and Founder of the Bannerman Castle Trust, for his leadership in energizing and engaging the community in the decades-long effort to preserve Bannerman Island and its history, while also ensuring that visitors can continue to enjoy this extraordinary part of Dutchess County.
The DCHS Historic Preservation Award.
The Brinckerhoff Inn.
In 1718, Dirk Brinckerhoff of Flushing, Long Island purchased 2,000 acres lying along the course of the Vis Kil from Fishkill Village to the Sprout Creek from Madam Catheryna Brett. Dirk Brinckerhoff never came to live in Dutchess County but the land was settled and developed by his four sons, Abraham, John, Isaac and Jacob.
Dirk’s eldest son Abraham came to Fishkill and built a two-room stone house with a center chimney. When Abraham died he left a widow and seven children who were living on Long Island. His eldest son Derick married in 1747 and proceeded to his father’s house and lands in Dutchess County where he built a gristmill on the Vis Kil. Sometime before the American Revolution he enlarged the house he had inherited from his father. These enlargements included extending a frame addition to the east, adding a second story, clapboarding the entire house, and installing a gambrel roof. Alterations were made to the house in 1830 and again in 1875 which include the mansard roof that remains today.
During the Revolution the road that passes the house was a main route of travel between New England and the colonies to the south. The road was used extensively by General Washington’s Continental Army as well as many well-known dignitaries of the day. The house became a popular stopping place for travelers. The hospitality of the Brinckerhoff family is well documented. During the fall of 1778, the Marquis de Lafayette convalesced in one of the second floor bedrooms for several weeks while being nursed back to health from a serious illness.