For everyone

This section is incomplete and under construction, part of a major relaunch of all our finding aids to be more searchable and accessible to the public.

This video (just under 12 minutes) is designed to be used with the education guide (below) developed for 4th, 7th, and 11th grades. The video depicts a young Dutchess County couple who feel hopeful when Lafayette visits Poughkeepsie in 1824 and they come to understand his values. This is part of a series of articles, programs, and exhibitions published by the Dutchess County Historical Society in recognition of the 250th anniversary of the founding of the United States, celebrating the varied paths to freedom and equality that comprise the American Dream. Educational Guide: Or click using full screen icon below:

Profiles of the American Revolution Since 1914 We are pleased to announce the third Encore Edition of the Dutchess County Historical Society Yearbook. Published since DCHS’s founding in 1914, the DCHS Yearbook is New York State’s longest-serving historical journal. Known for its thorough research and interesting narratives, the DCHS Yearbook is meant to be more broadly accessible than an academic journal, although contemporary issues are footnoted for accuracy and to help prompt further inquiry. DCHS Yearbook Encore Editions republish articles bundled around a single topic. They are republished with no changes to simply and directly reflect the priorities, perspectives, and language of a certain time. Profiles of the American Revolution Since 1914 helps us better under-stand how the people of Dutchess County both shaped and were shaped by the American Revolution as we approach the 250th anniversary of the official signing of the Declaration of Independence. Bill Jeffway & Melodye Moore Contents Foreword by Bill Jeffway Introduction by Willaim P. Tatum III, Ph.D., Dutchess County Historian Bartholomew Crannell a Twentieth Century Plea for Anglo-American Good Will by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: John Jay by J. Wilson Poucher Dedication of Monument, Chambly, P.Q. (Province of Quebec) by Mrs. Theodore de Laporte Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Melanchthon Smith by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Udny Hay by Helen Wilkinson Reynolds Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Captain Israel Smith by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: General Jacobus Swartwout by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Philip Schuyler by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Dr. Peter Tappen by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Colonel Lewis DuBois; Captain Henry DuBois by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Major Elias Van Bunschoten by J. Wilson Poucher Monument to Chief Daniel Nimham by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Henry Livingston by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Major Andrew Billings by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Colonel Frederick Weissenfels by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: James Livingston and Some of His Descendants by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Zephaniah Platt by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Judge Robert R. Livingston, His Sons and Sons-in-Law by J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Colonel Henry Ludington and His Daughter Sybil by Barbara Corliss and J. Wilson Poucher Dutchess County Men of the Revolutionary Period: Baron Friedrich Wilhelm von Steuben by J. Wilson Poucher Elizabeth Crannell, Wife of Dr. Peter Tappen by Amy Ver Noy Jacobus Swartwout: Resident of Rombout Precinct by Joseph W. Emsley Sybil Ludington: Heroine of the Revolution by Louanna J. Elya Alexander Hamilton, Melancton Smith, and the Ratification of the Constitution in Poughkeepsie, New York by Robin Brooks

DCHS Collections Documents of Enslavement A Fishkill man named Dick is sold by James Slight to Thomas Parker October 30, 1801 Witnessed by John Beckwith.

Gilder Lehrman Documents Related to Locsl Enslavement June 30, 1783 Rhinebeck’s renowned medical doctor Ananias Cooper, writes to Robert Livingston at Livingston Manor about the condition of his enslaved man “Jack”

2025 Historic Preservation & Awards CelebrationSunday, June 1 DCHS has a long tradition of spotlighting people and organizations that inspire local history best practices. Here are some of 2025’s awards and recipients: 2025 Historic Preservation Award Recipient It is a great pleasure to honor Mr. Dick Lahey as the recipient of this year’s prestigious Historic Preservation Award. His stewardship of an unparalleled collection of carriages and subject expertise is commendable. He generously opens both his historic home and vast carriage collection, and will personally take us on a tour of both. Learn more about the various awards and honored recipients: Become a sponsor of this year’s Preservation Awards and Celebration event to gain enhanced visibility for your business while supporting the preservation of our community’s rich history. Partner with us today! The sponsorship cost of $500 includes two tickets to the event!

By Bill Jeffway, Executive Director We are proud to report a banner year on all fronts at DCHS. Our first full year in our new location has raised our visibility and improved access to the entire dynamic and varied “society” of our members, donors, business sponsors, collections donors, and growing paid staff and volunteers. Finances Regarding the $103,000 operating budget for 2024: We expect our 2024 breakeven operating expense goal will be met on December 31. We do tend to have some very last minute gifts which can make all the difference! We have nearly doubled our income from endowments. Through the generosity and leadership of Rob and Sue Doyle, and those they inspired to give, DCHS has almost doubled the amount of income we can rely on annually from endowments. The Doyle Endowment Fund, in excess of $200,000 at the Community Foundations of the Hudson Valley, now supports DCHS in addition to the longstanding Denise M. Lawlor Fund, also at the Community Foundations. Our online auction, in its third year, broke prior records by generating in excess of $25,000 after expenses. This is roughly double what we had come to expect from our annual gala dinners before COVID. Through the generosity of item donors (there were 155 lots) 124 bidders turned into 64 winners. We are grateful for the generosity of AAR Auctions who donate their platform, time, expertise and buyer’s fees. Our spring Historic Preservation Celebration and Awards income broke any prior event income by a factor of two. Over 150 tickets were sold and a record number of businesses were sponsors. Above all, we had the opportunity to celebrate and thank three generations of the Hill family who continue to support DCHS, and who hosted us at their extraordinarily historic home. Firefighting Has Been a Big Focus Among our most visible work this year has been telling the stories of those involved in the essential service of firefighting. Prompted by a significant collections gift from the Rhinebeck Fire Department, combined with existing collections, and a great deal of interest from the local DCHS Vice Presidents representing the cities and towns of the county, firefighting is the topic of the forum section of the DCHS 2024 Yearbook (expected to be published in March 2025). We developed the traveling exhibition, Firefighting in Dutchess County: a Greater Calling, in partnership with the Rhinebeck Fire Department and the Firefighting Museum of Dutchess County. The exhibition was featured at the inaugural opening of the museum at the Dutchess County Fair in Rhinebeck. Please let us know if you would like to borrow the exhibition for a school, library, firehouse, or other public space. Above: Inset shows the exhibition opening at DCHS Rhinebeck among images and stories presented on banners and digital presentations. The exhibition is designed to travel. Public Engagement Another high-profile exhibition and series of programs was related to the celebration of the 200th anniversary of Revolutionary War Major General Lafayette’s local visit. In 1824, as the United States approached its 50th anniversary (the way we approach the 250th anniversary today) Lafayette’s progressive views on the abolition of slavery, the role of women in society, and attitudes toward Indigenous peoples and the impoverished, among other views, gave us the chance to use Lafayette as a kind of litmus test of progress of the realization of American ideals. This turned into our coming to understand the extraordinary story of local persons, like the free Black couple Tom & Jane Williams of the town of Washington. They named their son, Lafayette Williams, shortly after the visit in 1827. The Bard College playwright, DN Bashir, turned this story into a short play performed at the FDR Presidential Library & Museum in September. In addition to the background talk given at the FDR Presidential Library & Museum, the narrative Why Lafayette Endures was presented as four classes at both Bard and Vassar College Lifetime Learning Institutes. Above: Inset shows, left to right, Chuck Schwam, American Friends of Lafayette Executive Director; Aaron Morton who performed as Tom Williams; Bill Jeffway, Executive Director, DCHS; Alexis Braxton as Jane Williams; DN Bashir, lead artist; Michael Halbert as Lafayette; Patti Maclay, National Co-Chair, AFL Farewell Tour Bicentennial Committee. At the anniversary performance September 16 at FDR Presidential Library & Museum. DCHS Trustee and Civil War specialist Dr. Michael Boden continued his series of Civil War talks, A Long & Fatiguing Campaign: The 150th New York Regiment in the Atlanta Campaign can be viewed at DCHS Virtual Event Space. DCHS Trustee David Turner drew from his own vast image collection to present How the Automobile Changed the Hudson Valley Landscape through Vintage Postcards, also available online. The Executive Director’s series for Black history month continued with Free Black Communities and Maritime Adventure Before the Civil War. Collections There is nothing as fundamental as our responsibility to be stewards of thousands of important documents, photographs, clothing and textiles, and objects. Our new location with its open bigger and environmentally controlled space, has allowed for better management and access. The greatest contribution comes from the appointment of Collections & Archives Manager Aidan Chisamore, who will move to a full time position in the New Year. In terms of items themselves, some highlights of new acquisitions include a DeLaval separator, a new-found Caroline Clowes painting, photos of Poughkeepsie in the 1888 blizzard, and a 1706 deed important to the settlement of Rhinebeck. Above left to right: Aidan Chisamore, Collections & Archives Manager, is responsible for the care, preservation, and management of collections. Cosette Veeder-Shave volunteers in collections data entry and management. Charlotte Hampton, Vassar ’25 (Art History), is a volunteer this semester through Vassar’s Office of Community Engaged Learning which has grown into a reliable and important source of talent for DCHS. Publications & Publishing We expect to publish the DCHS 2024 Yearbook in March of 2025 and continue to expand print on demand through Amazon books. We are grateful to the Northern/Southern Dutchess News / Beacon Free Press which hosts our