Step
back in time on Lowell Mills bus trip
Friday,
October 3, 2008
 Step
back in time! We'll travel from Troy to Lowell National Historic
Park, where we'll trace the footsteps of immigrant mill girls
and workers through an historic boarding house and feel the rumble
of 90 working power looms. Enjoy lunch on your own in one of Lowell’s
restaurants. After lunch, we’ll take a trolley ride through
historic downtown Lowell. We leave at 7am and travel to Lowell
in a luxury motorcoach, returning around 7:30 pm.
RCHS Members
$75/Non-members $85. Advance Reservations
(pdf form) by 9/26.
Annual
gala benefit to honor William Kennedy 
On Thursday,
September 18, the Rensselaer County Historical Society
will present its 2008 Hart-Cluett Award to Pulitzer-Prize winning
author William Kennedy. Kennedy is a long-time resident of Rensselaer
County, whose stories based in the history of this region have
received critical acclaim, and raised popular awareness of our
complex past. Tickets $100/person. Advance Reservations Required
by September 12. For more information or tickets, please
call RCHS at 518-272-7232.
"The
Trial of Bat Shea" comes to life to benefit RCHS
On September
19 and 20, 2008 at 8 pm, the Rensselaer County Historical
Society will present the premier of Jack Casey’s play THE
TRIAL OF BAT SHEA with an original musical score at Russell
Sage College’s Bush Memorial Hall. Bat Shea is
a true story about a tragic murder at the polls, a sensational
trial which revealed deep class and religious biases, and a wrongful
execution. The
play depicts Troy as an 1894 industrial giant with many strong
personalities vying for control of the reins of power. As a result
of the murder trial, U.S. Senator Edward J. Murphy was dethroned
as a state party boss and Troy attorney Frank Black became New
York Governor.
An initial
reading at Revolution Hall, March 12, 2006, saw an overflow crowd,
and was soon followed up with a performance at HBO Studios in
Manhattan on July 24, 2006 for the National Association of Television
Arts and Sciences. Since then, Mr. Casey has reworked the material
and, with musical director, Adam Jones (Albany Park Playhouse
and Cohoes Music Hall) he has added a dozen songs and orchestration
to the script to provide tone and emotional coloration.
Tickets for
the performances are $30 for front row seats and $20 for general
admission. They are available through RCHS at 518-272-7232, x12
or by sending in the order
form (pdf).
All profits
from the production will support RCHS.
RCHS
awarded $116K grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services
to support school education program
"As
repositories of our nation's treasures and our nation's history,
museums are positioned to play an integral role in the education
of their communities. Museu ms for America grants support projects
and ongoing activities that build museums' capacities and help
these institutions serve their diverse constituencies to the best
of their abilities."
- Dr. Anne-Imelda
M. Radice, Director of the Institute of Museum and Library Services
RCHS is honored to
be the recipient of a 2008 Museums for America grant from the
Institure of Museum and Library Services. This grant will fund
the planning, piloting, evaluation and implementation of our new
standards-based School Education Program, “History is Here!”
With these funds, we will be able to develop a full “menu”
of school programs targeting New York State curriculum standards
and engaging learners through hands-on, developmentally appropriate
experiences. These programs will be developed in partnership with
teachers and administrators and evaluated to ensure that they
meet curricular needs, engage student imaginations, and advance
the development of a sense of place and history among local school
children.
Please
Note... The
Rensselaer County Historical Society and the Hart-Cluett House
will be closed Saturday, August 30, 2008 in observance of the
Labor Day holiday.
RCHS
Opens Search for Executive Director
Seeking a
leader with experience, vision, and enthusiam for Rensselaer County's
past, present and future. Learn
more.
Troy
City Schools & RCHS receive $10K grant
The Rensselaer
County Historical Society and the Troy City School District have
received a ten-thousand dollar grant from Teaching
the Hudson Valley. The grant will suport professional development
for Troy teachers on local history and the creation of an interdisciplinary
curriculum for 4th grade students, focusing on teaching local
history through the built environment of downtown Troy. Teaching
the Hudson Valley is an education initiative of the National
Park Service and the Hudson Valley National Heritage Area in partnership
with the Hudson River Valley Institute at Marist College adn the
Hudson River Estuary Program/New York State Department of Environmental
Conservation.
RCHS
registrar Kathryn Sheehan named Rensselaer County Historian
It's official!
RCHS registrar Kathryn Sheehan has served as an unofficial County
Historian for years - but no longer. On May 28, 2008, before a
packed house, Rensselaer County Clerk Frank J. Merola administered
the oath of office and formally installed Kathy as Rensselaer
County Historian. Rensselaer County Executive Kathy Jimino praised
the appointment, stating "I am confident that Ms. Sheehan
will provide a great service to all Rensselaer County residents
by helping to preserve our history, and by highlighting our historical
assets."
 |
 |
| Kathryn Sheehan
signs the register as Rensselaer County Clerk Frank J. Merola
looks on. |
Rensselaer
County Executive Kathleen Jimino congratulates Kathy on her
appointment. |
RCHS
announces Spring & Fall History
Walk schedule.
Lively Saturday
morning walking tours of downtown Troy bring the city's unique
history and architecture to life. New this year - hands-on history
walks for families!
All walks begin and end at RCHS.
Don't
Miss... ONE NIGHT WONDERS
One Night
Wonders is RCHS' new series of programs for Troy
Night Out. You'll want to stop in each month - and bring your
friends - to see the ecclectic and amazing artifacts we will bring
out from our collection - for
one night only.
|
