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Donate to our Annual Fund Now!
Thank you! Your generous support helps us maintain and staff our research library, our exhibition galleries, preserve our historic properties & collections, and continue our quality public programming.
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your donations to the Columbia County Historical Society are fully tax-deductible. 
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Dear Friends, Members, and Followers of the Columbia County Historical Society:
Your support has helped establish us as a cultural anchor in the county. Thank you! The Columbia County Historical Society engages our community in so many ways: educational programs for adults, school-trips for children, public tours and events at our four historic properties, historical and genealogical research in our library, exhibitions in the museum and in all our properties, and with our magazine Columbia County History & Heritage. Our homegrown institution serves the community with the support of our members, volunteers and our small and dedicated staff. Our exhibitions and education programs make a difference to countless numbers of people from all across the county and country. Our library and collections contain hundreds of manuscripts, maps and photographs as well as unique genealogical materials. We teach area school children about our rich heritage, we assist new homeowners in the county as they trace the history of their houses, and we help out-of-state generations find their Columbia County roots. For more than one hundred years, thousands of people from all across Columbia County and beyond have enjoyed our exhibitions and education programs and studied in our research library. New homeowners in the county trace the history of their property in our library, children learn about the special cultural history of upstate New York. We serve residents of all eighteen towns, the city of Hudson, and visitors from across the nation. Our cultural and historical programs and collaborative lectures on historic preservation; author Washington Irving; Dutch cooking and gardens; the Colony of New Netherland, and archaeology at the Van Alen house are notable and popular. Our collaborations with Historic Hudson have included lectures on historic architecture, the 1799 Columbia County Toll Roads, the 17th century Dutch founders of Hudson, and Dutch culture. And the Luykas Van Alen house and Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse host hundreds of fourth grade students each year who learn about our Dutch heritage and early schooling in Columbia County. Our c. 1850 'Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse' is recognized by the New York Folklore Society as a place of Legend, and recently awarded an historical 'legends' marker by the Folklore Society with a corresponding grant from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. Our 1737 'Luykas Van Alen House' was called in 1964 by then-Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller, “one of the most authentic examples of early Dutch architecture remaining in the United States.” Over the last half-century, we have restored and shared this very special National Historic Landmark with thousands of visitors and students who now better understand life on an 18th century farm. Now, with a generous grant from the Ellsworth Kelly Foundation, we have augmented this special house with an exhibition of Van Alen Homestead archaeology. Two-thirds of our annual budget comes from individual donors and members like you—as a private non-profit, we receive no operations funding from the state, nor any federal funds, so while our mission is great, so is our challenge. Please give as generously as you can and spread the word about the Columbia County Historical Society. The CCHS is a 501(c)(3) charitable organization, and your 100% tax deductible gift makes an essential contribution to our annual operating expense, sustaining our continued success. And if you work for a company with a Matching Gift Program, your gift can be multiplied. You can also donate online via credit card on this page. On behalf of the Board of Trustees and staff of the Historical Society, we wish to thank you once again for your contribution to our ongoing efforts, and we look forward to seeing you during our 2018 programming. Sincerely,
Lori Yarotsky, Executive Director |
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