Give to our Annual Fund !
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 for children and adults.
​
We are a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization, and your donations to the Columbia County Historical Society are fully  tax-deductible.

Click here for our 2020 Annual Report
Columbia County Historical Society is a 501(c)(3) cultural education organization founded in 1916 and chartered by the NYS Department of Education Board of Regents to collect, preserve, interpret and present the history, heritage and culture of Columbia County, New York, for its residents and visitors. CCHS serves residents of all eighteen towns and the City of Hudson.

In addition to a research library and a permanent collection of more than 15,000 objects, CCHS owns and maintains the Columbia County Historical Society Museum & Library and three additional historic properties: the National Historic Landmark Luykas Van Alen House (1737); James Vanderpoel ‘House of History’ (c.1820); and Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse (c.1850).

There are no goods and services associated with a charitable gift to our annual appeal.  CCHS will not share or sell a donor's personal information with any other party, nor send donor mailings on behalf of other organizations.
​
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! 

We are proud to be the largest historic organization in the county and one of the largest in the region, serving residents of all eighteen Columbia County towns and the City of Hudson. Thank you for being part of our citizenry and helping us deliver our mission. For more than a century, thousands of people throughout our community and beyond have enjoyed our historic properties, exhibitions and education programs, and studied in our research library. Members and others enjoy our magazine, Columbia County History & Heritage.

We are all ancestors of the future!
Thank you for your past and continued support of the Columbia County Historical Society, especially during these historic times.

This year, we have adapted to meet the challenges of a global pandemic. Residents and visitors have embraced our new Drive Through History self-guided road trips. Newcomers to the County can discover the history of their houses with the aid of our research staff, still working behind the scenes. County fourth-graders who normally attend a ‘Day of History’ at our Rural Properties can learn about our area’s heritage via online lesson plans. And our Dutch Farming Heritage trail on NY-9H welcomes visitors year-round.
 
Of course, we eagerly anticipate the day we can once again welcome visitors to our four historic properties: The James Vanderpoel ‘House of History,” c.1737 Luykas Van Alen House, c.1850 Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse, and CCHS Museum & Library. A wealth of treasures await you, as we have continued to install new exhibits in multiple galleries.
 
It is thanks to you that we have been able to continue our mission to collect, preserve, interpret and present the history, heritage and culture of Columbia County. More than seventy percent of our operating income is created by individual gifts from donors and members like you. While our mission is great, so is our challenge. Individual generosity is vitally important, especially so in this time of fewer and more competitive public and private grants. As a non-governmental non-profit, CCHS receives no operations funding from the state, nor any federal funds.
 
For these reasons, we hope that you will give as generously as you can to our 2020 Annual Appeal. Any amount is deeply appreciated. CCHS is a 501(c)(3) non-profit charitable organization, and your 100% tax-deductible gift makes an essential contribution to our annual operating expense. If you work for a company with a Matching Gift Program, your donation can be multiplied. You may donate via credit card at the top of this page.
 
Your passion and support has helped establish us as a cultural anchor in the County, and your gift to the Columbia County Historical Society validates the work we are doing. Thank you for being part of our community.

Sincerely,

Lori Yarotsky
Executive Director