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RHCS

The Rensselaer County Historical Society is located in the Second Street Historic District of downtown Troy. RCHS occupies two adjacent 19th century townhouses - the historic and architecturally significant Hart-Cluett House, home to three families from 1827-1952, and the Carr Building.

RCHS offers visitors and members a wide range of tours, exhibitions, educational programs, and an extensive local history research library. We hope you'll visit us soon.

What's New?

Take our online Community Conversations Survey and share your thoughts about the Rensselaer County Historical Society

GREAT EVENTS COMING UP AT RCHS

 

HUDSON RIVER DINNER CRUISE
Sunday, July19, 3-9pm

$85/members of RCHS, Historic Albany, Albany Institute, Albany County Historical Association and Columbia County Historical Society
$95 not-yet-members

2009 Times Union "Best Local Artist" and historian Len Tantillo narrates scenic and historical highlights along the Hudson as we cruise from Troy to the Athens Lighthouse and back aboard the luxurious Captain J.P. II, enjoying a delicious dinner along the way. Tickets available online or by mail(pdf). Photo shows Athens Lighthouse from 2008 RCHS boat cruise.

COMMUNITY CONVERSATIONS

RCHS is committed to making the organization a viable, vibrant and valuable
community resource. To do this, we are hosting a series of “Community
Conversations" in the next several weeks where we will ask how well we are
meeting community needs, what we currently do that people value, what more
we should be doing and how we can use our resources to address current
issues and interests in Rensselaer County.

These small group conversations are scheduled for Wednesday, June 17 at 5:30 pm, Monday, June 22 at 5:30 pm and Wednesday, June 24 at 8:30 am at RCHS, 57 Second Street, Troy. Each conversational group will last approximately 1-1.5 hours, depending on the number of people who sign up.If you are interested in taking part, please contact RCHS by e-mailing info@rchsonline.org or calling 272-7232 ext. 14. This project has been funded by a Get Set! Grant from the Upstate History Alliance and we are working with Kaleel Jamison Consulting.

We also invite you to take part in an online survey which will provide us
with the data to clarify what the wider community wants from RCHS, the
county’s main historical organization.

If you know of others who might want to help with this effort to craft a
new, sustainable model for RCHS, please forward the link above and tell them
about the Community Conversation dates. They can contact us about attending
one of the sessions. Additional conversation dates will be set, if needed.

We are always happy to hear from you at any time – your ideas on how to make
RCHS a better organization, recognizing every face and every story, are
critical to our continued viability and success. Thank you in advance for
your willingness to help.

RCHS ANNOUNCES CHANGE IN PUBLIC HOURS

In an effort to control costs and continue to provide services while we reinvent RCHS, we are announcing new public hours. Starting the week of May 26, RCHS will be open on Thursday, Friday and Saturday from noon to 5 pm. We are committed to providing the highest level of access and service possible with our current resources. We are happy to work with you to provide tours or research services at other pre-scheduled times. To request an appointment outside of our new public hours, please leave a message at 272-7232 ext. 10 or e-mail info@rchsonline.org. To the extent possible, we will be dedicating Wednesdays to work on our reinvention, including the development of new, income-generating programs and services.

Please note that RCHS will not be open on Saturday, July 4th.

NEW EXHIBITION!

GETTING THERE: Historians in Training Explore Travel Through Time
Wednesday, May 20, 2009 - Fall, 2009

“But Oh! what bliss to steal a kiss on the boat to Albany”

A piece of sheet music, a section of trolley track, an elegant, if faded, carriage, and a rusting horseshoe. All of these objects are among the artifacts from the Rensselaer County Historical Society collection researched by students from Tony Rieth’s and Karen Bechdol’s combined English/Social Studies class at Troy High School. These 25 “Historians in Training” are part of an exciting collaboration between Troy High School, RCHS and The Record.

In early 2009, with the Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial approaching, RCHS staff provided the students with a broad selection of transportation themed objects from which to choose. The Historians in Training then picked the objects they wanted to research and uncovered their stories, writing articles that will appear in The Record. These stories provide an eclectic window into the impact that planes, trains, and automobiles (as well as boats and horses) have had on the history of Rensselaer County

Through this collaborative, the Historians in Training developed research and writing skills and had the opportunity to explore careers in history museums and journalism. Most importantly, they discovered fascinating stories from the past, and through their research and articles, are making local history accessible to our community. Their artifacts and the stories they uncovered make up this exciting exhibition.

WALK THROUGH HISTORY

Beginning May 2, 2009, RCHS Staff will offer walking tours of historic downtown Troy on Saturday mornings, leaving from the Market Table at the Troy Farmer’s Market at 10:30 am.

“Our walking tours are a fun way to stretch your legs, and explore the history that you walk by everyday,” explains Mari Shopsis, RCHS Director of Education.. Each week brings a different theme for the tours, which are led by Historical Society staff and frequently incorporate historic photographs and readings from letters and diaries. The tours last approximately an hour. Cost: $5 for not-yet-members of the Historical Society/members free.

Worried about what to do with your purchases? “If you want to shop before the walking tour, we can swing by the Historical Society and you can leave your bags in our building while you tour,” says Shopsis.

Help Keep the Lights On and the History Alive!

What does a typical week at the Rensselaer County Historical Society look like?

School buses stop traffic on Second Street as 2nd graders come in the doors to take a walking tour through our historic urban downtown. The new owner of an old rowhouse browses through city directories to uncover the story of his home. A class of future interior designers studies historic furniture in the Hart-Cluett House and high school students participating in the Historians in Training project come in after-school and fill the Research Library with the sounds of discovery.

A typical week at the Rensselaer County Historical Society is busy, diverse – and at risk. RCHS is experiencing severe financial difficulty and needs your help to continue serving our community and fulfilling our mission “to enrich the present and advocate for the future by bringing the region’s past to life recognizing every face and every story.”

The current economic climate has created a “perfect storm,” making it difficult to sustain current services. Without immediate financial support, RCHS may need to close our doors or reduce public access while we work to implement new strategies that will sustain our organization now and in the future.

If we must close...

...exciting new educational initiatives, popular public programs, and long-planned exhibits will be cancelled. RCHS recently was awarded a competitive grant from the Institute for Museum and Library Services to develop our school programming and help K-12 students connect with the rich and important history of our region. RCHS's public programming looks at the present through the lens of the past, helping our community build a brighter future.

...we will be forced to abandon or reduce our commitment to support community efforts to capitalize on the economic development potential of Rensselaer County's historic landscape and built environment. RCHS has been a key partner in developing and promoting heritage tourism in our region. RCHS staff members, who together have over 74 years of collective service and a wealth of knowledge about the history of our community, serve on a variety of county initiatives and provide historical information and educational programs and services for visitors, school children, community leaders, local and regional businesses and government officials, and the media.

...historical collections resources will become inaccessible to the public. RCHS is a resource for people around the corner and around the world. RCHS's collection of documents, photographs, and artifacts is used on a daily basis. In just the past few months, high school students, police detectives, historians researching the Underground Railroad, genealogists, artists working on public art projects and more have used historical collections to pursue a range of questions and projects.

RCHS has launched a “Keep the Lights on and the History Alive” Campaignand we need your help. We are seeking both short- and long-term assistance to keep our organization active and serving Rensselaer County and the Capital Region. We need a minimum of $30,000 each month to maintain our current activities and preserve the historical artifacts we hold for the benefit of people today and in the future. Unfortunately, in recent months our operating income has averaged under $10,000.

What can you do?

  • Pass this message on to your friends, family, colleagues and ask them to pass it along – Getting the word out is still a key to success
  • Make a tax-deductible donation to RCHS
  • Give an RCHS membership as a birthday present or gift to a new neighbor
  • Tell your friends, family and colleagues about the great programs happening at RCHS and encourage them to get involved
  • Distribute RCHS membership brochures (pdf) and fact sheets (word document) to your clubs and community organizations
  • Sponsor a field trip to RCHS for your child's school
  • Hold a brunch or get-together and make a group donation to RCHS Volunteer to help with an RCHS program or project
  • Send us your ideas! What would you like to see RCHS do? How can we increase our service to the community and lay a foundation for ongoing financial sustainability?

Thanks for your help! We look forward to working with you to build a strong future for Rensselaer County’s history!!

 

 

~ Rensselaer County Historical Society ~

~ 57 Second Street, Troy, NY 12180 ~

~ 518-272-7232 ~

 
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