The Hurley Heritage Society: Local History’s Place in Modern Life
This semester I am assisting with the curation of an exhibit at the Hurley Heritage Society located in the Elmendorf House at 52 Main Street in Hurley New York. This house is one of the numerous stone houses built in the 1680s that line Main Street and pay tribute to its founding in 1662 history. Initially, the Society was founded in 1974 and did not own the house, but through the efforts of the community and fundraising, the society was able to purchase the house in 2000. While most of these houses are now privately owned the Society does its best to keep the legacy of the homes and founding of the area alive. Their mission statement is displayed on the front page of their website prominently, “We are dedicated to preserving for future generations the unique cultural, architectural, environmental, and historical impact of the various groups that have occupied Hurley throughout its 350-year existence. Our funding comes from grants, membership, fundraisers, and individual donations.”
The Hurley Heritage Society’s primary way of reaching their audience is through events that are open to the public. Many of these events incorporate aspects of Dutch heritage of the area as well as its history in farming and ties to the railroad. The Hurley Heritage House is run entirely on a volunteer basis and organized by people who have lived in Hurley for years. This kind of curation allows for exciting perspectives as well as the use of local knowledge through families who have lived in the town since its establishment over 300 years ago. The first of its exhibit rooms is the Dutch room. Set up to mirror a Dutch kitchen that early settlers would have used it features various pieces of furniture and has a table set reflecting early American history. It pays homage to the people who helped to found the town and build the stone houses that line Main Street.
The other exhibition room is dedicated to rotating exhibits. Previously the Society put up a display about farming in Ulster County. Currently, there is an exhibit on the O & W railway, curated by Gail Whistance. This exhibit looks at the stops on the train line from Hurley to New York City, its effects and the building of the rail itself. This exhibit will be on display in the House until May when the exhibition will open. This exhibit, the one I am assisting on, will be about Winslow Homer who visited the town in the mid-1800s and may have based several of his paintings and engravings off of Hurley, New York.
In the top floor of the house is a research library, which contains various Native American artifacts and information about the people who lived in Hurley long before the colonists moved in. The library includes texts about multiple periods of the town’s history which is exceptionally helpful to preserving and doing research about the larger Ulster Area and Hurley itself. Their most recent acquisition is a book donated by Rhodes about artist Homer.
The museum frequently has public events to educate the public and bring them to the house. Periodically they have lectures to the public about their exhibits such as one by Gail Whistance on September 20th about the Railway and the current display in the museum. There are often guided walking tours, including their Halloween, themed “Ghost Walk” down the main street. There are also events such as an ice cream social and classes about wreath-making. The Hurley Heritage society keeps the town’s history alive through public outreach and engagement.
