Category: Small Museums and Galleries in New York State

Dutchess County Historical Society 6282 Route US 9 Rhinebeck, NY 12572

Dutchess County Historical Society

6282 US-Route 9

Rhinebeck, NY 12572

(845) 471-1630

https://www.facebook.com/DCHSNY/

2023 Home

Open: Sunday-Monday Closed/Tuesday-Thursday 10:00am-3:00pm/Friday-Saturday Closed

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Dutchess County Historical Society at 6282 Route US 9 in Rhinebeck, NY

I recently visited the new Dutchess County Historical Society in Rhinebeck from its old home in Downtown Poughkeepsie. The new museum has a light and airy feel about it with new exhibitions being mounted and a new library being set up for research. The museum just opened for viewing so it is still in its early stages for displaying artifacts.

The Dutchess County Historical Society

The Main Gallery at the museum

The Mission of the Dutchess County Historical Society:

The Dutchess County Historical Society is committed to being the most meaningful source of Dutchess County history, a commitment in place since its 1914 founding.

We do this through the responsible archival stewardship of tangible objects and the energetic interpretation and presentation of local history to the public.

We are proud to be known for our community outreach through a wide range of publications, awards, exhibits, programs, talks, writings, videos and oral histories.

Online and traditional exhibitions, lectures, awards, conferences and special presentations round out Dutchess County Historical Society programming for members and our local communities.

Portraits of local residents and antique furniture

Some of the new permanent collection on display are family portraits, antique furniture, historic documents and local artifacts from towns all over Dutchess County. Much of these items were donated by the families that live in the area.

The portraits of local residents and historical documents in the collection

Historical Documents of Dutchess County with the original seals

The first exhibition that is being mounted in partnership with the Rhinebeck Fire Department is the history of the fire service in Dutchess County. Since part of the exhibition was being moved to the new fire museum at the Dutchess County Fair Grounds for the upcoming Dutchess County Fair, I got to see only a portion of it at the museum.

The exhibition “The History of the Dutchess County Fire Service”:

The exhibition shows the progression and growth of the fire service in Dutchess County since the time the Dutch lived in this region. The collection reflects the direction of these departments since the end of the Civil War and how much and how little the equipment has changed.

Fire department artifacts including documents and equipment

Fire service pictures and documents and a beam from Henry Livingston’s mansion that got shelled by the British (this sits below the display case)

Fire Department jacket

Helmets and trumpets used by fire departments in the past

What was interesting about the exhibit was the depth of items of the past that each firefighting and the story they tell.

The Permanent Collection:

The remaining displays along the walls of the museum as set up continues tell the story of Dutchess Counties past and the families that lived here.

Family heirlooms

Household and Business items

An old Draft card machine

There will be more displayed of the treasure trove of items in the museum’s collection, so it gives people a chance to see the past of the County on display and how it differs from current life to playing its part in the County’s future. There will be a lot more to do and see in the museum going forward.

Ulster County Agricultural Museum-Ulster County Fairgrounds 249 Liberty Road New Paltz, NY 12561

Ulster County Agriculture Museum-Ulster County Fairgrounds

249 Liberty Road

New Paltz, NY 12561

(845) 255-1380

Ulster County Fairgrounds

Open: When the fairgrounds are open

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Ulster County Fair Agricultural Museum at the Ulster County Fairgrounds

The sign at the entrance of the museum

Display outside the entrance of the museum

The Ulster County Fair Agricultural Museum is one of the more interesting and detailed agricultural based museums I have seen. The museum houses an extensive collection of farm equipment that includes machinery for the fields, milking equipment including how to milk a cow properly and the progress on egg hatchery and production. The museum highlights these changes especially in the last hundred years.

The main gallery of the museum

The main part of the museum was dedicated to farm equipment from the early plows and hoes to the changes in the modern day tractor.

The early hoes both hand and horse drawn

The changes in tractors for farm use over the last century

All sorts of businesses were on the farms from egg hatcheries to dairy farming were shown in their early stages at the museum.

Milk jugs for fresh milk

An early egg hatchery and sorters

The museum also displayed other business that farmers could make money from including ice cutting for ice boxes. All sorts of equipment was on display for this early money making industry.

The ice carving industry

Life on the farm was not so easy for women either as cooking, washing and cleaning were all chores left to women while the men worked in the fields. All foods were made from scratch from farm produce and water for cooking, washing and bathing came from wells and springs and sometimes needed to be boiled. Work in the household was never finished and took many hands to do.

The farmhouse kitchen

Life on the farm included travel to and from church, going to town and travel to the cities for visits to the markets. Carts and carriages were the mode of transportation back then before automobiles. Even today in some communities this is still a mode of transportation.

Carriages and wagons for transportation

Working in the fields and the yields produced kept changing as modern equipment became part of farm life. Gas powered and electric equipment changed the way the modern farmer produced crops.

Modern sorters and weights

The gas powered saw

The members who run the museum were working the gas run engines and were demonstrating equipment used over the years. Members were showing visitors how these machine work and there purpose on the farm.

The outdoor gas powered equipment

The gas powered equipment

The inside of the museum had all sorts of displays on working on the farm. There was the equipment to cut the law, sort the crops and maintenance on the farm.

Sickle mower

The gas powered machines for maintaining of the farm and fields

Animals from the 4 H display

Calves from the 4 H display

Chicken exhibit at the 4 H display

Duck pen at the 4H exhibit

The looks you get from the farm animals

Deputy William G. King Law Enforcement Museum-Ulster County Fairgrounds 249 Liberty Road New Paltz, NY 12561

Deputy William G. King Law Enforcement Museum-Ulster County Fairgrounds

249 Liberty Road

New Paltz, NY 12561

(845) 255-1380

Ulster County Fairgrounds

Open: When the fairgrounds are open

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Deputy William G. King Law Enforcement Museum is a small museum on the fairgrounds of Ulster County and is only open when the fairgrounds are open. The museum is manned by officers of the Sheriff’s Department. The museum houses the collection of retired Deputy William G. King law enforcement memorabilia.

The entrance to the museum

The collection includes a wide variety of guns, ammunition, equipment used on the job and riot gear.

The main gallery of the one room museum

The display cases house police department patches, pins for uniform, pictures of policemen and incidents. There is a collection of badges from various departments around the country.

A collection of awards and night sticks

What I found impressive was the collection of riot gear and equipment used on emergency calls. People do not understand the life of a police officer when duty calls and their perspective might be during a riot to protect people.

Riot gear, the gun collection and police equipment collections

The officer who manned the museum from the sheriff’s office was explaining how the equipment was used and how it has progressed in time.

Items from the Ulster County Sheriff’s Department

The museum also has a simulation of the New York State Gas Chamber, Electric Chair and the jails. I thought this was pretty interesting in that Capital punishment is still legal in New York State.

The display on Capital Punishment in New York State

A better view of the display

The Sheriff’s Department of Ulster County does a nice job maintaining and explaining all the items in the museum. They also make it less intimidating for children to approach a police officer when they need help. The museum is packed with information and the officers manning it could not have been nicer. Its just too bad that it is only open during the times the fairgrounds are open.

The banner from the Ulster County Deputy Sheriff’s Wives Association

Ulster County Fire Museum Ulster County Fairgrounds 249 Liberty Road New Paltz, NY 12561

Ulster County Fire Museum-Ulster County Fairgrounds

249 Liberty Road

New Paltz, NY 12561

(845) 255-1380

Ulster County Fairgrounds

Open: When the fairgrounds are open for events

Admission: Free but donations are accepted

My review on TripAdvisor:

The Ulster County Fire Department Museum at the Ulster County Fairgrounds

The Ulster County Fire Department Museum is a unique little museum in that it is only open when the fairgrounds are open. It staffed by volunteers from Ulster County’s Volunteer Fire Departments. From the age of most of the volunteers, I could tell as a retired fireman, were all the guys whose firemen days at behind them. Still they are committed firefighters and have some good stories to tell.

The inside of the museum

The museum is more of an exhibition than a museum but for a small museum it packed with all sorts of artifacts, fire fighting equipment and memorabilia on the early days of fire fighting.

The old fire department medallions that showed what fire department would come to your home because of the company fire insurance you paid to them.

Some of the older artifacts they had were these fire department medallions from the various fire companies that existed that people paid into to protect their homes. Those were the days when the companies used to compete to be the best.

The collection of patches and awards

The museum contained a large collection of awards, ribbons and patches from fire departments from all over the local area and beyond. The collection included ribbons from various competitions and conventions, company emblems and events over the years.

Fire fighter mugs from various departments and events

The museum has an extensive collection of commemorative mugs. These are sold or given by fire department and companies to mark anniversaries and special events. These mugs mark the special occasions in a fire fighters career. As a fireman I have also found that these pile up quickly in your cupboards.

Department mugs from various department events and from companies

The museum had an extensive collection of toy fire trucks and games on display. There were samples of these out in front of the museum for the kids to play with that day.

The collection of fire trucks on display

The museum put the bunker gear we firefighters use on calls. This protects us in the weather conditions as well.

The fire fighter bunker gear used on calls

The emergency gear we use on calls on roadways and incidents

I got to talking with the volunteer firemen from Ulster County and like most departments around the country, they are having problems finding volunteers to man the departments. It is a tough field and people don’t want to do it for free anymore. I figure like a lot of towns around us, the departments will be paid soon. That is the wave of the future.

Firefighter Scooby Doo protecting the museum

Still the firefighters from Ulster County do a nice job maintaining this museum. For a one room museum, it is packed by information and manned by firefighters who care about the profession.

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