Ulster County Historical Society
2682 Route 209
Kingston, NY 12401
(845) 377-1040
Open: Sunday 10:00am-4:00pm/Monday-Thursday Closed/Friday-Saturday 10:00am-4:00pm
Admission: Adults $15.00/Seniors and Students $10.00/Members Free
My review on TripAdvisor:
The Ulster County Historical Society at 2683 Route 209
I visited the Ulster County Historical Society in Kingston, New York recently and found it to be a very interesting packed with information on both county and New York State history. The historical Bevier House was set up into different galleries.
In the main gallery which must have served as the family’s living room and parlor room was the “Leaving Bishop Falls” exhibit by artist Kate McGloughlin, who shared the story of how her family either sold out or were forced off their land when New York State used the area as a reservoir for drinking water for New York City. Her art told the story of her family’s love/hate relationship with the situation and how some of the family still deal with the incident. I thought it was interesting that she was a 12th Generation New Yorker.
The Main Gallery
What was once the Dining Room is now the Portrait Room, with many family portraits and of local citizens from the Museum’s collection. This room is also used for lectures.
The Portrait Gallery and lecture space
The Portrait Gallery
The Portrait Gallery has period pieces to them with various tables, armours and pottery and china pieces of the time period. The portraits reflect that time period as well.
The back part of the house is the period Dutch Kitchen which was remodeled from the more modern kitchen it had become over time as the family moved into modern times back to the original kitchen. The fireplace is filled with tea kettles, pots and pans that would have been used for cooking, a bedwarmer and various items that cooks and housewives would have used to make the family meals. There is even a bed in the kitchen which I took as something that was needed in the colder months.
The Dutch Kitchen
The pewter and pottery in the Dutch Kitchen.
A folding bed in the kitchen.
The room to the back displayed farm equipment and materials needed in the Blacksmithing and Blue Stoning industries that were once part of Ulster County. The farm equipment reflects the rural past of the farm land that used to surround the house. This is where the family made their money.
The farm tools display
The Farm tool display
The Blacksmithing Display
The Blue Stoning tools for mine blue stone for homes.
Then to the back of the house are the stone gardens loaded with all sorts of wild flowers and colorful flowering plants. This path leads to the old family barn that is now on private property. The gardens are a nice place to relax and unwind on a sunny afternoon.
The Stone Gardens in the summer months.
The side of the house with the stone gardens.
The gardens on the side of the house.
The home is an example of life on a farm at that time period and the family who put a lot of care in their home for generations. The care that the historical society has brought to this house is reflected in the displays and exhibits. The volunteers do a good job telling this story.
The Special Exhibition at the museum:
LEAVING BISHOP FALLS — AN ASHOKAN STORY
MAY 13 – OCT 29, 2023
The entrance of the exhibition “Leaving Bishop Falls”
Construction of the Ashokan Reservoir, part of New York City’s water system, flooded communities long established in the Esopus Valley. That action reverberates in our community today.
Artist Kate McGloughlin shares her family’s history in the area.
https://www.katemcgloughlin.com/
The newspaper coverage of the event.
The work of artist Kate McGloughlin, a 12th– generation county resident, captures the sense
of loss her family still carries from the seizure of Bishop Falls. Her kin, and many like them, were forcibly removed from their land at Bishop Falls.
The artist’s descendants
Kate’s painting and printmaking tell the story of her people, acknowledging their loss and finding solace in the beauty of the Ashokan landscape.
The main gallery with her works.
The exhibition asks us to reflect on our own family stories and how they resonate in our lives today.
The works of Kate McGloughlin
Map of the location of the family land and community lands taken away.
The History of the Ulster County Historical Society:
(from the museum’s website)
The Ulster County Historical Society is the oldest historical society in New York State. It was established in 1859, largely through the efforts of State Senator George C. Pratt, Commanding Colonel of the 20th Regiment, New York State Militia (80th NYSV). Col. Pratt was mortally wounded 1862 at the Second Battle of Bull Run. With his death, the Society became dormant until 1898, when an enthusiastic group led by Judge G.V.D. Hasbrouck revived it.
The Bevier House plaque
Throughout the history of the UCHS, the mission has been twofold. The society’s primary responsibility has been to act as curator and collector of significant Hudson Valley artifacts, documents, and cultural items. The donation of the Bevier House as museum space helped the UCHS to achieve this goal, and we currently house several fine collections of artwork, furniture, and culturally significant documents. Additionally, our library within the museum allows for researchers to access documents, land records, maps, town histories, letters, and diaries of interest to this area of the Hudson Valley. Please contact info@ulstercountyhs.org with any research queries.
The Bevier Family tree and patent
The second goal of the UCHS is to educate our community and the public on the very important role that the Hudson Valley, and particularly Ulster County, has played in the formation of our great nation. Through a variety of programs centered around our current exhibits, we encourage participants to engage with and explore their local and personal histories.
A copy of the permit to maintain and run the local highway.
The rate of the tolls on the road that the family collected.
The History of the Van Leuven/Bevier Homestead:
(from the museum website)
The sign that welcomes you.
The Ulster County Historical Society is proud to have the Bevier House as its headquarters. The Bevier Family donated the building in 1935 to serve as a meeting space and to house the collections of local historical artifacts stewarded by the UCHS.
The Bevier House in the summer of 2023.
The home site was first settled in the 1680s and began as a one room structure, constructed by Andries Van Leuven. It may have reflected the Dutch tradition of positioning the gable end toward the street. In 1715, Louis Bevier of the New Paltz Patent purchased the property for his third son Louis and wife Maria Hasbrouck.
The family barn (which is not part of the Historical Society property)
The site remained in the Bevier Family for the next 223 years and provided a successful income from farming. The home grew and was improved with most changes occurring between 1840 and 1890, when much of the U.S. was experiencing rebuilding and reconstruction after many years of turmoil.
The stone garden on the side of the house.
The house gardens and well in the summer of 2023.
The final major change that occurred in the house was the Dutch kitchen remodel in the 1970s, in conjunction with the Bicentennial.
The Dutch kitchen brought back to its original form.
The Ulster County Historical Society is a perfect way to understanding Dutch farming life at that time period in Ulster County, NY.
Visiting a Museum: The Unique, Unusual, Obscure and Historical 