A VISIT FROM THE LIMNER

Volume 22, Issue 2
Spring 2010
The
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DEDICATION & RECOGNITION DAY
I N S I D E T H I S
I S S U E :
Blacksmith Shop Dedicated and Morey-Devereaux Rooms Named
President’s Message
2
Education Committee
Appointment
3
Volunteer News
4
Pot Luck Social
5
Antique Appraisal Day
6
What Is It?
6
Membership Update
7
On Sunday, May 23rd, the Austerlitz Historical Society dedicated the Robert Engel Blacksmith Shop and recognized the
work of six society members by
naming four rooms in the MoreyDevereaux House in their honor;
the Alice Corbin Old Kitchen,
the Norma Edsall Catering
Kitchen, the Constance and Joseph Mondel Dining Room and
the Karen and Royson Carney
Library and Research Center.
President Ron Lenney opened
the ceremony by recounting the
great progress the society has
made over the past years and by
thanking each of the honorees for
their commitment and dedication
to the society. The President also
welcomed Geraldine Hankle to
the ceremony. Mrs. Hankle‟s husSee DEDICATION on page 3
From left, Alice Corbin, Roy and Karen Carney, Norma Edsall, Connie and Joe
Mondel, and Robert Engel
A VISIT FROM THE LIMNER
Portrait of Paulina Dorr of Chatham Center by
Ammi Phillips (Abby Aldrich Rockefeller Museum)
The Austerlitz Historical Society‟s Odd
Saturdays series sponsored a presentation
by artist Matthew McKeeby on April 17th.
Mr. McKeeby, known as the “The Berlin
Limner,” is a gifted artist and speaker and
he fascinated the audience with his passion
for early American folk art.
As McKeeby explained at the well attended session, the word limner literally
means “painter or illustrator.” In the 18th
and 19th centuries, limners were travelling
artists who painted portraits as well as
more mundane items. Such artists were
generally self-taught, unlike the academi-
cally-trained artists who had studied in
Europe, and they painted in a naïve and
uniquely American style. Their offerings
included signs, portraits, and murals, as
well as the decoration of carriages, fire
buckets, furniture and the stenciling of
interiors.
McKeeby presented numerous slides of
works by well-known limners such as
Ammi Phillips, Edward Hicks, and Rufus
Porter. Many of the artists travelled
through the Hudson Valley and the speaker
included a number of local examples—
among them the well-know painting of
See LIMNER on page 2
P a g e
2
T h e
T i m e s
A Message From The President
By Ron Lenney
This has been a busy spring season for
our Society. The lecture on Folk Art in
the Harvey House followed by the Pot
Luck Supper were both successful. Antique Appraisal Day took place on May
16th and it was interesting to note how
many new faces and non-members attended. Dedication and Recognition Day
was a wonderful day allowing us to formally thank some long-term members for
their invaluable service to the Society.
Yet to come is a cooking and preserving
demonstration in the Morey-Devereaux
kitchen in June. Then we prepare for the
Blueberry Festival on July 25th. Finally, a
well deserved rest for our volunteers before Autumn in Austerlitz on October
10th.
These are events that are known to the
membership and the public but there are
other happenings that take place in the
background. The Publicity Committee has
been renamed the Public Relations Committee with an expanded group of volunteers. They will promote the Society
through news releases and articles in
local publications.
Their efforts have
already brought results.
We have talked about
archives. The process
will start on the second floor of the
Morey-Devereaux
House where a computer station and files will be installed.
There is also the „archive room‟ which
has already been prepared for preserving
documents, books and records with air
conditioning and humidity control.
Our annual election of Trustees will take
place at the membership meeting in August but the preparation begins with the
Nominating Committee report at the end
of this month. A strong effort has been
made to bring new Trustees to the Board
as we expand the scope of the Society.
The
proposed
barn has been
discussed at both
Trustee
and
Membership
meetings
and
has not been
forgotten as we
define all the
possible
uses
and then proceed with the search.
There is more in the planning stage but
that is enough for today except to say
thanks to those members who responded
to the request for donations to the Rainy
Day Fund. Everyone have a great summer
and keep in mind that if each of you bring
in one new member you will be
“Preserving our Future”.
which were particularly striking. Their
simplicity of line and stark backgrounds
seemed oddly modern and quite beautiful.
McKeeby, a resident of Berlin, NY,
teaches English and Theater at Averill
Park High School. Like his artistic forbearers, he is a self-taught artist and has
been producing original
and reproduction paintings
in
the
“limner” style
for over 20
years. During
the presentation he shared
photographs
of his 19th
c e n t u r y
house in Berlin that he
and his wife
have
been
restoring and
the transformation
has
been stunning. McKeeby decorated the
entry with a multi-walled mural in the
style of Rufus Porter featuring a painted
scene depicting a mill that had once stood
next to a nearby stream. The McKeeby
dining room is painted yellow-ochre to
which he has applied historically-based
stenciling. The effect enhances the early
American furniture that he and his wife
have acquired and somehow seems to
bring the furniture into sharp focus.
Mr. McKeeby exhibits and sells his paintings and accepts commissions for portraiture as well as stenciling. For more information, visit his website at
www.berlinlimner.com.
“Preserving
Our Future”
LIMNER, continued from front page
“Salting the Sheep” depicting the Pratt
family currently in the collection of the
Columbia County Historical Society and
a stunning collection of seven portraits
(currently dispersed among several institutions) of the Dorr family of Chatham
Center (Ammi Phillips, circa 1814-1815)
Matthew McKeeby presentation at the Harvey House
A special thank you is due to Barbara
Willner for “finding” Mr. McKeeby and
arranging the presentation. Another thank
you to Connie Mondel and Ms. Willner
for providing the refreshments. It‟s never
a success without a good cup of coffee
and one (or two) of Barbara Willner‟s
brownies!
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Dedication & Recognition Day
DEDICATION, continued from front page
band had grown-up in the MoreyDevereaux House when it was originally located in Nassau, NY. Ron Lenney then introduced past President
Barbara Willner who elaborated on
the contributions each honoree had
made; Robert Engel for promoting his
love of history by sharing his blacksmithing knowledge and skills with the
Society, Alice Corbin for contributions to the Society‟s restoration of the
Morey-Devereaux House and historical
artifact collection, Norma Edsall for
her contributions including eleven
years service as the Society‟s first
Treasurer and eight years as a member
of the Board of Trustees, Connie and
Joe Mondel for their many years of
volunteer service — Connie has also
served as past President and currently
as Secretary, Karen Carney for her
ongoing service as the Library and Archives Chair, and Roy Carney for his
extensive work on the Society‟s buildings
and grounds — Roy has also served as
Vice President and President of the Society and is currently the Chairman of the
Dedication and Recognition Day Ceremony at Old Austerlitz
Buildings and Grounds Committee.
Ceremony attendees toured the Blacksmith Shop and new acquisitions were on
display in the Morey-Devereaux House.
Many visitors commented on the great
progress made to the interiors of the
house by the addition of the new items.
Dorothy Bakker Appointed To New Education
Planning Committee
Austerlitz Historical Society
President Ron
Lenney
announced
the
appointment of
Dorothy Bakker as the Chair
of the new Education Planning
Committee. The
committee will
plan and coordinate expanded educational
programs at the Society.
Ms. Bakker comes to the post with an
impressive background in the field of
education. She has worked as a special
education teacher in public schools, residential treatment facilities, and BOCES.
She is co-founder of The Hartland
School—a federally and state funded
model school for children with Dyslexia—where she served as the Executive
Director for 18 years. Additionally, Ms.
Bakker has taught at the Graduate School
of Empire State College and has served
as a pastoral associate within the Albany
Catholic Diocese.
Ms. Bakker said, “Education has been my
life‟s work so it seemed that I may have
some skills that could be of help and I am
most excited about the incredible opportunity we have to create dynamic learning
experiences, given the grounds, buildings
and the many knowledgeable, gifted and
talented people who live in this area.”
Ms. Bakker moved to Blueberry Lane, in
Austerlitz, four years ago after 30 years
in Albany. “ Most of my friends call it
my sanctuary—which it truly is,” she
said.
Current committee members include
June Blake, Gail Cashen, and Wendy
Diskin. The committee‟s first task is to
develop general goals and objectives to
present to the Board of Trustees for approval, after which they will seek additional sub-committee members to work
on specific programs and events.
“Projects and activities will be guided by
the New York State Learning Standards,”
Ms. Bakker indicated, “and be active,
hands-on, and multi-sensory so the history of the area becomes alive to both
young and old who participate—showing
that learning is a shared experience and
one that is as alive today as it was hundreds of years ago!”
If you would like to participate in the
committee activities, you may contact
Dorothy Bakker at:
dbakker7@hotmail.com
P a g e
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By Connie Mondel
T h e
T i m e s
Volunteer News
If you attend the Autumn in Austerlitz
Festival in October, you will see men
and women of the Austerlitz Historical
Society wearing clothes similar to that
worn in the 19th century. The women
wear a gingham dress and apron, a soft
white neck scarf and a mob cap. Menswear includes a vest over a loose fitting shirt. I must admit that some of us
look better than others in this dress but
that is probably true of most any outfits
we choose to wear. Seeing a group
dressed in these costumes does take one
back in time and adds an interesting
dimension to a society event.
Patricia O’Shea, a Charter member of
the society, was the one who suggested
that society members adapt an earlier
dress. She researched the style which
would be appropriate and she assembled a group of women to sew the costumes. Pat is very quick to minimize
her part and gives credit to the group of
ladies who chose fabric, cut out patterns
and spent many hours sewing the outfits
for men, women and children.
Pat‟s volunteer service to the society
has been varied, encompassing many
years of playing the keyboard to entertain those enjoying the soup and homemade breads in the early years of the
Autumn in Austerlitz event. To this
day, on the Soup Kitchen menu, (and it
is the 14th year for this event), Pat‟s
Hawkeye Bread is among the favorites.
Every Holiday Sing, in early December,
Pat accompanies on the keyboard those
assembled as they sing popular seasonal
song and carols. As one of three bakers
who for several years provided refreshments for the quarterly meetings, we
have much to appreciate for the many
ways in which she
has supported the
society.
Granary—were donated and needed to
be raised, it was done by a group of
society members with Howard among
them.
Howard‟s interest and talent in working
with wood has benefited both the Society Gift Shop
(open at major
events) and the
Silent Auction, at
And speaking of
Autumn in AusQuarterly Meetterlitz, with donaings……..
tions of hand
made gifts. The
I don‟t think Howtrivets, bird feedard Reznikoff has
ers,
cutting
missed a quarterly
boards and wine
meeting since he A special thank you to all of those bottle
holders
joined the Society
unique
who volunteered to help beautify we r e
in 1996. He is the
items,
which
AHS on May 1st:
Chairperson of the
gave the displays
Dorothy Bakker, Karen Carney,
Membership Comextra interest as
Roy Carney, Tony Cashen,
mittee since that
well as supplying
Gerry DeBona, Denise Dunne, additional revecommittee
was
Robert Herron, Lynne O’Conformed in 1999.
nue.
nell, Sue Mugler, Alan PhilHoward has the
The Society is
ability to attract lipson, Connie Mondel, Gunnel pleased to share
some talented peothe
ways
in
Reznikoff, Trudi Roth, Bruce
ple to join him on
which
these
two
Stockman, Carl Quinn, and
that committee to
members
have
Barbara Willner
share the responsishared their time
bilities, one of
and talents for
which is to be present at every event to our benefit, cognizant at the same time
interest and enroll new members.
that there are many more like them who
When two of the buildings on the Old equally serve in special ways.
Austerlitz site—the Harvey House and
CLEAN-UP
DAY
!
u
o
Y
ank
Th
Volunteer Opportunities:
The Blueberry Festival Is Coming!
VOLUNTEERS NEEDED: With the Blueberry Festival coming up on July 25th, there are many opportunities to
volunteer at AHS. We need Museum Docents, Gift Shop Volunteers, General Event Helpers, Handymen and Handywomen. If
you would like to volunteer, please contact Connie Mondel at 518-392-5874 or send an email to oldausterlitz@fairpoint.net.
DONATIONS NEEDED! Items for sale are needed for the Gift Shop which is open at the Blueberry Festival and
Autumn in Austerlitz. Sales at the Gift Shop are a great help with revenue for the Society programs. Handmade items and
quality treasures are needed. (Some members sew beautiful gifts of aprons, placemats and napkins, pillow slips, and jewelry
bags, while others donate quality treasures for which they no longer have use. ) Two members of the society will be at the Harvey House on Route 22 on Saturdays, June 19th and 26th from 10 am until 12 noon to accept your gifts. Please include a listing
of the items you are donating — we would like to acknowledge your gifts by mail.
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POT LUCK SOCIAL
The Austerlitz Historical Society hosted a “Pot Luck Social” on Saturday,
May 1st at Harvey House. The food was fantastic and the company wonderful! Many commented on how nice it was to share a meal with friends
and neighbors.
UPCOMING EVENTS
5
P a g e
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T h e
Antique Appraisal Day
What do a marble
statue of three monkeys, an antique egg
incubator and a Patek
Phillipe watch have
in common? These
were some of the
items brought to Antique Appraisal Day
on May 16th.
Participants were able
to learn a bit of history concerning the
wide variety items
they brought and received the answer to
that most frequent
question: “What is it
worth?”
Appraisals were conducted by experts
Rupert Fennell and
Karl Gabosh. Mr.
Fennell spent 29
years at Sotheby‟s
Auction House and
served as Vice PresiKarl Gabosh examines an early portrait
dent and Senior
Decorative Arts Appraiser when he retired in 1998. He cur- American art. He has co-authored a numrently works as an independent appraiser ber of art history books and has served as
and conducts a number of auctions each Senior Consultant for Phillips, de Pury &
year. He can also be seen on HGTV‟s The Luxemborg from 1999-2005. Mr. Gabosh
Appraisal Fair.
is also currently a member of the Board of
Karl Gabosh is a private dealer working Advisors for the Munson-Williams-Proctor
in 18th, 19th and early 20th century Art Institute in Utica, NY.
What Is It?
This item is wrought iron, circa 1820, and comes from
the AHS collection. It is displayed in the MoreyDevereaux House. Is it:
a.) a tool rack or holder — often used to
hold kitchen utensils?
b.) a bird spit — used to roast small birds?
c.) a candle dryer — used to hang and dry
freshly dipped wax candles?
See bottom of page 7 for the correct answer.
T i m e s
MEMBERSHIP UPDATE
The following lists reflect renewals and
new memberships received since the
last newsletter of Winter 2010.
INDIVIDUALS
Baechler, Margaret
Case, William
Davis, Kristin
Fairall, Elynor
Francis, George
Gerstel, Sue
Grace, Elisabeth
Herron, Naomi
Innerfield, Ron
Jensen, Emma
Kinne, Jane
Light, Richard
Light, Sally
Quinn, Patricia
Thompson, Rod
Vreeland, Tom
FAMILY/HOUSEHOLD
Cassuto, Thalia & Isadore
Cione, Nick & Beverly
Diskin, Wendy & Greg & Brianna
Filipelli, Jenine & Vosburgh, James
Finkelstein, Stanley and Carol
Foehrenbach, William
Forbes, Gordon and Handley, Daniel
Gallucci, Kathryn & Sam
Gauntlett, Naomi
Gulliver, Kate
Herron, Cheri
Hinkamp, Shirley & Mintz-Botsford,
Marsha
Horak, Ruth and David
Hover, Margaret
Howe, Joy & Bill
Lanchantin, Rich & Diane
Landy, Christopher & Waggett, Ellen
Lieber, John & Glosser, Amy
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FAMILY/HOUSEHOLD (cont.)
SUPPORTING
Margulies,David & Smedemark, Else
Bernstein, Paul & Magee, Jane
Melnick, Ellen & Burns, Bruce
Cavanagh, Will
Mugler, Kimberly & Esson, Matthew
DeRuggiero, Stanley
Neissel, Lydia and Russel
Dunne, Denise and John
Phillipson, Alan
Greitzer, Marilyn and Larry
Puccio, Ben and Cindy
Hawkins, Estelle
Roberts, Cheryl
Sample, Gail and Mark
Samuelsohn, Stephanie & Brad
Schroth, Carolyn and William
Smith, Barbara
Spitzer, Heather and John
Sussman, Samuel & Felice & Family
Sywak, NIcholas & Gotzler, Amy
Telesnick, Eva and Ledda, Sal
Ulmer, Marion and Willard
Van Alstyne, Ronald & Rita
Vitari, Cynthia & Song, Doug
Vollmuth, George
Wambach, Mary and Louis F.
AHS MEMBERSHIP
CUT THIS OUT
AND SHARE IT
WITH A FRIEND!
Yes, I want to help preserve the past and become a member of the Austerlitz Historical Society: Membership levels are:
Hecht, Leonard & Eileen
Laing, Fred and Sally
Lang, Nancy
Lieber, Mimi and Charles
Messina, Jo Ann
Moffatt, Dick
Mugler III, Richard and Shirar
Saltzman, Barbara
Tilden, Lee & Diane
Watt, Richard
Individual: $15.00_______________________
Family/Household: $25.00________________
Contributing/Business: $50.00_____________
Supporting: $100.00____________________
Sustaining: $250.00____________________
Life: $750.00__________________________
Please check which level you would like to join at
and mail your check or money order payable to
the Austerlitz Historical Society to P.O. Box
144, Austerlitz, NY 12017 with this clip-out.
Zutter, Kathleen & John
Name(s)___________________________
SUSTAINING
Mailing Address_____________________
Lenney, Ronald & Leah
__________________________________
Steckler, Michele & Grier, Cathy
CONTRIBUTING/BUSINESS
Vogler, Gregory & Highfill, David
City:______________________________
State:___________ Zip Code:_________
_
E-mail:____________________________
Bove, Carolyn
Bowen, Deborah
Jahn, George and Karen
Lawton, Beth and Heyman, Ben
Phone:____________________________
Meledandri, Risha
______New
Palladino, Philip and Phyllis
Roth, Trudi & Salzman, Larry
or
______Renewal
The Austerlitz Historical Society is a
501(c)3 Non-Profit Organization.
Stalker, Tim & Wendy
Windy Hill Farm
AUSTERLITZ HISTORICAL SOCIETY
MISSION STATEMENT
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7
To establish and maintain a growing museum site; Old Austerlitz Village.
To provide information and educational programs for the benefit of the public.
To collect and preserve artifacts dealing with the life and history of the Town of Austerlitz.
To stimulate, in our citizens, a keener interest in our town and appreciation of our heritage.
Answer to “What Is It?”: b.) A bird spit
Officers
President…………..…….Ronald Lenney
Vice President…………Denise Dunne
Secretary………….……..Connie Mondel
Treasurer …………….…Carl Quinn
Trustees
Austerlitz Historical Society
2010 Betsy Braley
Gerald DeBona
Wendy Diskin
Norma Edsall
Rebecca Greer
PO Box 144
Austerlitz, NY 12017
2011 Robert Herron
Sharon Koomler
Phone: 518-392-0062
Email: oldausterlitz@fairpoint.net
Web: www.oldausterlitz.org
Facebook: Austerlitz Historical Society
2012
Charles Knauss
Richard Light
Sue Mugler
Howard Reznikoff
Marlene Murdock
Robert Kleinberg
Lynne O'Connell
Special Advisor to the Board Robert Herron
Newsletter Editor
Jeffrey Harris
The date on the mailing label is your membership expiration date. Please take a minute to
renew if you are past the expiration date of your membership.
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