Thanks to community partnerships, a wonderful event unfolded at the Hudson River Maritime Museum (HRMM) in Kingston, New York and on the Hudson River on Saturday, August 13, 2022.  

Fourteen middle school age girls from underserved communities that usually do not have access to waterfront activities and sailing, along with eight adult women mentors, spent a day at the Rondout Creek waterfront and sailing on the Hudson River as part of the National AdventureSail Program, organized by the National Women’s Sailing Association.
Participants experienced the world of sailing for the first time: the beauty of the Hudson River, the tranquility and peace of sailing, the focus and skill required by sailing well, the ability to stay calm despite challenges, the teamwork required and the connections built  as part of a crew.

Girls and mentors met their skippers and crew members, everyone suited up with life jackets, boarded their boats, and eight sailboats headed out the Rondout Creek to the Hudson River.  The day was spectacularly beautiful with fluffy clouds, sun and blue skies, warm temperatures that were not too hot, and a brisk 12-15 knot breeze over sparkling water.
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Many of the boats opted to sail under mainsail alone (in contrast to the usual jib and mainsail configuration)  to ensure the new sailors were comfortable. Everyone enjoyed a beautiful sail on the River, South of the Kingston/Rhinecliff Bridge and North of the Esopus Meadows Lighthouse, until 1:00 pm, when they returned to the dock at HRMM.

It took a village to create this memorable event: The National Women’s Sailing Association provided guidance and information as well as donating backpacks for the girls.
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MentorMe of Ulster County identified interested girls and mentors, explained to parents (many of whom do not speak English) what the day would entail, got permission from parents and transported the girls to the waterfront.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum provided the venue, and The Sailing School at the HRMM provided three sailboats along with skilled, certified sailing instructors who volunteered as skippers,  and Kingston Sailing Club members provided five sailboats with volunteer skilled skippers and crew. Kingston Sailing Club members also donated breakfast foods, water bottles for each girl, and an ice cream cake, the Bruderhof Community donated lunch for everyone, Mother Earth Storehouse donated snacks for the girls, Adams Fairacre Farms donated a beautiful fruit tray for breakfast, and the National Women’s Sailing Association provided string backpacks for all the girls. 

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is honored to announce a ceremonial Peace Tree Planting and an historic Peace Treaty Renewal between the Ulster County government and the Ramapough Lenape Nation, renewing the 1665 Richard Nicolls Esopus Peace Treaty.  The renewal will take place Friday, August 5th at the Hudson River Maritime Museum, 50 Rondout Landing, Kingston, and is open to public attendance.
 
From the statement by the Ulster County Clerk’s office:
 
The public is invited to the Kingston Rondout Historic Waterfront District this Friday, August 5th for a day of peace, healing, and good relations.  The day will begin at 10:00 am with the planting of a Tree of Peace at the former Kingston Visitors Center, 20 Broadway.  The tree will be an Esopus apple tree to commemorate the death of two Indigenous women who ate apples from a local tree. They thought they were eating the fruit of the land. A Dutch settler thought they were stealing from him and so shot them.
 
The Tree of Peace is a metaphor for how peace can grow if it is nurtured. Like a tall tree, peace can provide protection and comfort. Like a pine tree, peace spreads its protective branches to create a place of peace where we can gather and renew ourselves. Like the White Pine, peace also creates large white roots (tsyoktehækęætaˀkona) that rise out of the ground so people can trace their journey to the source. Leading this ceremony will be Kawisente, Chief of the Bear Clan of Kahnawake, Kanienkehaka.
 
At 1:00 pm, a renewal of the October 7, 1665, Peace Treaty between the indigenous Esopus people and European settlers will take place.  This Treaty is significant because it brought to a close hostility between the Esopus and the settlers that had begun back in 1659. Both parties promised to cease hostilities, to establish a course of justice and conduct trade with each other.  In addition to the cessation of fighting, the Treaty proclaimed, “That all past Injuryes, are buryed and forgotten on both sides” and "that it may bee kept in perpetuall memory."  There have been 13 renewals of this treaty found in the archives, dating from 1669 to 1745. 
 
Ten years ago, at Two Row Wampum Renewal Campaign alliances were made and a decision taken to renew the Treaty regularly. Since that time the Nicolls Treaty has been renewed 6 times between representatives of the county and the Ramapough Munsee Lunaape. It is our intention to continue this tradition and expand awareness of it throughout the county and the states of New York and New Jersey.
 
Turtle Clan Chief Vincent Mann of the Ramapough Munsee Lunaape Nation will be leading the Treaty Renewal that will happen aboard the Sloop Clearwater.  A public sail with limited tickets will follow.  Covid protocols will be in place.
 
“Friday’s event will be the seventh time the Treaty has been renewed in recent years and it is our honor to continue to be a part of it,” stated County Clerk Postupack.  “It is so important to continue the tradition of acknowledging the past and moving forward in peace.  We hope to inspire future generations to carry on this tradition and embrace the spirit of peace.”
 
As part of the renewal, the Native American tradition of exchanging gifts will take place.  Gifts received in previous years will be brought to honor each side.  Among these were pipes made from an ancient walnut tree growing during the time of both Treaties. Siblings of these pipes live around the world, from the tip of Africa to the Middle East, Europe North and South America, Australia, New Zealand, Taiwan and the Philippines, promoting peace, healing, and good relations. The Hudson River Maritime Museum’s Wooden Boat School will also be offering a gift as part of the gift exchange ceremony.
 
For more information about the Ramapough Lenape Nation, please visit their website at ramapomunsee.net.  To learn about Sloop Clearwater and purchase tickets for the public sail, please visit www.clearwater.org.  For further information about this and other outreach programs of the Ulster County Clerk’s Office, please contact County Clerk Nina Postupack at (845) 340-3040 or countyclerk@co.ulster.ny.us or visit us online at clerk.ulstercountyny.gov or Facebook.

Solaris is a 100% solar-powered vessel built by the Hudson River Maritime Museum. It does not require fossil fuels to operate. Designed by marine architect Dave Gerr from a concept developed by David Borton, owner of Sustainable Energy, our tour boat is commercial in design, meeting all U.S. Coast Guard regulations for commercial passenger-carrying vessels. She can travel up to 50 miles at night without the use of her solar panels. Even on cloudy days, the solar panels are so efficient that they continue to power the batteries. Solaris is used for educational programs, public tours, and private charters and events. With near-silent running, low wake, and no engine fumes, Solaris makes the ideal "floating classroom" for children and the general public alike.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related communities. In addition to extensive collections documenting maritime transportation, industry, recreation, and natural science, the museum offers classes and programs at its Wooden Boat School, Sailing and Rowing School, and aboard its floating classroom, Solaris. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. ​

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming lecture “Indigenous Removal in the Hudson Valley During the French & Indian War,” held in-person on Wednesday, June 22, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
The lecture will discuss an attempt by the colonial governments of New York and New Jersey, as well as Sir William Johnson, the British superintendent of Indian affairs, to remove members of Algonquian-speaking Native groups from the wider Hudson Valley region during the Seven Years’ War (1754-63). Acting in an atmosphere of crisis and widespread paranoia among the colonial population, government officials came to exploit and exaggerate individual acts of violence against members of local Native groups to encourage their resettlement first among the Mohawks and subsequently farther afield.

Dr. Tom Mitrod discusses an attempt by the colonial governments of New York and New Jersey, as well as Sir William Johnson, the British superintendent of Indian affairs, to remove members of Algonquian-speaking Native groups from the wider Hudson Valley region during the Seven Years’ War, also known as the French and Indian War, which took place from 1754-63. As the crisis of war and paranoia spread among the colonial population, government officials exploited and exaggerated individual acts of violence against local Native groups to encourage them to leave the Hudson Valley, resettling first among the Mohawks and later farther west.
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Tom Arne Midtrød is an associate professor of early American history at the University of Iowa in Iowa City. He is author of the book The Memory of All Ancient Customs: Native American Diplomacy in the Colonial Hudson Valley.
 
Tickets are $7 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. To register, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series.

​Twilight Tasting History Cruises Take Place Aboard Solaris

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce a slate of new programs aboard Solaris, the museum’s 100% solar-powered tour boat. “Twilight Tasting History Cruises” take place Fridays evenings starting Friday, June 17, 2022. Featuring a rotating slate of Hudson Valley food history subjects, guests aboard Solaris will get to taste samples of local foods, learn from food historian Sarah Wassberg Johnson, and enjoy the beautiful atmosphere of the Hudson River at sunset.

Sarah Wassberg Johnson is a food historian who has been featured on seasons 1, 2, and 3 of The History Channel’s “The Food That Built America” and in documentary films, on radio and podcasts, and publications such as NPR, The Atlantic, CNN, Gastro Obscura, and more. You can find her work and more at www.thefoodhistorian.com. She also happens to be the Director of Exhibits & Outreach at the Hudson River Maritime Museum!

Tasting topics include heirloom apples, cheese, chocolate, booze & Prohibition, and honey. Each cruise will focus on a particular topic with history discussion provided by Wassberg Johnson and a tasting of related foods from local purveyors and producers.

This Friday’s cruise is focused on cheese in the Hudson Valley. Wassberg Johnson will discuss the dairying heritage of the Hudson Valley, which famous cheeses were invented in the Hudson Valley and New York State, and the history of cheesemaking. Guests will taste and compare local and historic cheeses.

Tickets are $45 for adults and $42 for seniors and include the tastings, wine, and sparkling water, as well as tasting notecards. Don’t miss this amazing opportunity to learn more about the food history of the Hudson Valley, and taste it, too!

Tickets, schedule, and more information available at www.hrmm.org/tasting-history.

Solaris is a 100% solar-powered vessel built by the Hudson River Maritime Museum. It does not require fossil fuels to operate. Designed by marine architect Dave Gerr from a concept developed by David Borton, owner of Sustainable Energy, our tour boat is commercial in design, meeting all U.S. Coast Guard regulations for commercial passenger-carrying vessels. She can travel up to 50 miles at night without the use of her solar panels. Even on cloudy days, the solar panels are so efficient that they continue to power the batteries. Solaris is used for educational programs, public tours, and private charters and events. With near-silent running, low wake, and no engine fumes, Solaris makes the ideal "floating classroom" for children and the general public alike.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related communities. In addition to extensive collections documenting maritime transportation, industry, recreation, and natural science, the museum offers classes and programs at its Wooden Boat School, Sailing and Rowing School, and aboard its floating classroom, Solaris. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. ​

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the upcoming lecture “The 1904 General Slocum Disaster: New York’s Deadliest Day before 9/11,” held virtually on Wednesday, June 8, 2022 at 7:00 PM.
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This talk details the extraordinary story of the burning of the steamboat General Slocum, the deadliest day in New York City history before September 11. More than 1,000 New Yorkers perished on June 15, 1904 when their steamboat burst into flames on the East River.  A panicked and untrained crew, coupled with rotten life preservers and inaccessible life boats, turned a small storage room fire into a human tragedy of immense proportions. News of the horror made headlines around the world and elicited an enormous outpouring of sympathy and donations. Later, as evidence of negligence and corruption on the part of the steamer's owners mounted, sympathy turned to outrage and demands for justice that were never fully met.  This talk brings to life this gripping tragedy and the wider, compelling story of innocents lost, heroes made, and a city and people that overcame.

Edward T. O’Donnell is a history professor at Holy Cross College in Worcester, MA. He is the author of several books, including Henry George and the Crisis of Inequality: Progress and Poverty in the Gilded Age (Columbia, 2015) and Ship Ablaze: The Tragedy of the Steamboat General Slocum (Random House, 2003). O’Donnell also hosted (2016-2020) a popular U.S. history podcast, In The Past Lane (www.InThePastlane.com) and he has written history-themed feature and opinion pieces for the Huffington Post, Newsweek, and the New York Times. O’Donnell has also created courses for the Great Courses Company, including “Turning Points in American History.”
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Tickets are $7 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. To register, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series.

About the Follow the River Lecture Series
For more than a decade the Hudson River Maritime Museum's "Follow the River Lecture Series" has hosted historians, authors, and maritime experts for engaging illustrated talks on a variety of regional history and maritime subjects. In recent years, many of the lectures have also been recorded and are available on YouTube. For more information about upcoming lectures and to access recordings of past lectures, visit www.hrmm.org/lecture-series. The series is sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.
The Hudson River Maritime Museum is dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries and related communities. In addition to extensive collections documenting maritime transportation, industry, recreation, and natural science, the museum offers classes and programs at its Wooden Boat School, Sailing and Rowing School, and aboard its floating classroom, Solaris. The museum is located along the historic Rondout waterfront in downtown Kingston. Visit www.hrmm.org for more information.

On June 9 & 10, the Maiden crew will partner with the Hudson River Maritime Museum, Sloop Clearwater, and the Sloop Apollonia to provide field trips for local schoolchildren to come to the Kingston waterfront, many for the first time, meet the crew, tour the boat, and participate in workshops in Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) learning opportunities related to sailing. These field trips will inspire and encourage children from our local community to pursue education and excel in their own learning journeys.

The wider community will also be welcomed to meet the crew and tour the vessel. For information on how to support the Maiden’s visit to Kingston, join the flotilla, participate in youth field trips, or visit the boat and her crew, please go to: ​