COVID-19 & Our Campus
To learn about how COVID-19 has affected our campus and the changes we have made, read the statement on our homepage at www.hrmm.org.
To learn about how COVID-19 has affected our campus and the changes we have made, read the statement on our homepage at www.hrmm.org.
Follow the River Lecture and Film Series
The Follow the River Lecture series is sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.
Each year the Hudson River Maritime Museum schedules an array of lectures and films on local and regional history topics. Lectures occur once a month on Saturdays during the winter months or for special lectures and twice a month on Wednesdays during the fall and spring.
For more information about upcoming lectures, please visit our events calendar or see the list below.
If you would like to give a lecture as a visiting speaker, please contact Sarah Wassberg Johnson at education@hrmm.org or call 845-338-0071 ext. 16.
The fall 2021 Follow the River Lecture Series will be presented in hybrid in-person AND virtual format. In-person lectures are limited to 20 people. No walk-ins will be allowed - advanced registration and masks required. All registrants will receive the virtual access link. Some lectures are virtual-only.
For more information about upcoming lectures, please visit our events calendar or see the list below.
If you would like to give a lecture as a visiting speaker, please contact Sarah Wassberg Johnson at education@hrmm.org or call 845-338-0071 ext. 16.
The fall 2021 Follow the River Lecture Series will be presented in hybrid in-person AND virtual format. In-person lectures are limited to 20 people. No walk-ins will be allowed - advanced registration and masks required. All registrants will receive the virtual access link. Some lectures are virtual-only.
Upcoming Lectures, 2021
All lectures are $5 for the general public, and FREE for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. Join today!
Wednesday, September 8, 2021 - "Building the Ashokan Reservoir"
Frank Almquist, Author
7:00 PM | In-Person at the Wooden Boat School AND Virtual via Zoom
The Ashokan Reservoir is a visual treat for anyone using the perimeter road, dividing weir, or the new Ashokan Rail Trail. The background of Catskill Mountain peaks, which frame 12 square miles of water, create a vista that makes the visitor wonder how this all came to be. The author wanted to bring the story of how this massive dam, miles of dikes, and water controls come together into a system that provides New York City residents 500 million gallons of water daily. Accolades go to the Board of Water Supply engineers who, in the 1900s, designed the project and to the contractors and their workers who, more than 100 years ago and mostly by hand, completed an undertaking nearly the magnitude of the Panama Canal. Construction started on September 30, 1907. In six years, on September 9, 1913, water storage began. The dam and dikes, followed by roads and bridges, completed the project in December 1917. Completion was ahead of schedule and under budget!
Frank Almquist, Author
7:00 PM | In-Person at the Wooden Boat School AND Virtual via Zoom
The Ashokan Reservoir is a visual treat for anyone using the perimeter road, dividing weir, or the new Ashokan Rail Trail. The background of Catskill Mountain peaks, which frame 12 square miles of water, create a vista that makes the visitor wonder how this all came to be. The author wanted to bring the story of how this massive dam, miles of dikes, and water controls come together into a system that provides New York City residents 500 million gallons of water daily. Accolades go to the Board of Water Supply engineers who, in the 1900s, designed the project and to the contractors and their workers who, more than 100 years ago and mostly by hand, completed an undertaking nearly the magnitude of the Panama Canal. Construction started on September 30, 1907. In six years, on September 9, 1913, water storage began. The dam and dikes, followed by roads and bridges, completed the project in December 1917. Completion was ahead of schedule and under budget!
Wednesday, September 22, 2021 - "Heroes or Humans: September 11th Lessons on the 20th Anniversary"
Jessica DuLong, Author
8:00 PM (note the time!) | Virtual via Zoom
Jessica DuLong shares the dramatic story of how the New York Harbor maritime community delivered stranded commuters, residents, and visitors out of harm’s way on September 11, 2001. Even before the US Coast Guard called for “all available boats,” tugs, ferries, dinner boats, and other vessels had sped to the rescue from points all across New York Harbor. In less than nine hours, captains and crews transported nearly half a million people from Manhattan. This was the largest maritime evacuation in history.
DuLong’s talk, and her book Saved at the Seawall, highlight how people come together, in their shared humanity, to help one another through disasters. Actions taken during those crucial hours exemplify the reflexive resourcefulness and resounding goodness that reminds us of the hope and wonder that’s possible on the darkest days.
Jessica DuLong, Author
8:00 PM (note the time!) | Virtual via Zoom
Jessica DuLong shares the dramatic story of how the New York Harbor maritime community delivered stranded commuters, residents, and visitors out of harm’s way on September 11, 2001. Even before the US Coast Guard called for “all available boats,” tugs, ferries, dinner boats, and other vessels had sped to the rescue from points all across New York Harbor. In less than nine hours, captains and crews transported nearly half a million people from Manhattan. This was the largest maritime evacuation in history.
DuLong’s talk, and her book Saved at the Seawall, highlight how people come together, in their shared humanity, to help one another through disasters. Actions taken during those crucial hours exemplify the reflexive resourcefulness and resounding goodness that reminds us of the hope and wonder that’s possible on the darkest days.
Wednesday, October 6, 2021 - “Enterprising Waters: New York State's Erie Canal”
Brad Utter, Senior Historian/Curator of Science and Technological History at the New York State Museum
7:00 PM | In-Person at the Wooden Boat School AND Virtual via Zoom
The Erie Canal directed the course of New York and American history. When it opened in 1825, this “boldest and biggest American engineering project of its century” unlocked the Western interior for trade and settlement. Boomtowns sprang up along the canal’s path and New York City, with its deep harbor connecting to the Hudson River, grew to be the nation’s most powerful center of international trade.
One of the largest public works projects in American history, the Erie Canal inspired a nation-wide transportation revolution. Thousands of people poured into New York to work on or along the canal, or just to pass through. Though the canal would eventually be superseded by the railroad, a heady mixture of innovation and determination, and the industrious seeking and creation of wealth, was cemented in the American character.
Brad Utter, Senior Historian/Curator of Science and Technological History at the New York State Museum
7:00 PM | In-Person at the Wooden Boat School AND Virtual via Zoom
The Erie Canal directed the course of New York and American history. When it opened in 1825, this “boldest and biggest American engineering project of its century” unlocked the Western interior for trade and settlement. Boomtowns sprang up along the canal’s path and New York City, with its deep harbor connecting to the Hudson River, grew to be the nation’s most powerful center of international trade.
One of the largest public works projects in American history, the Erie Canal inspired a nation-wide transportation revolution. Thousands of people poured into New York to work on or along the canal, or just to pass through. Though the canal would eventually be superseded by the railroad, a heady mixture of innovation and determination, and the industrious seeking and creation of wealth, was cemented in the American character.
Wednesday, October 20, 2021 - "Hudson River Bridges of the New York State Bridge Authority"
Kathryn Burke, educator, author, and Director of Historic Bridges of the Hudson Valley
7:00 PM | In-Person at the Wooden Boat School AND Virtual via Zoom
The iconic Hudson River Bridges of the New York State Bridge Authority were all constructed during the last century. The first of the bridges was built to provide the first vehicular crossing of the Hudson River south of Albany, as the automobile gained in popularity. As the population of the Hudson Valley grew, more bridges were constructed to connect more communities. There are five Bridge Authority crossings over the Hudson River. They range in age from 40 years old to almost 100. From the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in the north to the Bear Mountain Bridge in the south, careful maintenance and care of these structures has enabled access to both sides of the Hudson River for work, recreation, and homes. The lecture will include archived construction photos of all the Hudson River Bridges.
Kathryn Burke, educator, author, and Director of Historic Bridges of the Hudson Valley
7:00 PM | In-Person at the Wooden Boat School AND Virtual via Zoom
The iconic Hudson River Bridges of the New York State Bridge Authority were all constructed during the last century. The first of the bridges was built to provide the first vehicular crossing of the Hudson River south of Albany, as the automobile gained in popularity. As the population of the Hudson Valley grew, more bridges were constructed to connect more communities. There are five Bridge Authority crossings over the Hudson River. They range in age from 40 years old to almost 100. From the Rip Van Winkle Bridge in the north to the Bear Mountain Bridge in the south, careful maintenance and care of these structures has enabled access to both sides of the Hudson River for work, recreation, and homes. The lecture will include archived construction photos of all the Hudson River Bridges.
Wednesday, November 3, 2021 - "The Orca-Human Bond: The True Story behind The Whaler’s Daughter"
Jerry Mikorenda, author
7:00 PM | Virtual via Zoom
In Two-Fold Bay, Australia, Aboriginal people built a symbiotic relationship with orcas, who helped them hunt baleen whales for centuries. These practices were adopted by “station” whalers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this engaging multimedia presentation, author Jerry Mikorenda will reveal the real-life places, history, and stories, like the “Legend of Old Tom,” that inspired his new young adult novel, The Whaler’s Daughter (July, 2021). Learn about Aboriginal whaling, orcas, station whaling, and the technological wonders of the whaleboat. This presentation also features the sights and sounds of the mythical New South Wales town of Paradise, designed to enhance a live reading from the novel.
Jerry Mikorenda, author
7:00 PM | Virtual via Zoom
In Two-Fold Bay, Australia, Aboriginal people built a symbiotic relationship with orcas, who helped them hunt baleen whales for centuries. These practices were adopted by “station” whalers in the late 19th and early 20th centuries. In this engaging multimedia presentation, author Jerry Mikorenda will reveal the real-life places, history, and stories, like the “Legend of Old Tom,” that inspired his new young adult novel, The Whaler’s Daughter (July, 2021). Learn about Aboriginal whaling, orcas, station whaling, and the technological wonders of the whaleboat. This presentation also features the sights and sounds of the mythical New South Wales town of Paradise, designed to enhance a live reading from the novel.
Wednesday, November 17, 2021 - "Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson"
Sarah Wassberg Johnson, Director of Exhibits & Outreach, Hudson River Maritime Museum
7:00 PM | In-Person in the Wooden Boat School AND Virtual via Zoom
Have you ever wondered how the Mary Powell got so famous? Learn about the economic and social conditions that led to her construction, the lives of her owners and captains, and why she was “Queen” from the beginning. From the beginning of the Civil War to the U.S. entrance into World War I, the Mary Powell oversaw it all. Hosting famous passengers like President Ulysses S. Grant and Walt Whitman, leading national events like the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in 1886, and fending off multiple challenges to her throne. Beloved until the end, the post-WWI “death” of the Mary Powell inspired eulogies and poems from fans locally and around the world, and she continued to represent the golden age of steamboating on the Hudson River long after she was gone.
Sarah Wassberg Johnson, Director of Exhibits & Outreach, Hudson River Maritime Museum
7:00 PM | In-Person in the Wooden Boat School AND Virtual via Zoom
Have you ever wondered how the Mary Powell got so famous? Learn about the economic and social conditions that led to her construction, the lives of her owners and captains, and why she was “Queen” from the beginning. From the beginning of the Civil War to the U.S. entrance into World War I, the Mary Powell oversaw it all. Hosting famous passengers like President Ulysses S. Grant and Walt Whitman, leading national events like the unveiling of the Statue of Liberty in 1886, and fending off multiple challenges to her throne. Beloved until the end, the post-WWI “death” of the Mary Powell inspired eulogies and poems from fans locally and around the world, and she continued to represent the golden age of steamboating on the Hudson River long after she was gone.
2022 Lecture series will return to all-virtual for the winter. If you or someone you know would like to present a lecture at HRMM, please email Sarah Wassberg Johnson at swassberg@hrmm.org.
Did You Miss A Lecture?
With permission from our speakers we are now able to film some of our lectures, so you can catch up on ones you missed! Due to restrictions, not all lectures may be available on video or in full. Watch via our Lecture Series playlist on YouTube. Newest lectures are at the top. Please subscribe to our YouTube channel to get notifications of new recorded lectures and other films and videos.