Museum’s virtual lecture hosts science and geology authors

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to host authors Robert and Johanna Titus for a live virtual lecture, “The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age,” on Wednesday, April 21, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Follow the River Lecture Series, sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.
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Starting about 25,000 years ago, an immense sheet of ice advanced out of Labrador and swept southward across much of North America. A good deal of that ice entered the Hudson Valley and continued all the way to today’s Long Island. During this advance, the ice scoured the valley and created much of its landscape, especially the Wall of Manitou - the Catskill Front. Later the climate warmed and the ice melted back to the north. Vast quantities of meltwater poured out of the retreating ice and sculpted by erosion a great deal more of our valley’s landscape. Several cycles of glacial advance and retreat occurred, and their combined erosive processes shaped our picturesque scenery. Much of our region’s rich culture was generated from this ice age history. The Hudson River School artists painted these ice age terrains. Pioneering landscape architects worked with what the glaciers left.

“The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age,” charts the influence of glaciers and ice on the Hudson Valley’s unique geological features. Based on their popular book The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age: A Geological History and Tour, Robert and Johanna will discuss both the science and the art behind the Hudson Valley’s most stunning landscapes.
Robert and Johanna Titus, retired professors of geology and biology, are popular science writers, focusing on Catskills and Hudson Valley geological history. They write regular geology columns for three regional magazines and three area newspapers. They are authors of three books, including The Hudson Valley in the Ice Age.

Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. Those interested in attending can view upcoming lectures and register at www.hrmm.org/lecture-series. 

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Wooden Boat School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum has expanded courses offered as part of the school’s introductory woodworking series. In addition to popular classes on the construction of Adirondack chairs and live edge tables, new classes include fishing rod building basics and Shaker tape stools. Participants in these weekend and evening classes will work on-site at the Wooden Boat School to create a variety of take-home projects. 

A number of new courses are available. Beginning in May, students can register for Rod Building Basics, a 2-day evening course during which students learn the skills needed to build a custom fishing rod. A Shaker Tape Stool class in July will have participants learning to build traditional wooden furniture and weaving a seat with cotton Shaker tape. These introductory classes are ideal for beginners and offer expert instruction for people who are new to woodworking techniques and tools.     

A list of classes is available on the school’s website and new courses are added regularly. 

April 
Pen Turning – April 17
Half Hull Carving – April 24

May
Adirondack Chair – May 15 and 16
Rod Building Basics – May 19 and 20
Wooden Tissue Box – May 22
Live Edge Table – May 23

June
Hand Built Wooden Plane – June 5
Joiner’s Mallet – June 12
Wooden Spoon Carving – June 19
Pen Turning – June 26

July
Shaker Tape Stool – July 2 and 9
Adirondack Chair – July 10 and 11
Live Edge Table – July 31

August
Shaker Oval Boxes – August 14 and 21
Adirondack Chair – August 28 and 29
Remote Control Pond Yacht – August 30 and September 1

September
Dado Build Tool Box – September 12
Greenland Kayak Paddle Carving – September 18 and 19
Pen Turning – September 25
Wooden Bookcase – September 26

October
Half Hull Carving – October 2 and 3
Build Your Own Dovetail Tool Tote – October 16 and 17
Intro to Square Rule Timber Framing – October 22 and 23
Wooden Guitar – Eight Sundays beginning October 31

Registration is also open for the school’s Foundations of Woodworking classes. This series of five classes is an extensive introduction into working with wood as a material, the tools used, their maintenance, and shop safety. Students will also learn about joinery. The series is designed to be taken as a whole, however classes can be enrolled in individually based on experience, and at the instructor’s discretion. The series is taught by Wayne Ford, a master woodworker and shipwright, and Bill Sterling, a luthier, woodworker and retired art teacher. The Wooden Boat School also offers boatbuilding classes as well as vessel repair and restoration services. 

Staff and instructors are committed to keeping students safe from COVID-19. Precautions include limited class sizes, social distancing, face coverings, and practicing hand washing and sanitizing.

For details about classes and to register, visit the Wooden Boat School online at www.hrmm.org/woodworking or call 845-338-0071. People who have questions can contact John Phelan, Wooden Boat School Manager, at jphelan@hrmm.org.

Museum’s virtual lecture series hosts author and historian

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to host author and historian Dr. Jonathan Daniel Wells for “The New York Kidnapping Club,” a live virtual lecture on Wednesday, April 7, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Follow the River Lecture Series, sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.

We often think of slavery as a southern phenomenon, far removed from the booming cities of the North. But even though slavery had been outlawed in Gotham by the 1830s, Black New Yorkers were not safe. Not only was the city built on the backs of slaves; it was essential in keeping slavery and the slave trade alive.

In his recently published book, The Kidnapping Club, historian Jonathan Daniel Wells tells the story of the powerful network of judges, lawyers, and police officers who circumvented anti-slavery laws by sanctioning the kidnapping of free and fugitive African Americans. Nicknamed "The New York Kidnapping Club," the group had the tacit support of institutions from Wall Street to Tammany Hall whose wealth depended on the Southern slave and cotton trade. But a small cohort of abolitionists, including Black journalist David Ruggles, organized tirelessly for the rights of Black New Yorkers, often risking their lives in the process.
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Taking readers into the bustling streets and ports of America's great Northern metropolis, The Kidnapping Club is a dramatic account of the ties between slavery and capitalism, the deeply corrupt roots of policing, and the strength of Black activism.

Jonathan Daniel Wells, Ph.D., is Professor of History in the Residential College, the Department of Afroamerican and African Studies, and the Department of History at the University of Michigan. He is the author or editor of several books, most recently, The Kidnapping Club: Wall Street, Slavery, and Resistance on the Eve of the Civil War (2020).

Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. View upcoming lectures and register at www.hrmm.org/lecture-series. 

Private rentals include barn, classroom and tour boat
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KINGSTON, N.Y. – Hudson River Maritime Museum is offering rentals of various spaces on campus including the museum’s Barn which is an ideal site for weddings. The attractive and convenient location of campus, as well as ample parking and accessibility, make it an ideal location for weddings, parties, meetings and other events. Other sites that are available for private rental include the Boat School Classroom, the museum’s East Gallery and the Solaris tour boat. 

The Barn offers a rustic setting beside the Rondout Creek in Kingston's historic Rondout business district. The large open space is flanked with sliding barn doors at both ends to give guests simultaneous access to the waterfront and business district. The site features a raised covered porch entrance beside the yard. Displayed nearby is the 1898 steam tugboat Mathilda, the largest artifact in the museum's collection. Rental can include use of the adjacent yard and docking spaces. This large space comfortably fits a group of 150+ standing and 125 seated. It is available on select dates throughout the season, May through October. 

Also available for a variety of events happening year-round is the Boat School Classroom which is ideal for a lecture-style gathering. This venue opens directly onto the waterfront and includes a private patio for additional tables or perhaps an outside bar. The museum’s East Gallery is also available for rent and offers high ceilings and access to fascinating displays of maritime history.

The museum’s solar-powered tour boat Solaris is available for private charter by itself or as part of an event on the museum’s property. The boat can charter short rides or tours of the nearby Rondout Lighthouse and can accommodate up to 28 passengers. Built by the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s restoration crew under the direction of Jim Kricker, this vessel does not require fossil fuels to run and is the only solar-powered boat in operation on the Hudson River. 

Photos of the sites at the museum and rates are available at www.hrmm.org/facility-rentals. For details call the museum at 845-338-0071. 

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.

Museum’s virtual lecture series hosts noted presidential historian

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to host award-winning author and historian Louis L. Picone for a live virtual lecture on Wednesday, March 31, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. as part of the Follow the River Lecture Series, sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.

Picone talk “Ulysses S. Grant's Tomb: The Monument on the Hudson,” is based on his brand new book, Grant's Tomb: The Epic Death of Ulysses S. Grant and the Making of an American Pantheon, which was published in February of this year. 

Picone charts the history of the largest tomb in America. Taking twelve years to build, among controversy about where the former president’s body should be interred, Grant’s Tomb was completed in 1897. The white neoclassical style mausoleum was highly visible from the Hudson River, making it an instant landmark for steamboat tourists. After it was dedicated it was the most popular attraction in New York City (only rivaled by the Statue of Liberty), but is now widely forgotten from public memory except for the Groucho Marx gag, “Who’s buried in Grant’s Tomb?” Its popularity began to fade as the Civil War generation passed away, but by the mid-1960s it hit rock bottom. It became one of the most dangerous tourist locations in New York City –besieged by graffiti and vandalism and more popular with drug addicts, prostitutes, and gang members than tourists. After much neglect and many public calls to repair the damage, Grant’s Tomb was finally restored in the mid-1990s by the National Park Service.

Louis L. Picone is the author of Grant's Tomb: The Epic Death of Ulysses S. Grant and the Making of an American Pantheon, The President Is Dead! The Extraordinary Stories of the Presidential Deaths, Final Days, Burials, and Beyond and Where the Presidents Were Born: The History & Preservation of the Presidential Birthplaces. Picone is also a trustee on the board of the Grover Cleveland Birthplace Memorial Association in Caldwell, NJ and teaches at William Paterson University.

Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members. Those interested in attending can view upcoming lectures and register at www.hrmm.org/lecture-series. 

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce the return of its popular Follow the River Lecture Series, which is going virtual! Held twice monthly on Wednesdays, the lectures cover a wide variety of maritime and Hudson River-related topics. 

“We are especially pleased that the new, virtual format has allowed us to host speakers from across the country,” said Director of Exhibits & Outreach, Sarah Wassberg Johnson, who coordinates the lecture series. “Even after we are able to return to in-person lectures, we intend to keep virtual attendance as an option.”
Wassberg Johnson will also be the first speaker of the season, celebrating Women’s History Month with her talk, “Keepers of the Light: Women Lighthouse Keepers of the Hudson,” scheduled for Wednesday, March 17, 2021 at 7:00 p.m. Covering the history of women lighthouse keepers, residents, and preservationists, spanning from the 1830s to the 1980s, the lecture includes special emphasis on local heroine Catherine Murdock, who kept the Rondout Lighthouse for 50 years. 

Other talks include “Ulysses S. Grant’s Tomb: The Monument on the Hudson,” by award-winning author Louis L. Picone, scheduled for Wednesday, March 31, 2021, “The New York Kidnapping Club,” by historian and author Dr. Jonathan Daniel Wells, scheduled for Wednesday, April 7, 2021, “The Hudson River in the Ice Age” by geologists and authors Robert & Johanna Titus, scheduled for Wednesday, April 21, 2021, and “New York and the Illegal Slave Trade During the Civil War Era,” by historian and author Dr. John Harris, scheduled for Wednesday, May 19, 2021. 

All programs begin at 7:00 p.m. EST and are hosted via Zoom. Tickets are $5 for the general public and free for Hudson River Maritime Museum members.

More lectures are being confirmed daily. Those interested in attending can view upcoming lectures and register at www.hrmm.org/lecture-series.

The Follow the River Lecture Series is sponsored by Rondout Savings Bank.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Sailing School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce that 2021 youth sailing programs are now open for registration. The first session is free, virtual, and open to all young people interested in learning more about what the sailing school offers this season. A new feature this year is a course for intermediate youth sailors. Program details can be found online at www.hrmm.org/youth-sailing-program. 

Youth Sailors' Zoom Get-Together – A social hour on Zoom. Meet youth sailors, reconnect with friends, and find out what's new for youth sailing in 2021! Moderated by Jody Sterling, Sailing Program Director, this session welcomes new and returning youth sailors to the 2021 season. All are welcome to this free session. April 19, 4:30pm-5:30pm.

Youth sailors will also find a variety of on-the-water classes beginning in May. COVID-safer practices will continue until New York State and local authorities change their directives. Safety practices include small class sizes, outdoor-only activities, and the wearing of masks. On-the-water classes include the following: 

Youth Basic Centerboard Boat Sailing – A three-hour class in which US Sailing certified instructors will introduce new sailors to the basics of sailing on a stable centerboard sailboat and teach them how to handle an unexpected capsize safely.  This class has no prerequisite. The cost is $55. Two dates available: June 8, 4:00pm-7:00pm, and June 22, 4:00pm-7:00pm.

Youth Centerboard Boat Sailing Clinic - A three-hour class in which a US Sailing certified instructor will review the basics and help students improve their sailing skills.  Prerequisite is completion of Youth Basic Centerboard Sailing (above) or its equivalent. The clinic may be taken multiple times. The cost is $50. Three dates available: May 25, 4:00pm-7:00pm. June 1 4:00pm-7:00pm. June 15, 4pm-7pm. 

Youth Intermediate Class - A series of six classes that will meet once a week on Thursdays, from 4:00pm-7:00pm on board centerboard sailboats. US Sailing certified instructors will introduce students to various sailing skills and the basics of racing. Prerequisites: Students must have completed at least one week of the Youth Sailing Program or several sailing clinic classes to enroll.  Six Thursdays, 4:00pm-7:00pm, starting May 27, 2021. Cost is $200 for the series.

Summer Youth Sailing Program – A one-week youth sailing experience for youth ages nine to 17. Four sessions are available in July and August, and participants attend class from 9:00am to 4:00pm. Sessions are taught by US Sailing certified instructors and focus on safety, fun and learning. Mixed age and experience levels allow seasoned students to take on leadership roles. New sailors learn from instructors and their peers and proceed at their own pace. Four sessions available: July 19-23, July 26-30, August 2-6, August 9-13. Cost is $450 per week. 

Museum members are eligible for registration discounts. For details about classes and registration  for Youth Sailing School offerings, visit the Sailing School online  www.hrmm.org/youth-sailing-program or call 845-338-0071.

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.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

KINGSTON, N.Y. – The Wooden Boat School at Hudson River Maritime Museum is offering a series of introductory woodworking classes throughout the Spring. Participants will work on-site in the museum’s wood shop to create take-home projects with the help of skilled instructors. Projects include traditional Adirondack chairs, cigar box guitars, lathe-turned pens and live-edge wood tables. Beginning in June, students can also attend an in-depth Foundations of Woodworking series that is ideal for people who are new to woodworking. 

Oval Shaker Boxes – March 7 & 14
Dado Built Tool Box – March 13
Wooden Tissue Box – March 27
Cigar Box Guitar – March 28
Pen Turning – April 17
Half Hull Carving – April 24 & 25
Adirondack Chair - May 15-16
Live Edge Table – May 23
Hand Built Wooden Plane – June 5
Remote Control Pond Yacht - August 30-September 4

Registration is also open for the school’s Foundations of Woodworking classes. This series of five classes is an extensive introduction into working with wood as a material, the tools used, their maintenance, and safety. Students will also learn about joinery. The series is designed to be taken as a whole, however classes can be taken individually based on experience, and at the instructor’s discretion. The series is taught by Wayne Ford, a master woodworker and shipwright and Bill Sterling, a luthier, woodworker and retired art teacher.

Staff and instructors are committed to keeping students safe from COVID-19. Precautions include limited class sizes, social distancing, face coverings, and practicing hand washing and sanitizing.

For details about classes and to register, visit the Wooden Boat School online at www.hrmm.org/woodworking or call 845-338-0071. People who have questions can contact John Phelan, Wooden Boat School Coordinator, at jphelan@hrmm.org.

The Hudson River Maritime Museum is located along the historic Rondout Creek in downtown Kingston, N.Y. HRMM is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. The Museum opened the Riverport Wooden Boat School in 2016 and the Riverport Sailing School in 2017.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
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KINGSTON, N.Y. – Hudson River Maritime Museum is open for timed admission on Fridays and Saturdays. Staff are ensuring exhibits and programs continue to be available to the public and can be enjoyed safely. 

The museum is open Fridays and Saturdays, from 12pm to 4pm. Admission should be purchased in advance online at www.hrmm.org and by 3pm the day prior to the visit. Each half hour time slot is limited to 4 people, with a special $12/person admission rate which helps the museum cover costs while maintaining small group size. Groups of more than four people are encouraged to email education@hrmm.org or call 845-338-0071 ext. 10 to make special arrangements. 

The museum features many exhibits that tell the story of the Hudson River with focus on environmental aspects of the river, ice boats, steamboats, tugboats, sloops, canals, river industries, boat models, lighthouses and more. Currently featured is the exhibit Mary Powell: Queen of the Hudson. Built in 1861, decommissioned in 1917, and scrapped between 1919 and 1921, the steamboat Mary Powell remained a Hudson Valley constant during a period of incredible social and technological change in the United States. She saw the duration of the Civil War, the industrial revolution, the Gilded Age and Progressive Era, and the start of the First World War. Called “Queen of the Hudson” before construction was even completed, the Mary Powell became an iconic symbol of “America’s Rhine.” Operated for most of her career by one enterprising family - the Andersons - Mary Powell also represented the best of Hudson River travel - the speed, elegance, safety, and attention to detail that made travel by water preferable for many throughout the 19th and early 20th centuries. 

This exhibit reunites many of the surviving Mary Powell artifacts, including her pilot wheel, on loan from Senate House State Historic Site. Learn more about the museum’s exhibits at www.hrmm.org/exhibits. 

The museum’s Riverport Wooden Boat School is also offering woodworking classes giving participants the opportunity to create take-home projects such as an Adirondack chair and live-edge table. Registration is also open for classes offered through the Sailing School. The museum store will be open with admission and some museum store items are available online at www.hrmm.org/store/c1/Featured_Products.

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
 
KINGSTON, N.Y. –  The Sailing School at the Hudson River Maritime Museum is pleased to announce that 2021 sailing programs are now open for registration. New this year are 2 online classes in addition to on-the-water sessions later in the season.
 
Sailboat Ownership - An online interactive 4-hour class featuring 2 sessions. This class is for newer and prospective sailboat owners.  Participants will meet like-minded sailors and learn more about boat ownership. Class meets March 1 and March 8, 6:00 - 8:00 pm.  Price is $36/$40 per person.
 
Introduction to Sailboat Racing - An interactive, online 4-hour class featuring 2 sessions. This class is for sailors new to racing or interested in learning more about racing basics. Participants will meet local sailors and become more comfortable with the excitement of sailboat racing! Class meets March 15 and 22, 2021, 6:00 - 8:00 pm. Price is $36/$40 per person.  
 
 
Adult sailors will also find a variety of on-the-water classes beginning in May. COVID-safer practices will continue until New York State and local authorities change their directives. Practices include small class sizes, outdoor-only activities, and the wearing of masks. On-the-water classes include the following:
 
First Sail - A 2-hour introduction to sailing with a U.S. Sailing certified instructor on board our classic catboat Tidbit. Two to five students at any level of sailing experience are welcome to join this excursion out on the beautiful Hudson. Price is $35 - $50 per person.
 
New Boat Owners Sailing Class - Supports newer boat owners as they develop and practice their skills. Participants will sail their own vessels along with the sailing school fleet with instructors on nearby safety boats. $50 per boat.
 
Adult Basic Centerboard, Adult Basic Centerboard Two, and Adult Centerboard Sailing Clinic – These classes will be offered in 2021. Centerboard boat classes are a great way to learn to sail. Participants will work with a U.S. Sailing certified instructor on small boats and get a close-to-the-water learning experience in this sequence of three 3-hour classes.
 
US Sailing Basic Keelboat, Basic Keelboat II: Spinnaker, Basic Keelboat II: Skipper - These are in-depth courses on larger keel boats and will be offered in 2021 to those who wish to make a time commitment of 21 hours for each class. U.S. Sailing certified instructors cover many topics and students are eligible for testing to earn certification as U.S. Sailing Keelboat Sailors at the end of the first course. They can earn more sea time and hone their skills during the second and third classes in this series.
 
For details about classes and to find registration links for all Sailing School offerings, visit the Sailing School online at https://www.hrmm.org/adult-sailing.html or call (845) 338-0071.
 
The Hudson River Maritime Museum is located along the historic Rondout Creek in downtown Kingston, N.Y. HRMM is a 501(c)(3) not-for-profit organization dedicated to the preservation and interpretation of the maritime history of the Hudson River, its tributaries, and related industries. The Museum opened the Riverport Wooden Boat School in 2016 and the Riverport Sailing School in 2017.