Shantyboat - July 14-15, 2018

HRMM is proud to host the Shantyboat and the Secret History of American River People project on Saturday and Sunday, July 14 & 15, 2018.

A Secret History of American River People is a dialogic and participatory project that gathers and presents the oral histories of people who live and work on major American river from the deck of a recreated 1940s-era shantyboat over a series of epic river voyages. The project explores the issues facing current river communities, the long history of people who have lived on and adjacent to the river, and basic river ecology.

In 2012, California artist Wes Modes began building the Secret History shantyboat. Inspired by historical accounts of shantyboaters on the Ohio and Mississippi rivers, he lovingly recreated a traditional wooden-hulled barge-bottom houseboat with friends over two years out of largely rustic reclaimed materials. He has sailed the shantyboat up and down the Upper Mississippi River, Tennessee River, Sacramento River, and now in 2018 the Hudson River. For more information about the project and to hear some of the stories, visit www.peoplesriverhistory.us
DECK TOURS:
Saturday, July 14, 2018
11:00 am to 4:00 pm
FREE
Museum docks

Sunday, July 15, 2018
11:00 am to 1:30 pm
3:00 pm to 5:00 pm
​FREE
​Museum docks
SPECIAL LECTURE:
Sunday, July 15, 2018
2:00 pm
​$10 for HRMM members, $15 for non-members
Riverport Wooden Boat School Classroom

The Secret History of American River People project seeks to record the stories of ordinary Americans who live in river towns and cities throughout the United States. Founder Wes Modes will discuss his travels on America’s rivers, the people he has met along the way, and their stories. $10 for HRMM members (Household level & above), $15 for non-members. Proceeds benefit the Secret History project.
This program is held concurrently with the Conference on Black History in the Hudson Valley on Saturday, July 14, 2018. Learn more and register...