Historical Society Gala Dinner-Dance This Saturday

On Saturday, September 8, the Putnam County Historical Society will celebrate its 95th Anniversary with a gala dinner and dance on the grounds and under the stars at Boscobel Restoration in Garrison.

The dinner, which honors Boscobel president Barnabas McHenry, will raise funds for the Putnam County Historical Society & Foundry School Museum to support its work in preserving and giving public access to its collection of Hudson River art, artifacts and historical records. The festivities will begin at 7pm with dinner at 8pm, and there will be dancing during and after dinner. Reservations for this benefit event are still available by phoning 845-265-4010; admission is $160 per person.

Barnabas McHenry is a leader of many cultural organizations including the Saratoga Performing arts Center and the Metropolitan Museum of Art, and he is committed to the preservation of the heritage and beauty of the Hudson Valley. He serves on the Scenic Hudson Advisory Board; is chairman of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Council; a director of Friends of the Hudson Valley, and an Advisory board member of Scenic Hudson and a trustee of the Open Space Institute.

In the late 1950’s, Boscobel was scheduled for destruction. The Historical Society and its leaders at the time are credited with rescuing the neoclassical mansion which was, moved and restored at a site high above the Hudson River, in Garrison. For all of its 95-year history, the Society has been devoted to preserving and celebrating the cultural and historic legacy of the region, and as it prepares for its second century, it plans a major restoration of the existing Foundry Schoolhouse and addition of a museum suitable for housing and displaying all of its collections.