Episode originally aired on Monday, August  15, 2022, 9:30 am, on WRCR

The  August, 2022 episode focused on the new exhibitions at the Historical Society of the Nyacks and at the Historical Society of Rockland County.

Miriam Hoffman was  on hand to discuss “Storytellers from Nyack & Nearby,” the current exhibition at the Historical Society of the Nyacks. The exhibit features the work of 14 authors and illustrators of children’s books, including the local authors Berta and Elmer Hader, who wrote the first children’s book by Americans. The exhibit includes fascinating stories about the authors and illustrators, reviews of some of their noteworthy books, and many stunning illustrations. Several of the books are set in Nyack, with scenes from decades ago that are still recognizable. In addition to the Haders, the authors and Illustrators featured in the exhibition are Jon Agee, Barbara Brenner, Carson McCullers, Beth Goff, Helen Hayes, Ben Hecht, Yaroslava Mills, Toni Morrison, Paul Peabody, Elizabeth Sayles, Mindy Warshaw Skolsky, and Michael Witte.

“Storytellers from Nyack & Nearby” will appeal to anyone who loves children’s literature (who doesn’t?) and anyone who is interested in Nyack history. The exhibition will be welcoming visitors through mid-September. The museum is in the Depew House, 50 Piermont Avenue (enter from the Nyack Library parking lot). It is open Saturdays, 1-4 pm. Donations are encouraged.

Auxiliary programming has also taken place in conjunction with “Storytellers from Nyack & Nearby.” On May 28, 2022, Nick Norwood, director of the Carson McCullers Center in Columbus, Georgia, shared how McCuller’s book Sweet as a Pickle and Clean as a Pig came about. The recorded webinar is available for viewing at https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=3zjflXSqgF4. For information about future auxiliary programming, visit NyackHistory.org.

Susan Deeks spoke about “Uniquely Rockland: Important, Iconic & Oddball Objects” from the HSRC Collection. The collection of the Historical Society of Rockland County comprises thousands of objects that date from the early 18th century to the present. It includes important collections of furnishings original to the family of Jacob Blauvelt, who lived in the historic sandstone and brick farmhouse next door from about 1832 to 1970, as well as objects original to the early farms, industries, and people of Rockland County have donated for more than a century. Each item chosen for this exhibition tells a story about a person or group of people, place, or thing that existed (and may still exist) in Rockland. Text panels in the exhibition are based on the essay “A Brief History of Rockland,” by Thomas F. X. Casey, past County Historian and HSRC President. The exhibition will be open through October 30 at the History Center, 20 Zukor Road, New City. Admission: $5 per person (children 6 and under admitted free).

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The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.
www.RocklandHistory.org