Lasting Legacies 1915: The 40th Annual Holiday Exhibition at the HSRC

The Historical Society of Rockland County invites you to join us for

Lasting Legacies 1915: The 40th Holiday Exhibition at the HSRC

Nancy Forsberg and Richard Anderson, guest curators
Jacob Blauvelt House decorations by Katelyn Triola of John Mini Distinctive Landscapes

Part I — “Happy 100th Birthday, Raggedy Ann!” — celebrates the beloved character with the candy heart who came to life as a doll in 1915 and has enchanted us ever since. We will display dolls from the HSRC collection and on loan from private individuals; copies of the books that launched Raggedy Ann and her brother, Raggedy Andy (1920); artwork, including the original Diane Oozounian painting; and a DIY station to make your own Raggedy Ann or Andy craft.

In Part II — ”A 1915 Congers Christmas” — guest curators Nancy Forsberg and Richard Anderson re-create a parlor setting decorated for the holidays circa 1915 to showcase original one-hundred-year-old toys found by Ms. Forsberg in the attic of her grandparents’ Congers home. ”Imagine my excitement when we discovered old wooden crates, covered with dust and soot, filled with toys last played with by my father and his sister about a hundred years ago,” Ms. Forsberg said. “There’s a train with tracks, a Structo tractor, tin aeroplane, dolls and doll furniture, and a magnificent toy theater, name just a few of the treasures.”

A selection of dollhouses and miniatures will also be part of the exhibition, carrying on the HSRC’s long-standing holiday tradition.

Lasting Legacies 1915: The 40th Annual Holiday Exhibition opens to the public on Wednesday, December 9, and runs until January 17. Hours are Wednesdays through Fridays and Sundays, 12-4 pm. Weekday admission (History Center only) is free of charge. Weekend admission (History Center and decorated Jacob Blauvelt House) is $7 for adults (non-HSRC members), $5 for Seniors and HSRC members, and $3 for children.

The exhibition is also included in ticket prices for the HSRC’s St. Nicholas Day event on December 5-6 (for information, click here) and for Candlelight Tours of the Jacob Blauvelt House at 5 and 6:30 pm on the Sundays of December 13, December 20, and December 27, 2015, and January 10, 2016 (for information, click here).

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All proceeds of the HSRC Holiday Programs benefit the preservation and education efforts of the Historical Society of Rockland County, a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Our mission is to acquire, preserve, and exhibit objects, buildings, and sites that reflect the history of Rockland County and the Lower Hudson Valley and to research, document, promote, and publicize the county’s rich historical heritage for the people of Rockland. The HSRC’s headquarters at 20 Zukor Road, New City, New York, consist of a four-acre site featuring the 7,200 square foot History Center; the historic Jacob Blauvelt House; and the post-and-beam Historic Barn and Carriage House.

The HSRC is open, during exhibitions, events and programs, on Wednesdays–Fridays, 10 am–5 pm, and Sundays, 12–4 pm. Library research and tours of the Jacob Blauvelt House are available by appointment by contacting (845) 634-9629. For additional information about the HSRC, visit our website at www.RocklandHistory.org.