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| Tappantown Historical Society |
| Please click here to read THS Annual Reports from previous years. |
| Tappantown Historical Society 54th Annual Meeting November 1, 2019 President's Annual Report — 2019 Good evening and welcome to the 54th annual meeting of the Tappantown Historical Society. I am Carol LaValle, president. Thank you for coming tonight and for all your support in helping to fulfill our mission of education and preservation. 2019 has been another successful year with your support, collaboration with other community organizations and historic societies, and a committed board of directors. They are Tom LaValle, John Morton, Joe Napoli, Marilyn Schauder, and Larry Vail. Officers are vice president Chris Gremski, Treasurer Michael Fiorentino, recording secretary Allan Ryff, and corresponding secretary Betsy Walker. Special thanks goes to the Jones Family and the Masons for the use of this beautiful historic site where we meet every month and have held Colonial Day for over 30 years. Colonial Day on September 28 was our main event of the year. It was a great day with fine autumn weather, strong attendance through the day, new demonstrators, and volunteers. Our stalwart old hands were helped by over twenty young volunteers — history students from Dominican College and scouts from the Nyack/Valley Cottage Girl Scout troop #40141. More young faces appeared with us in the Memorial Day Parade. The members of the fife and drum corps are students of Erik Lichack of Early American Music and Arts. They marched with THS and the American Legion and performed at the memorial ceremony. The Annual Preservation Awards in February are a way for THS to recognize the contributions to preservation and education by others in the community. This year, awards went to the Tappan Reformed Church for the interior restoration of the sanctuary, to Simon Basner for the renovation and restoration of the 1914 Sparkill Firehouse, which is now the Union Arts Center, and to Tappan Zee High School senior David Dunlop for his creation of the signs urging the preservation of the name and history of the Tappan Zee Bridge. (David is now a freshman at the University of Minnesota.) Another way we recognize others’ accomplishments is through our THS Scholarship for Excellence in U.S. History. The 2019 recipient was Tappan Zee High School senior Nicole Gontaryk. Developing and maintaining the local history room in the Tappan Library is another major commitment. Local historian Ken Kral has organized our archives and Larry Vail is gradually digitizing our records, which are available to the public on request. This year, THS was one of the Rockland County Times. Bob was a world-class collector of historical documents and local history material — the more arcane the better. To sort through his material was a daunting task for all the beneficiaries. Larry and Ken did this on behalf of THS. Once the material relevant to Tappan is sorted through, it, too, will be available in the local history room. Also soon to be on the shelves is a 1908 volume of the Heads of Families: First Census of the United States: 1709, State of New York, which is a recent donation by Charlotte Hoffman. We also participated in the Library’s Community Service Program, which introduced people to the various local community organizations, and we are following the Library Expansion Proposal. A feasibility study funded by the Town Council by Patterns for Progress was begun in the summer and is not yet completed, but we are interested in what that might mean for the local history room. Also, the library sponsored a walking tour of historic sites in Tappan for which we provided the guide, Thano Schoppel, and walking tour maps. THS walking tours are also a major part of our program. This year Thano, Keith Walker, and Marilyn Schauder gave tours to over 300 people, both school groups and a growing number of adult organizations, among them the West Point Tour Guides, an AARP group, and the William Floris Krum Chapter of the Colonial Dames. Keith was the guide for the annual Andre Walk on October 2 for Cottage Lane fourth graders. Walking tours are enhanced by recent improvements in the heart of the historic district: last fall’s plantings in the small triangle have grown in and have been maintained, sidewalks and handicap access ramps have been repaired, and the historic markers for the Andre trial and the First Courthouse have been returned to the Memorial Triangle. Once again, later in the month, we will be decorating the lamp posts around the triangle and along Main Street for the holidays. We also try to stay abreast of applications that go before HABOR. Most recently, two important applications were for an addition to the Bul Kwang property (the Bogert-Haring House) and for a subdivision on Van Wardt Place, both of which were approved after extensive review and changes. We also would like to have a role in HABOR’s proposal to change part of Chapter 12, The Historic Areas ordinance. For 54 years, our membership in the Tappan Zee Thrift Shop has been another important collaboration. Thanks to donations on behalf of THS and the hours of volunteer service by Larry Vail, Betsy Walker, and Jackie Shatz, we have been able to benefit from our share of disbursements from the Thrift Shop. However, we need more volunteers donating just a few hours a month in order to sustain our standing. For the coming year, attracting new members and active volunteers is a priority. We will continue our usual activities and events, and develop new programs — perhaps a fund raiser to offset Colonial Day expense, especially. We would also like to work with the town council, the planning dept., and real estate people to inform residents of the benefits and responsibilities that come with living in an historic area. Finally, we remember tonight Raul Cardenas, who died last week, and Barbara Porta Hutchinson, who died in August. Both were in their 90s and had long lives enriching their communities. Raul was a longtime member of THS and husband of Mary Cardenas, former THS president, Orangetown Historian, and Director of the Orangetown Museum and Archives. In addition to years of support for THS, as an environmental engineer, Raul made significant contributions to the preservation of the environment of Orangetown and the Hudson Valley area with his work in environmental engineering, in studying, maintaining, the preservation of Clausland Mountain, and the maintenance and preservation of watersheds in the Hudson Valley. As a professor at NYU Polytechnic, he has influenced generations in environmental preservation. Barbara, also a Tappan resident, was the first chairwoman of the Sparkill Watershed Protection Agency, the first woman to be a member of the Orangetown Town Council, the first Executive Director of the Environmental Management Council, and the catalyst in saving Clausland Mountain from development. Next Michael Fiorentino will give the Treasurer’s Report. The final order of business is the election of new officers and directors: the nominees are Chris Gremski, vice president; Joe Napoli and Larry Vail as one-year directors. That concludes the business part of the meeting. After a brief pause for refreshments, we will turn the program over to Katie Raia, superintendent of Tappan Cemetery, who will speak about the restoration of the old headstones in the historic section of the cemetery. |
| Tappantown Historical Society |