Dear List Members,
I am displeased, disappointed and saddened to read in the Daily
Freeman that Florence Prehn, Town of Esopus Historian, was not reappointed
because "the upcoming [Quadricentennial] events would have required too much
work."
Florence is a dedicated historian and has contributed greatly to
Ulster County history.
It is unfortunate that many of our historians are unpaid, rarely
thanked, and in Florence's case, discriminated against because of age. What
The Town of Esopus could have done in this case is establish an ad hoc
Quadricentennial committee in which the historian could have been an
advisor. It is my opinion that the duties of the historian as suggested in
the article below is above and beyond the role of any single unpaid
volunteer.
Sincerely,
Karlyn Knaust Elia
Ulster County Historian
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Esopus looks for 'proactive'
historian
By William J. Kemble
Port Ewen - The Esopus Town Board will form a committee to recommend the
appointment of a new town historian, whose duties in part will include planning
celebrations of significant historical events along the Hudson River.
At a Town Board meeting last week, officials said Florence Prehn, who has
been historian for several years, was not reappointed to the unpaid position
because the upcoming events would have required too much work. The town this
year is expected to participate in events marking the 200th anniversary of
Robert Fulton's voyage up the Hudson in his North River steamboat, dubbed the
"Clermont", and, in 2009, the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's journey up the
river later named for him.
"A lot of the communities up and down the Hudson River are going to be
participating, and we really need someone who is going to be proactive and work
with the town," Councilwoman Deborah Silvestro said.
Silvestro said she would like to see a candidate who could seek grant
assistance to pay for upcoming projects. The position would remain unpaid.
"Perhaps it could be...an intern, a history student with the community
college or state university," she said. "Perhaps if they'd like to do an
internship for a year, that's a possibility. They could approach the (committee)
that's going to be formed and make a proposal."
Officials said they will seek candidates for the committee in the coming
month.
Source: Daily Freeman, Kingston, NY, January 31,
2007
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Karlyn Knaust
Elia
Ulster County Historian
11 Main Street
Saugerties, NY
12477
Phone: 845-246-4754
FAX: same
Please visit the Ulster County
website: http://www.co.ulster.ny.us/
In
2009, New York State will commemorate landmark passages in American history: the
400th anniversary of Henry Hudson's voyage of exploration aboard the Dutch ship,
Half Moon; Samuel de Champlain's historic expedition to Lake Champlain
also 400 years ago; and Robert Fulton's maiden steamship journey up the Hudson
in 1807, launching a new era of travel and commerce on the river. These
remarkable voyages established New York State's identity as America's gateway
and its first frontier.
Ulster County will join other counties across NYS in
this commemoration.