Columbia County History Events

HUDSON, NY – August 7, 2025 – Local actors and musicians will bring Hudson’s whaling past to life in letters and song on Thursday, Sept. 4, at 6 p.m. at the Hudson Area Library’s Community Room. The event is part of the return to the library of the popular “Hudson: A History of Whaling & Maritime Commerce” exhibit for the months of September and October.

“Epistolary Drama: The Tale of Whaling” will feature local actors reading heart-wrenching, impassioned, and occasionally amusing letters from crew, captains, wives, and heroes. In between these tales, a chorus and attendees will sing rousing songs and shanties about life at sea. The drama will be narrated by the character of Captain Edward A. Chapel, a long-time Hudsonian and whaler.

The musical director for the performance is Alex Harvey, an expert on whaling songs who performs songs of the sea in a project he calls ShinBone Alley. At his performances listeners learn to celebrate the haunting intercultural exchange of 18th and 19th century maritime music – whose ingredients travelled from the furthest corners of the globe to be remade and stitched anew by sailors of every shade and shape at port and at sea. By teaching the audience to join in on most of the tunes, Harvey builds bridges of time through communal singing. The performance was conceived by library trustees Miranda Barry and Gary Sheffer using letters uncovered during research for the library’s exhibit on Hudson’s whaling past. 

“Whaling was challenging for both whalers and their families who stayed home,” said Miranda Barry, the scriptwriter and director for the performance. “The letters and songs reveal hardship but also determination, skill, and humor. Thanks to talented actors and musicians, we can experience the realities of Hudson’s whaling history.”

The library’s whaling exhibit and related programming is part of a yearlong three-site exhibit and programming on Hudson’s beginnings and its era of whaling and maritime trade with the Columbia County Historical Society and the Hendrick Hudson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.

To read the full article/press release, please click here: Epistolary Drama: A Tale of Whaling 

AT THE MUSEUM:

Each weekend from 2-4 PM, the RJHS summer exhibition welcomes visitors to explore a plethora of information, photographs, documents, and artifacts representing the featured sites. The displays will vividly illustrate the historical significance of these locations and highlight how they have and continue to play a vital role in our community through restoration and repurposing. Notably, the RJHS venue, a former Methodist Church, was rescued, restored, and repurposed over 40 years ago. It remains a hub for the Roe Jan community as an active historical society and museum. 

Working in concert with the RJHS Board of Directors, the Copake Historic Preservation Committee, the Copake Grange, and various individuals and organizations throughout the Roe Jan area are contributing valuable content, documents, artifacts, and images that will together breathe life into these significant historic places.

SITE VISITS:

In addition to our regular hours (Saturdays and Sundays from 2 to 4 PM), RJHS will be hosting many special Sunday afternoon site visits from July through October. Sites we will visit include the former Bash Bish Inn and Copake Pure Water & Ice Co. Icehouse, the Copake Union Free School, the Craryville Depot Complex, the Copake Iron Works Historic District, Livingston era Mill Success, Boston Corner's original boundary marker in Ancram, Historic historic Hillsdale's town center, and others. 

The site visits are free, but registration is required. Details regarding dates, times, and how to register will soon be available on the RJHS website. The RJHS website, future newsletters, and social media will continue to provide up-to-date information.

Note: From Saturday, July 12, to Sunday, October 26, the museum will be open during the regular 2 to 4 PM time slots on both Saturdays and Sundays. Museum admission and site visits are free. Donations are welcome.