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North Salem Historical Society

81 Keeler Lane, Post Office Box 31, North Salem, New York 10560 northsalemhistoricalsociety@gmail.com

SAVE THE DATE !

Sunday, July 13, 1:00 to 4:00 pm

Hear Ye! Hear Ye!

Attention all North Salem folks!

Join us for the Extravaganza!

Blacksmithing, Candlemaking

Antique Toys and Old Fashioned Games

Crafting with Kate

and so much more . . .

. . . and did we mention

DUNK KING GEORGE

and

STRAWBERRY SHORTCAKES!

PS: please leave your furry friends at home

Birthday Party for the Purdy Homestead

Sunday, June 22, 2025. Boy it was hot! But we had a blast!

Thank you Ridgefield Thrift Shop

Once again the Ridgefield Thrift Shop has awarded us a grant - this time for upgrading our computers and purchasing much needed rolling racks and shelves for our new Shed.

Pictured in the center and flanked by the RTS representatives are past president Mary Ellen LaRocca, trustee Jackie Kamenstein and co-president Martin Aronchick.

Update on Purdys Central High Website: We are aware that the original site no longer works. We are in the process of rebuiding it using Google Sites. You can see our progress here: Purdys Central High rebuild Please send more photos and memorabilia and we will keep up the tradition established by Pier Guidi and keep adding to the collection!

Look what the truck rolled in!

It was so much fun watching our new shed being delivered at the White Elephant on Keeler Lane. After a few months of planning, permits and preparation, our new Barn Yard pre-fab was a reality. A few hands were on deck to see the quick and easy placement on the site where our old shed once stood.

Thanks to all who made this happen, especially Tim Butler of Butler Excavating, Evan Fogle of GeoLogic Land Surveying, Sean Partenio of Rovitti Electrical Services, our in-house committee and our wall-builder Max!

Our lovely White Elephant is now cleared of all the necessary extras such as tables, chairs, easels, racks, dinner and glassware, etc. giving us the much needed space to house all the wonderful objects we have obtained through the years of local historical interest, affording us not only a glimpse into the past, but our future.

We will be finishing off the landscaping and wall restoration this fall and purchasing a few racks and shelves to efficiently store our 'extras.' If anyone would like to help us defray the costs you may use this link to make a donation: Help Build Our Shed

The British are coming! And the French…and Patriots and Loyalists, heroes and turncoats, daring, courage, heartache, hunger….

It’s time to think about what happened in North Salem 250 years ago.

The RNS250 committee was formed in 2023 to create and design programs to showcase those who transformed British colonies into an independent nation and to celebrate the 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence in 2026. In December 2023 the Town Board issued a proclamation* in support of the committee’s efforts and the town’s role in the war. The Committee meets regularly to develop on-topic programs regarding the town’s fascinating role in Revolutionary War, beginning with the July 2024 presentation of Sean Grady’s captivating “A Life of a North Salem Soldier in the Militia in 1774" at the Historical Society. To see more, svsit their website here: RNS250

Thank you Ridgefield Thrift Shop!

Last year we were awarded a generous grant from the Ridgefield Thrift Shop - money to purchase two flat storage cabinets for all our oversized historical records and maps, funding to purchase three adjustable manequins to properly display our 1800s dresses, particularly the beautiful ones we received from members of the Howe family, and stanchions to protect our displays when we exhibit them at the White Elephant and take them to other facilities like the Library or the Community Center at 3 Owens Road.

Help us support the Ridgefield Thrift Shop by visiting them just down the road in Ridgefield at 21B Grovenor Street. Visit their website.

Thank You to all who attended our Annual Meeting - Pot Luck Supper on Friday, October 25. We were a 'full-house' at St. James Hall, dining on delicious delectables provided by our members. A special tribute was given to Peter Bliss and Tim Purdy who passed away this past year. And the presentation about life in North Salem during the last quarter of the 1800s was entertaining and quite an eye-opener. To find out about all our events please consider becoming a member! Visit the membership page and please sign up!

STRAWBERRY FESTIVAL 2024

Thanks to all who braved the heat and joined us on Sunday, July 14, at our annual festival. Our presenter, Sean Grady, on Life of a Militia Soldier in North Salem in 1774, was truly outstanding. And the strawbery shortcake, with a dollop of ice cream on top, was pretty fantastic!

Sean Grady

from Living History

Oh what a night!

Our first Pop-Up Event - Friday evening, May 31, 2024

Beautiful setting

Perfect weather

Delicious food

Thank you all for coming and for your generous support

Helen and Bill Powers, Xenia von Lilien

Jacqueline, Lorraine, Nancy, Patty and Gigi in the background

Richard and Martin

Chick's Candy Store

Mary Ellen LaRocca, John Roach, Charlotte Harris and Chris Brockmeyer

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our Feb 9 Valentine Party

The event was sold out!

Chick Candy Store

A room full of guests

Town Historian preserving a moment

The blonds ruled!

Last minute prep

Making new friends

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DONATION

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Our Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Supper was so much fun! Fabulous food, beautiful setting at Vails Pavilion and lots of fun with our history trivia questions a la the popular NPR show, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me!

Martin and Nancy Aronchick, Lisa and Gary Windus, Roe Intrieri (back to us); Patty Kravit and Beverly Golisano in background

Several of you asked for recipes. Here are Joan Stuadinger's recipe for the Broccoli Salad from Eating Well - Cranberry Almond Broccoli Salad. And Kathie Collins' Corn Pudding - a family recipe. Enjoy!

Gino Sermoneta, Jackie Kamenstein and Claire Champon

Kay Petroff, Peter vanScoy and Marianne Collins

Left to Right: Chris Brockmeyer, Virginia Connolly, Owen Cocking and Xenia von Lilien

We are aware that the original site no longer works. We are in the process of rebuiding it using Google Sites and as soon as we have a few kinks worked out we will make it public. In the meantime you can see our progress here: Purdys Central High rebuild - working on all the wonderful photos; they will be back! Please send more and we will keep up the tradition established by Pier Guidi.

This wonderful website - Purdys Central High - was created by Pier V. Guidi (PCH class of 1962) in 2012. It contains photos of all the classes that attended, their yearbooks, school trips, sports events, memorabilia and history of the school since its start in 1928.

Pier has turned the website over to the historical society to ensure its continuation for all graduates and local history buffs to enjoy. We are in the process of working with Pier to effectuate the transition (uninterupted, of course). We are so grateful to him for the tremendous amount of work that he put into building the site, and now, with transferring the site to a more user-friendly platform.

We will continue to collect memorabilia and add it to the website, so, we hope that you will help us in that regard. If you have an item to share, please contact us or simply send a high-quality scan or image of the item. Or, loan the item to us and we will happily make the digital copy/scan and return it to you if desired. Needless to say, all donations gratefully accepted!

Thank you, Pier, for this labor of love. His quote from the home page: "I did this in memory of, and the love of having spent my youth (1952 to 1966) in the hamlet of Croton Falls, Township of North Salem, Westchester County, NY."

See our latest Nugget - Maple Acres - below. Visit our page History Nuggets to see all of them to date!

Maple Acres

In 1937 Jean MacFarlane mailed out her Fifth Season notice (June 1 to October 1) for a Farm Vacation for children aged three to eight -- a summer vacation at Salem Center on property right next to the town hall campus. The 26-acre farm with gardens, meadows and a brook belonged to Grace and John MacFarlane, Jean’s parents. The summer camp had a trained nurse and four trained teachers. A NYC pediatrician gave each child a physical exam. An older group of boys aged seven to ten were also invited to fish, hike and swim nearby.

Stay tuned for our latest bulletin - Maple Acres Farm!