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Programs Scheduled Including RNS250 Events!
Postponed until October 5, 2025: Revolutionary War Maps of North Salem: What They Tell us About Then and Now. An informal discussion and map display with Robert Treadway, Susie Thompson and Cynthia Curtis, marking the reissue of our bulletin originally published in 1987. Another in a series presented by Revolutionary North Salem 250 - RNS250!
SAVE THE DATES
Monday, May 26, 2025, 10:00am, Oak Ridge Road. Memorial Day Parade. See RNS250 and NSHS in period dress. Perhaps a few on horseback for this townwide event. Talking about it.
Sunday, June 22, 2025, 4:00pm, Purdys Farmer & the Fish. Purdys Homestead in 1775, RNS250 event. Family style dinner at Purdys Homestead. Tickets will open soon for North Salem residents. See a display and hear a discussion on the Purdy family and the Purdy Homestead during 1775 and what was happening with the colonies at that time during the Revolutionary War. Link for reservations will be added soon.
Sunday, July 13, 2025, 1:00-4:00pm, 81 Keeler Lane. Annual Strawberry Festival. Upper Salem in 1775. Experience what life was like in the mid 1700s-1800s, farm animals, blacksmithing, weaving - we are working on a full experience of what it was like to live during those trying times.
Saturday, September 19, 2025. Dinner Dance fundraiser! Stay tuned for further details.
Sunday, October 5, 2025, 3:00pm at Ruth Keeler Memorial Library: Revolutionary War Maps! What They Tell Us about Then and Now - an informal discussion and map display with Robert Treadway, Susie Thompson and Cynthia Curtis
Friday, October 24, 2025, 6:00pm. NSHS annual meeting and pot luck supper.
Sunday, November 9, 2025, 3:00pm Ruth Keeler Memorial Library, RNS250 event: The Fighting Delavans - The amazing North Salem family that sent nine brothers to war and ended up escorting Washington into New York at the end. Presenter: John McMenimon
Saturday, November 15, 2025, raindate Sunday, November 16, 2025: History Hike. Stay tuned for what, when and where!
Sunday, January 11, 2026, 3:00pm at Ruth Keeler Memorial Library, RNS250 event: Author talk by Keith Marshall Jones III The Battle of Ridgefield – Benedict Arnold, the Patriot Militia and the surprising 1777 Battle that Galvanized Revolutionary Connecticut
IN THE WORKS
History Tour of North Salem – co-sponsored with the town recreation department. If transportation via town bus is possible we will set this up. Stay tuned.
Fall 2025: The Great Revolutionary War Scavenger Hunt and Quiz RNS250 event - How Much do you know about your town in the Revolution? You might win the grand prize! To start studying for the scavenger hunt/quiz, visit the websites below, the local history section at the library or the graves of 46 of our Revolutionary War veterans in the town cemeteries. Check out the town historian’s overview of the Revolution in Upper Salem on her page on the town website, on the Historical Society’s website or use this link: [add link]
Did you miss some of the events shown below? Become a member and never miss another!
Annual Meeting, Friday, October 25, 2024 - Our Annual Meeting - Pot Luck Supper was a huge success. The room was filled with members, including a few who recently joined. The cocktail hour was delightful upstairs in the St. James parish hall where we were treated to oodles of delectable appetizers and had plenty of time to meet and greet friends both new and old. The buffet dinner was wonderful and the program was filled with laughs! Be sure to mark your calendar for the next one - always at the end of October.
We had a special tribute to two outstanding officers and trustees of the society - Peter Bliss and Tim Purdy, see photos of displays below.
WHAT A WONDERFUL EVENING AND WE SOLD OUT! THANK YOU!
We were most fortunate to be inside this splendid home
for a delightful evening last Februrary at our Valentine Cocktail Party.
Across from the North Salem Firehouse is an area rich in history dating back to the 1700s, including the site of the home of the first resident pastor of St. James Church that became a Revolutionary War era tavern (see more below).
This evening was a benefit for the Society and will help us keep the past present by continuing to collect, restore and display the many wonderful historical memorabilia housed at our White Elephant.
If at any time you would like to make a donation to help support our programs and events, including guest speakers, please click on the Donation button and use the down arrow to select "Donation!" Many thanks!
Join us in thanking our SPONSORS and all who donated to the historical society
Food by chef Paul Gileno of Hayfields who recently received the Caterer of the Year award from NYS Restaurant Association!
Flowers by Amy's Flowers
Music by Chick's Candy Store
Martin Aronchick & Richard Brooker
Libations by
Goldens Bridge Fine Wines
Please enjoy this bit of history about the area, the homes and the people who lived here.
From early St. James records we know that in 1769 Rev. Epenetus Townsend was given 60 acres of land by Stephen Delancey and he built his home here. But Townsend was a Loyalist and by 1776 he and his family were long gone! According to the 1779 Erskine Map below, drawn for George Washington, a tavern, labeled “Youngwells” was on the site. The Titicus River is drawn across the bottom and here you see from left to right - Capt Steelrod (Delancey Hall), Youngwells Tavern, Salem Church (the first St. James) and Salem Meeting House (the first Presbyterian Meeting House). The tavern could very well have been on the same foundation as the Vogliano house but we do not have the information yet to make that leap.
In 1809 Epenetus Wallace bought the 60 acres and settled into the home. Was he already living there? Did he run the tavern? We understand that the original Wallace house sustained a fire. Was the whole house demolished or just a part of it? In later years the house, while generally similar in structure, did undergo several renovations. This photo of the house from 1909 is compliments of the Westchester County Historical Society.
Below are two more images from the WCHS collection of ice skaters on the pond that was commonly referred to in more recent times as Hy William's Pond. You catch a glimpse of the house in the photo on the right.
In a 1933 real estate appraisal the house is described as a four-bedroom home on 16 acres including a 5-acre lake, three-car garage and a barn with three box stalls and poultry house combined.
The central part of the Vogliano home appears to be the same as the 1909 Wallace home, but only more research will help us identify its age. As the town prepares for celebrating the signing of the Declaration of Independence, we hope to see more information arise through research, archaeological digs and sharing of information throughout the area. Please stay tuned, and join us on the 9th!
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