CANCELLED
Due to unforeseen circumstances
Woodstock Industry and People Through the Tools They Used
A talk by Michael Drillinger and Richard Heppner
Saturday, October 22, 2022, at 3 pm
The talk will be rescheduled at a later date
Admission is Free
The Historical Society of Woodstock's Eames House Museum
20 Comeau Drive, Woodstock, NY 12498
Before Woodstock became a Colony of the Arts it was a small agricultural community. Farming played a central role. Other industries that grew to support or supplement farming included tanning, quarrying of bluestone, ice harvesting, timber, wood milling and turning, blacksmithing, glass manufacturing, and other crafts. Over the years, the Historical Society of Woodstock has acquired artifacts and implements that were used back in the days when the chief sources of power came from water, animals and human muscle.
HSW-Tool Shed
Thanks to the vision and initiative of historical society board member Michael Drillinger, and with the generous donations of community residents and businesses, an unused shed next to the Historical Society's Eames House Museum at 20 Comeau Drive has been refurbished for use as an exhibit space to display these artifacts. Drillinger, the curator of the Tool Shed, regards the tools as a window on Woodstock's past.
On Saturday, October 22 , 2022 at 3 pm in person at 20 Comeau Drive, Drillinger will discuss some of the industries where these antiques were used, while Woodstock town historian Richard Heppner recalls the distinctive Woodstock personalities who used them.
Michael Drillinger serves on the board of the Catskill Mountain Club, the Kingston Land Trust, and is the volunteer chairman of the Ten Mile River Scout Museum. He is an avid Catskill hiker and New York State Outdoor Guide who loves history, both local and of the Hudson Valley, and enjoys doing volunteer projects around Woodstock as a member of the Geezer Corps. Currently, he is doing administrative and booking work for the High Meadow School in Stone Ridge. He lives in Woodstock with his wife, Rosalind Dickinson.
Richard Heppner has served as Woodstock Town Historian since 2001. His most recent book, Woodstock's Infamous Murder Trial – Early Racism in Upstate New York (Arcadia Publishing) was released in March. In addition to numerous essays for local media, he is also the author of Women of the Catskills, Woodstock Everyday History, and co-author with Janine Fallon Mower of Legendary Locals of Woodstock. After serving in numerous academic positions over twenty-five years at Orange County Community College, he retired as Vice President of Academic Affairs at SUNY Orange and holds the rank of Professor Emeritus.
The concurrent exhibit at the Eames House Museum, “Making Woodstock Home, artist William Arlt” features the life and work of an early 20th century Woodstock artist whose descendants reside in the village to this day. The Museum is open on Saturdays and Sundays from 1-5 pm through October 30, 2022. Admission is free.
Vosburgh Turning Mill
Farmer Peter Ricks