Historic Cherry Hill

We will be closed for tours this Friday (August 16th), but we hope you can come by this Saturday instead! 🌟

Reminder: We offer tours every Friday and Saturday on the hour starting at 12 PM, with the last tour of the day at 3 PM. We hope to see you soon!

We would like to highlight this year’s Summer session of History is Now (HIN) our teen docent program. We took a trip to Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. 👏 We had an amazing tour and learned so much from park ranger Melissa! We of course had to stop for photo with MVB “himself”— 😉

Today is National Son’s and Daughter’s Day:
We would like to recognize the 5th generation Son’s & Daughter of Cherry Hill. 🏠 💛

Catherine Rankin is seated surrounded by her children: Edward Elmendorf Rankin (1885-1961), upper left; Herbert Edward Rankin (1887-1917), lower left; and Emily Watkinson Rankin (1889-1963), right. This is Lloyd Albumen Print from 1896 (Troy,NY).

We will not be offering tours of the museum on Friday, August 9th, and Saturday, August 10th. We hope you will stop by next Friday, August 16th, when we return to our regular scheduled programming!

historiccherryhill.wordpress.com

We will be closed this weekend and back to regular programming starting next Friday (Aug. 16). ☀️✨

We hope to see you next Friday or Saturday from 12-4pm for a tour of the house or gardens-- or even better BOTH! 😊🌷

It may have rained on our “Community Day” event but we did not let that stop us! We are so thankful to visitors that stopped by and spend sometime with us on this rainy day! 🙂

We enjoyed some activities outside and inside before the rain came in and the Jenga competition continued inside among our teen docents.

Special thank you to our teen docents and volunteers today who also helped us! 💛

: Tomorrow we will be having “Community Day” from 12:30-3:30pm. Our teen docents have been having fun preparing this week. They made this sign to welcome everyone tomorrow. 💛✨

This is a rain or shine event, we will have light refreshments and ice cream (first come, first serve).

See you all tomorrow! 😊

:
This Thursday (Aug. 8) we will be hosting a Community Day at HCH. 💛

To celebrate the Summer session of “History is Now”students who have been working (paid through the City’s LIGHT SYEP program) and learning about the history of the museum. And to enjoy the final month of summer. ☀️

Join us from 12:30-3:30pm Aug. 8 this a free event for all ages!🙂

No one tells a story like Jack...

The "Going Dutch!" tour of Quackenbush Square is just two days away...grab your tickets now!✨
Tour of Quackenbush Square: First Friday, August 2nd, 6 PM
$10/regular admission, $5/HCH members. Ticket price includes only the tour.

Join Albany County Historian, Jack McEneny, for a tour of Quackenbush Square, and let Jack regale you with tales of its history of brickmaking, distilling, and tanning. Have a close look at Albany’s second oldest house—a Dutch-style house built in the 1730s. Afterwards, head inside for dinner or a drink! (The old Dutch house is called Olde English today!)
Purchase tickets 🎫 here: https://www.ticketleap.events/events/historiccherryhill

It looks like it will be a gorgeous weekend! ☀️🥰

We are open today from 12-4pm the grounds are open and free from 12-4pm as well. 🌸
On Sunday we will be open only from 12-1pm as we have a private event for the rest of the day.

— We will be open from 12-4pm Tuesday-Friday! 🙂

Just one week left to get your passport stamped for "Going Dutch! Experiences through the Capital Region" - https://mailchi.mp/081eae2ddb42/get-your-passport-for-going-dutch-experiences-through-the-capital-region-16204374

:
Over the past week we have had “major renovations” happening… with our now Yellow Little Library!💛

We finally painted the library, 📚 upgraded it with some familiar looking wallpaper, 😉 and of course loaded it up with books. We are all so happy to have the little yellow library back and running with some cool finishes like the awesome wallpaper that can be seen also in the museum.

Special thank you to the hard work and dedication of our SYEP students ! 😊

: In 2026, five years of interpretive planning will culminate in the launch of a new Cherry Hill "experience" a tour and exhibition that harnesses the site's layered, multigenerational history, rich collections, genuine authenticity, and diverse, interrelated human stories to draw visitors into a conversation about how ''The Past Is Present," its legacies-whether sins or profound achievements-lingering among us in society today. 👏

HCH✨ is pleased to announce that we have received a $15,000 grant from the Bender Family Foundation for our upcoming project, Grasping the Inalienable. "Grasping the Inalienable," focusing on Dinah Jackson and the history/context/experience of slavery at Cherry Hill. This will be programming to compliment our inaugural season of the new interpretation.

*The image above is not Dinah Jackson— but a generated image of an enslaved woman*

"Dutchness on Display" Tours of Historic Cherry Hill
Happening tomorrow 12pm & 2pm. 🌷

Learn about Dutch heritage that was preserved, collected & put on display by the Rankin family.

"Dutchness on Display" Tours offered on Fridays at 12 PM and 2 PM through August 2. ✨ No reservations required.

Sharing some work from our Spring youth employment session. They had projects making a mini exhibition posters using collections found in museum and the Frisbee collections center. 🔎🤓

They focused on different aspects they found interesting about the different people & families that lived at Cherry Hill.

The following are done by Leo focused on Catherine Bonney and her Missionary Life and Torrie focused on William James Knapp and his belongs.

See you all there today! 😊🌷

"Dutchness on Display" Tours of Historic Cherry Hill "Dutchness on Display" Tours of Cherry Hill Fridays at 12 and 2. $6/adults, $5 seniors & students, $3/ children, HCH members free. Learn about the Dutch heritage woven into this five-generation Van Rensselaer home, carefully curated by 4th-geneation Cherry Hill owner, Catherine Rankin, as a stat...

: To June 18, 2024-- which is not that long ago but we forgot to share, with all the summer fun we have been having! 😉 ☀️

Here are some photos from our last 2023-2024 school year outreach program. We brought the Hudson River Trading Game (HRTG) ⛵️ to an elementary school in Voorheesville. With the help of our volunteer Sharon, Education Assistant Joseph, and our "lead" Captain Shawna.

We want to say thank you to Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site for inviting us to one of the best July 4th events! 😊🎆

We had a great time and were excited to see everyone celebrate and even test there “luck” on the Hudson River Trading Game! ⛵️✨

Also a special thank you to Milla our graduate intern, who was stationed in the Port of Albany on July the 4th with us!
Milla is currently working on metadata for one of our digitization projects and is a tour guide as well. 👏

May 10-July 6, Aug. 9-Nov. 30 Regular Tour Schedule: Fridays & Saturdays, tours start at 12, 1, 2, & 3pm July 9-Aug. 8 Extended Summer Tour Schedule: Tuesdays - Sundays, tours start at 12, 1, 2, & 3pm *Our specialty "Going Dutch!" tours will be offered Fridays July 5 thru August 2, only at 12 & 2pm. *Some Tuesday-Friday tours will be led by teen guides employed by the city of Albany's LIGHT Summer Youth Employment Program & trained through Historic Cherry Hill's "History Is Now" program…...

historiccherryhill.wordpress.com

Going Dutch!- Passport Experience through the Capital Region 🇳🇱✨

How the passport works:
1. Pick Up Your Passport: 🏷️ Visit any participating site to get your "Going Dutch!" passport.
2. Attend First Friday Events: Visit the participating sites between July 5th and August 2nd.
3. Collect Stamps: Get your passport stamped at each experience.
4. Redeem Your Prizes: Collect at least 7 stamps and redeem your passport at Historic Cherry Hill for exciting rewards.

Exciting Rewards Await! 🤩
Visitors who collect seven stamps may redeem them for a buy-one-get-one flight Fort Orange Brewing 🍻

The first 10 participants to present a passport with seven stamps at Historic Cherry Hill will receive a free “swag bag.”

: Here is a look into what our passport (tracker) will look like for our Going Dutch! Experiences through the Capital Region series. 🙂

We have limited seating available for The First Church in Albany Tour, get you tickets 🎟️ while you can!

First Friday, First Church Tour (July 5th, 6:00 pm)
$10/regular admission; $5/ HCH members
First Church in Albany is the city's oldest institution, organized as a Dutch Reformed Church in 1642. Learn some of Albany’s earliest history on this tour of First Church highlighting its rare documents and artifacts with Jim Folts, Trustee at First Church. ⛪️

➡️For tickets visit https://www.ticketleap.events/tickets/historiccherryhill/first-church-tour.

Please be advised that Historic Cherry Hill is closing early and will not offer 2 or 3pm tours on Friday June 21 due to hazardous weather. Our apologies for the inconvenience!

historiccherryhill.wordpress.com

We have some exciting news, Historic Cherry Hill is thrilled to announce the launch of "Going Dutch: Experiences through the Capital Region," an engaging and immersive program series that will run from July 5th to August 2nd, First Friday to First Friday. 🤩

This series is done in collaboration with so many other amazing sites like Crailo State Historic Site, Historic Albany Foundation, Albany Institute of History & Art, Fort Orange Brewing, Discover Albany, and The First Church in Albany.

This year, 2024, marks an extraordinary 400 years of Dutch culture in the Capital Region. To celebrate this milestone, Historic Cherry Hill is partnering with seven fabulous heritage organizations and businesses, inviting participants to connect with Albany’s rich Dutch roots in a unique and interactive way.

Check this link out for more info https://mailchi.mp/4cc2e9918249/get-your-passport-for-going-dutch-experiences-through-the-capital-region-16201546
We will be sharing more details, soon... Don't forget to mark your calendars! ✨

:

Last week was a very fun and busy week for our Winter/Spring (SYEP) History is Now teens! From helping restock the “new” Little Library, 📚 finish mini exhibition projects, and concluding with session with a trip to Howe Caverns! 🤩
It has been awesome to have our recent group of teens this session, we are excited for our next summer session! ☀️

:
📢Get ready...Historic Cherry Hill's membership drive is about to kick off! 📢

Wanna get a head start? Go to historiccherryhill.org/members/ to renew today!

Join us in Our Vision for Cherry Hill's Future: “Historic Cherry Hill will be a vibrant community anchor, a recognized research center, and a focal point of heritage tourism.” ✨

Port of Albany Supports Local School Programs for More than a Decade. Since 2012, the Port of Albany has provided funding for free school programs, field trips, and events for students and families in underserved local school districts. Thanks to the Port's generosity, thousands of schoolchildren in the Albany and Schenectady school districts have enjoyed free programs. For the 2023-24 school year, the Port's grant will support up to 750 student participants. This past fall, 17 of Albany High School's eleventh-grade classrooms investigated the "1827 Murder at Cherry Hill" and Berne-Knox-Westerlo's eighth grade toured the house and read and wrote letters as part of the "Mining the Untold Stories" program. In June, fourth graders from Roessleville Elementary School will enjoy the Hudson River Trading Game outreach program. All three hands-on programs investigate the experiences of underrepresented narratives at Cherry Hill, including the experiences of Dinah Jackson, Andrew (a cooper), William James Knapp, and Clara Patterson. Thanks to the Port of Albany for supporting our educational initiatives and for helping to engage another generation of museum-goers! 💛

: It’s a very exciting Monday as well, we are officially kicking off our next digitization project! ☺️

Work has begun on this summer’s digitization project! The Philip and Maria Van Rensselaer papers will be Historic Cherry Hill’s fourth online collection, and the third funded by grants from the Capital District Library Council.

We have 2 Siena Undergraduate students and 1 UAlbany graduate student who will digitize and create metadata for the entire Philip & Maria Van Rensselaer series, composed of letters, bills, receipts, indentures, and eight ledgers, totaling 1092 pages. Scanning will take place at the Schenectady County Historical Society using their state-of-the-art scanner. We'd like to thank SCHS librarian Marietta Carr and digitization volunteer "Dave" for your hospitality and training!

We are open today and Saturday for tours from 12-4pm. The grounds are (free) open from 12-4pm too! ☺️

There are plenty of great seats for relaxing or flower 🌸 spotting on the grounds. Along with many stories to learn about what make HCH, “One house, a millions stories.” ✨