SUMMER is here!

Dare we say things are starting to seem almost normal again? The Square House Museum was a flurry of activity this spring with school tours, Rye High School interns, daily visitors and special events. The buzz will continue into July as we host our popular Hands-on-History Summer Camp for children ages 7-13.

Our Annual Spring Luncheon and Rockin’ the Sound Beach Party were both a huge success, and we are excited to once again host our Whiskey Tasting event at the Knapp House in November.

We hope you will join us in celebrating our love of Rye and its vibrant history, both past and present. We have so many ways for you to connect with us, whether it be attending one of our events, becoming a member, or joining us as a volunteer. We look forward to forging new connections and nurturing the old ones as we move towards the second half of 2022.

RYE HISTORY. We’re all a part of it!

NEWS & EVENTS

Annual Spring Luncheon with Allison Pataki

After a two-year hiatus brought on by COVID, the excitement was palpable as 140 guests joined our Annual Spring Luncheon at the Apawamis Club on May 5th. Our distinguished guest speaker was New York Times best-selling author, Allison Pataki. Her latest novel, The Magnificent Lives of Marjorie Post, is an “epic reimagining of the remarkable life of Marjorie Merriweather Post, the American heiress and trailblazing leader of the twentieth century”. Pataki shared her research process with the audience as well as some fascinating, little known facts about the iconic Marjorie Post. Books were available for purchase, and Pataki was on hand to personalize each one. A lovely boutique before and after the luncheon offered housewares, clothing, jewelry and much more, just in time for Mother’s Day. Kudos to co-chairs Vanessa Mayo and Catherine Guszack, and the entire Events Committee for putting together such a fantastic event.

photo credit: Alison Rodilosso

Rockin’ the Sound Beach Party

The Rye Historical Society held its Second Annual Rockin’ the Sound Beach Party on June 10th at Oakland Beach. Over 100 party-goers enjoyed drinks and dinner (from Longo’s Park Deli) and danced the night away to local band and fan favorite, the M-62s. The vibe was super casual, with beach blankets and low tables set up for guests to enjoy the barbeque fare and conversation with friends. The gorgeous sunset and twinkling lights from the Playland Ferris wheel were the perfect punctuation to a wonderful evening. Special thanks to co-chairs Vanessa Mayo and Catherine Guszack, the Events Committee and newly-formed Auxiliary Board for all their hard work. Funds raised from the event will go towards museum and educational programming and special events.

RHS Welcomes New Auxiliary Board

We are thrilled to welcome the members of our newly-formed Auxiliary Board: Niamh Alexander, Kim Formon, Carolyn Holba, Lauren O’Connor and Susan Ross. The Auxiliary Board will support the numerous activities and functions of the Society – specifically, they will assist the Board and Events Committee with marketing and planning of social events, provide day of support for fundraisers, and help with special projects as needed. Board members Catherine Guszack and Vanessa Mayo will serve as the Auxiliary Board liasons.

Knapp House Revitalization Project

UPDATE – Phase I of the Knapp House Project, temporary shoring of the building, is now complete. While the work was more extensive than originally anticipated, this phase still came in on budget. The next steps are to meet with Steven Tilly, our historic restoration architect, to review the engineering plans, specifically what needs to be done to permanently stabilize the outside of the building. We will be applying for appropriate New York State grants, as well as fundraising within the community to help realize our strategic vision for this currently underutilized space.

Historic Home Markers – Be a Part of Rye History!

Our Rye History Marker program is designed to celebrate the visible local history in the homes and buildings that surround us – we believe a community that celebrates its history is a community that preserves and maintains its history. Take a quick drive around town and you will see the beautiful bronze plaques proudly displayed on historic homes all over Rye.

Introduced in 2016, RHS continues to offer this program to recognize and celebrate homes and other structures in Rye that exemplify our community’s rich heritage. The focus is on homes built prior to 1942 (the year the City of Rye was incorporated) that maintain much of their original architectural style.

For more details about the program and how to apply for a home marker, click below:

The Streets of Rye: How They Got Their Names

Local author and long-time Rye resident Paul Rheingold recently published a new book: The Streets of Rye – How They Got Their Names. With the assistance of RHS staff Jake Griffith-Rosenberger and Christine Moore, Rheingold studied old maps and subdivision plans stored in the Knapp House Archives. He also researched materials available at the Westchester County clerk’s office and the Internet to complete this very informative book about the streets of Rye. Books are available for purchase at the Square House Museum, 1 Purchase Street, Rye, NY ($30 plus tax).

Square House Property Makeover

UPDATE – Take a walk past the Square House towards town and you will notice a lovely upgrade to our previously tired side yard. The City of Rye and The Rye Garden Club recently collaborated to refresh the garden behind the Square House and plant much needed grass and new trees to complement this “new” community space.  Stone benches will also be installed to complete the revitalization of this currently underutilized open space. The Rye Garden Club held a fundraiser at the Square House in early June to help defray the costs associated with refreshing and maintaining the area. Despite the rainy weather, many came out in support of this wonderful community project. We are sincerely grateful to the Rye Garden Club and the City of Rye for all their hard work sprucing up a valuable public gathering space.

Hands-on-History Summer Camp

Are you looking for a unique twist on the traditional summer camp experience? Try our Annual Hands-on-History Summer Camp, where children ages 7-13 can spend two fun-filled weeks learning about everyday life in Rye history. Located at the Square House Museum, the 2022 camp schedule runs Monday through Friday, 10:00 am – 2:30 pm from July 11th to July 22nd.

WEEK 1: (JULY 11-15) - NATIVE AMERICAN/COLONIAL LIFE CAMP

Campers will start by exploring Rye through the lens of the native communities who lived in the area. We will learn about their culture and everyday life with a field trip to explore natural resources and how Native Americans used them. Campers will then travel into the colonial days of Rye. Through performances, art projects, artifact explorations and inquiry-based projects, children will learn about everyday life in the 1700's.

WEEK 2: (JULY 18-22) – Passport to the Past, Uncovering Rye’s Living History

Campers will learn about existing historic buildings and parks that are still part of our living history today. This will be a very active week as we visit many of our Walk Rye History signs and explore our historic town from downtown to Playland. Campers will get a chance to create their own Walk Rye History Sign of their home and build a model of their neighborhood. At the end of the week, campers will present their projects.

SPOTLIGHT ON: Chris Maloney – Newly Elected RHS Board Member

Chris Maloney, a lifelong resident of Rye, attended Resurrection Grammar School and graduated from Rye High School in 1977, where he captained the Football and Baseball teams. He received his BS in Business from Penn State University. After working in NYC for 12 years, Chris started his own company in 1993 and continues running it to this day. 

For over 30 years, he has been a board member in charge of fundraising for the annual George Kirby Golf Tournament. The annual outing is a benefit for the Rye Senior Citizens and has raised hundreds of thousands of dollars over the years. Chris was also a Rye Little League coach for 11 years, serving as a board member the last five of those years.

He was awarded the City of Rye Americanism Award in 2013 by the Rye American Legion Post 128 for the work he started on Rye veterans who had died in the service of their country. He continues that work today and is currently finishing up 2,100 biographies of all veterans currently on the WWI,WWII, Korea, and Vietnam Memorials. These biographies are all available on the website Chris created, Ryevets.org

Earlier this year, he was elected adjutant of the newly formed Sons of the American Legion (SAL), Post 128. Their mission is to aid and assist current Rye veterans and their families as well as all veterans in the VA hospital in Montrose, NY.

Chris has been married to his wife Judy for almost 30 years and they have three children. Their kids mark the 5th generation in his family to grow up on the same street in Rye.

TRUSTEE NEWS

We are excited to welcome five new trustees who joined our Board in mid-June (including Chris Maloney who is featured above):

Jim Beha

is a lawyer and a partner in the Litigation Department at Morrison and Foerster LLP.  He has an A.B. with honors from Princeton University and a law degree from NYU.  A life-long New York resident, Jim lives in Rye with his wife, Alyson, and their three children, Jimmy, Annabel, and Charlie.

Marilu Logudic

graduated from Boston College and received a Masters in Education in Reading and Learning Disabilities from Teachers College, Columbia University. In the late 90s, she helped develop the Elementary-Level Integrated Co-Teaching program in District 2 for the New York City Public Schools. Marilu also co-authored a book entitled “Multisensory Strategies to Reach and Teach All Students”, published in 2005. That same year, she moved to Hong Kong where her three children, now ages 15,13 and 10, were born. During that time, she worked in a variety of roles that supported teaching children with dyslexia,

 After settling in Rye, Marilu became an active member in RAISE from 2018-2021, with a particular interest in supporting students with dyslexia in both Elementary and Middle School. She holds a strong interest in making Rye History accessible to all members of our community and looks forward to the opportunity to serve as a trustee for the Rye Historical Society.

Sarah Smith

was born and raised in Louisville, Kentucky. She graduated magna cum laude from Williams College, received her Medical Degree from Emory University, and completed an Otolaryngology residency at New York University. She lives in Rye with her husband, Oliver, their four children, and two dogs. No longer practicing medicine, she has shifted from academic research to fiction writing and has just finished her first historical fiction novel. 

Carl Valentine

is a consultant on the design and financing of state services for children and families. Recently, he has specialized in helping schools of social work with the professional development of child welfare and mental health workers. Prior to moving to Rye 8 years ago, he was a Coop Board member at 110 Riverside and active at All Souls Unitarian Church. Carl is currently a volunteer driver for SPRYE and looks forward to serving on the Rye Historical Society Board. 

STAFF NEWS

Harrison Colonial Day Gets Rave Reviews

In January, Harrison School District contacted our Museum Educator, Debbie Zingg, asking her to plan an interactive Colonial Day for their fourth grade students at the Harrison campus. After months of planning, Debbie and Alison Relyea (Director of Museum Programming and Education) ran an amazing program for 80 fourth graders with a hands-on, 3 hour Colonial Day learning experience. They set up 4 different classrooms as activity stations: At Station 1, students made their own hornbooks, Station 2 was a quill pen writing activity, Station 3 was colonial spices and kitchen artifacts – where students created their own sachets, and Station 4 was the game and recreation room – where they enjoyed playing pick-up sticks, Jacob’s ladder, hopscotch etc. The teachers and students showed great enthusiasm, many were dressed in full colonial wear for the program. With some advanced notice, our staff can customize a Colonial Day for your school too!

SUPPORT US

We are forever grateful to this wonderful community and hope you will continue to support us going forward! Donating is so easy – you can give on our website, donate by Venmo (@ryehistory1660) or PayPal (ryehistory), or send your donation to Rye Historical Society, 1 Purchase Street, Rye, NY 10580.

VOLUNTEER OPPORTUNITIES

We have numerous volunteer opportunities for both children and adults. Examples include school year student internships (short-term or long-term), summer camp volunteers and adult tour guides. Students can also earn community service hours for their schools while expanding their knowledge and perspective on local history. To inquire about volunteer work, please email Alison Relyea (alison.relyea@ryehistory.org).