Van Cortlandtville Historical Society
Van Cortlandtville Historical Society
Where History Comes Alive
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THANKS FOR VISITING
THE VAN CORTLANDTVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY
We hope you will find out Web site interesting and informative. We update our site monthly with new information.
We are located in the LITTLE RED SCHOOLHOUSE
297 Locust Avenue, Cortlandt Manor, NY 10567
Regular Business meetings, followed by a program, are held on the third Saturday of each month beginning at 2 p.m.
(except as noted) ..... July (Picnic canceled this year)
November (Annual luncheon) December (Holiday Party)
Historic Little Red Schoolhouse
The Van Cortlandtville Historical Society will host an Open House the first Sunday of each month from April to November... from 2 to 4 p.m., at The Little Red Schoolhouse, 297 Locust Avenue, Cortlandt Manor, New York. The event is open free to the public. Visitors will be given a guided tour of the 19-century one-room schoolhouse, which until the mid-1970s was still functioning as part of the Lakeland Central School District. The schoolroom and adjoining meeting room of the Society has books, photographs and classroom items dating back to that early era. Light refreshments will be available. The Little Red Schoolhouse is located at the north end of Locust Avenue next to Old Saint Peter’s Church and cemetery, just south of Oregon Road in the Town of Cortlandt. For more information: Visit our website at www.vancort.net; or, call (914) 736-7868-. ____________________________
SEE EVENT SECTION FOR UPCOMING PROGRAMS
WELCOME TO OUR SITE
VAN CORTLANDTVILLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY IS CELEBRATING "101" YEARS OF HISTORY…_______________________________________
(914) 736-7868 www.vancort.net
At The Little Red Schoolhouse
297 Locust Avenue, Cortlandt Manor 10567
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OPEN HOUSE THE FIRST SUNDAY OF EACH MONTH FROM APRIL - OCTOBER FROM 2-4:00 PM
UPCOMING SPEAKERS FOR THE YEAR!
SPEAKER PROGRAMS FOR 2023 * MEETING BEGINS AT 2:00 PM
(Programs are subject to change * Check website or facebook page for up to date information * www.vancort.net)
JUNE 15: GERRY DEMPSEY AND CHARLIE MESSINA: MEMOIRS OF THE FRENCH AND INDIAN WAR
JULY 15: BUFFET, BLACKSMITH AND BOUTIQUE/TOM HUNT * A FUN DAY FOR THE ENTIRE FAMILY THIS IS OUR ONLY FUNDRAISER FOR THE YEAR * WE NEED YOUR SUPPORT! $5 ADMISSION FOR NON-MEMBERS
AUGUST 19: TRIP WASHINGTON’S HEADQUARTERS AND LUNCH AT THE RIVER GRILL/NEWBURGH * see special trip flyer * $40 per person RESERVATIONS REQUIRED
SEPTEMBER 16: RACHEL FROM THE HAVERSTRAW BRICK MUSEUM
OCTOBER 21: BARBARA DAVIS FROM THE WESTCHESTER COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY LIBRARY WITH “NOVEL INSPIRATION” FAMOUS WRITERS AND NOVELISTS FROM OUR AREA
NOVEMBER 17, FRIDAY ANNUAL MEETING/LUNCHEON/ANTHONY MUSSO “SET THE RECORD STRAIGHT” A BLAST FROM THE PAST-ROCK AND ROLL HISTORY DON’T MISS THIS MUSICAL HISTORICAL PRESENTATION AT THE CORTLANDT COLONIAL RESTAURANT. RESERVATIONS REQUIRED. * PRICE TO BE ANNOUNCED
DECEMBER 16: HOLIDAY PARTY CATERED BY SAMSOTTA LUNCHEON AT 12:30 FOR MEMBERS AND GUESTS
REFRESHMENTS ARE ALWAYS SERVED AFTER EACH PROGRAM * WE ASK FOR A $5 DONATION FROM NON-MEMBERS ATTENDING * WON’T YOU JOIN US ON OUR JOURNEY THROUGH HISTORY)
PROGRAM FOR SATURDAY, JUNE 17, 2023, 2:00 PM
Before the American Revolution, North America was at war. The English, French, Algonquian and Iroquois routinely attacked each other. No one was safe. Months of skirmishes would suddenly explode into full-scale military operations. The physical environment—the dark, dense primeval forest— gave important advantages to the Native American warriors, but the Europeans had the guns and the gunpowder.
Gerry Dempsey and Charlie Messina describe how they lived and how they fought. Having toured many of these battlegrounds in the United States and Canada, Charlie and Gerry offer insights and anecdotes about the harsh realities of the French and Indian Wars.
(Gerry Dempsey edits the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society's quarterly publication, The Historical Key.
Charlie Messina serves on the Boards of the Van Cortlandtville Historical Society, and the Old Van Cortlandtville Cemetery Association)
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BELOW SEE PAST PROGRAMS
THE ANNUAL DEDICATION TO THE FRENCH SOLDIERS,
BURIED
AT OLD ST. PETERS,
This year's Dedication will be SUNDAY, JULY 2, 2023 AT 3:00 PM,
FOLLOWED BY REFRESHMENTS AT THE SCHOOLHOUSE.
THIS EVENT IS FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC.
PICTURES FROM 2019:
Van Cortlandtville Historical Society leaders display one of the new National Park Service markers that identify Old Saint Peter’s Church and other sites along the national historic trail. From left are Director Lindsey Wood, Past President Jeff Canning and Treasurer Anne de Neuville. Photo by Lucie Poirier