Here are some interesting items about our local history
This is a Sterling silver commemorative spoon depicting the history of Kingston. It was probably made for the 1927 Sesquicentenial Celebration held on September 10th, 1927. New York State was founded 150 years earlier in 1777. Kingston was the first Capitol of the State and it was here that the the first Supreme Court met in February; the first Constitution was adopted on April 20th; the first governor, George Clinton, was inaugerated on July 30th; and the first session of the State Legislature was held on September 10th, 1777. The old Senate House in Kingston is depicted on the bowl of the spoon along with George Clinton and the State Seal.
On the reverse of the spoon is the seal of the City of Kingston and the image of Peter Styvesant, Director General of the Dutch West India Co. who established the settlement of Wildwyck (wild refuge)in 1661. This settlement was renamed Kingston in 1664 when New Netherland passed from Dutch to English control. Also depicted is the wampum belt that was presented to the residents of Wildwyck by the local Esopus indians in 1664 to end the Esopus Indian Wars.
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Click this map to make larger.
This map, made in 1695, looks like the one used on the spoon except for the Clinton Ave./East Front Street area which looks more like the present day on the spoon. Note that the original 1658 settlement was only the two blocks in the upper right corner of the map. The upper left corner was added in 1661, the lower middle in 1670 and the final extension at the bottom was added in 1677. Of interest is the "part seperated and fortified" at the bottom on Main Street where the Old Dutch Church of today stands. The original settlers evidently felt the need for a confined area to fall back into in case the main stockade was breached by the native americans.
This George Clinton Memorial Medal was struck in 1927 for the Kingston SesquiCentennial. The medal is in bronze and 2 1/2" in diameter.
One of these medals was placed in a copper box in the cornerstone of the new museum on the Senate House Grounds. The corner stone was laid on September 10th, 1927 in front of 5,000 people. One medal was also cast in gold and presented to the Governor of New York, Alfred E. Smith. This bronze medal was given to me by my mother who had it all her life and never knew where it came from. She was born in October 1927 so I am sure it was a gift at her birth from her parents or a relative.
This is the Senate House as it looked on a post card in 1910
This is called a "bullion" by badge collectors. It is 3" in diameter and was usually hand embroidered in India with gold metallic thread. It was not meant to be sewn onto a uniform but was a presentation piece. The Administrator of Ulster County remembers these were made for the 300th anniversary on the County in 1983. There were many local,Tercentenary celebrations that year.
