The experts are coming! The experts are coming!
The Port Chester Historical Society is delighted to announce that we have won a site visit from Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York to help us assess and manage our collections!
As you may know, the Port Chester Historical Society had declined before being brought back a few years ago. We are now at the stage where we are ready to take the next steps forward into collecting, archiving, and preserving the history of Port Chester. Carolee Brakewood, Secretary of the Historical Society, said, “Ever since our society has been revivified, we’ve been excited about improving our work. Now we have the chance to move forward!”
The Port Chester Historical Society has always been housed in the Bush Lyon Homestead, which dates from approximately 1760 and was lived in continuously until the 1990s. We have seen our ups and downs and the Society became essentially defunct for about 25 years, during which the care and maintenance of the Homestead and the collections suffered. In 2018, a local Girl Scout helped to rejuvenate both the Historical Society and interest in the Homestead. That same year, a local Boy Scout started to inventory the contents of the Homestead as a public project. That was all it took - we have been operating consistently ever since! The COVID-19 pandemic definitely put a damper on some of our efforts and events, but we have also bounced back from that. The Society is committed to the protection and preservation of historic sites in the village and plans educational and community-based activities and events for all age groups. Members are committed to increasing the understanding of local history in all its complexity. The motto of the Society is “Uncover, Share, Celebrate.”
We are located in a diverse community which we want to engage and serve. We strive to create an environment where different voices and perspectives are valued because they can improve and enrich our work; our definition of diversity is broad. History has frequently excluded some groups and underrepresented others; we work towards addressing all barriers to full inclusion as we find them. Our programs and events are put together with an eye to both respecting the traditions, experiences, and heritages of our community and presenting the story of our community’s history in diverse and inclusive ways.
Documentary Heritage and Preservation Services for New York is a collaboration between two long-running New York programs dedicated to service and support for archival and library research collections throughout the state: the New York State Archives Documentary Heritage Program and the New York State Library Conservation/Preservation Program. DHPSNY is supported by the New York State Archives, New York State Library, Conservation Center for Art & Historic Artifacts (CCAHA), and the New York State Education Department. DHPSNY’s Strategic Planning Assistance curriculum was developed in collaboration with the New York Council of Nonprofits (NYCON).
For more information, contact the Historical Society at portchesterhistoricalsociety@gmail.com