Welcome
Museum Open Beginning May 2, 2021
The Cedar Hill Schoolhouse Museum, home of the Bethlehem Historical Association,
will be open Sunday afternoons from 2 to 4 PM starting May 2, 2021.
Come explore how transportation formed Bethlehem history with Rivers, Roads & Rails. Step into an early classroom and see how our formal education system developed. Go Around the Mulberry Bush with early 20th c. housewives as they go about their weekly chores. Get acquainted with the Wilke family who farmed on Beaver Dam Road. Learn about events that took place right here in Bethlehem during the fight for the right of women to vote. Enjoy a new scavenger hunt to lead you through the various exhibits.
- Covid-19 precautions are in place.
- Face coverings are required at all times on the property.
- Only ten people will be allowed inside the schoolhouse at one time.
- You must complete a brief contact tracing form.
- High touch surfaces will be sanitized on a regular basis.
Please come! We look forward to seeing you soon. The museum is located at 1003 River Road in Selkirk. You can also arrange to visit by appointment by calling Dawn Pratt, 518-767-2285.
SATURDAY FAMILY TIME
Reserve the Cedar Hill Schoolhouse Museum for your Family
with special activities for children.
We have a new program designed for families!
Aware that in the past year there have been few opportunities for children to get enrichment outside of the home, we have put together some play-based learning activities designed for elementary aged children. They can explore the exhibits with scavenger hunts, try out a stereoscope, experience a hundred-year-old school desk, figure out the use of some now obsolete household tools, and more.
- To ensure a safe environment, this event is by appointment.
- A family may reserve the museum for its exclusive use.
- Sessions are available on Saturdays in May and June.
For details and to schedule a time, call Linda Davies, 518-439-1686.
The Town of Bethlehem
Historical Association
P.O. Box 263
1003 River Road
Selkirk, NY 12158
518-767-9432
BethHist1965@gmail.com
2021 Second Saturday History Hikes
The Bethlehem Historical Association and the Bethlehem Parks & Recreation Department present the
2021 Second Saturday History Series
with Town Historian Susan Leath
Click here for the complete list of hikes and paddles and to register!
Registration is required.
Next up is a history hike around the lovely hamlet of South Bethlehem. This Saturday, May 8 at 9:30. Meet at South Bethlehem Town Park, 20 Wylie Lane, South Bethlehem. Heading north on South Albany Road from Bridge Street (Route 396), Wylie Road is just down on the right. If you go over the creek you've gone too far!
Saturday, 8:05 AM: Well, it is looking overcast with a chance of showers. Let's not let a few sprinkles stop us.
I will be at the park at 9:30 AM and hopefully we will get our walk in without getting too wet. S.L.
NEW FOR 2021!
Bethlehem and the National Register of Historic Places
Each month in 2021 we will be highlighting one of Bethlehem’s individually listed National Register properties. We’ll follow up in 2022 with Bethlehem’s two historic districts.
The National Register of Historic Places is the official list of the Nation’s historic places worthy of preservation. Authorized by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966, the National Parks Service’s National Register of Historic Places is part of a national program to coordinate and support public and private efforts to identify, evaluate, and protect America’s historic and archaeological resources.
April's property is the Patterson Farmhouse
For details, click here
Bethlehem's Comprehensive Plan
Have you noticed signs with this logo sprouting up around town?
Bethlehem is updating its comprehensive plan. There is a reason why it is called the comprehensive plan. It affects almost every facet of the town for the next fifteen years or more.
As members of the historical association, we need to pay attention to how the plan addresses the town's historic buildings and sites. Establishment of an historic preservation commission in the updated plan would ensure that such buildings are recognized, properly documented, and given serious consideration if threatened.
Stay Informed!
Drive-It-Yourself Tour
Tired of sitting home? Want to go some place but don't know where?
Try a Drive-It-Yourself Tour of historic places in the Town of Bethlehem. The tour was developed in 2010 -- but after a decade, even if you have driven in before,
it's time to revisit.
Tour directions can be found in Outings
Looking for Something to Do?
Now might be the perfect time to do some historical research. While everything is closed up, the National Archives has an online site that contains a wealth of information and activities for the whole family. Check out the link below and begin a new journey into the past! National Archives
NEW COOKBOOK!
There is a new cookbook on sale at I Love Books.
They are $10 each.
Copies can also be purchased by contacting
Wendy Brandow (518) 767-0716 or Linda Schacht (518) 767-2924
We appreciate the support of all those who contributed recipes and
helped to get this book together.
Books by Town
Historian
Susan Leath
Available at local bookstores
