Rhinebeck

 Historical

Society

‎

UPCOMING PROGRAM:

Dr. Shelby Landmark -- "FDR's Disability: A True Story"


WHEN: 1/30/26 @ 7:00pm

WHERE: Lower floor of the Starr Library, entrance in the rear

UPCOMING PROGRAMS HERE

The RHS archives is a treasure trove of exciting history. It consists of records dating back to the 1700s, including books, pictures, maps, letters and diaries. The catalog of the archived materials can be accessed below.


MEMBERSHIP




We are very much in need of your continued support. Your donations and membership allow us to pursue our efforts to preserve Rhinebeck history, whether that be through our archival work, in-person presentations, or community collaborations.


Most recently, we've been gifted antique newspapers from the Strong family that fill an enormous gap in RHS's collection of The Rhinebeck Gazette. Thanks to your support, decades in the latter half of the 19th century– previously unavailable– will be accessible to all at no cost, once digitized and posted online.

ARCHIVES

Welcome to the official website of the Rhinebeck Historical Society in Rhinebeck, NY. On our site, you can navigate our archives, contact us, watch our programs, apply for membership, and more!


Hours: Tuesdays and Thursdays, 10am-3pm


Location: 68 West Market St., Rhinebeck, NY 12572 (bttm. floor of Starr Library)


Mailing address: P.O. Box 291, Rhinebeck, NY 12572


Email: michaelfrazier@earthlink.net


Phone Number: 845-464-2015


NOTE: If you have questions, please contact us here. We will respond as promptly as we can.


PROGRAMS





UPCOMING PROGRAM: Dr. Shelby Landmark on "FDR's Disability: A True Story"


WHEN AND WHERE: 1/30/26 @ 7:00pm, lower floor of the Starr Library, entrance in the rear


DESCRIPTION: 
For the last 80 years, most people have gotten the story of FDR's disability wrong. While FDR is one of the most recognizably disabled historical figures, his disability is most commonly represented in ways that imply he hid the truth of his paralysis from the public after contracting polio in the summer of 1921. Dr. Landmark will overview her new and ongoing research that has revealed the public frequently observed FDR using leg braces, crutches, canes, customized speaker stands, ramps, elevators, and even automobiles to navigate his surroundings.

PLEASE DONATE


Rhinebeck is a gem, celebrated for its commitment to historic preservation and for a
past that is as rich as the soil that made us the Violet Capital of the World.


As the custodian of that rich past, we at the Rhinebeck Historical Society need your
help. Our special project since 2023 has been to make our local newspaper, which
operated weekly from 1846 to 2009, available to the public in a searchable format at no
cost to the public. We started at the beginning in 1846 and have gotten as far as 1929.
That very rich past, as reported weekly in our local newspaper, has been scanned,
made searchable, and posted online. To see for yourself, go back to our home page,
choose “Archives,” and then “Rhinebeck Gazette.” By March of 2026, we will have
posted the years from 1930 to 1947. To continue that progress and to get us from 1948
to 2009, we need your donation.


The total amount we will need to reach that 2009 goal is in excess of $100,000. Both
the Frost Memorial Fund and the Thompson Trust have been exceedingly generous and
supportive, since both organizations understand and appreciate what we are doing to
preserve a past that might otherwise be lost permanently. Such generosity, however, is
only effective if there is a commitment on the part of this community to show that we tootreasure that past. To show that this is a commitment and not simply a wish, we ask you to donate to RHS to support this and other projects that we are undertaking. To donate, click on Membership Form. Every little bit is most welcome, and larger bits even more.