NEWS RELEASE: From Hudson Valley Anarchist to Prussian Aristocrat: Historic Huguenot Street Welcomes Former Executive Director Eric J. Roth for Lecture on Alida Mary Schoonmaker

NEW PALTZ, NY (October 27, 2016) –  On Saturday, November 12, Historic Huguenot Street will welcome former Executive Director and Archivist Eric Roth for a lecture entitled, “From Hudson Valley Anarchist to Prussian Aristocrat: The Story of Alida Mary Schoonmaker, Countess of Krockow (1857-1940).” The presentation will be enhanced by a temporary exhibit of materials and documents from the HHS archives, curated by Archivist & Librarian Carrie Allmendinger.

Roth will tell the ironic tale of how a young intellectual woman from Saugerties married into aristocratic Germany, only to become an influential critical voice of that country’s militaristic rise under the Junker class prior to World War I. Alida Mary Schoonmaker’s remarkable life is documented in her numerous letters housed in the HHS Archives, and in dozens of articles she published in American journals such as the Atlantic Monthly, The Independent, New York Tribune, Good Housekeeping, and numerous others.

“It’s always a pleasure to hear from Eric Roth,” said Kara Gaffken, Director of Public Programming. “We’re happy to have maintained a relationship with our former executive director and archivist who continues to make remarkable contributions to our knowledge and understanding of our region’s history.”

The program will take place in Deyo Hall (6 Broadhead Avenue) at 2 pm on November 12. Registration is available at huguenotstreet.org/rsvp.

A National Historic Landmark District, Historic Huguenot Street is a 501(c)3 non-profit that encompasses 30 buildings across 10 acres that was the heart of the original 1678 New Paltz settlement, including seven stone houses that date to the early eighteenth century.  It was founded in 1894 as the Huguenot Patriotic, Historical, and Monumental Society to preserve the nationally acclaimed collection of stone houses. Since then, Historic Huguenot Street has grown into an innovative museum, chartered as an educational corporation by the University of the State of New York, that is dedicated to protecting our historic buildings, conserving an important collection of artifacts and manuscripts, and promoting the stories of the Huguenot Street families, from the sixteenth century to today. 

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Contact
Kaitlin Gallucci
Communications & Marketing Manager
(845) 255-1660
media@huguenotstreet.org