• The Hilltowns Genealogy on the Berne Historical Project site has been updated recently. There are about 80,000 individuals. If you or your ancestor is from the Hilltowns and should be included but is not, let me know. Also, the files have much more information than what is posted on line. I will be glad to run off an ancestor or descendant report.
• Last week we had  biggest day ever for the Helderberg Hilltowns site. Over 100 hits to the main page in one day. 
• LETTER TO Mr SAMUEL T SCHOONMAKER in the TOWN of KNOSE [KNOX] ALBANY COUNTY
From his sister Dorothy Ulshoefer, wife of Henry Ulshoefer, june 25, 1837 from Conklin, Broom County, NY Dear brother

I now sit down with pleasure to inform you that we are all in a midling state of health at present and hope that these few lines may find you enjoying the same blessing I have been a great deal out of health since we have moved here but I think it was occaisconce by the fatiuge of the journy It took us four days and a halfe to come from duanesburg here The road was very rough and muddy and we had a heavy load besides our eight children and our selves my baby was but little over two month old but she stood the journy verry well I have been taken several times since I have been here with a suden pulsation of my heart which I thought would terminate my life but thanks to the Lord I feel some better of that complaint but it has left me verry nurves we have bought sixty acres of land here There is but eight acres cleared on it we have a good log house to live in and we have the frame of the barn nearly ready to put up...


Click on the Biography of Samuel T. Schoonmaker for the rest of the letter.  

Drawings dated 1886 found in wall of 1835 house when torn down.

The main page of Helderberg Hilltowns wiki site has been updated. One of the new articles is on the Jacob Ball House built of brick about 1835 at the same time as St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Berne just down the road from it. When the house was torn down in 1960 for the construction of St. Bernadette's Catholic Church, two old drawings from around 1886 were found in the walls. One pictures the small house of the former slave Jack Dietz, and shows Jack and his wife Diana in the front yard. 

The other is a depiction of the Berne and Beaverdam Cemetery. Follow the links on to the pages on the Jacob Ball House, Jack Dietz, and Beaverdam Cemetery for the complete stories.

CONGRATULATIONS: Sarah Gordon; Huyck Preserve; Bees Knees Cafe

• Heldeberg Market - CONGRATULATIONS to Sarah Gordon on the opening of her new on-line business. Read this great article in the Albany Times Union: Farmers get an online lifeline - 

A new website aims to connect busy consumers and local farmers in Albany County. By JENNIFER GISH, Staff writer

Photo at left: Sarah Avery Gordon started a website in Albany that connects the people in the city who want produce, eggs and meats with farmers in the Hilltowns who have products. ( Michael P. Farrell / Times Union )

• Reopening of The Bees Knees Cafe - Heather Ridge Farm - (Preston Hollow, New York)

Outdoor cafe with a great view of the Catskill Mountains. Open every Saturday through October 9. Tasty lunch items feature our own products as well other other local, seasonal foods. A changing menu with local cheese and our own charcuterie platters, sandwiches, paninis, soups, desserts. 11:30 AM - 3:00 PM. Heather Ridge Farm, 989 Broome Center Road, Preston Hollow, NY 12469; Phone: 518-239-6234.

From Local Harvest newsletter

• Huyck Preserve - Congratulations to the Preserve on the completion of the Falls overlook. Dedication of Rensselaerville Falls Overlook Platform -- Saturday, June 19th, 4:00pm. Meet at the Visitor Center. All are welcome, please wear appropriate shoes to walk to the top of the falls. Reception to follow.

Report on 2nd meeting of the Helderberg Hilltowns Association

The Helderberg Hilltowns Association held its second meeting at the Berne Senior Center on May 18.

The meeting began with a presentation by Dudley Observatory about their historic telescopes.  At the present time, Dudley has no observatory; they are examining a site in the Helderbergs.  With our clear, dark skys, a Helderberg Hilltowns observatory would be a major tourist attraction.

Break-out groups then brainstormed a series of  ideas for near-term projects that the Association might accomplish in the next 10 months.  After listening to all of them, the group chose four:

• a series of fall hikes at Hilltown preserves (such as the Huyck Preserve) possibly coordinating with a similar effort in the Catskills;
• turkey hunter training in advance of the fall turkey season; 
• a Hilltowns history / genealogy class and research day possibly coordinating with the roast beef dinner put on by the Berne Fire Company, 
• a Helderberg Hilltowns Fall Harvest Festival on October 9, possibly an annual event involving all the Hilltowns.

Sarah Gordon, of Heldeberg Market made the following offer to the group:

"I would be more than happy to host a community message board, announcements, maps that guide customers to local farm, home and commercial businesses, or other items that would help get the message out about goods and services available in the Hilltowns. I could integrate these features into the Heldeberg Market website. I think that coordinating in this manner could be very beneficial to a wide range of efforts in the Hilltowns, given that I will be pursuing widespread marketing, outreach, and awareness raising activities throughout the Capital District. Coordinating efforts would increase public exposure and create something like a one-stop virtual window into the Hilltowns."

Thank you, Sarah!

The third meeting is planned for 7pm June 28 at the Octagon Barn, Knox.

Hal Miller

Huyck Preserve

Congratulations to the Huyck Preserve. The Albany Times Union named the Preserve one of Our Backyard: Spring's best five

The first sound you hear upon arriving at the Huyck Preserve in Rensselaerville is the rush of water over the falls. Fed by snowmelt from high up in the Helderberg Mountains, the falls are at their best this time of year. By mid-June, an overlook will sit across the top of the spectacular falls. Hike along nearly seven miles of trails that wind up the plateau and back down around Lake Myosotis and Lincoln Pond. Stand amid 200-plus-year-old hardwood stands, or take in the flora and fauna on docent-guided geological, wildflower and bird walks
Read more: http://www.timesunion.com/AspStories/story.asp?storyID=919042&category=EXPLORE&BCCode=&newsdate=4/16/2010&TextPage=2#ixzz0o7mrmb6p

Fearure Article in Altamont Enterprise on Helderberg Hilltowns Association

I want to call everyone's attention the to the feature story in the Altamont Enterprise this week on the organizational meeting last month of the Helderberg Hilltowns Association. The photo here was taken by Zack Simone, Altamont Enterprise writer, at Huyck Preserve where the meeting was held.

It also goes into detail about an interesting proposal by the Dudley Observatory to perhaps locate what would be the largest observatory in NYS in the Helderbergs. Pictured here is the current largest NYS observatory at Oneonta.

And the article tells about the exciting on line Heldeberg Market that Sarah Gordon is creating to market farm produce from the Heldeberg Hilltowns to consumers in the Captiol region.

All this and more is covered in the latest update of main page of Helderberg Hilltowns

Upcoming events

There are two calenders of upcoming events available for announcements for organizations and businesses on www.AlbanyHilltowns.com .

• This calender is for events interest to hilltown residents. 
• This link is for events of interest to visitors.

Those who wish to post events on these pages are urged to do so themselves.
___

May 13

The Heldeberg Market is a new, low-cost service that will market Hilltown farmers' and home industrialists' goods online to customers throughout the Capital Region. It will launch on June 1, 2010.

Farmers and home artisan producers interested in learning more about the Heldeberg Market are invited to an informational session at the Berne-Knox-Westerlo Middle School, Room 170, on Thursday May 13, 2010 at 7:00 p.m.

Please contact owner, Sarah Avery Gordon, to RSVP for the informational session at 518-669-3446 or Sarah Gordon.
___

May 15 and 16

Save Thacher Park!
Join Us, On May 15'th, and 16'th, For "Thacher Day Out". The time will be 12:00 pm-5:00 Pm on both days. We will have tons of food, music, and FUN!!

May 18

The next meeting of the Helderberg Hilltowns Association will be at the Hilltowns Senior Center, 1656 Helderberg Trail (Route 443, half way between Berne and East Berne), May 18 at 7pm.
It has been suggested that since the focus of the first meeting was heavily agriculture, we should continue the discussion of "Ideas About What the HHA Should Do" but divide the discussion into several distinct categories -- Agriculture; restaurants; bed & breakfasts; recreation; open space protection; cultural tourism; historic preservation; sightseeing; museums; family-tree research; etc. That way we will get a better perspective of the broader role of the HHA (or Albany Hilltowns Association?).

May 31

The Hilltowns Memorial Day Parade will step off at 10 AM along Helderberg Trail (Route 443) from the Senior Center to the Berne-Knox-Westerlo School. A big old-fashioned celebration has the Color Guard by the VFW and American Legion, the BKW Band, floats, firetrucks and ambulances, marching units of youth and adults, and a number of horses. At the end of the parade, ceremonies to honor our veterans are held on the common in front of the school; a wreath is laid at the memorial by the Gold Star Mother, a volley is shot, taps is played. Prizes are awarded to floats and marching units. Many organizations offer refreshments or baked goods for sale. Best viewing along the route of march is from the intersection of Routes 443 and 156 to the BKW school. Get there early as good spots go quickly. Sponsored by the Kiwanis Club of the Helderbergs.