The Hurley Heritage Society celebrates Founders’ Day on Main Street in the Village of Hurley on Saturday, May 5. Marc Fried will be the keynote lecturer, with “A Look Back in Time” as this year’s theme, which will be highlighted with walking tours on Main Street and in select stone houses. The doors of the Hurley Reformed Church will be opened at 9 a.m. to serve coffee and donuts, and distribute information about tours and a schedule of the day’s events. These include the talk at 10 a.m. by Fried, author of Early History of Kingston and Ulster County, and intermittent reenactments throughout the neighborhood. The Spy House will be open from 11 a.m. to noon, and from 1 to 3 p.m. the Elmendorf and Van Deusen houses will welcome visitors. At noon a box lunch will be served at the Church.
Old Hurley is known to have a significant concentration of privately owned Colonial stone houses, some dating back to 1680. With 27 structures listed on the walking and driving tour brochures, the Village is a veritable national treasure. The Hurley Heritage Society works to preserve and educate visitors about the region’s prehistory and Colonial history, up through the Civil War and first century of our nation. Through fundraising efforts and membership dues, it aids in the research and revival of the folk arts and crafts related to this area, and promotes the preservation of the local environment as a heritage of the community.
May 5 also marks the seasonal opening of the Museum and shop, located in the Elmendorf House, to welcome visitors at no charge, from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays and from 1 to 4 p.m. on Sundays, through October. The current exhibit is title “Dutch Culture in the Hudson Valley.”
Tickets cost $15 for Founders Day, which includes a reserved box lunch. The Hurley Reformed Church is located on Main Street. Call (845) 331-8852 for more information and lunch reservations, and visit www.hurleyheritagesociety.org.
Join the family! 
