Martin Van Buren
National Historic Site
Press Releases for the 1998 Season

Lindenwald Hosts Songs of September Concert Series

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site will host a series of concerts during the month of September beginning on Sunday the 6th at 2 pm. The series of four concerts will be held on succeeding Sundays during September. All of the concerts begin at 2 pm and will he held in the scenic north field area of the park.

The first concert, Sunday, September 6th will feature a performance by a trio of reed musicians from the Albany Symphony Orchestra. Oboist Karen Hosmer, bassoonist Steven Walt and clarinetist Susan Martula will perform classical music on the North Field lawn from 2:00 to 3:30 pm. Bring a picnic lunch or simply have a relaxing afternoon on the lawn. The musicians showcased will sate a variety of musical tastes from classical to folk to rock.

In addition to the reed trio from the Albany Symphony Orchestra, a string duo will perform music for the cello and violin on the 13th while Bob Lusk will return with his band The Folkloric Musical Coalition on the 27th, and this year a Syracuse-based band named Gypsy Red will perform their unique cultural folk rock with a heavy Native American beat the week before on the 20th.

Admission to the site is $2.00. Children 16 and under are free. The site is located on Route 9H, two miles south of the village of Kinderhook, New York. For additional information, call the site at 518/758-9689.

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Friends of Lindenwald Sponsor 19th Century Craft Day

There will literally be history in the making at the 19th century craft day at Lindenwald on Saturday, August 22. Martin Van Buren National Historic Site's friends association, The Friends of Lindenwald, will be hosting weavers, spinner, dyers, tinsmiths and blacksmiths will all be on hand making and selling their 19th century wares. Broommakers and basketweavers will also be demonstrating their craft.

The day will also feature a "farm on wheels" complete with sheep, horses and other farm animals which President Van Buren had at Lindenwald farm for viewing and petting. Old-time entertainment will be provided by 19th century balladeers, 1812 period military, and magician Robert Olson. Olson will recreate the magic of Richard Potter, a widely-known magician of the early 1800s who traveled throughout the Northeast. Many of these crafts, skills, and forms of entertainment would be recognizable to Martin Van Buren and his neighbors.

This educational and entertaining event begins at 10am and lasts until 4pm. Affordable box lunches will be available from the Friends of Lindenwald. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawnchairs and blankets to sit on. The raindate for the event is August 29th.

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is located on Route 9H, two miles south of the village of Kinderhook, New York. For additional information about this or other programs or to arrange a group tour, call the site at 518/758-9689.

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Traditional National Park Campfire

What better way to celebrate the 82nd anniversary of the National Park Service than with a traditional national park campfire program? The Rangers at Martin Van Buren National Historic Site will host a campfire program in the north field on Sunday evening August 23 beginning at 7:30. The 90 minute program is free and will be fun for all ages.

It will include national park stories, Ranger Kevin Oldenburg's Creature Feature, a light hearted natural history lesson, Presidential Trivia (prizes to be awarded) and a retelling of The Legend of Sleepy Hollow -- Washington Irving, who wrote The Legend of Sleepy Hollow worked for the family that built Lindenwald and lived there before Martin Van Buren purchased the home and farm during the second year of his presidency in 1839.

The usual entrance fee to the park will be waived during the evening of the campfire on August 23 and again, all day on August 25 in recognition of the National Park Service's anniversary. The National Park Service traditionally waives entrance fees on several days each year to commemorate the creation of the Service on August 25, 1916. So, if you have an interesting or humorous national park vacation story to share and would like to do something a bit out of the ordinary and inexpensive come to Columbia County's very own national park on Sunday evening August 23.

The event will be held in the north field area of the park. Visitors are encouraged to bring lawn chairs and blankets to sit on. A flashlight is recommended and visitors should consider a sweater or light jacket depending on the weather.

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is located on Route 9H, two miles south of the village of Kinderhook, New York. For additional information about this or other programs or to arrange a group tour, call the site at 518/758-9689.

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Bikers, Beast, and Basswood Trees

Join the National Park Rangers from Martin Van Buren National Historic Site in Kinderhook, N.Y. On Sunday August 9th at 2:00 p.m. for a mountain bike ride through the Martin Van Buren Nature Area. Park Rangers Kevin Oldenburg and Fran Martino are teaming up to take you on a mountain bike ride through the wilds of Kinderhook, where some local flora and fauna will be discussed.

The mountain bike ride and ecology lesson is open to anyone ages 10 and older who wishes to learn how to trail ride without damaging the environment or disturbing its inhabitants. Mountain bike safety will also be discussed and stressed during a 4 mile ride through the Nature Area. The ride is rated at the intermediate ability level. Riders should wear clothes that are appropriate for biking and the outdoors. Children between the ages of 10-14 must be accompanied by an adult. All riders must wear a helmet! Participants are encouraged to bring water and a snack. But remember, "carry in, carry out". Also, there is a charge for the bike hike of $2.00 each for those 17 and older. Reservations are a must since space is limited to 25 individuals. Reservations can be made by calling 518-758-9689.

Meet the rangers in the Martin Van Buren Nature Area parking lot at 2:00 p.m. Martin Van Buren National Historic Site and Martin Van Buren Nature Area are located on Route 9H, two miles south of the village of Kinderhook. For additional information, please call 518-758-9689. Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is open from 8:30 to 5:00, seven days a week through October. Admission to the site is $2.00 for those 17 and older and U.S. Golden Passes are honored.

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Lindenwald Library Lecture Series

July 30th is the date for the final program in the Lindenwald Library Lecture Series. On that evening Ranger Susan Schaefer will present the last of in a series of four free talks presented by Rangers from Martin Van Buren National Historic Site at the Kinderhook Memorial Library. The talk will begin at the library on Hudson Street in Kinderhook Village at 7:00 PM.

Schaefer's talk will get right down to business when she discusses the industrial and commercial concerns that flourished in 19th century Kinderhook and Valatie. Her talk, entitled Astride the Kinderhook Creek and Along the Street will explain the bustling nature of the two villages business activities 150 years ago. Schaefer will identify the different types of businesses that existed as well as the differences between businesses in the two villages and other areas of the county.

The other talks in the series have focused on topics ranging from American portraiture to games and past times of the 19th century to the slave revolt aboard the Spanish vessel la Amistad which occurred during Martin Van Buren's administration. The successful series of talks has been a cooperative effort between the board and volunteers of the library and the Rangers at the National Historic Site.

If you would like to gain some insight into the vibrancy of the two villages in which President Van Buren claimed he spent his "...last and happiest days...", then come to the Kinderhook Memorial Library on Thursday evening July 30th at 7:00 PM. For additional information about the Lindenwald Library Lecture Series, tours or other special events call Martin Van Buren National Historic Site at 518/758-9689.

The site is located on Route 9H, two miles south of the Village of Kinderhook, New York. It is open from 8:30 to 5:00, seven days a week through October. Admission to the site is $2.00 for those 17 and older, U.S.Golden Passes are honored.

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Kinderhook Memorial Library Hosts
Lindenwald Library Lecture Series

On July 9 the Kinderhook Memorial Library, located on Hudson Street in Kinderhook Village will host the first program in the Lindenwald Library Lecture Series. Beginning that evening a series of four free talks will be presented by Rangers from Martin Van Buren National Historic Site on successive Thursdays. All of the programs will begin at 7:00 PM and will last approximately one hour. The series is a cooperative effort between the board and volunteers of the library and the Rangers at the National Historic Site.

The first program coincides with the video release of Steven Speilberg's movie Amistad . The movie concerns an actual African slave mutiny in 1839 aboard the Spanish vessel Amistad. The mutiny occurred during Martin Van Buren's administration and set off two years of legal, political and diplomatic maneuvering between abolitionists, the U.S. court system, the Spanish government and the Van Buren administration. Park Ranger Fran Martino and Curator Dr. Patricia West will discuss the differences between the drama and the fuller story of pre Civil War America.

The following week, on July 16, Park Ranger Laura Berninger will present a talk on a topic that was familiar to Martin Van Buren as well as other prominent men and women prior to the development of photography, The Art of American Portraiture. Using well-known Early American paintings, Berninger will discuss how both the artists and their subjects used the genre to create a particular image emphasizing certain aspects of their lifestyle, talents and character.

On Thursday July 23rd a cable television outage is predicted according to Park Rangers Fran Martino and Kevin Oldenburg. The Kinderhook Memorial Library will be the site of their activity, Games and Pastimes of the 19th Century that evening. People can learn how folks passed their leisure time during the mid-19th century. Children, ages five and up, along with their parents, are encouraged to participate in a spirited competition of American games and pastimes including a corn husking bee.

The last evening of the Lindenwald Library Lecture Series will get right down to business when Ranger Susan Schaefer discusses the industrial and commercial concerns that flourished in 19th century Kinderhook and Valatie. Her talk, entitled Astride the Kinderhook Creek and Along the Street will explain the bustling nature of the two villages business activities 150 years ago. Schaefer will identify the different types of businesses that existed as well as the differences between businesses in the two villages and other areas of the county.

For additional information about the Lindenwald Library Lecture Series, tours or other special events call Martin Van Buren National Historic Site at 518/758-9689. The site is located on Route 9H, two miles south of the Village of Kinderhook, New York. It is open from 8:30 to 5:00, seven days a week through October. Admission to the site is $2.00 for those 17 and older, U.S.Golden Passes are honored.

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Talk and Exhibit to Highlight the
Agricultural History of "Lindenwald"

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site will highlight the history of the Van Buren farm with a talk and a new exhibit on Saturday, June 27 at 2:00 PM. The exhibit will feature agricultural objects from the collections of the New York State Museum and the Columbia County Historical Society, and will open to the public following a talk at the Kinderhook Memorial Library at 2 p.m. The talk at the library is free and refreshments donated by the Friends of Lindenwald will be provided.

The National Park Service has researched the "cultural landscape" of the Lindenwald farm and will be taking preliminary steps toward its restoration, some of them dramatic. For example, visitors can expect the revival of the front lawn's historic appearance. With the exception of a small, circular area directly in front of the house, in Van Buren's day the front lawn was not mown but cut only a few times a season.

The Saturday talk by Dr. Patricia West, Lindenwald's curator, and Dr. William E. Cook of Columbia-Greene Community College, will discuss the history and ecology of the American lawn to place the planned change to the historic front lawn in perspective. The exhibit explores the history of Van Buren's activity as a self-proclaimed "farmer" in his beloved "native town."

When he failed to be reelected to the presidency in 1840, he returned to Kinderhook "a satisfied and contented man." Following in the footsteps of Washington, Jefferson, and Jackson, each of whom operated substantial farms at Mount Vernon, Monticello, and the Hermitage respectively, Van Buren pursued his agricultural career with the same energy and enthusiasm he applied to politics. He brought the property's total acreage to over two hundred, added barns, a greenhouse, and a cottage for the farm foreman, planted fruit trees (apples, pears, peaches, plums and cherries) and grapevines producing what he dubbed "choice wine." Field crops included cabbages, potatoes, oats, peas, barley, and corn. Flower gardens sported petunias, canterbury bells, and sweet peas.

Of course Van Buren didn't do all this single-handedly. Censuses and records documenting the sheer scale of farm activities reveal Lindenwald to have included a large community of workers, from domestic servants to farmhands. The public is welcome to hear the talk at the Kinderhook Memorial Library on Hudson Street in the Village of Kinderhook. Following the presentation participants are encouraged to go to the Historic Site to view the exhibit, take a house tour, and discuss NPS plans to restore Lindenwald's landscape. The exhibit will be in place through the month of September.

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site is open from 8:30 to 5:00, seven days a week through October. The site is located on Route 9H, two miles south of the Village of Kinderhook, New York. Admission to the site is $2.00 for those 17 and older, U.S. Golden Passes are honored. For additional information about tours or other special events, call the site at 518/758-9689.

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Kinderhook Elks Flag Day Ceremony June 14
at Martin Van Buren National Historic Site

Kinderhook Elks, Lodge 2530 will host a Flag Day observance at Martin Van Buren National Historic Site at 2:00pm on June 14 that is sure to stir the heart of any patriot. Proud parents, lively music, rousing speeches and red, white and blue will be in abundance during the program. The ceremony will feature an explanation and presentation of flags used by the nation throughout its history, recognition of poster and essay contest winners, an address by New York State Assemblyman John Faso and a flag retirement ceremony.

Local favorites, the Ghent Band, will play patriotic tunes throughout the program, while the Ghent Veterans of Foreign Wars, Post 5933 color guard will raise a 26 star flag which was presented to Martin Van Buren NHS by the Kinderhook Elks during the 1995 Flag Day ceremony. The 26 star flag flew over the nation during the Martin Van Buren's Presidency.

The Flag Day ceremony is free of charge and guests may visit the home of President Van Buren. Normally, there is a $2.00 entrance fee to Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. The site is located on Route 9H, two miles south of the village of Kinderhook, New York. For additional information about tours or other special events, call the site at 518/758-9689.