Virtual Local History Talk: “Hudson & Its River”

PHOTO CAPTION: Two men on boats in the Hudson River by Shantytown during a 1948 flood. PHOTO CREDIT: From the Hudson Area Library Ciancetta/Rowles Photo Collection.

Thursday, March 24, at 6pm, join the Hudson Area Library’s History Room on Zoom, the library’s local history podcast, for a live virtual discussion on Hudson’s relation to its eponymous river. A panel of local history enthusiasts and experts will discuss a series of oral history recordings, photos of the river from our collection, and their own stories of how the river has impacted the residents of Hudson.

Visit the library’s website for more information and to register to receive the Zoom link.

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Thursday, March 24, at 6pm, join the Hudson Area Library for a special History Room on Zoom, the library’s local history podcast, focused on Hudson’s relation to its eponymous river. A selection of audio and video clips from our Hudson Area Library (HAL) and the Black Legacy Association of Columbia County (BLACC) Oral History collections, both housed at the library and soon to be available online, will be played. A panel will discuss these excerpts, photos of the river from our collection, and their own stories of how the river has impacted the residents of Hudson. Joining History Room on Zoom host and board trustee Gary Sheffer are Leo Bower, Shantytown historian, and Peter Tenerowicz, past Commodore of the Hudson Power Boat Association. Discussion and questions and answers will be interspersed throughout the evening.

This collection of local oral histories has been created, digitized, archived, and made accessible by the Hudson Area Library. The evening, which focuses on Hudsonians’ relationship to our river, includes audio excerpts from the oral history interviews. This collection of local oral histories is being made accessible by the Hudson Area Library through a Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) grant. This project is also supported by a grant from the Fund for Columbia County of the Berkshire Taconic Community Foundation. Discussion and questions and answers will be interspersed throughout the evening.

Gary Sheffer is a library trustee and chairman of the library’s History Room Committee. He has worked in journalism and communications for more than 40 years and is a professor of public relations at Boston University. Gary grew up in Hudson and now lives in Livingston with his wife, Barbara.

Leo Bower is also a lifelong resident of Hudson and recalls his childhood on Front Street prior to urban renewal fondly despite its hardships. He first became enamored of the culture and characters of Shantytown when he reconnected with his father who had a shack and a fishing business there. He is a Hudson-phile and resident historian with a special expertise in the history of Shantytown. He and his wife Michele currently reside in Greenport.

Peter Tenerowicz grew up in Hudson and Greenport and is past Commodore of the Hudson Power Boat Association. He is a part-time musician and stay-at-home dog dad. He sails his Capri 22 sailboat regularly on the Hudson River.