David Jon Greenwood

MILLBROOK — David Jon Greenwood passed away Dec. 23, 2024 at home in Millbrook New York. He was born July 9, 1944 in Putnam County, New York, and grew up in Carmel, the youngest of three boys. On his father’s side, he was a descendant of Thomas Greenwood, who emigrated from England in 1665. He and his fiancée Nan returned to the ancestral home of the Greenwoods in Heptonstall, Yorkshire in 1974 to be married there, and returned several times, most recently this past summer with family to celebrate their 50th anniversary.
On his mother’s side, his ancestry was Native American, indigenous to the Mid-Hudson Valley. His grandmother’s mother was Wappinger, and he grew up hearing family recollections of the Wixon and Smalley families in Putnam County, including reminiscences of Native American traditions, hunting and trapping, long houses, relatives fighting in the Civil War, and the Blizzard of ‘88.
Mr. Greenwood pursued a lifelong interest in the visual and performing arts. His major field was art history with a specialization in American architecture and decorative arts. He earned his bachelor’s degree in art education at the State University of New York (SUNY) at Buffalo, which included a semester abroad studying art history in Siena, Italy. His master’s degree and supervisory accreditation were earned at SUNY New Paltz, which in 1982 named him an outstanding alumnus.
Mr. Greenwood combined his love of history and his love of art by becoming a teacher of art and advanced placement art history, joining the Carmel Central School District in Putnam County in 1967. In 1974 he was named district supervisor of art with responsibility for the entire arts program K-12, a position he held until retiring from Carmel in 2004. He then taught Art History and Aesthetics part time for another seven years at the Millbrook School. He specialized in pen and ink renderings and his work is included in several collections and books.
He was an officer of the Putnam County Arts Council and assisted in the selection, mounting and judging of numerous shows and exhibits. In addition to work with the Putnam and Dutchess County Arts Councils, he served on an arts review panel for the Metropolitan Transportation Authority’s Art in Public Places project.
Mr. Greenwood gave presentations throughout the region on a variety of topics, and was well known for his extensive work with local history, including re-enactments of important historic figures associated with the Abolitionist movement in the Hudson Valley.
David served on the boards of both Putnam and Dutchess counties’ landmarks preservation societies and for many years as an overseer of Old Sturbridge Village, a Massachusetts living history museum. He was the historian for the Village of Millbrook and Town of Washington and parish historian for St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Lithgow, and served on the Dutchess County Historical Society. He was also an ex officio member of the Millbrook Historical Society and until recently chaired the Town of Washington’s Conservation Advisory Commission. Among his proudest achievements were contributing to the Museum in the Streets public history project in Millbrook, and coordinating an annual historic calendar project for 28 years, celebrating the people, places and events throughout the community’s history. It was in recognition of the calendar project that in 2022 the Association for Public Historians of New York State and the New York State Museum awarded him the Edmund J. Winslow Local Government Historian Award of Excellence.
David was also an active member of Millbrook Rotary and he and Nan served for 15 years as Inbound co-chairs on the Youth Exchange Committee for the 8-county Rotary District 7210 where they were responsible for selecting, placing and overseeing the experiences of international students who spent an academic year attending local high schools and living with local families.
Attending Rotary conventions took them around the world to Europe, Asia, Australia and South America, as well as the US, Canada and Mexico.
In Millbrook the Greenwoods lived in one of the oldest houses in the village, built originally by Philip Hart circa 1800. There David was surrounded by the antiques, art, books, and historic maps and memorabilia that meant so much to him.
In May 2024 at the Millbrook Historical Society’s monthly meeting, he was honored by the society and by the Village of Millbrook and Town of Washington for his decades of service as local historian, and was presented with a plaque and a proclamation that May 16, 2024 was designated David Greenwood Day in the Town of Washington.
David was predeceased by his parents and brothers. He is survived by his wife Nan and sons Calder and Wixon (Sibyl) and grandson Augustus, nephews Shawn and Harold and niece Lisle.
David was a staunch believer in supporting the local community; accordingly, gifts in his memory would be appreciated at the Millbrook Historical Society, Millbrook Community Partnership, Dutchess Land Conservancy, Cary Institute of Ecosystem Studies, Millbrook Rotary Foundation, ShelterBox or a charity of your choosing.
A memorial service will be scheduled at a future date.
Long-term town employees were recognized at the Town Board meeting on Thursday, June 12. Honorees pictured with Town Supervisor Leo Blackman, were Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the Town Garage, center, for her 35 years of service to the town and Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent, for 20 years.
AMENIA — Acknowledging the many years of service accumulated by town employees, the Town Board paused to honor that service at its meeting on Thursday, June 12.
“Thank you for making a difference,” said Town Supervisor Leo Blackman in recognizing Judy Carlson, Office Manager at the town garage, for her 35 years of service.
“Megan’s job is not an easy one,” Blackman said, honoring Megan Chamberlin, current Highway Superintendent who has served the town for 20 years.
Also among those honored was Town Clerk Dawn Marie Klingner for 20 years of service as Court Clerk.
Maureen Moore, Court Clerk, was also honored in absentia for her 20 years of town service.
In anticipation of the celebration of the 250th anniversary of the start of the American Revolution in 2026, new historic markers are appearing at each of the local cemeteries where Revolutionary War veterans are buried. Unveiling the new marker at Amenia Union Cemetery on Saturday, June 21, were left to right, Town Historian Betsy Strauss, Jim Middlebrook representing the regional chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, and Gail Seymour, President of the Union Cemetery Association.
AMENIA — One by one, new historic markers are appearing at local cemeteries where Revolutionary War dead are buried. On Saturday, June 21, community members gathered to see a new marker unveiled at Amenia Union Cemetery on Leedsville Road.
A tent provided welcome shade for the attendees and refreshments as about 30 residents gathered for the unveiling and to share stories of local history with one another.
As with the first historic market installation at the Old Amenia Burying Ground, held in April, Amenia Union Cemetery graves of Revolutionary War veterans had been marked with American flags in advance.
Jim Middlebrook, representing the Columbia Mid-Hudson chapter of the Sons of the American Revolution, attended along with other members of his chapter. Speaking before the unveiling, Middlebrook said that the historic marker project had begun in August 2024, and included a detailed process to certify the names on the graves.
Middlebrook described the work of the William C. Pomeroy Foundation of Syracuse whose mission is to promote “pride of place” by providing grants in support of installing historic markers and plaques nationwide to honor patriots for their service. Active now in seven or eight states, Middlebrook said, the foundation will soon add Connecticut and Massachusetts to the list.
The new Amenia Union marker honors “at least five veterans of the American Revolution interred between 1787 and 1810,” although Town Historian Betsy Strauss lists six veterans buried in the cemetery. The sixth, Gerhard Winegar, whose burial had been in 1781 could not fully satisfy the certification standards.
Strauss provided the following listing of six names:
Col. Colbe Chamberlain, 1739-1796
Capt. William Chamberlain, 1745-1810
Lieut. Samuel Snyder, 1712-1808
Gerhard Winegar, 1750-1781
Ensign Henry Winegar, 1723-1787
Capt. William Young, 1747-1806
Bee Bee the clown, face painters and a community wide scavenger hunt are among the activities planned for the Millerton Street Fair in Downtown Millerton on Saturday, June 28.
MILLERTON — The Millerton News, in partnership with the North East Community Center (NECC) and the Millerton Business Alliance, is hosting its first Street Fair on Saturday in a celebration of the town.
Rain or shine from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m, the fair will bring together local nonprofits and businesses, with live music, entertainment, kids’ activities, local eats, and family fun in Veterans Park, in front of the Millerton Inn, and beyond.
“The Millerton Street Fair will celebrate everything we love about this community — its spirit, its dedication to service and its creative energy,” said James Clark, publisher and CEO of The Millerton News.
Local nonprofits will showcase their work and impact, including Climate Smart Millerton, Eddie Collins Memorial Park, North East Historical Society, Townscape, Tri-Corner FEED, Village of Millerton, and the Webutuck Elementary School.Participating businesses include Bes, Little Red Bird Studio, NBT, The Elephant’s Tusk, and many more.Local retail and dining establishments will be open with special promotions. NECC’s Farmer’s Market will run during the event.
Among the planned festivities are live music from John Stey and the Resilience Brass Band, performances from Bee Bee the Clown, face painting by students from Webutuck High School, and a community-wide scavenger hunt for kids.Other kids’ activities include egg and spoon races, and a “touch-a-truck” open house at the firehouse.The Irondale Schoolhouse will be hosting a special exhibit, and the North East-Millerton Library will be offering signups for the Summer Reading Program, a science show from 11 a.m. to 12 p.m., lawn games, and a cookie cook-off.
For more information, go to millertonnews.com/street-fair.
The Nine Partners Road Quaker Meetinghouse, built in 1780, will be the site of two summer lectures sponsored by the Millbrook Historical Society.
MILLBROOK — Long in the planning, the Millbrook Historical Society has announced that it is sponsoring two lectures in observance of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. Both lectures relating to Quaker history are to be held in the historic Quaker Meeting House on Nine Partners Road.
For the first talk, scheduled for Sunday, June 29, at 2 p.m., the historical society has invited Sarah Gronningsater, Professor of History at the University of Pennsylvania, to talk on “Quakers, Anti-slavery, and the American Revolution.” The topic will explore the role that New York’s Quakers, especially in the Hudson Valley, played in the rise of the anti-slavery movement that followed the American Revolution.
The second talk, scheduled for Sunday, July 27, at 2 p.m., invites Carl Lounsbury of the College of William and Mary and Colonial Williamsburg to speak on the architecture of the Nine Partners Meetinghouse. His talk is titled, “Nine Partners Meetinghouse Plan: A New Form in the Hudson Valley.” Expert in early American architecture, Lounsbury’s talk will compare Nine Partners with other later houses of worship in New York and New England.
Both lecture events will be held at the 1780 brick Nine Partners Quaker Meetinghouse in Millbrook. An earlier meetinghouse on the site had burned. The building has remained largely unchanged since the 18th century.
Given the age of the structure, handicapped access is limited and there are no rest room facilities.
Visitors should enter through the cemetery gate entrance.
The lectures are free and open to all, supported by a grant from the county and offered as part of Dutchess County’s participation in the nation’s 250th anniversary commemoration.