Freedom rings at Eric Sloane Museum

Margaret Gankofskie, the daughter of the late governor John Dempsey, was the first to ring the bell at the ceremony.
Emma Benardete
Margaret Gankofskie, the daughter of the late governor John Dempsey, was the first to ring the bell at the ceremony.
Community members gathered Saturday, July 6 for the Eric Sloane Museum’s annual bell-ringing ceremony in observance of Independence Day.
The Eric Sloane Museum in Kent celebrates the work of the late Eric Sloane, a Connecticut artist and author. In addition to his works, the museum also displays a series of tools which Sloane collected. According to the museum’s page on the State of Connecticut’s official website, “Sloane himself arranged and labeled his extensive collection, telling a fascinating story about bygone times and the great American heritage of craftsmanship.”
Museum Curator and Administrator Andrew Rowand began the ceremony by introducing the history of bell-ringing as an American tradition. He explained that Sloane, along with Connecticut author Eric Hatch, wanted to revive an old American tradition of ringing bells on Independence Day to commemorate the reading of the Declaration of Independence.
“They wanted to get back to the idea that bells were a sound of peace rather than fireworks, which were construed as a sign of war and a sign of violence,” Rowand said.
The bell atop the Eric Sloane Museum.Emma Benardete
Sloane and Hatch campaigned to garner official recognition for the tradition. On June 26, 1963, the U.S. Congress passed a resolution encouraging the practice.
“Whereas the tolling of the Liberty Bell at Independence Hall, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, at 2 o’clock in the afternoon of the 4th day of July, 1776, proclaimed the signing of the Declaration of Independence … Now, therefore be it Resolved … that the anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence should be observed each year by the ringing of bells throughout the United States at the hour of 2 o’clock, eastern daylight time, in the afternoon of the 4th day of July…” the resolution reads. According to Rowand, the museum held a virtual bell-ringing ceremony on July 4 in addition to the one on July 6.
In 1964, Sloane and Hatch continued to display their enthusiasm for bells by publishing a book titled “The Little Book of Bells.” In 1968, Sloane published another bell book titled “The Sound of Bells.”
Gankofskie donated a bell gifted to her father by Eric Sloane and Eric Hatch.Emma Benardete
During the July 6 ceremony, after giving his introduction, Rowand read the preamble to the Declaration of Independence. Visitors then took turns ringing the bell outside the museum. The first to ring it was Margaret Gankofskie, the daughter of the late Connecticut governor John Dempsey, who served from 1961 until 1971. In addition to attending the ceremony, Gankofskie donated a bell which she inherited from her parents to the museum. The bell was gifted to Dempsey by Sloane and Hatch in 1963, and is engraved with the phrase “Let Freedom Ring,” as well as the governor’s name, the year and “From the two Erics.”
The museum has more special programming planned for the remainder of the summer, including a blacksmithing workshop July 28 and a spoon-carving workshop Aug. 10. The museum will also host two TradesUp youth programs for participants 10–17, including a plumbing-based workshop and a painting and drywall workshop.
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.