40th Annual Holiday Exhibition

$7/adult (non-member), $5/senior or HSRC member; $3/child (History Center exhibition and tour of decorated Jacob Blauvelt House)

"Lasting Legacies 1915: The 40th Annual Holiday Exhibition" opened to the public on Wednesday, December 9, and ran until January 17. We thank guest curators Nancy Forsberg and Richard Anderson; Diane Kominick-Ouzoonian, who contributed the "Raggedy Ann and Andy" logo image; and Katelyn Triola of John Mini Distinctive Design, who decorated the Jacob Blauvelt House for the holidays.

Part I — "Happy 100th Birthday, Raggedy Ann!" — celebrates the beloved character with the candy heart who came to life as a doll in 1915 and has enchanted us ever since. We will display dolls from the HSRC collection and on loan from private individuals; copies of the books that launched Raggedy Ann and her brother, Raggedy Andy (1920); artwork, including the original oil painting by local artist Diane Kominick-Ouzoonian; and a DIY station to make your own Raggedy Ann or Andy craft.

In Part II — "A 1915 Congers Christmas" — guest curators Nancy Forsberg and Richard Anderson re-create a parlor setting decorated for the holidays circa 1915 to showcase original one- hundred-year-old toys found by Ms. Forsberg in the attic of her grandparents’ Congers home. ”Imagine my excitement when we discovered old wooden crates, covered with dust and soot, filled with toys last played with by my father and his sister about a hundred years ago,” Ms. Forsberg said. “There’s a train with tracks, a Structo tractor, tin aeroplane, dolls and doll furniture, and a magnificent toy theater, name just a few of the treasures."

A selection of dollhouses and miniatures are also part of the exhibition, carrying on the HSRC’s long-standing holiday tradition.