www.thewaldenhouse.org

WELCOME!
* We ask your patience. Our site has recently been moved to a new server space and is undergoing many changes as we work to simplify the site
& menu.

Welcome Home & Menu
Books by Members
Calendar
Donations
Do You Know Me?
History
History Mysteries
Images from our Past
Membership & Donations
Membership-Business Supporters
Memorial
Mission, Officers & Trustees
On Sale Now
Photos of Events
Recent Acquisitions & Historical Donations
Resources - Genealogy
Flyers-Upcoming Events



Tour the House
The Meeting Room
The Dining Room -
(Schrade Room)
The Front Hall
The Living Room -
(Embler-Hill)
The Stairs
Large Upstairs Bedroom
Small Upstairs Bedroom

Events
Photos of Recent Events

Local History Day & Resources
2006 Special Vet's Day Program
2008-Walden in the Civil War
2009-Virtual Cemetery Tour
2010
-Local Genealogy
2011-Author: Lisa Melville
2012
-Civil War: Walden,CO. H
Washington Post article: Co H-2014
2013
-Textile Industry in Walden
2014-Knifetown USA: Part I-
The New York Knife Company
2015-Old House Superstitions &
Treasures: Concealment Shoes
2016-Knifetown USA:
Parts II & III-
-Walden Knife Company &
-Schrade Cutlery
2017-Mail Call: Letters from War

Care to submit info/comment?
Please visit our Blog
or visit us on Facebook

Articles and booklets of interest:
Walden New York;
Hub of the Beautiful Wallkill Valley

a 1921 Walden history booklet.

Walden and Surrounding Areas
The History of Orange County, excerpt 

Our website is a work-in-progress. We welcome your additions, photos, and suggestions. It is an all-volunteer project designed & launched in June 2007: www.thewaldenhouse.org  

Please send comments,
additions, and suggestions to our new e-mail address:
4hswwv@gmail.com


NEW-The Walden House Tattler Newsletter is now being issued for free and posted on our Website effective with the 2020 issues.

Joining the Society is easy and open to anyone interested in preserving local history. Membership is inexpensive and also makes a great gift, especially for friends or family no longer in the area. Use the membership link to apply. See a sample of our Newsletter on this page or o the Membership
page link.
The Tattler
Newsletter editor is
Trustee, Gail Yeaple.


We are an all-volunteer organization.
We are NOT publicly funded. All of our abilities to preserve local history come from donations from the community and Volunteer Members
like you! Thank You!!


Site design
Gail Yeaple

 
Visit us on Facebook
 
 


Home of The Historical Society of Walden & the Wallkill Valley since 1958.

The Jacob T. Walden House
34 North Montgomery Street, Walden, NY
( PO Box 48, Walden, New York 12586 )

The Society is a nonprofit organization devoted to the preservation of
local history and is chartered by the State of New York.

We are the sole caretakers of the American
Revolutionary War era
Jacob T. Walden House
and the Shafer House Museum.

 
 

Welcome to the rich history of the Jacob T. Walden House located in Walden, Town of Montgomery, Orange County, NY (part of Ulster County until 1798).


Come Home to the Walden House!

Our Mission Statement:
The Mission of the Historical Society of Walden and the Wallkill Valley
is to preserve the Jacob T. Walden House, collect items related to
Walden and the Wallkill Valley, and to advance public knowledge
of our history, past and present.

The stone 230+ year former home of Jacob T. Walden, is now the home of the Historical Society of Walden and the Wallkill Valley. In addition owning and maintaining this beautiful old stone home, we also own & maintain the Shafer House Museum, located around the corner at 12 Wait Street. Both properties are open for tours on specific dates and meeting dates--or by appointment. As an all volunteer organization and no outside funding, we are the sole caretakers of the two properties as well as spending many hours on history research and maintaining our rich local history. As an all volunteer organization, including the Trustees who are voted in from the Volunteers, your interest and membership means everything to our ability to serve the community and preserve history. The Shafer House Museum is an over 100-year old home. The downstairs is occasionally used for meetings and special exhibits as larger ground floor space allows easier display space. Please consider suggesting Membership to friends, donate local historical items, and join the Society or give Memberships as gifts to reap the full benefits of our wonderful local museum and of being a member. We welcome your interest and invite you to our monthly guest speaker meetings which will resume in March or April. Look for a new Calendar of dates and events soon.



Dear Members,

It is once again time to renew your 2024 membership in the Historical Society of the Walden and
the Wallkill Valley. Thanks to members like you the Historical Society is able to continue to maintain the Jacob T. Walden House and the Shafer House, offer programs and displays, and focus on Walden's history.

As an all volunteer organization, we are continuing to raise money for maintenance and upkeep of the Walden House and Shafer House. In 2023, we received a generous offer and gift from MAX Home Improvement. They are donating a new roof for the Walden House, including all supplies and labor. We are anxiously waiting for this to begin. During a recent conversation with the Company they said they are very busy but looking for a spot/date to get our roof done. They already have the shingles. They are made of a fairly new product called Eco Star - which is a synthetic roofing product.

Even with the generosity of MAX Home Improvement, the Society has many general expenses – oil, insurance, snow removal, alarm, and electricity, to name a few. Our house insurance went up 19% this year. Our expenses are running about $10,00-$12,000 per year. We continue to brainstorm new fundraising ideas – and we are open to suggestions. We have 3 main goals this year:

  • Increase membership -- Membership is very important to any organization. The membership dues help to offset some of the expenses. Plus the old adage “many hands make light work” is very true.

  • Change Displays - which we hope will bring many new visitors to the Walden and Shafer House. We are planning a new display on Walden Business Memorabilia that will be on display in the Shafer House. In our archives room is a large collection of local business memorabilia just waiting to go one display!

  • Fundraising -The Archives committee is currently researching a number of old maps, of varying sizes, from surrounding areas and counties. These maps are not from the Walden area. Once we have researched the maps, they will be offered to the public via a Silent Auction this Spring.

Please be sure to renew your membership and participate in our Programs and Activities. We are once again publishing The Tattler. If you have not received a hard copy or a digital copy in 2023, please contact us, or download them from the website, thewaldenhouse.org. Check the website, Facebook, The Wallkill Valley Times and The Tattler for upcoming events.

On behalf of the Board of Trustees – Thank you for your continued support . Here is the link to our Membership Form (for New Memberships or Renewals)

~ Barbara Imbasciani, President

New Members are Always Welcome!


 

2023 marked
65 Years for
the Society!


 

 

Reminder:
Dining-to-Donate at Franco's
Restaurant and Pizzeria
(last Tuesday of each month)
~
Next dates:
Feb 27th & Mar 26th ~
Eat In - or Take Out
.


PDF file to Print 3 Franco's Coupons (3 on one page)
Thank you to Franco's for continuing this program for us. Franco's donates 20% of
your meal cost to the Society. Thank you for participating and to Franco's for this generous fundraiser!
Coupons are available at the link above and at the Josephine-Louise Public Library.





New Members are Always Welcome!

We are currently searching for one more Board Member who are voted into service from our active Volunteer Members. If you have interest, we would be interested in talking with you.
Please Contact Society President, Barbara Imbasciani.
We are an all-volunteer organization supported completely by donation and membership.
Contact any of our Trustees or download the Membership Form which can also be used to renew your membership. A reminder that Memberships also make great gifts!


The Walden House Tattler Newsletter -
Please help us find a new Newsletter Name!!
Submit on FaceBook-Link below!!


Summer 2023

Thank you to Mary Ellen Matise for taking on the Tattler this year!

Complimentary past Issues of
The Walden House Tattler
Newsletter

 
 
 
 
     
 
Spring 2020  
Choose the links above to view and read online
or download the PDF of each issue to print or save.


Visit our New "Stone & Mortar" Gift Shoppe
at the Walden House the next time you visit.


 

 



Visit us at our Blog

&


on
Facebook!

 


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Site updated 2-8-24

Thank you for visiting our Website.

*We ask your patience as our site is slowly being updated The links in this wider center area should all be working.