Closing 250th celebration: The Hudson River School of Art, The Catskills, and the American Identity — an exploration with Jonathan Palmer

For the finale of Greene County’s celebrations of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, County Historian Jonathan Palmer will present a talk titled “Canvas and Hemlock: the revolutionary dawn of the Catskills.” Mr. Palmer’s talk will focus on the shaping of American identity that took place in the Catskill Mountains in the years following the end of the American Revolution. Using the lens of the Hudson River School of Art, attendees will learn how the establishment of the country’s first distinct artistic tradition occurred hand-in-hand with the development of the Catskills as an epicenter of industry and leisure in the young Republic. The lecture will be followed by a visit to the top of Haines Falls — a place captured in Hudson River School paintings — and whose locale and namesake bridge reveal the formation of the country and the transformation of its relationship to the natural world.

Location: 1913 Ulster & Delaware Train Station, Mountain Top Historical Society, 5132 Rt 23A, Haines Falls.

Time: 11:00 a.m.

More info: Free, but space is limited. To Register: contact mthsdirector@mths.org, or at 518-598-6657