In 1992 a small group of dedicated people acted to bring to reality the dream of former Town Historian, Dewitt Gurnell – a museum for Rhinebeck. Their planning resulted in the Museum of Rhinebeck History, which opened in May of 1993.
The museum’s origins can be traced to 1982 when DeWitt Gurnell started the Rhinebeck Village Museum in the Adams Memorial chapel at the Rhinebeck Cemetery.
The museum’s mission is to collect, catalog and interpret the history of the town. The collection of gifts to the museum includes letters, books, military, journals, clothing, furniture, photographs and other artifacts which reveal the life of this community. Many of these items are kept on display in the museum’s permanent collection.
Museum Board
Elizabeth Clarke, President
Mara Marrero, Treasurer
Lida Traver-Landy, Secretary
Brinn Magee
Maggie Roach
Advisors
Nancy V. Kelly, Town Historian
Beverly Kane
Diane Closs
Museum Collections
A detailed listing and some collection images can be found at through the Consortium of Rhinebeck History Catalog. Some photos in the collection may be viewed at Hudson River Valley Heritage.
Many of the objects are rotated for display from the Museum’s permanent collection in its exhibit space. On special occasions, artifacts have been put on long-term loan to organizations such as the Rhinebeck Reformed Church, the Chancellor Livingston Chapter Daughters of the American Revolution, the Rhinebeck United Methodist Church, and the Dutchess County Fair.
Museum of Rhinebeck History 