The Columbia County Historical Society mourns the recent loss of its respected former president of the Board of Trustees (1972-1974) and longtime Board of Trustees member, Roderic Blackburn, who died at the end of February in the village he loved and where he lived for almost fifty years.

Arriving in Kinderhook as already a scholar, Rod had graduated from Cornell in 1964 and received his Ph.D in Anthropology in 1971 from Michigan State University. A member of the CCHS Board of Trustees, initially from 1971 to 1996, he remained as an Emeritus member of the CCHS Board at the time of his death.

He was instrumental in gaining the 1974 listing for the Vanderpoel House and sections of the Village of Kinderhook on the National Register of Historic Places. Rod’s pioneering knowledge of and advocacy for history was essential in preserving our historic properties, including the Van Alen House. He quickly became widely recognized for his groundbreaking work on American Dutch culture, art, and architecture. His many articles and books include A Visible Heritage (written with his late colleague, our distinguished historian Ruth Piwonka, published in 1977 and still in print), New World Dutch Studies (Albany Institute, 1987), Dutch Colonial Homes (Rizzoli, 2002), and numerous others, illuminated the lasting legacy and influence of our Dutch heritage in the Hudson Valley.  His knowledge also embraced British antiquarian and architectural influence, resulting in Rizzoli publishing his 2008 beautifully illustrated book, Old Homes of New England.

Author, lecturer, anthropologist, antiquarian and curator, for 13 years Rod served as Assistant Director for the Albany Institute of History and Art. His 1988 exhibition there, “Remembrance of Patria: Dutch Arts and Culture in Colonial America, 1609-1776”, broke new ground and resulted in his definitive work, Dutch Arts and Culture in Colonial America, published in 1988.

Always concerned with preserving and recording disappearing knowledge, which is the substance of history, his philanthropic endeavors included serving on the Shaker Museum Foundation Board of Trustees, the board of Historic Cherry Hill, and the Friends of the Schuyler Mansion.

NNI offers an annual $1,000 prize for the best published article relating to the Dutch colonial experience in the Atlantic world, with a special sensitivity to New Netherland or its legacy. A committee of scholars will consider entries in the fields of history, archaeology, literature, language, geography, biography, and the arts. Entries must be based upon original research, be written in English, and be published for the first time no earlier than two calendar years before the deadline. Chapters from a monograph, works of fiction, and encyclopedia entries will not be considered. Only one submission per author will be accepted. Articles previously submitted for consideration may not be resubmitted. Both academic and independent scholars are invited to participate, and nominations are accepted.  Articles for consideration must be submitted as PDFs by the author, editor, colleague, or other interested party by April 1 to nni@newnetherlandinstitute.org. Please include your mailing address with your submission. For more information, visit here.

The NNI Student Scholar Research Grant covers a period of one week to three months in residence at the New Netherland Research Center, NYS Library, and/or the NYS Archives, and provides a stipend up to $5,000. A time frame for fulfilling the grant requirements will be established in consultation with the director of the New Netherland Research Center. No housing, travel funds, or health insurance are provided. Scholars beyond the undergraduate level and actively working on a thesis, dissertation, or scholarly article related to New Netherland history and the Dutch Atlantic World are invited to apply. Candidates must indicate their research topic in their application. Genealogical research topics are excluded. Preference will be given to applicants with a working knowledge of contemporary and seventeenth-century Dutch.  Applications must include a curriculum vita, two letters of recommendation, and a cover letter outlining the research topic and work plan. Applications may be sent by July 15 to nni@newnetherlandinstitute.org. Please use Student Scholar Grant as subject.  For more information, visit here.

In January, Historic Albany Foundation moved into the Van Ostrande-Radliff House at 48 Hudson Avenue in downtown Albany (the city's oldest building).  The organization is renovating the structure, which is currently inside a larger building wrapped with an image of what it may have looked like when it was built in the late 1720s.  For more information, visit here. 

In February, Delaware Today published an essay on a 1650s epidemic that affected the Dutch settlements on the Delaware River.  The author, Chelsea Teale, used translations available on NNI’s website and in the New Netherland Research Center.  It is available here.