The Hudson Valley History Project: Gardiner

Background and Acknowledgements  Launched in 2006, the goal of the Hudson Valley History Project: Gardiner is to preserve the personal histories of Gardiner's longest standing residents. Each of these Story Subjects has lived in Gardiner for at least 50 years. The project's coordinators have enlisted the services of local writers to document and edit these special stories. >>>>more

GLADYS DUBOIS by Peter Beuf Gladys DuBois looks much younger than her age would suggest: she is imperially slim and moves gracefully.  When we met, she was dressed in a natty dark sweater and pressed slacks, with jewelry both elegant and understated.  Her taste was reflected in the décor of her house, a country colonial furnished with comfortable antiques meant to be used.  Paintings and pictures decorated the walls and a grandfather clock kept time with a comforting rhythm. ... >>>> more

BERNICE AUMICK by Patty ParmaleeThroughout southern Ulster County, there are streets named after her relatives - and now she lives on Aumick Road, named after her husband’s family. Of course, when she married him in 1940 and moved to Gardiner, it was just called Number One Road. In fact, as Burnice recalls, “No one ever used the name ‘Gardiner.’ The place didn’t really have a name. It wasn’t Gardiner, it was just the farm at the foot of the mountain, out in the country, near Tillson Lake.” ... >>>> more

DOT DECKER by Ray Smith When asked what her parents were like, Dot responds with a single word, "lovable," and says she wishes she had them back. Her father died at sixty-nine while her mother lived to be seventy-nine, and thought she would make it to eighty. "She thought it would be on the tombstone," Dot says, "eighty – and she thought she was the oldest in the family." Dot looks off and smiles, "She didn't know how old I could get. I can't believe it either."  Dot was born in 1916, and is now 91... >>>> more

ANNIE O'NEILL by Lew Eisenberg Starting when they were four and five, Annie and her sister Nina, who is 14 months younger, were sent to camps during the summer months. One
of these was a favorite with their Upper West Side after schoolgroup: Camp Viller Vallen in Gardiner. It was at the top of Shaft Road in the 50's, at the intersection of North Mountain Road, Annie said. It was a dirt road at the time. One of my big thrills was when I drove down Mountain Road on my father's lap. It was an unpaved dirt road back then... >>>>more

JOE KATZ by Jenny Wonderling People would ask, If you have all those chickens how come no eggs which gave me a great idea. There used to be an egg auction in Poughkeepsie. I had a Model-A Ford truck and I would drive over every Wednesday. I'd fill the truck with tiny pullet eggs, no more than a couple of inches long. These are the first eggs a chicken lays. I bought cartons at GLF, where Kiss My Face is now in Gardiner, and I individually made them into dozen packs. Then I made a new sign for the road: Eggs - Three Dozen for a Dollar. I used to have a line of cars ... >>>> more

BETTY MORAN by Wendy Rudder The farm life also provided occasions for some fun and whimsy now and then, such as a clothing fad that swept the area when she was a teenager. The Gardiner Feed Mill, (which stood next to the railroad, just north of the Main St, in the center of the hamlet) provided a continuous supply of discarded muslin feed sacks, which were put to great use by many of the local girls. These sacks were already decorated in lively colors and patterns ...  >>>> more