News

New Director

The Trustees of the Kent-Delord House Museum at 17 Cumberland Ave.,Plattsburgh, are pleased to welcome Samantha Williams as the new Director. Samantha began working at the museum on February 12, 2019, after the retirement in January of Donald Wickman who served as director the previous five years.

Samantha has extensive museum experience having coordinated educational programs at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vt. She is also certified to remotely operate an underwater research vehicle in Lake Champlain. Additionally, Samantha is a qualified blacksmith who enjoys teaching this skill. Samantha is becoming familiar with the three generations of the Delord Family in Plattsburgh, and planning for the spring reopening of the museum on May 14, 2019. She can be reached at (518) 561-1035 or [email protected].

Museum Days

The Kent Delord House museum is excited to announce that we will be having blacksmithing demonstrations all weekend long for Museum Days! Come and watch traditional coal forging on our site. Grab a seat and ask questions as our two new resident blacksmiths demonstrate various metal working techniques. We will also have two new exhibits in our home this year.

Regency Costume Workshop

The Kent Delord House Museum will be holding a Regency Costume Workshop on May 4th, at 10 am at the museum. Conducted by Sharon Bell, Costume Society of America member, the workshop will introduce styles of clothing appropriate for the Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration activities, museum volunteering, and the Macomb Ball.

Registration is $10, and each participant will receive a list of patterns, a bibliography of print and online information, and a list of suggested supply sources. For more information and to register, contact the museum at (518) 561-1035 or [email protected].

Battle of Plattsburgh: Military Muster

Join us for our annual Military Muster on September 14th & 15th. We will have a military encampment, with re-enacted Battles taking place both days. We will also have period demonstrations, including butter making and blacksmithing. Check below for our schedule of events.

Saturday, 10am-4pm:          Military Muster

Reenactors from the U.S. and Canada are expected to descend on Plattsburgh and camp on the grounds of the Kent-Delord House Museum for the Battle of Plattsburgh Commemoration weekend. Stop in and see the military camp, meet the reenactors, and watch demonstrations of 19th Century trades and crafts.

Saturday, September 14, 10 AM  Research Talk: Imagining the Common Soldier’s Experience
Archaeologist Cherilyn Gilligan from Lake Champlain Maritime Museum will use primary resources to explore the experience of the common soldier during the Battle of Plattsburgh. This process ties into ways research is generated in the field of Cultural Resource Management and specifically certain analyses that encourage the researcher and the public to imagine themselves as a soldier.

 

Saturday, 11pm:                    Naval Demonstration

Sailors will discuss the War of 1812 Battle and cannon demonstration

Saturday, 12pm:                    Court Martial

A period trial of a solder at the Kent-Delord House. Come and see the verdict!

Saturday, 2:30pm:               19th Century Fashion Show

The show presents a variety of civilian and military clothing from the War of 1812. The styles are researched and reproduced by reenactors to represent what people wore at the time.

Sunday, 11:00am:              Shape-note Singing

Shape-note singing, an American folk tradition of singing hymns and gospel songs from books using shaped note heads to indicate position on the scale. The songs are sung without instrumental accompaniment and would have been likely to occur in Plattsburgh in 1814. Visitors are welcome to come and listen or contribute to the beautiful sound. No experience is required.

Sunday, 11am-3pm:          Military Muster

Military reenactors are expected to descend on Plattsburgh and camp on the grounds of the Kent-Delord House Museum for the weekend. Stop in and see the military camp, meet the re-enactors, and watch demonstrations of 19th Century trades and crafts. Also joining the muster are the guides from Montreal’s Chateau Ramezay Museum who will provide interactive demonstrations of weaving and writing with a quill pen.

Sunday, 11am:              The fall of the British Batteries Land Engagement 

Location: Field across from Wilcox Dock

Sunday, 1pm:                        Naval Demonstration

Sailors will discuss the War of 1812 Battle and cannon demonstration.

Sunday, 2:30pm:                  Court Martial

A period trial of a soldier at the Kent-Delord House. Come and see the Verdict!

Garden Club Secret Garden Tour

Save the Date!

The Kent Delord House Museum Garden Club is again organizing a self- guided tour of more lovely private gardens in an undisclosed area in Clinton County on JULY 20th. An event not to be missed!

Certificate Earned for Kent-Delord House Museum

Posted on by Kent Delord House Museum

Paula Calkins Lacombe, President of the Board at the Kent-Delord House Museum announced that the Museum recently earned another certificate for Stewardship of Collections, under the StEPS program,”. StEPS stands for Standards and Excellence Program for History Organizations. It is a program offered by the American Association for State and Local History
(AASLH) to assist history organizations to meet national standards for accreditation. The StEPS program is self-guided and allows small museums to develop professional standards.

Lacombe states, “With this accomplishment, we join over 190 groups across the country who have earned certificates; we are one of 1000 other history organizations working with the StEPS program.” The Board wanted to meet national museum standards and build a framework of excellence now and for the future and the StEPS program gave us the means to do so.” To date, we have received three certificates, however, this is our first Gold level certificate and represents the core of our existence. With the Museum’s unique collections of furniture, portraits, and documents, we can share true stories from three generations of the Delord family that cover over a 200-year old timeframe.