It is hard to imagine anyone associating George Washington with un-American activities, but our lead article reveals that some expressed just such a sentiment toward the Washington Benevolent Society during the War of 1812. The cover article, on the Springside estate of Matthew Vassar, rounds out the noteworthy presentations from our 2015 symposium dedicated to the legacy of Andrew Jackson Downing, the founding figure of American landscape architecture characterized by art scholar Morrison Heckscher as “endlessly fascinating [and] charismatic.”  We want to thank Mr. Heckscher for his commentary throughout the symposium, and to recognize J. Winthrop Aldrich for his witty and inspired concluding remarks, especially his parting wisdom regarding historic preservation: “Be on the alert to say what needs to be said and do what needs to be done.” 

What are the lessons and circumstances that shape an individual’s ambition and actions? The article on Franklin Delano Roosevelt’s Hyde Park upbringing and our adapted Cunneen-Hackett lecture on General Jacob L. Devers provide answers to this question as it relates to these two men who influenced international events and relations. And in addition to our regular Regional History Forums and book reviews, the issue introduces a new, occasional feature called “Personal Reflection.” This first installment focuses on the beginnings of the Hudson River Valley Greenway.

You can preview the issue and read the Regional History Forum, Book Reviews, and New and Noteworthy Books by clicking here.

The Hudson River Valley Review is available at select booksellers and museum gift-shops throughout the region for $15.00 each. Subscriptions are available through the website, or by calling 845-575-3052. A one-year subscription (two issues) is $20.00, save even more by subscribing for two years at $35.00.

The Hudson River Valley Institute at Marist College is the center for the study and promotion of the Hudson River Valley, providing information about the region’s history, culture, economy, and environment, and educational resources to teachers, students, and others through their website, public programming, and The Hudson River Valley Review. This biannual journal covers all aspects of regional history. All articles in The Hudson River Valley Review undergo peer analysis.

Articles in the Autumn issue:

The Delinquency of George Holcomb: Civil Disobedience in the Upper Hudson River Valley, 1812 by Jennifer Hull Dorsey

Saving Springside: Preserving Andrew Jackson Downing’s Last Landscape by Harvey K. Flad

“Thy Servant Franklin”: How the Hudson River Valley Shaped the Faith of Franklin D. Roosevelt by Durahn Taylor

From the Hudson to the Rhine: The Life and Service of General Jacob L. Devers, by James Scott Wheeler

Personal Reflection, A Hudson River Valley Greenway, by Barnabas McHenry

Regional History Forum, Beverwyck Manor, by Charles Semowich

Washington’s Headquarters at Newburgh, New York: Then and Now, by Bernadette J. Hogan