HUDSON RIVER CONSERVATION SOCIETY, INC.
FINDING AID

Archives and Special Collections
Marist College

Contact Information:

Archives and Special Collections
Cannavino Library
Marist College
3399 North Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone: 845-575-5217
Fax: 845-575-3150
Email: john.ansley@marist.edu
URL: URL: http://library.marist.edu/archives/HRCS_Aid.html

Processed by:

Erin Roohan
Janet Rice

Date Completed:

July 2006

Encoded by:

Sreekar Gangavarapu

Descriptive Summary

Title:

Hudson River Conservation Society Collection.

Creator:

The Hudson River Conservation Society, Inc.

Extent:

24 linear feet

Date Span:

1930’s - 1980

Repository:

Marist College Archives and Special Collections

Related Collections:

Mr. and Mrs. Henry Dain Collection
Hudson River Environmental Society Collection
Hudson River Environmental Society Library
Hudson River Valley Commission Collection: Records Relating to the Storm King Case, 1966 – 1967.
Hudson River Valley Commission Collection: Records Relating to the 1965 – 1970 Surveys.
Hudson River Valley Greenway Council Collection.
Hudson Valley Green Collection.
On the Rive.r
Saunders Papers.
Scenic Hudson Collection: Records Relating to the Storm King Case, 1963 - 1981
Scenic Hudson, Inc. Administrative History Collection.
Seymour Papers.

Abstract:

The Hudson River Conservation Society was founded in 1936 in order to preserve and protect scenic and historic landmarks in the Hudson Valley and seek regulation when necessary to achieve this.  The Hudson River Conservation Society Collection documents the history and continued efforts of the Society as a non-profit agency, fighting for the conservation and protection of the Hudson River, its surroundings, and its environment.

The Hudson River Conservation Society collection consists of correspondence, office records, reports, memoranda, newsletters, brochures, maps, newspaper clippings, press releases, opinion polls, financial records, scrapbooks, photographs, books, and other printed material. 

Administrative Information

Access:

Materials that might constitute an unwarranted invasion of personal privacy or libel of living persons have been closed.

Usage Restrictions:

The Society’s copyright interest in these papers has been donated to the United States Government.

Provenance:

The Hudson River Conservation Society Collection was given to the Marist College Library by the F.D.R. Library, where it was donated by John Winthrop Aldrich on behalf of the Hudson River Conservation Society.

Online Catalog Terms

Adirondacks
Environmentalism, Hudson River.
Federal Power Commission
High Tor
Hudson Herald
Historic Houses, Hudson Valley.
Hudson, New York
Hudson River
Hudson River Conservation Society, Inc.
New York State Conservation Council
Open Space
Pollution
Storm King
Water Resources, New York State

Historical Note

The Hudson River Conservation Society was incorporated September 3, 1936 in order to protect and maintain the beauties of the Hudson Valley, preserve its scenic and historic landmarks, eliminate pollution, develop recreational values, cooperate with industry and seek regulation where necessary to help achieve these aims, make a continuing survey of the river and its valley, and to receive funds to do so.  In response to destructive quarrying at High Tor and Mount Taurus, the Hudson River Conservation Society was organized on April 15, 1936.  Upon the creation of the Society, William Church Osborn served as President, with John Ross Delafield as Vice-President, Louis V. Ledoux as Treasurer and Margaret Gillmore as Secretary.  Under their leadership, the Society sponsored two pieces of legislation; one created the Hudson Valley Commission to make a survey of the river and recommend a plan for its development and protection and the other permitted the State Conservation Commissioner to accept gifts of historic or scenic sites of interest.

The Hudson River Conservation Society played an active role in the preservation of historic and scenic sites in the Hudson Valley.  Several purchases of land were made including the 1936 purchase of the north slope of Breakneck Mountain, which was eventually given to the Taconic State Park Commission, the Storm King section on the north face of Anthony’s Nose, which was eventually given to the American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society, and the 1943 purchase of High Tor which was eventually handed over to the Palisades Park Commission.  The publication of Historic Houses of the Hudson Valley was sponsored by the Society.  Also, under the leadership of the Society, zoning regulations were enforced in Clarkstown in order to prevent quarrying by New York Trap Rock.  The Hudson River Conservation Society also discouraged the building of the Storm King By-Pass, the Hudson River Tourway and the New York-New Jersey Turnpike-Thruway Link and supported the Palisades Interstate Parkway and the development of the Taconic State Parkway.  The Society has been involved in developing marinas, watershed projects, sewage systems, conservation courses at colleges, backing legislation that protects the river and surrounding areas, and increasing awareness of these issues.

Collection Overview

The collection consists of correspondence, office records, reports, memoranda, newsletters, brochures, maps, newspaper clippings, press releases, opinion polls, financial records, scrapbooks, photographs, books, and other printed material related to the founding and continuing work of the Hudson River Conservation Society as a private, non-profit, watchdog agency of the Hudson River Valley and its environment.  The collection is maintained in its original order.

List of Series

1. Hudson River Conservation Society Files
Print materials gathered by the Hudson River Conservation Society, concerning the activities of the organization to preserve the Hudson River.

2. Scrapbooks
Five scrapbooks containing various newspaper articles concerning issues of the environment and legislation pertaining to the Hudson River Conservation Society’s interests.

List of Boxes

1. Hudson River Conservation Society Files
1. Box 1: A – Air Pollution - Auto Exhaust (Folders 1-11)
2. Box 2: Air Pollution - Printed Materials – Amerling, Robert (Folders 12-30)
3. Box 3: Annual Meeting 1937 – 1944 - Annual Meeting 1954 (Folders 31-41)
4. Box 4: Annual Meeting 1955 – 1958 - Appalachian Highlands Association, Inc. (Folders 42-59)
5. Box 5: Articles – Board of Directors 1949 (Folders 60-82)
6. Box 6: Board of Directors 1950 – Board of Directors 1965 (Folders 83-98)
7. Box 7: Board of Directors 1966 – Boscobel (Folders 99-116)
8. Box 8: Branch Chairman Meetings (Folders 117-134)
9. Box 9: Citizen’s Committee for the Protection of the Environment (Folders 135-150)
10. Box 10: Conference on Natural Beauty, 1966 (Folders 151-158)
11. Box 11: Consolidated Edison Company of New York (Folders 159-162)
12. Box 12: Consolidated Edison Company of New York, Inc. Photographs and Brochures (Folders 163-168)
13. Box 13: Constitutional Convention – Dalliba, Mrs. William Swift (Folders 169-184)
14. Box 14: Dams on the Upper Hudson – Dutchess County Soil and Water Conservation District (Folders185-203)
15. Box 15: E – File Index (Folders 204-217)
16. Box 16: Financial Matters: Anthony’s Nose (Folders 218-227)
17. Box 17: Financial Matters: Bank of New York – Finances 1936 – 1937 (Folders 228-239)
18. Box 18: Financial Matters Financial Matters 1970 – 1971 (Folders 240-250)
19. Box 19 and Oversize: Financial Matters Frothingham Trust (Folders 251-262)
20. Box 20: Financial Matters Minute Book 1956 – 1968 – Receipted Bills (Folders 263-269)
21. Box 21: Financial Matters Seaman’s Bank for Savings – Whiting Bequest (Folders 270-276)
22. Box 22: Fish Kills – Garden Parties for Membership (Folders 277-299)
23. Box 23: Garrison – Cold Springs, N.Y. – Hader, Elmer S.(Folders 300-315)
24. Box 24: Hamilton, Alexander - American Scenic and Historic Preservation Society (Folders 316-326)
25. Box 25: High Tor Plays – History of the Hudson River Conservation Society (Folders 327-335)
26. Box 26: Historic Sites – Hudson – Fulton Celebration (Folders 336-346)
27. Box 27: Hudson Herald 1964 – 1969 – Hudson River Bend Area Clippings (Folders 347-361)
28. Box 28: Hudson River Bend Area Correspondence (Folders 362-378)
29. Box 29: Hudson River Valley Bicentennial Goal Committee (Folders 379-386)
30. Box 30: Hudson River Valley Song – Interstate Sanitation Commission (Folders 387-405)
31. Box 31: Iona Island – League of Women Voters (Folders 406-424)
32. Box 32: Legislation – The Malcolm Gordon School (Folders 425-443)
33. Box 33: Maps – Martin, Dudley 1967 (Folders 444-452)
34. Box 34: Martin, Dudley 1968 – Membership (Folders 453-459)
35. Box 35: Membership Brochures – Mt. Beacon (Folders 460-475)
36. Box 36: Mt. Taurus – Natural Beauty Commission (Folders 476-488)
37. Box 37: Nature Conservancy – New York – New Jersey Trail Conference (Folders 489-500)
38. Box 38: New York State Clean Air Committee (Folders 501-516)
39. Box 39: New York State Parks – North Bay Films (Folders 517-530)
40. Box 40: North River Navigator – Orange and Dutchess County Garden Clubs (Folders 531-546)
41. Box 41: Orange County Data Book – Palisades Interstate Park Commission (Folders 547-556)
42. Box 42: Palisades Nature Association – Philipse Manor Garden Club (Folders 557-571)
43. Box 43: Philipstown Garden Club – Pomeroy Hearings Correspondence (Folders 572-583)
44. Box 44: Pomeroy Hearings Miscellaneous – Publicity (Folders 584-598)
45. Box 45: Pure Waters Play – Regional Plan Association, Inc.(Folders 599-613)
46. Box 46: Rensselaer County – Rye-Oyster Bay Bridge (Folders 614-634)
47. Box 47: S – Senate House (Folders 635-657)
48. Box 48: “Sewage Along the Hudson” (Folders 658-671)
49. Box 49: Stewardship: The Land, the Landowner and the Metropolis (Folders 672-688)
50. Box 50 : Tarrytown Luncheon – Trainor, Joan (Folders 689-703)
51. Box 51 : U – Vermont (Folders 704-725)
52. Box 52 : W – Water Pollution - General (Folders 726-737)
53. Box 53 : Water Pollution Miscellaneous (Folders 738-745)
54. Box 54 : Water Pollution Control Act (Folders 746-760)
55. Box 55 : Williams Project – Zoning and Planning Survey 1957 (Folders 761-771)
2. Scrapbooks
   1. Box 56 : Scrapbook 1 1939 – 1947 (Folder 772)
   2. Box 57 : Scrapbook 2 1948 - 1957 (Folders 773)
   3. Box 58 : Scrapbook 3 1955 - 1959 (Folders 774)
   4. Box 59 : Scrapbook 4 1958 – 1959; Scrapbook 5 (Folders 775-776)
   5. Box 60 : Report on the Eastern Highlands - 1941 (Folders 777)
   6. Box 61 : Copies of Scrapbooks 1 - 4 (Photocopies of Originals) (Folders 778-781)

Series Descriptions

1. Hudson River Conservation Society Files

A collection of materials gathered by the Hudson River Conservation Society, dealing with their own activities to preserve the Hudson River.
Size: 19 linear feetlinear feet.
Arrangement: Original Order (alphabetical).
Containers: Boxes 1-55
Folders: 1-771

2. Scrapbooks

A collection of various newspaper articles organized in scrapbooks dealing with issues of the environment and legislation pertaining to that which the Society was interested in.
Size: 5 linear foot
Arrangement: Original Order (chronological/ topical)
Containers: 56 – 61
Folders: 772 - 781