… goes to Facebook’s Town of Highlands History
Sara Kelley may just be 37 years old, but she is passionate about what happened before she was ever born.
Particularly, she is passionate about Town of Highlands history. Because of that, she recently started the Town of Highlands History page on Facebook, a page that, as of January 3, 344 people were following.
And the best part, of those 344 people, many are participating, which is what Kelley wanted.
“It’s been awesome so far,” Kelley said, “I’m appreciative of what people have and are willing to share. I’ve learned so much!”
People are sharing photos, they are starting conversations, they are adding memories, they are asking questions, they are “contributing”.
Kelley loves it.
She started the page in late 2020. This week, she took it up a notch, thanking participants in it by giving a monthly $10 gift certificate to a local business to the person who ‘wins’ little contests she’s creating. Terry Rafferty, another person who is passionate about local history, is her first winner, simply for the amount of content he’s been adding.
This month, Kelley is looking for information on a specific former local business — Eve’s Sweet Shop. It’s come up several times and she wants to know more! Again, that’s basically how it all started.
“I never knew a road I lived on in Fort Montgomery is in an area that used to be known — and still is by some people — as Cosmo Park,” she said this week. “I think many people, especially those who didn’t grow up here, will find it interesting to learn about our town,”
With the page, she’s attracted the interest of current residents — interestingly, the average age of page participants is 35-45, Facebook tells her — as well as those of folks who moved long ago.
“It’s been awesome so far. I’m appreciative of what people have and are willing to share. I’ve learned so much!”
Sara Kelley
For instance, a recent post, by Rafferty, was a postcard photo of the intersection of Fostoria St. and Walnut Ave.
People commenting on the photo recalled friends who used to live on those streets; asked if Rafferty had any similar photos of other streets; noted where they now live and how long ago they moved; and brought up recollections of days gone by.
Others have posted photos, as well as maps, old newspaper articles, and have asked questions about scenes they’ve seen.
It’s the memories that come up that Kelley is most interested in, noting that now is the time to get — in recordings or on paper — the history of the community before those who remember it are gone.
She praises the work of Highlands Historian Stella Bailey, urging all who have questions they can’t get answered online to visit Mrs. Bailey in the Historical Society offices on the second floor of Village Hall. Kelley has also urged page followers to become members of the Historical Society.
As posts appear, current residents — even longtime ones — learn new things about where they now live; many express interest in taking a step back in time and bringing some of those things back. For instance, did you know there was once a dancing pavilion at Roe Park? There was. On a post about that someone suggested offering dance lessons there next summer.
Did you know there was once a pond where Fickens Field now sits? The community’s ice — for ‘ice boxes’, now called refrigerators — came from that pond.
Kelley said she’s a fan of historical sites from other communities as well, noting that the first one she found is from Burlington, Vt., which has over 11,000 followers. She invites people from other communities to join the Highlands site, too, knowing that often local history overlaps between communities.
“I hope people will visit other local history sites, too,” she said, “including Highland Falls Grassroots.”
Kelley’s upcoming plans include talking with some local teachers about seeing how to get students involved in recording interviews with their parents or grandparents who might have memories about the community to share. She also has several interviews she has done with people who have an interest in local history that she hopes to soon post on the Facebook page.
“When I look at kids today, including my own kids, I see that they are more interested in watching videos than in reading and learning,” she said. “I think it would be great to put together short local history videos — using these experts we have — and putting them all in one location so that all future generations can watch them and learn about where they came from.”
To do it, a community effort is needed. With her Facebook page, that effort has begun.
