By Liz Schevtchuk Armstrong
Against a backdrop of blue-green mountains and bucolic meadows, 120 to 150 supporters of the Putnam County Historical Society & Foundry School Museum gathered Saturday (July 9) for “a picturesque pastoral” at Glynwood estate. Located off Route 301 east of Cold Spring and Nelsonville, Glynwood once served as a private family country home, but now is devoted to efforts to sustain local agriculture. An evening lawn party, the event drew many in summer whites, sipping wine and sampling hors d’oeuvres on a patio behind the stone mansion. Down the drive, a goat partook of supper by enthusiastically nibbling a bush alongside a fence and kids — the goatish kind — cavorted in the grass.
Frank (Chip) von Arx Allemann, chairman of the Glynwood board of directors, welcomed the guests and briefly introduced them to Glynwood. “Our mission is to help communities save farming,” he said, with “a predominant focus on the Hudson Valley. Much of our work is out in communities.” Doris Shaw, who chairs the historical society’s board of trustees, expressed the society’s delight at the opportunity “to be able to celebrate with Chip and his group and to honor this land in such a beautiful way.”
A farm since the 1700s, Glynwood today not only cultivates crops and raises animals, but promotes the economic viability of environmentally sustainable farming. It also conducts research and engages in a variety of farming-related activities. More information can be found on the Glynwood website: http://www.glynwood.org/
Photos by Liz S. Armstrong
