The Hurley Heritage Museum is kicking off its 2023 season with an opening reception for two new historical exhibits on Saturday, May 6, from 1-4 p.m.

One exhibit, “Post Offices of Hurley: 1937 to the Present,” gives an immersive history lesson by taking visitors into a vintage post office, with original coded mailboxes and QR links to recorded postal history recordings. Drawing on research from heritage society member Bruce Whitstance, the exhibit details the seven locations of Hurley post offices in the last century. The exhibit also explores the effects of the Ashokan Reservoir’s construction on the post offices in West Hurley, Ashton, Glenford and Spillway, and even includes old records about post office robberies back in the day.

The other exhibit explores the history and lore of the Eagle’s Nest, a multi-racial community that resided on Hurley Mountain dating to the 19th century.

“All these myths come up about it,” said exhibit curator Katherine Chansky. Residents, she said, were often part Native American, Black or Dutch. “The Eagle's Nest exhibit looks at who settled and lived on Eagle's Nest — not just the myth and hearsay, but a look at the archival records and documentation.”

The exhibit is in conjunction with the Eagle’s Nest-Lapala Project, a study launched by Marbletown resident and retired professor Dr. Wendy Soul. Soul was researching the history of her house when she came across an old article from the Daily Freeman about a mixed-race community on the hillside overlooking Hurley.

Soul partnered with local historian Lorna Smedman to research the small region; in May 2022, the project found support through the National Writing Project and a grant from the National Endowment for the Humanities. Much of the project’s findings can be found on the Hurley Mountain blog.

“But in-person exhibits give you a chance to really encounter it in a new way,” said Chansky.

The Eagle’s Nest exhibit includes a journal inviting visitors to jot down their observations, and Chansky hopes the exhibit may even inspire people with connections to Eagle’s Nest to come forward and share their knowledge.

Starting May 6, the museum is open to the public every Saturday from 1-4 p.m. through Oct. 29. Museum entry is free, and the museum will host walking tours, lectures, kids’ events and more throughout its season.

In other Hurley news:

VFW Post 5086's Recruiting

Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 5086 in Hurley is in need of new members to support its activities and the services it provides.

The VFW post’s membership has been shrinking as veterans of World War II and the Korean War pass on, and its continued existence could be in jeopardy.

Post 5086 (the John F. Jordan Memorial Post) provides services for war veterans who live in Hurley and for the community at large. It meets at the Hurley Reformed Church on Main Street in Old Hurley and participates in such activities as parades, cemetery ceremonies and the retirement of flags.

Anyone interested in joining VFW Post 5086 should contact Post Commander Don Sayut for more information and to learn about eligibility. He can be reached at (845) 338-4929 or dsayut@hvc.rr.com.

Grievance Day is May 23

The Hurley Board of Assessment Review will hear property assessment challenges starting at 2 p.m. Tuesday, May 23, (Grievance Day), at Town Hall, 10 Wamsley Place.

Property owners wishing to challenge their assessments that day must make an appointment in advance by calling the Town Assessor’s Office at (845) 331-7474, ext. 4, or by emailing assessor@townofhurley.org.

Property owners who grieve their 2023 assessments will need to submit a Grievance Application (Form RP-524) to the Town Assessor's Office by May 22. The Grievance Application can be found online at tinyurl.com/39edz84d. (Instructions for filling out the form are at tinyurl.com/3e66hd58.)

Completed applications should be emailed to assessor@townofhurley.org or mailed to Town Assessor's Office, P.O. Box 569, Hurley, NY 12443.

For more information, contact the assessor’s office at the above phone number or email address.

Foul Play at the Half Moon Tavern

It's 1891 and you're invited to dine at the Half Moon Tavern in Hurley. You’ll socialize with tavern owner John Elmendorf and his wife Eliza. Governor Levi Morton and his daughter Alice will be present along with college professor Percy Longfellow. You'll be fussed over by a loyal butler and a fortune-hunting maid. Katherine Kerry, a writer for the Kingston Weekly Freeman, observes much more than merriment and gaiety when she witnesses a murder. Whodunit and why?

Written and directed by Anika Krempl for Murder Café, various versions of her historical whodunit have enjoyed sold-out performances throughout the Hudson Valley since 2015. “Mystery at the Tavern is a work of historic fiction,” Krempl said. “Although it features four historic characters, we do not represent any of them as a murderer, nor do we place a murder in the historic Elmendorf House in Hurley. Like all Murder Café productions, it is rich in fact and fiction, comedy, drama and mystery.”

Along with Krempl, the cast includes Murder Café owner-operator Frank Marquette, Erica Woolley, Nicole Prepeluk, Samantha Mileski, Joshuah Patriarco and Jim Keenen. Live period music will be performed by Hannah Tufano.

Staged as a dinner theater show at the Venue at the Best Western in Kingston on Saturday, April 29 at 7 p.m., “Mystery at the Tavern” will include a three-course dinner, cash bar, raffles and prizes for those who guess whodunit. Tickets are $75 per person and can be purchased by visiting www.hurleylibrary.org or by calling 845-338-2029. Proceeds will benefit the Friends of the Hurley Library.

Celebrating its 25th year in business, Murder Café is owned and operated by Frank and Kirsten Marquette of Rosendale.

Plan Ahead for Brush Pickup

The Town of Hurley Highway Department will begin picking up brush on Monday, April 24. Pickup in West Hurley will start on that date. Pickup in Old Hurley will start on Monday, May 1. Once pickup has been completed in a given area, crews will not return there.

West Hurley residents should place their brush at the edge of the road the weekend of April 22-23. Residents of Old Hurley should do so the weekend of April 29-30. There will be no brush pickup at homes located on state highways.

Brush should be placed at a 45-degree angle to the road, making it easier for a loader to pick it up and place it in a truck. Brush items should be no larger than four inches in diameter and six feet in length. No yard debris or leaves should be mixed in.

Kingston Wire's new coverage of the Town of Hurley is underwritten by Hurley Up. Kingston Wire has complete editorial control of what is reported and published. We accept submissions of letters to the editor, longer opinion pieces, community event notices and story ideas: email us at info@kingstonwire.com