Town of Austerlitz

Visit Old Austerlitz, home of the Austerlitz Historical Society and experience the
rural beauty of Austerlitz, New York - it's mountains, valleys, streams and small
hamlets.

Did you know?

Founded in the 1750's, the town is rich in history - some early settlers and
sons served in the Revolutionary War. The streams of Austerlitz gave rise to
industries such as farming, raising sheep, and mill operations. Saw mills, grist
mills, mills for wool carding and the making of cider, shingles and planes enabled
the settlers to make a living. Vestiges of old milk, early gravesites and historic
buildings still remain.

The Austerlitz Historic Society, organized in 1988, celebrates the heritage of
the Town and has as its goal making this heritage known and appreciated
through the collection and preservation of documents, artifacts, and buildings.

Historic buildings on the beautiful 15-acre site on Route 22 and Harvey
Mountain Road enable the society to educate visitors through house tours,
exhibits, and demonstrations.

The 1850's church is a wonderful setting for our Holiday Sing in December. The
one room schoolhouse provides local school children with a different experience
of games, lessons, and stories presented by persons who attended this school.

Our quarterly meetings bring history to life through guest speakers on topics
such as old barns, rock formations, Hudson Valley paintings, nineteenth century
gardens, and much more.

Two programs, the Blueberry Festival and Autumn in Austerlitz, grow in
popularity each year. Blueberries, prolific on Harvey Mountain, figured
prominently in the life of earlier settlers, since sale of blueberries helped them
pay their taxes. Summer now brings demonstrations of early crafts, blueberry
sweets, a puppeteer, hand-made products and music - all at the Blueberry
Festival.

At Autumn in Austerlitz, you are greeted by men, women and children in 1830's
period dress. Games, stories, home baked goods, music, sheep-shearing,
tinsmithing, and more add to a day of family enjoyment.

An attractive yearly calendar presents a pictorial and written account of the
architecture, industry, dress and culture of an earlier era.

The re-creation of Old Austerlitz, a village which reflects the lifestyle of the
1830's, is well on its way. Two early buildings, gifts to the society, have been
re-assembled, by member volunteers. These serve as locations for exhibits and
demonstrations of early craft making.

The restoration of a 1794 house, called Morey-Devereaux for its former owners,
will house a research library and provide a place for lectures, workshops, and
receptions for the society and community group.

The beauty of the setting will be preserved and enhanced with gardens and
nature trails. These will reveal to residents and visitors the values, tenacity,
ingenuity and energy of those who helped our town grow.

Austerlitz Historical Society
P.O. Box 144
Austerlitz, NY 12017

Phone: (518) 392-0062
Email: oldausterlitz@taconic.net
Web: www.oldausterlitz.org