he Sherwood House, after a closed season precipitated by a break–in, reopened in June 1998 with our traditional Strawberry Festival and Sale.

Sherwood House was open every Sunday until early October. Two programs were presented during the summer: Betty Morgan demonstrated Jam Making, and Terry O’Grady demonstrated furniture refinishing.

Sherwood House has a new roof of cedar shingles, thanks to a CDBG grant. There is enough left in the grant to subsidize repainting the building. Much work has to be done on the front porch structure, and a grant from New York State is expected to cover the cost. Other grant money is being sought to refurbish the barn to serve as a visitor’s center with lavatories, office, and storage space.

Jessica Matthews was hired to serve as a part.time Sherwood House Administrator and coordinator of programs and publicity for the house. She is updating the inventory and docent book. 1998 programs included a successful genealogy symposium at the Will Library and a Christmas evening at Sherwood House.

Rosalie Flynn turned over the newsletter, now named Yonkers History, to Ira Goldman. Rosalie served faithfully for six years, creating a prestigious publication that won accolades from the community and increased our membership substantially. Many thanks to Rosalie from all of us. Thanks also to Ira for maintaining the reputation.

Special events of the Yonkers Historical Society during the year included:

• A dinner and mystery night at Lenoir that was an overflow success.

• Participation with the Mayors Community Relations Committee in saluting the Crestwood area. There were walking tours, lectures, tap dancing, songs and sales.

• The Society’s Annual Dinner honored the Rev. Msgr. Hugh Corrigan, pastor of St. Mary’s, with the Key to History. The theme of the dinner was Broadcast and Communication. The Society recognized Bob E. Lloyd, formerly of WFAS; Janine Rose, of Cablevision’s News 12; and the McCann family. Fox 5 news anchor Lyn Brown was the guest speaker.

• The Society’s Annual Meeting was held at the Hudson River Museum following a tour of the Museum and a lecture on the Trevor Mansion.

• Our annual Wassail Celebration was again held at Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site in cooperation with the Friends of Philipse Manor Hall. We are grateful to Philipse Manor Hall for also providing us with our Trustees’ meeting place.

• A Historic Trail through the "City of Gracious Living" was developed by Edward M. Borrelli with the support and assistance of the Boy Scouts of America, Westchester Putnam Council; Four Rivers District Troop 47–Yonkers; and the Society. The trail is a combined driving and hiking trail. To be eligible for the Boy Scouts of America Historic Trail Award, Scouts must answer questions in the trail brochure. Copies are available at the Society office.

Thanks to the Mayor and City Council of Yonkers, a line item appropriation was included in the city budget to assist the Society, in addition to the CDBG grant. We are deeply appreciative of their continued support. We are grateful as well to those members who generously gave personal grants.

• The Society also benefited from the filming of the movie Big Daddy at City Hall. A donation of $1200 was made for use of our office space for editing and communications. The film crew was exemplary in their courtesy and concern.

• Membership continues to grow, but should be larger for a City of our size. The present count is just over 1,000, with new members slightly outpacing dropouts.

• New computer equipment was purchased and installed in our office in City Hall.

• Several committees were formed to fulfill the goals set by the Society’s Trustees:

• A committee to search, analyze and list historic buildings or sites that should be cited for preservation and protection

• A committee to implement the awareness of Yonkers history in the school system

• A committee to pursue the writing and publication of the history of Yonkers from 1900 to 2000.

Through the office, the Society, also responds to many requests for information and for interviews by press and television.

Awareness of the Yonkers Historical Society in the city, county, and state is growing and our stature increasing, thanks to the help and support of you, our members and friends.

Patricia Mangold will assume the Presidency April 1, 1999 and I wish her all the success in the world.

I especially want to thank the many volunteers, including Betty Morgan, Kathleen Kelleher, Terry Baldwin, and Milton Buras, who give their time and energy to the Yonkers Historical Society and all of you valuable members who made my tenure so exciting and enjoyable.