The mission of the Yorktown Historical Society is to foster public awareness and pride in preserving Yorktown's historical heritage.

The Yorktown Historical Society is an incorporated educational organization that was established to bring together those people interested in the history of the Yorktown area. Residents of Yorktown reorganized the Yorktown Historical Society in 1976. Mrs. Stephen Roach was elected President of the Society. The Society believes every community has a story to tell and the preservation of the past helps to define the individual character of our Town.

The Yorktown Historical Society received its Provisional Charter from the Board of Regents of The University of the State of New York, for and on behalf of the State Education Department on September 25, 1980. The Department of the Treasury granted the Society non profit status under the section 501(c)3 internal revenue code effective the same date. On December 10, 1987, the Yorktown Historical Society was granted an Absolute Charter by the Board of Regents.

The Board of Regents document identifies the charter board members as Patricia A. Roach, Anne D. Rahte, Nancy Lockhart, Deena Weintraub, Douglas W. Groeling, George Addison Groht, Elizabeth Macaulay, Dorothy Caruolo, Jane Fisher and Dorothy Groeling. The purposes for which the organization is to be formed under the Provisional Charter are:

1. To promote and encourage original historical research
2. To disseminate and encourage a greater knowledge of the history of the State of New York and particularly the town of Yorktown and its environs
3. To gather, preserve, display and make available for study artifacts, relics, books, manuscripts, papers, photographs, and other records and materials relating to the history of the State of New York and particularly of the town of Yorktown and the surrounding area
4. To encourage the suitable marking of places of historic interest, and
5. To acquire by purchase, gift, device, or otherwise the title to or the custody and control of historic sites and structures, and preserve and maintain such sites and structures.

Yorktown Historical Society
2005 Board Members
Officers and Trustees

The following are the Officers and Trustees.

Officer List

Trustee List

Monica Doherty
Paul Martin
Joan Fyfe
Raymond Gunther
Sigmund Lasker
Jay Kaplan

Yorktown Historical Society Committees

EXECUTIVE COMMITTEE

President – Thomas M Travis
Corresponding Secretary – Linda Kiederer

DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Fund Raising – Monica Doherty, Trustee
Membership – Tony Hoch, Vice President
Nominating – to be appointed in January of each year

FINANCE AND PLANNING

Finance – Acting Treasurer, Thomas M Travis

Planning

• Croton Dam 100^th Anniversary

  • Bob Giordano, Member

• Washington/Rochambeau Revolutionary Route

  • Chairperson – Bob Giordano, Member

  • Vice-chairperson – Monica Doherty, Trustee

  • Marianne Skelly, Member and Monica Doherty, Trustee

  • Mike Anderson, Member

• YHS Site Acquisition – open

PROGRAM DEVELOPMENT COMMITTEE

Chairperson – Charles E Radke, Programs Officer
Isa North, Member
Claire Hoch, Member
Monica Doherty, Trustee

RESEARCH AND COMMUNICATION

Research
Feature Writers – Linda Kiederer, Corresponding Secretary
                            Paul Martin, Trustee
Oral History – Sigmund Lasker, Trustee
Research – open
Landmarks Preservation – Tom Travis, President

Communication
Newsletter – Joan Fyfe, Member
Website Communication – Linda Kiederer, Corresponding Secretary
Website Maintenance – Peggy Derevlany, Member
Newspaper, Radio and TV Releases – open

Note:  This committee list is in keeping with the Constitution and By-laws, which was last amended July 2005.  Linda Kiederer, Corresponding Secretary  7/19/2005

Enthusiasm Marks Plans Of Historical Society
by an unknown author

Yorktown Hts.-Mrs. John E. Mynttinen of Croton Heights was elected temporary chairman of the Yorktown Historical Society at the group's organizational meeting Wednesday Evening.

Mrs. Paul L. Gillespie of Van Cortlandt Circle was named temporary secretary, at the meeting attended by 17 persons.

Allison Albee, vice-president of the County Historical Society, was unable to attend the meeting, but had previously advised the group to apply for a charter from the State Education Department. He also offered the assistance of the county organization for any projects which the Yorktown society may undertake.

The possibility of including Somers in the Yorktown Historical society was discussed an will be considered at the next meeting.

Similar Backgrounds

Somers and Yorktown have similar historical backgrounds, since they were both ruled by the House or Hanover and were only made separate towns in 1788.

Mrs. George Groht and Richard La Morte were appointed to investigate the possibility of obtaining a historic building as permanent headquarters for the local society.

Regular meetings of the Yorktown Historical Society will be held the last Wednesday evening in the month at Town Hall at 8:15 p.m.

Maps of Yorktown dating back to the early 1800's were on display at the meeting. They were loaned by Mrs. John Bartholomew of Templed Hills, Jefferson Valley, and Mrs. Curry Hill of Jefferson Valley.

Theodore Hill Jr., and Supervisor John H. Downing, who was unable to attend the meeting, have offered their aid in the development of the local group.

Mr. Downing said he would appoint a town historian if the Historical Society finds an interested person, who has the time to work on it.

Mrs. Robert Schatteles, fourth grade teacher at Brookside School, said the fourth grade classes have been collecting stories about Yorktown history for the past year and have a file and display in their classroom.

The idea of organizing a local historical society was initiated in THE YORKTOWN HERALD in January.

Attending the meeting were Mrs. Thomas Jameson, Mrs. George De Flavis, Mrs. Mynttinen, Mrs. Schatteles, Mr. Hill, Miss Lorraine Roy, Mrs. Gillespie, Mrs. John O'Connell, Mrs. Groht, Mr. LaMorte, Mrs. Curry Hill, who represented the Yorktown grange, Miss Edna Lee, Mrs. George Thomas, Mario Mei, Mrs. Charles Wolfinger, Miss Beth Weisse, and Miss Aurele Thomas.