NYC Historian To Speak About Governor's Island
GREAT BARRINGTON, Mass. — Joep de Koning is passionate about Governor's Island, and regards it as one of the principal early American colonies. He'll discuss the topic on Wednesday, Sept. 15 at 7 p.m. during the Great Barrington Historical Society's meeting, to be held at Claire Teague Senior Center, 917 South Main St.The speaker is a graduate of Columbia University's MBA finance program and worked on Wall Street until 1998, when he left to found a foundation to acquire Governor's Island for historic preservation.
The public is invited to an illustrated discussion, entitled "What Binds Us Together." He views Governor's Island as "the place where the New World's first lawful expression of religious tolerance took place." This led to a "wellspring" of political reform in the New World, according to de Koning – and the founding of what is now New York City.
The program will explain how New Netherland settlers established a base for tolerance, humanity and morality. Governor's Island historical significance will be explained with early maps, showing how it was the first landing place
Having just celebrated the 400-year anniversary of Dutch settlement in our region, the lecture is timely as well; the historical society is in the midst of restoring the Capt. Truman Wheeler House on South Main Street where architectural historians have discovered Dutch building techniques on site. Portions of the 18th-century house and barns utilized construction common to the area, migrating from earlier Dutch-built settlements in New York State.
The society plans to open the house for tours in time to celebrate the town's 250th anniversary in 2011. It will function as a town museum and archive. A capital campaign has raised nearly half of its $1.2 million initial goal.
For more information, go to www.gbhistory.org.
