Ventfort Hall: Spiritualism in the Gilded Age

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LENOX, Mass. — Kathryn Sheehan, Executive Director of the Hart Cluett Museum and Troy City Historian returns to speak at Ventfort Hall this summer on Spiritualism in the Gilded Age. 
 
Her talk at Ventfort Hall is on Tuesday, June 25 at 4 pm. Tea will be served after her presentation.
 
Spiritualism was a religious movement postulating the belief that spirits of the dead residing in the spirit world have both the ability and the inclination to communicate with the living. The Spiritualist Movement began in the 19th century and persisted into the early 20th century. It was characterized by a pop culture fascination with mediums and séances, and patronized by a number of otherwise prominent individuals including Sir Arthur Conan Doyle.
 
A native of Troy, Kathryn is Executive Director of the Hart Cluett Museum, formerly the Rensselaer County Historical Society. Her career began as an intern from the public history program at SUNY Albany in 1986.  She is also the Rensselaer County and Troy City Historian. Kathryn has researched and lectured on a number of Rensselaer County history topics and has presented her work on local radio and television as well as the History Channel, C-Span, Russian and Japanese Network television.  She resides in the historic district in downtown Troy. When not working on history tours and lectures Kathryn can be found exploring the many cemeteries in Rensselaer County or doing photography for her upcoming book, Architecture Worth Saving in Rensselaer County Revisited, 50 Years Later.
 
Tickets are $40 for members and with advance reservation; $45 day of; $22 for students 22 and under. Ticket pricing includes access to the mansion throughout the day of this event from 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations are strongly encouraged as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit hyttps://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call us at (413) 637-3206. Please note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.

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Ventfort Hall: Baseball in the Berkshires

LENOX, Mass. — Larry Moore, Director of the nonprofit Baseball in the Berkshires, and a retired Physical Education Specialist, will tell about the history of baseball in the Berkshires at Ventfort Hall on Tuesday, July 16 at 4 pm. 
 
A tea will be served after the presentation.
 
According to a press release:
 
The game of baseball has a long and storied history in the Berkshires. From the broken window by-law of 1791 and the first college game ever played in 1859, there were 60 years of minor league teams calling the Berkshires their home. There are 40 major league players coming from the Berkshires and two of them are in the National Baseball Hall of Fame. Over 220 minor league players were born, raised or settled in the Berkshires. Just when you think you have a grasp on those stories someone asks about women's baseball and black baseball in the Berkshires. Going back to the late 1800's both the history of women and people of color have strong roots here. The long list of famous baseball visitors that left parts of their stories here contains the names of "Say-Hey Kid," "Joltin' Joe," "The Iron Horse" and of course, "The Babe."
 
Larry Moore worked as a Physical Education Specialist in the Central Berkshire Regional School District for 37 years. He taught a popular yearlong unit about the history of baseball for 25 years, along with his regular Physical Education program, to his fifth graders culminating with a trip to the Baseball Hall of Fame. He now volunteers at the National Baseball Hall of Fame as an Outreach Educator. Nine years ago he, along with Tom Daly, Jim Overmyer and Kevin Larkin, established a group of baseball enthusiasts who established the nonprofit organization, Baseball in the Berkshires. Its mission is to tell the fascinating stories of baseball in the Berkshires through exhibits and educational programming.
 
As director of this group he, and his fellow volunteers, have created numerous exhibits and educational programs throughout the Berkshires. He co-authored the book "Baseball in the Berkshires: A County's Common Bond." 
 
He is a resident of Lenox and has spent many years working with the young people of the Berkshires, as an educator, coach, official, and business owner.
 
Tickets are $40 for members and with advance reservation; $45 day of; $22 for students 22 and under. Ticket pricing includes access to the mansion throughout the day of this event from 10 am to 4 pm. Reservations are strongly encouraged as seats are limited. Walk-ins accommodated as space allows. For reservations visit https://gildedage.org/pages/calendar or call at (413) 637-3206. Please note that all tickets are nonrefundable and non-exchangeable. The historical mansion is located at 104 Walker Street in Lenox.
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