Kinderhook Historian Earns Washington HQ Site's Honor
This article originally appeared on the Times Union website on February 2, 2020.
Ruth Piwonka, municipal historian for the village and town of Kinderhook, has been named this year’s recipient of the Martha Washington Woman of History Award, given by Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site each year to a woman who has made a contribution to the history of the Hudson Valley through education, promotion, or preservation.
The honor, announced Saturday, was inspired by Martha Washington, who lived in the Hudson Valley with her husband, Gen. George Washington, during the last days of the Revolutionary War.
Piwonka also sits on the Village of Kinderhook Historic Preservation Commission. For over 50 years she has been an independent curator and researcher regarding Dutch heritage and material culture in the Hudson Valley. She shares her research, scholarship and documentation through her association with the Columbia County Historical Society along with being a published author and a mentor to students, colleagues and volunteers, the historic site said. Read more...