Sue GardnerNewburgh, NY (February 6, 2021) – Historical archivist/librarian, Sue Gardner, has been named the 2021 Martha Washington Woman of History. This award is given annually by Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site to a woman who has made a contribution to the history of the Hudson Valley through education, promotion, or preservation. The honor was inspired by Martha Washington, an outstanding woman in history who resided in the Hudson Valley with her husband, General George Washington, during the last days of the Revolutionary War.

Sue Gardner is the Deputy Historian for the Town of Warwick and Reference Librarian/Local History Librarian for the Albert Wisner Public Library. Ms. Gardner is a published author of, “Pure Necessity: Revolution at Warwick: The Life and Times of General John Hathorn, His Militia, and the Community of Warwick, NY in the Late 18th Century.”  Ms. Gardner writings are featured on the New York History blog site, and on the Friends of Hathorn House website, a not-for-profit organization. 

The 2021 Martha Washington Woman of History Award normally would be presented at an event entitled, “The General’s Lady,” usually held in March.  Due to Covid 19 we are rethinking the safety of holding this event.  Details regarding the presentation will be given at a future date.

Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site is a registered National Historic Landmark located at the corner of Liberty and Washington Streets within the city of Newburgh’s East End Historic District. It is one of 35 historic sites within the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and one of 40 facilities administered by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in New York and New Jersey.  For further information please call (845) 562-1195, visit the New York State Parks website at: https://parks.ny.gov or find us on Facebook at: www.facebook.com/washingtonsheadquarters.    

The Palisades Parks Conservancy is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit that supports the Palisades Interstate Park system.  Partnering with PIPC, we protect the PIP’s natural and historic resources by raising funds, increasing public awareness and supporting visitor education.  

Over a multi-year collaboration, Palisades Parks Conservancy led a capital campaign that raised critical funds for the restoration of the Tower of Victory at Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site in Newburgh, NY. The Tower of Victory is truly one of the treasures of the Hudson Valley.  For 125 years, it has stood as the nation’s only monument to the lasting peace that came after the end of the Revolutionary War. Robert Todd Lincoln, the son of the President and then Secretary of War, commissioned John Hemingway Duncan, one of the nation’s most renowned architects at that time, to design the massive stone arched structure that hosts bronzes sculpted by William Rudolf O’Donovan, the pre-eminent monumental sculptor of the day. It stands on the property where General Washington created the “Badge of Military Merit,” now called the Purple Heart medal.

Find us at http://www.palisadesparks.org/ or, to donate for future improvements for George Washington’s Headquarters, visit us directly at http://www.palisadesparksconservancy.org/donate.  You can also reach us at Palisades Parks Conservancy, 2645 29th Street, Astoria, NY 11102 or call us 1-845-630-8174.

 

Contact:  Elyse B. Goldberg | elyse.goldberg@parks.ny.gov | 845-562-1195