The historical society could really use your help right now

(re: “Historical society now owns piece of history,” Dec. 8)

By now, many people in the community are aware that the Kingsbridge Historical Society has acquired the Edgehill Church, which was a former congregation of Edgehill Church in Spuyten Duyvil.

They’ve read the articles, and shared the posts on social media. But many in our community are unclear as to what all this means, and how the acquisition of Edgehill will benefit the historical society, and the community itself.

The Kingsbridge Historical Society is the oldest historical society in the Bronx, having been established in 1949. Since that time, the historical society has educated the public as to the rich history of Riverdale, Kingsbridge, Spuyten Duyvil and Marble Hill.

These combined areas comprised what was known in the later part of the 19th century as the historic town of Kingsbridge. Thus, our historical society became known as the “Kingsbridge Historical Society.” It has always and continues to represent all of these neighborhoods in this extreme northwest corner of the Bronx.

In recent years, the historical society found itself without a brick-and-mortar headquarters, and its archives and artifacts have been stored in boxes, without easy access for research and review. 

With the acquisition of Edgehill, the historical society now has a place to hold its meetings, store and organize its archives, and to plan and promote the historical society and public events. The acquisition allows the historical society to preserve and protect one of the last historic structures in our community: The landmarked gem of the Edgehill Church, at a time when our historical architecture and sites have a decided target on their backs in spite of community sentiment.

In 2020 — and in the shadow of the Edgehill Church itself — we lost Villa Rosa Bonheur to demolition. With the acquisition of Edgehill, its own preservation is ensured. However, so many of our local historical structures and sites are in danger of extinction.

In 2019, the Kingsbridge Historical Society attempted to negotiate in good faith with a real estate developer to do an archeological dig on the site of Revolutionary War Fort No. 2 in Spuyten Duyvil, but were rebuffed by absolute restrictions of their professional activities and future research.

This example, and that of many other fallen local historic structures, drives home the absolute necessity that the Kingsbridge Historical Society needs your help to be our organizational advocate for historical preservation. With the support of the community, they will have the resources for future successful preservation efforts.

It is now the urgent task of the Kingsbridge Historical Society to remediate and restore the structure of Edgehill, which for many years has fallen into disrepair. A fundraising campaign will be announced and volunteers needed to help restore the building to its past glory.

So, what are the immediate ways you can help?

First, you can become a member of the Kingsbridge Historical Society. A membership is a commitment to the shared mission of the society, which is to help preserve and keep alive the diverse tapestry of our local history.

Second, the historical society will be in need of sustained donations in order to undertake the remediation of Edgehill. It is possible to make single and ongoing donations utilizing the Kingsbridge Historical Society donation button which utilizes Paypal or debit or credit cards.

Small donations are very welcome and needed. As a member myself, I make a small ongoing donation every month to support the historical society.

While it is buoying to the Kingsbridge Historical Society to have an influx of donations in the excitement of the acquisition, ongoing income will be needed to maintain the structure. To promote the study of local history, including smaller, often quieter, voices and stories that get lost in the larger narratives, for the sake of future generations.

In the near future, the administration of the Kingsbridge Historical Society will be reaching out to the public with volunteer opportunities and campaigns for fundraising and future events. Becoming a member keeps you in the immediate loop of these activities.

It’s an exciting time for the Kingsbridge Historical Society, indeed the entire community. The historical society has a unique opportunity to preserve the best of our past, and to promote future programming and community building activities, and as a member you can support and help sustain these aspirations.

Please support the Kingsbridge Historical Society by becoming a member today, and please encourage your friends, families and neighbors to do so, too.