We collect what might seem like ordinary items—family photographs, postcards, business memorabilia, school snapshots, park scenes, and souvenirs from local celebrations and organizations. But together, these materials help tell the rich, layered story of life in Hastings-on-Hudson. When you donate your personal or family records, you contribute to the village’s shared memory.

If you have something of local interest you’d like to donate, we’d love to hear from you. You can fill out a donation form in advance and bring it with you or include it if you’re mailing your item(s). Forms are also available at the Historical Society during open hours.

Donating Photographs 

We accept:

• Original printed photographs
• Digital photos on a USB drive
• Temporary loans (we’ll scan and return them to you)

All images are carefully archived and credited to the photographer, if known. Once donated, photographs become part of the Hastings Historical Society’s permanent collection. By donating, you grant the Historical Society full ownership and the right to use the images for preservation, research, publication, exhibition, and promotional purposes.

When submitting photos, please include as much information as possible:
• Names of people pictured
• The event or subject
• Approximate date (e.g., “circa 1970s”)
• Location

Have digital or scanned photos ready to go?
You can upload them directly through our Photo Submission Portal

SOME OF OUR WISH LIST:

Our archive is missing the following Hastings High School yearbooks: 1934, 1935 and 1942. Going back further, we have very few yearbooks before 1935. Anyone with an extra they would like to donate would be helping to complete our collection.

We welcome photos of everyday life, such as people skating on Sugar Pond, kids playing on playgrounds, people riding bikes or using cell phones.

Thank you for your donation to the Hastings Historical Society.

The richness of our collections depends on donations from people like you!

The Hastings Historical Society was established in 1971 and is chartered by the New York State Board of Regents. Its purpose is to collect, preserve, and disseminate the history of Hastings-on-Hudson to members and the public.

Many of the requests for information that we receive pertain to buildings in the village. Newcomers may want to learn about the history of their new home, including previous owners and any remodeling that has been done.

We have an extensive Houses and Buildings file in our archive. By completing our questionnaire, you can provide information on your home (or the Hastings home you grew up in) that will be added to the archive and further enrich our holdings. We also welcome items such as blueprints, drawings and photographs, both inside and outside your home.

Hastings Houses: Every home has a history

In our continued efforts to enrich the Hastings Historical Society’s archives, we would love to know about your home in Hastings-on-Hudson. Please share technical, familial or any other details that you think would enliven the portrait of your home.

Many of our most treasured documents are personal stories of life in our village. 

They provide a window into life in the past and make it come alive. Through numerous reminiscences, we have information that ranges from what it was like to live here during the Revolutionary War, to accounts of arriving in Hastings as young immigrants in the early 20th century, to fond recollections of eating at Larry’s (King) Pizza in the 1980s. Please email or mail your reminiscences to the Hastings Historical Society. They don’t need to be long, formal essays; just tell us the memories that are meaningful to you.

You don’t have to be a historian or journalist to write for our blog or quarterly publication, the Hastings Historian. Contact us if you have any ideas for future blog posts or articles that you would like to contribute.

We welcome volunteers and there are many ways to get involved, both on site and from home. See our volunteer section for some ideas.

The materials we use to keep our photos, papers and artifacts from harm and environmental degradation are expensive. Artifacts are stored wrapped in acid free tissue or ethafoam (padding), and then placed in museum-quality archival storage boxes. Papers and manuscripts are also stored in archival boxes.

For example, while a small photo storage box runs $10, an archival box large enough to store one army uniform costs $75.

Occasionally we receive a donation of an item that is in declining condition and in need of conservation or restoration. Some examples are old flags and deteriorating art work. Often the cost of restoration is beyond our means. Through generous donations, we can get the necessary work done.

We have currently identified two works of art that are in need of conservation after evaluation by a professional art conservator. They are:

“The Hudson River in Winter” circa 1920 by Helen Patterson Williams. Among the measures needed are the removal of heavy yellow surface grime, treatment of the delaminating layers along its edges, and corrective in-painting. Cost of conservation: $850.

“Summer Landscape with Pond,” artist unknown, but attributed to one of the Draper women circa 1890 and donated to us by the Draper family. Among the treatments required are removal of heavy surface grime, repair of small surface punctures, and corrective in-painting. Cost of conservation: $750.

If you are interested in learning more about these paintings and the work that they require, please contact us. Any amount is appreciated and will be acknowledged in our quarterly newsletter, with the donor’s permission.  If you wish to make a contribution earmarked for their conservation, please click below on “Preserve-An-Artifact” Contribution.