Once permanent protection for those resources had been established, next came the mammoth task of finding funding to pay down the original $380,000 mortgage that had been taken out in Werner and Grunwald’s names. Eventually she was able to obtain an Environmental Quality Bond Act grant from New York State that eliminated part of the debt, so that ownership of the physical site could be transferred to the Historical Society. At present only $19,000 of the original purchase are left to be paid off, and Grunwald is already dreaming of what could be done next with the site once the organization is out of debt. The Century House museum — open Sunday afternoons from 1 to 4 p.m. only, from Mothers’ Day until Labor Day — needs a new roof and new bathroom facilities for visitors, but competition for that sort of grant money is especially fierce in these recessionary times. “It’s extremely difficult to find funds for repairs,” she laments.
Grunwald has also been kept busy over the years by other related causes, like the fight in the 1990s to relocate a major power line away from the D&H Canal corridor when the utility company applied to the Public Service Commission for an upgrade. The community effort was successful, and according to Grunwald, some 80 existing homes were saved from condemnation.
Another wrangle with the Powers that Be came about when the National Park Service decided to make repairs of historic ramparts at Fort Jefferson, a 19th-century coastal fortress in the Florida Keys, that had originally been built with Rosendale cement, which sets well underwater and is extremely durable. “Natural cement doesn’t have caustic ingredients like Portland cement. But Snyder is gone, so there’s no production anymore,” Grunwald relates.
Fortunately, the last cement magnate had left a cache of unprocessed limestone on one of his properties, some of which the Century House Historical Society was able to make available for the Fort Jefferson repairs. The problem was that all materials used in federal construction projects must conform to American Society for Testing and Materials (ASTM) standards, and there were no longer any certification parameters for natural cement, since no one was producing it anymore. Working with the National Park Service people who wanted their fort fixed using authentic materials, Grunwald successfully made the case that Rosendale natural cement — once the industry standard for quality — should be restored to the ASTM listings.
The upshot of that federal decision is that Rosendale cement can now be used in other public works projects going forward. It was used in the recent culvert replacement in an undermined section of Route 213 right near the Century House headquarters, which connected with the remains of the old Snyder Canal Slip. And the scheduled overhaul of the aging Highbridge section of New York City’s water supply infrastructure, at the Croton Aqueduct, will be accomplished using some of Snyder’s remaining limestone stockpile.
The Century House Historical is a membership organization with no paid staff. “Dietrich and I may have supplied the spark for this project, but the number of people and the number of volunteer hours have been incredible,” Grunwald says modestly. These days, the organization’s activities consist mainly of historical lectures and themed tours led by volunteer docents, many of them experts in their fields. Local school districts bring kids to the Snyder Estate for field trips. The Ulster County Mycological Society has led guided mushroom walks on the site; in May alone, visitors could view marine fossils on a geology walk led by SUNY Ulster geology professor Steven Schimmrich or take a bird walk with John Burroughs Natural History Society naturalist Linda Fagan.
A very special resource of the Snyder Estate is the “breathtaking, spectacular” Widow Jane Mine: a spacious cave boasting a nice flat floor, a small underground lake and fabulous acoustics that have drawn top-drawer musicians like Pauline Oliveros to record there. Increasingly in recent years, it has become a sought-after shooting location for indie filmmakers. Part of Grunwald’s volunteer role is to be the go-between with location scouts and help iron out the legal aspects of arranging for use of the site for making movies. We Are What We Are, a horror movie about an old Catskills clan with a family tradition of cannibalism that was screened at the 2012 Woodstock Film Festival, was partially shot in and around the Widow Jane Mine.
Such activities bring in a little income for the Historical Society, and membership dues are another revenue stream, however modest. It only costs $25 to join, which gets you news updates on the many fascinating Walks & Talks, lectures and other programs hosted at the museum. Coming up soon are a talk and book-signing by Ed Renehan on June 15 at 1 p.m., in which the historian will feature his latest book, Pete Seeger vs. the Un-Americans, which chronicles the late folksinger’s confrontation with the House Un-American Activities Committee and his subsequent blacklisting during the McCarthy Era. “Miners,” a new “site-responsive” outdoor sculpture exhibition, will open on June 29. It’s curated by the artist Laura Moriarty, who sits on the Historical Society’s board of directors, and will feature works by Michael Asbill, Lorrie Fredette, Norm Magnusson, Portia Munson, Wayne Montecalvo and Chris Victor. And Japanese master drummer Hiro Kurashima will bring his Taiko Masala ensemble to make the Widow Jane Mine resound on July 13.
To find out more about the Century House Historical Society’s programs or become a member, visit www.centuryhouse.org. The entrance to the Snyder Estate — a wrought-iron gate that recalls the iconic design of the Brooklyn Bridge, famously built with Rosendale cement — is located at 668 Route 213 in Rosendale.
