Community Programs

Historic Cherry Hill offers several community programs, including onsite programs where groups meet at our house, and offsite lectures where we come to you in person or via a live remote link.

For inquiries about any of our community programs please contact:

Holly Kilgore
Director of Education

Or submit a program request form.

ONSITE PROGRAMS

The World of James Knapp

CURRENT PUBLIC TOUR

Historic Cherry Hill, the Myers Residence, and the Pommer

NOTE: Historic Cherry Hill is closed for the season. We will reopen for public tours on May 9, 2025. Off-season private group tours can be arranged by appointment.

The World of James Knapp

Exploring Black Life in 19th-Century Albany Through Art, Objects, and Space

The World of James Knapp is a multi-site exhibition featuring historic artifacts and commissioned artworks that interrogate 19th-century life as experienced by William James Knapp (1843-1885)—a butler, musician, piano tuner, music store clerk, porter, nurse, brother, son, friend, a member of Albany’s Black community, sometime ward of the Van Rensselaer family, a resident of Cherry Hill, and a descendant of a woman once enslaved there. Featured artists include Shirley Clark, Paula Drysdale Frazell, Jacqueline Lake, Samirah Muhammad, and Pauline Saunders. Venues include Historic Cherry Hill, the Pommer (153 S. Pearl St.), and the Underground Railroad Education Center (194 Livingston Ave.). This project is a collaboration with Albany Barn and the Underground Railroad Education Center and was supported with grants from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, Advance Albany County Alliance, and the National Endowment for the Arts.

July 8 to August 7Tuesdays, Wednesdays, Thursdays and Saturdays
NOON, 1, 2 and 3pmFridays
1 and 3pm—August 8 to November 30Fridays and Saturdays
Noon, 1, 2 and 3pm

TOURS BEGIN MAY 9

The Rankins of Cherry Hill: Struggling with the Loss of their World

Catherine Rankin and Her ChildrenA story of how the last two generations at Cherry Hill responded to social, economic, and personal change at the turn of the 20th century. Artifacts in each room vividly tell the story of Catherine Rankin’s loss of her wealth and near loss of her ancestral home—and her family’s struggle to regain their financial standing and restore Cherry Hill to its colonial grandeur. This “warts and all” tour addresses such topics as immigration, women’s suffrage, American identity, and the roots of prejudice.

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OFFSITE LECTURES

A Different Kind of Collection

Historic Cherry Hill’s collection distinguishes the museum from most others. Its 70,000 items, spanning over two centuries and ranging from the rare to the mundane, all belonged to one family — the Van Rensselaers of Cherry Hill. This talk explores some of the unique objects in the collection, the family’s motivation for accumulating and saving its possessions, and how the museum’s significant collections have defined its course today.

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The 1827 Cherry Hill Murder

In 1827, a murder occurred at the Cherry Hill farm, home of the well known Van Rensselaer family. The crime aroused tremendous public interest, and the subsequent trial culminated in the last public hanging in Albany. Although it appeared to be a crime of passion, it uncovered some simmering issues of the day including women’s roles and legal rights, social class, punishment and the law, and slavery in New York. Hear the words of those involved in the crime and decide whom you think was guilty or innocent.

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The Knapp Family: Kinship & the Struggle for Autonomy

Harriet Maria Elmendorf “Minnie” Knapp and her sister Jane Amelia Knapp came to Cherry Hill in 1854, shortly after the death of their mother, Jane. They and their two brothers were raised as wards and servants in four Van Rensselaer households. How common was this practice, in Albany and elsewhere, during the 19th century? What was the special relationship between the Knapp family and the Van Rensselaers of Cherry Hill? This presentation will explore their experiences, their enduring ties to one another, and their mysterious connection to earlier generations of the Van Rensselaer family, dating back to time of enslavement.

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