Historic sites tout unique holiday gifts
What would you pay to have Eleanor Roosevelt, reading a portion of the Charles Dickens classic “A Christmas Carol” out loud to your children? That clip is one of the fascinating items available from the gift shops of the historic mansions and homes along the Hudson River, which are using the holidays to publicize their attractions and raise money for the nonprofit endeavors.
Val-Kill, the home of Eleanor Roosevelt, the Vanderbilt mansion and the FDR House and Library and the Staatsburgh State Historic Site have shops offering unique gifts.
Val-Kill in Hyde Park offers the Roosevelt recording for $11. She does not read the entire classic, but the clip is 45 minutes long. “That reading is very wonderful, she had that distinctive voice,” said Kathi Behnke, business manager for the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt historic site.
Val-Kill also has a fair trade shop, stemming from Roosevelt”™s interest in women”™s crafts when she traveled the world. “She was fair trade for decades before the term was coined,” said Behnke who said the shop sells items from India, Africa, Guatemala and elsewhere.
The New Deal Bookstore at the FDR historic site, which features a wide selection of books, has gifts such as a beer mug with an illustration celebrating the end of Prohibition.
Amy Northup, the store manager, said there are many repeat buyers.
“But we also do a lot of online orders this time of year.” The website is www.fdrlibrary.marist.edu.
The Vanderbilts are another choice for unique gifts. “We do a lot of small gifts that are reasonable in the travel area, since the Vanderbilts traveled a lot, accessories for men and women that are big sellers for us,” Behnke said. “And a lot of entertainment items, because the Vanderbilts were big entertainers.”
The Staatsburgh State Historic Site features ornaments and books, many by area authors, and period-style jewelry and accessories.