Fascinating Ridgewood History

Last night I had the pleasure of attending the opening of a very special event at the Ridgewood Historical Society's Schoolhouse Museum. It's called "From Belfast to Brooklawn: A Ridgewood Family Odyssey," and it's a display of some amazing mementos and artifacts from the Boyd/Mastin family, who lived for four generations in a big beautiful house on the corner of Ridgewood Ave. and Brookside. Please plan to bring your kids to visit the museum and see this wonderful collection -- it's a great look at life in our Village over 100 years ago. There are family items, housewares, books and letters, clothing, jewelry, a one-horse open sleigh, paintings...one of my favorite displays was a collection of samplers (embroidery), one of which was from 1786 (I think) and had been brought to America from Ireland. Every time I see antique samplers, which were traditionally produced by young girls, I try to imagine my daughter or her friends as nine year olds, sitting quietly and stitching perfectly for what must have been hours! Unbelievable. You can find out more about the exhibit at the Historical Society's website (click here), including when it's open for visitors.