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Friends of Belden House
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EVENTS Art Exhibit at Mahopac Public Library April 15 to June 1, 2008
Historic Belden House subject of Paint-Fest 2006 Putnam County Courier August 17, 2006
DEP ANNOUNCES PLANS FOR 2.9 MILLION REHABILITATION OF BELDEN HOUSE IN PUTNAM COUNTY
The Family of Linda Birrell-Meunier inhabited Belden House from 1973 to 1990. Her Father was employed by the DEP and she has fond memories of her stay there.
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LADY BELDEN
. (As I travel to work each day, I pass the Belden House on Rte 6 in the Town of Carmel. Recently, on a warm day, I felt a strange urge to stop and look at this structure. As I stepped out of my car I felt a warm waft of air caress my face and heard a women’s lyrical voice whisper the following words in my ear) People really do know how to hurt a lady! Here I stand so tall and so proud. Does anyone know who I am? So many of you pass me by each day. Can’t you sense me reaching out to you? I’ve been here for generations and have so much to say. I cry out to you to let me teach your children about our great country and of days gone by. Can’t someone help me? I know they can, but won’t someone help me? I am an old girl who has been around for 245 years. Oh my, time has passed so quickly! I’ve become gray and wrinkled with some blemishes here and there, but I’ve remained solid and strong despite the neglect. At the very least, that should count for something, shouldn’t it? I know how this proud County of Putnam respects its senior citizens and does so much for them. Since I am what you might call a Mega-Senior, can’t you respect me, too? Won’t you help me again grace this avenue of commerce upon which you travel so often? What fun we could have as we bring yesteryear forward to the youth of today. So many different events for young and old could be scheduled here! Oh, what the children could learn as they come by and visit! Bring your children to me. Let me help teach them. They are our future. I understand that a common expression of today is that you should “live for the moment.” Where would we be now if our forefathers had lived only “for the moment?” Fortunately, for all of us, they looked forward into the future, and prepared the groundwork for this to become our magnificent country? Where would we be if they hadn’t? We learn from the past that the present produces the future. The “moment” is only a fleeting thing. I have survived through the presidencies of every single American president from George Washington through George Bush. One who stands out in my mind is President John Fitzgerald Kennedy, JFK. I believe that it is he who said “We can’t know where we’re going if we don’t know where we have been.” My prayer is that you will help me to remain here. I can become a living reminder that to prepare for the future we have to know the past. We all need a living connection to the past in order to learn from it. With your help, I repeat, I can be that connection. A wealth of experiences reposes in me. Please help me. Please help me share this with future generations. It is not too late. LADY BELDEN (I have been so moved by that remarkable experience that I am taking it upon myself to publicly plead the case for that old lady, “Help Save Belden House! For God’s sake, Help Save Belden House!) Susan Basilone Carmel, New York
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We, the residents of Putnam County, support and encourage all efforts, including those of New York City Department of Environmental Protection, Putnam County officials, community organizations and interested individuals, to preserve and restore the 1760 Gothic Revival Belden House as a unique reminder for present and future generations of Putnam's historical, cultural and architectural past. Links |
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