It is with a most heavy heart that we post here the obituary of our dear friend, neighbor, supporter, and long-time treasurer of the historical society, Tim Purdy.  In the coming months we will be preparing more information to share and to honor him - a gentle man and a true gentleman.

Thomas Lyon Purdy III

Thomas Lyon Purdy III (Tim) of North Salem, NY, died peacefully on June 29, 2024, at 88 years of age. He was born on June 28, 1936, the son of the late Thomas Lyon Purdy Jr. and Ellen Pierrepont Luquer Purdy. He lived in North Salem all his life except when his family moved to Florida and Texas during World War II, and for two years in Korea when he served in the Army. He is a graduate of the Indian Mountain School in Lakeville, CT, Proctor Academy in Andover, NH, and the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH. He also took courses toward a Masters of Agronomy at the University of Northern Iowa in Cedar Falls, IA. After college, Mr. Purdy returned to work with his father in the family office in Purdys, NY, helping to manage the family’s commercial farms in the Midwest. Mr. Purdy was the sixth generation of his family to be involved in the business. 

As a lifelong resident of North Salem, Mr. Purdy was involved in many town organizations. For several, including The Ruth Keeler Memorial Library, the North Salem Historical Society, and the Chamber of Commerce, he served as Treasurer for many years. For another, Ivandell Cemetery, he was the President. For others yet, St. James Episcopal Church, the North Salem Improvement Society, and the North Salem Bridle Trails Association, he was a faithful volunteer for fundraisers and gatherings year in and year out. For perhaps 30 years, Mr. Purdy was in charge of the Christmas Eve bonfire at the town Christmas Tree. Mr. Purdy’s family had a longstanding commitment to the town, having arrived in the area in the mid-1700s.

Mr. Purdy was a wonderful man, an old-school gentleman of the best sort, a thoughtful listener and a solid giver of wise advice. He was dependable and loyal and kind. He was generous with his time. Above all, he was incredibly proud of his family, friends, and all of the many organizations and businesses to which he devoted his service year in and year out. Mr. Purdy will be sorely missed by all who knew him throughout his long and active life.

Mr. Purdy is survived by his younger sister Ellen Low Webster and her wife Shirlee Mae Bromley of Claremont, CA; his daughter Sophia Lyon Purdy of Sharon, CT, and her children Thatcher and Greta Meili; his step-daughter Bartley Inge Johnstone, her husband John Everett Scofield of Sharon, CT, and their daughter Everett Inge Scofield; and his niece Marilyn White Webster, of Conway, MA. Mr. Purdy is also survived by his companion of many years, Karen Stern of Greenwich, CT.

A memorial service will be held at St. James Episcopal Church in North Salem, NY, on August 3rd at 10:00am. Gathering to follow in the St. James Village Hall, 11:00am to 2:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library, the North Salem Historical Society, Ivandell Cemetery, St. James Episcopal Church, the North Salem Improvement Society, and the North Salem Bridle Trails Association.

Thanks to all who braved the heat and joined us on Sunday, July 14, at our annual Strawberry Festival.  Our presenter, Sean Grady, on Life of a Militia Soldier in North Salem in 1774, was truly outstanding.  And the strawbery shortcake was "not bad at all" to quote a former trustee and fan of delicious food!

A huge thank you to everyone who attended our Feb 9 Valentine Party

The event was sold out!

Can you smell the Gingerbread?  Oh what fun they had.  

If you are not a member we hope you will consider joining us.  If you want to receive our emails with information on our events and latest postings, consider joining our list-serve by signing up here:  Join List-Serve 

Our Annual Meeting and Pot Luck Supper was so much fun!  Fabulous food, beautiful setting at Vails Pavilion and lots of fun with our history trivia questions a la the popular NPR show, Wait Wait Don't Tell Me!  

See our latest Nugget - Maple Acres  - below.  Visit our page History Nuggets to see all of them to date!

• We've joined SmileAmazon.  Did you know that if you use https://smile.amazon.com/ instead of just Amazon.com you can select a local charity to receive a small percentage of your purchases, all donated by Amazon?  It has the exact same low prices, selections and convenience as Amazon with the added benefit that they will donate 0.5% of your eligible purchases to the charity of your choice.  Check it out, please!

The Seventh Graders had a wonderful history tour of North Salem:

We had the best chili ever on Sunday, January 27, 2019 at the White Elephant.  And the Raffle winner of the Horse-drawn carriage ride was....

We had a full house on Friday, November 30, 2018 for our Winter in Upper Salem cocktail party.  

Due to the wonderful attendance and support for NSHS we decided to give all the proceeds from the wreath silent auction to the Organization of Choice (instead of a 50/50 share).  We thank everyone who participated.

 What a beautiful day and walk in the on Sunday, November 4, 2018.  We hiked through sections of Mountain Lakes Park and caught a glorious view to the north from a spot close to where the Port of Missing Men tavern once stood.  Afterwards lunch at the White Elephant where numerous photos were on display as well as one of the original Registry books.  Some 20,000 people traveled great distances to see this property in the early 1900s.  Now we know why! 

We periodically have an historical display in the Library conference room.  We are working on a new one and should have it up before the library reopens. 

We received a donation of benches from Therese Donahue, and trustee Peter Bliss has spruced them up with a fresh coat of stain.  See how perfectly matched they are for our patio with grindstone centerpiece:

Thanks to all who hiked through Mill Hollow with us.  What a wonderful day!  Here are some photos

  Archives:  Oh What Fun We Had.  Pig Roast 2017:

 July 16, 2017, Sunday:  Strawberry Festival - thank you CF Fire Department, Rob Fogle of Groundbreakers, Jack DeStories from Fairfield Auction, Hannah Holtzer our facepainter, Maggie and Martin our music ensemble and all who came and enjoyed the day!

Strawberry Festival 2016:   Thank you to the Croton Falls Fire Department, 

Jo Ann Brown (spinner), Michael Blum (balloonist), Chez Leonard (hot dog stand)