The joys of caroling raises spirits in historic Hudson Valley community
On a chilly December evening, with the promise of cookies, hot cider and spiced wine upon our return, two dozen adults and children strolled the streets of the historic Dutchess County hamlet of Staatsburg, singing Christmas carols in the close-knit community.
I joined the joyful throng of fellow parishioners at St. Margaret's Episcopal Church, neighbors and others from houses of worship around the Mid Hudson Valley.
We sang "Joy to the World," in which we praised Mother Earth as she awaited her king, and pledged to "repeat the sounding joy." In "Oh Come All Ye Faithful," we sang in exultation, in glory to God. We declared we were faithful, joyful and triumphant. We adored him.
This revival of Staatsburg caroling dates back at least 60 years, and possibly more than a century, when the landed gentry of the Gilded Age who lived in their Staatsburg mansions worshipped on Sundays at St. Margaret’s.
In Europe, the tradition dates back to the 1400s in England, when people would go door to door to wish others well during the darkest days of the year, singing carols, and sharing some wassail – a medieval spiced drink.
Located along the Hudson River in the northwest corner of the town of Hyde Park, the hamlet of Staatsburg, which the locals call “the village,” is a predominantly residential enclave. It includes the 1,000-acre Mills Norrie State Park, with Dinsmore Golf Course, a marina and the Mills Mansion, as well as the River and Post restaurant, the Staatsburg Library and the Taconic region headquarters of the state Department of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.
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Our caroling contingent included trumpeter Charles Carroll, of Pleasant Valley, and the Rev. Meredith Kadet Sanderson, of St. James' Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, who came with families from her congregation.
On Baker Street, youngsters in our group rang the doorbell at the childhood home of Shirley Harrington, who came out to listen, smiling as we sang. Harrington, 64, remembered caroling around the neighborhood on crisp December nights back in the 1960s.
“It’s small-town America,” she said. “And sharing the Christmas songs reflects the spirit here. We've always been close here, and inclusive."
The Rev. Michael Corrigan, of St. Margaret’s, led the caroling in a black cape, with a songbook of his favorite carols.
“It’s all about feeling the joy of the Christmas moment,” said Corrigan. “We come together to sing and celebrate the season in a way that creates community in your neighborhood.”
'Staatsburgh Stars' arise
The caroling excursion had personal meaning for me as well. I’ve had caroling parties over the years in the Lake Secor neighborhood in Mahopac. My home holiday decorations feature a gaggle of caroling figurines, purchased 32 years ago by my late mother.
Staatsburg has become a weekend home for me in recent years, with my partner and I attending St. Margaret’s. Since the first year of the COVID pandemic in 2020, I’ve created a public arts project in the village with five-foot high images of stars, which I weave from wooden branches, and string with lights. I call them Staatsburgh Stars, in deference to the original spelling of the settlement in the 1800s, before the U.S. Postal Service eliminated the "H."
The five-pointed star is a symbol of community unity I discovered years ago in Waitsfield, Vermont, at the White Plains Ski Club’s lodge at Mad River Glen, which I visit year-round for skiing, hiking and swimming in the Green Mountains. There, the stars are ubiquitous throughout the Mad River Valley.
Like the caroling, the stars help knit the community together through artistic expression. They were shining throughout the village that night in mid-December. There were eight lit up at St. Margaret’s, and others at the Staatsburgh Public Library gazebo, by the Hyde Park Fire Department’s Christmas tree, in a window at the U.S. Post Office, by the columns at the Staatsburgh Historic Site's Mills Mansion, with several more in yards and porches around the village.
We have six stars outside St. James’ Episcopal in Hyde Park, and another one at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church Mount Kisco, where my great-grandfather was the pastor from 1890 to 1898. Yet another went up last week at the historic Jay Heritage Center on Post Road in Rye.
Robert and Judy Linville, who’ve lived on Mulford Avenue since 1978, had one Staatsburgh Star over their garage door and another on their front porch. They came out on their porch to hear the carolers sing.
Judy said the sounds provided a dollop of good cheer in the diminishing light of mid-December.
“Caroling reflects the whole spirit of Staatsburg, with people coming together, and people taking care of each other in need, and the holiday exacerbates that," she said. "It just makes it all the more wonderful place to be in December."
Follow David McKay Wilson on Twitter @davidmckay415 or email him at dwilson3@lohud.com.
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This article originally appeared on Rockland/Westchester Journal News: Caroling and hanging stars brighten streets of historic Staatsburg
