Get to Know the WHS
Over a century ago, on April 19th of 1906, a small group of Warwick residents gathered in one of the YMCA rooms to formally establish a Historical Society in Warwick.
“Y.M.C.A. Building Warwick, NY” Today known as The 1810 House and home of the Warwick Historical Society.
A few of these citizens maintained residences in NYC, and were aware of the NYC Historical Society that had been started in 1805 also by a few farsighted and enlightened people. The first few meetings involved discussions on the title for the Society and the mission. The name chosen was The Historical Society of the Town of Warwick (HSTOW) and the original mission read:
“Its object shall be the marking of historic places, the discovery, collection, preservation and publication of the history, historical records, genealogies, biographies, and topographical information relating to the Town of Warwick, in the County of Orange and neighboring localities and the diffusion of a sound historical taste and the fostering of a patriotic sentiment”.
Today, The Historical Society of the Town of Warwick devotedly works to preserve twelve historic buildings and grounds, and thousands of items located throughout and related to Warwick, NY. Our landmark buildings, parks and extensive historic collection preserve over 250 years of this towns incredible history.
The WHS Board, Office Staff, Members & Volunteers are the heart and soul of the Warwick Historical Society, as they have been since its inception in April, 1906.
WHS Board of Directors 2024-2025
From left, seated: Michael Bertolini, Susan Metzger
Second row: Jennifer O’Connor, Christopher Ford, Corrine Iurato, Mary Ann Knight
Third row: Richard Leo, Kim Evans, Jack Ellis, Mary Collura, Chris Olert, Jake Tuckfelt
Not Pictured: Kim Lukas & John Tracy
Warwick Historical Society
Board of Directors
Corrine Iurato - President
Mary Collura - Vice President
Jennifer O’Connor - Immediate Past President
Michael Bertolini - Curator
Kim Lukas - Treasurer
Jack Ellis- Recording Secretary
Mary Ann Knight - Trustee
Kim Evans - Trustee
Christopher Ford - Trustee
Rich Leo - Trustee
Susan Metzger - Trustee
Chris Olert - Nominating Committee Chair
John Tracy - Trustee
Jake Tuckfelt - Trustee
Specialty Committees
& Local Official Historians
Archivist Emerita - Cathryn Anders
Buildings & Grounds Chair - Rich Leo
Collections Chair- Michael Bertolini
Education Chair - Mary Ann Knight
Finance Chair - Susan Metzger
Town of Warwick Historian - Richard Hull
Deputy Town Historian - Sue Gardner
Village of Warwick Historian - Ivy Jordan-Tulin
Village of Florida Historian - Joan Kissinger
Village of Greenwood Lake Historian - Marilyn Hayden
Drowned Lands Historical Society - Pine Island
WHS Office Staff
Christopher Sloan - Executive Director
Lisa Ryan - Office Manager
“Let us not lose interest in this little society of ours. It is a good thing and the books and statistics that we are collecting are valuable now and will be more valuable and possibly more appreciated fifty years from now than they are at present. Try to help the work along all you can, one and all.”
Elizabeth Burt, first recording secretary of the Warwick Historical Society 1910