PARK RIDGE—Prior to the industrial revolution, fiber and textile arts were a vital part of everyday life for the families of the rural Pascack Valley.
The Pascack Historical Society opens its 2025 lecture series with a visit from Celeste Sherry, an expert spinner and “living historian,” who will discuss the history of spinning and textiles from the Stone Age to the 19th century. Learn how natural materials, from both plants and animals, were transformed into fabrics long before the phrase “fast fashion” entered our lexicon.
Sherry’s presentation runs on Sunday, March 9 at 2 p.m. in the Society’s lecture hall, 19 Ridge Ave. in Park Ridge. All ages are welcome to attend, including children when accompanied by an adult. There is no cost for PHS members and students; non-members are asked to give a $5 donation at the door, which will go toward maintaining the museum. Complementary refreshments are included.
Dressed in the habit of a middle-class woman of 1775, Sherry will speak on the history of spinning and fiber/textile arts throughout history, as far back as the Neolithic era. Demonstration will include spinning on an 18th century reproduction Saxony spinning wheel and on a variety of historic reproduction drop spindles. She will have a hands-on display of a variety of fibers (flax, silk, alpaca, cotton, etc.), naturally dyed yarns, and 18th century textile tools and wool/linen garments. Attendees who wish to try their hand at spinning on a drop spindle may do so. A question-and-answer forum follows the lecture.
There is no registration for this program, and seating is first-come, first served. The museum opens at 1 p.m. Feel free to claim your seat in the lecture hall and then enjoy the exhibits for a while.
Sherry has more than 40 years of experience in re-enacting and demonstrations of 18th century life. As a retired professor of English literature and writing at two Rockland County colleges and a recipient of the SUNY Chancellor’s Award for Excellence in Adjunct Teaching (2021), she brings her educational skills as well as decades of historical research to her talks and demonstrations.
For more information on the Pascack Historical Society or its programs, call 201-573-0307 or log onto pascackhistoricalsociety.org. For more about Celeste Sherry, visit historyspinning.com.