There is a rich history of nautical travel along the Hudson River by the means of steamboats, sloops, and barges. This collection chronicles some of the many vessels that made their way up and down the Hudson River during the 1800s and through documents pretaining to their the business transactions.

Postcard production and popularity in the U.S. erupted in the 1890s and early 1900s. This is demonstrated in the collection, with a majority of the postcards hailing from the first half of the twentieth century. Postcards served as a fast and easy way to communicate with peers and loved ones at the time.This collection consists of postcards and some flyers from the Hudson Valley region of New York with most depicting places and things in Poughkeepsie, New York. The collection includes both blank and used postal cards, the bulk of which are from the first half of the twentieth century (1904-1944). Undated postcards in the collection are also presumably from the twentieth century.

The McCann Postcard Collection consists of a series of postcards from the friends and family of the McCann’s around the world from the years 1901- 1908 as well as a book on a car’s transcontinental journey.

The 1909 Hudson-Fulton Celebration Collection, c. 1901-2009, contains materials and souvenirs associated with the commemorative celebration. The Hudson-Fulton Celebration commemorated the 300th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of the Hudson River and the 100th anniversary of Robert Fulton’s first successful commercial application of the paddle steamboat. The collection was created by Allen Fink and Susan Bette Fink (nee Budson). They devoted years to researching and collecting Hudson-Fulton Celebration items to create a comprehensive collection of materials telling the event's story.

The Annia F. Booth Papers contains the journal of Annia Booth, which details her life starting in January 1904 through 1905.

This collection contains materials from Brother Russell's time in the US Army during World War II and his time as a Novitate and Marist Brother. John J. Russell was born on February 29, 1920 to Joseph Russell and Genevieve Toner in Manhattan, New York. John was drafted into the Air Force during World War II. At the end of John’s Army career in 1946, he heeded his late calling to join the Order of Marist Brothers. Brother Cornelius was a humble person who lived by the Marist Principle to “do good quietly.”

The Weiss Papers is the documentation by Brother Gerard Weiss of his family from 1879-1964. The collection includes correspondence, mortgage deeds, insurance policies, newspaper clippings, diaries and photographs pertaining to the Weiss family.

Cameron Stewart Reynolds, at the age of 26, began his military career in training at Fort Dix, New Jersey in 1953 and stationed in Germany through 1956. Reynolds wrote dozens of letters from abroad to his parents and sister back in Poughkeepsie, N.Y., which are featured in this collection. Reynolds’ travels brought him to England, Spain, Switzerland, and France at points, as can be seen in the letters and photographs. Reynolds was promoted to Corporal and later to specialist rankings during his military service, but did not re-enlist, completing his duties in Europe in November of 1956. On February 2nd, 1958, Reynolds married Dianna Wright. Cameron Reynolds went on to work for Ring Real Estate in Hyde Park and for his father’s business, S.J. Reynolds Inc., a Poughkeepsie Chrysler Dealership. This collection contains materials created or saved by Cameron Reynolds and family throughout Cameron Reynolds’ life, most notably during his time stationed overseas in 1950s Germany.

The Clove Spring Iron Works papers cover the day to day business operations of the company between the years 1870-1904. The papers include a variety of materials including business correspondence, telegraphs, contracts, legal documents, bills, receipts, checks, vouchers, deposit slips, balance sheets, payments, postcards, construction blueprints, paychecks, order records, invitations, tax receipts, weights of coal, price lists, account statements, lease agreements, insurance, and annual reports.

The Cunneen-Hackett Papers consists of materials from the estate of Charlotte Cunneen-Hackett. Various belongings include family bibles, books concerning religious and nature themes, personal journals, diaries and photo albums. Additionally, there is another section dedicated to correspondence of New York State Senator Hatfield and information regarding Senate Bills he was influential in forming.