Sweet treats and Revolutionary tales: Strawberry Festival returns to North Salem

NORTH SALEM, N.Y. - The weather was perfect and the shortcakes topped with whipped cream were yummy at the North Salem Historical Society’s annual Strawberry Festival.

Held on July 12 at the organization’s headquarters on Keeler Lane, the activity-packed event drew a large crowd.

Under the tent, folks perused the society’s  “Men of the Revolutionary War” display, which was created in honor of the nation’s 250th anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence.

For years, local historians thought there were about 60 local men who had fought in the American Revolution. (There are markers for 46 such veterans in North Salem cemeteries.)

However, a recent project spearheaded by Trustee Selina Dorfi uncovered the names of 100 men who were Revolutionary War patriots.

The society said it is learning “more about the places they had been and the experiences they endured.”  Several had even been captured by the British and held in the infamous Sugar House prison in New York City.

The Bicentennial Quilt, soon to be rehung in the Ruth Keeler Memorial Library, which is partnering with the historical society on a summer writing project, “Patchwork of Stories,” was on display.