Look to the sky! The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome exists because Cole Palen (1925-1993) caught the romance of flying as a young boy and never abandoned his dream of creating a living museum.
Before visiting or to learn more about Cole Palen and the beginnings of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome, search the Archives of the Rhinebeck Historical Society.
This image of an airborne white Blerio is included in the Doris Hatschek Collection of 225 slides. From Inns and Boarding Horses, to Hudson Valley Great Estates, Summer Camps and much more, the Doris Hatschek Collection is a great resource for images of the Hudson Valley.
The stories behind Cole Palen, the dreamer, and his acquisition of the aircraft in his living museum are fascinating. From storage in old barns to a pile of rusty parts, Palen breathed life into these flying machines. After meeting Cole Palen, E. Gordon Bainbridge caught the romance of flying and wrote the The Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome; he explained how Cole Palen reimagined and remodeled abandoned aircraft and formed an air strip on a swampy and hilly property.
Below: A grounded white bi-plane and a bi-plane facing an antique car.
Cole Palen’s story inspired me: the words and the images. What a remarkable journey. The image of Cole Palen with a pick mattock over his shoulder walking the land in the beginning stages of the Old Rhinebeck Aerodrome brought to mind my ancestor, unofficial local historian Burton Coon’s words. Words that described Coon’s father clearing the land and building a stone wall before building the family farm up in Milan and pioneers throughout history like Cole Palen who moved stone by stone to build their dream. Click the link for availability of the book in the Starr Library.
See you in October!
From the Archives,
Researcher Bonnie Wood
September 2024