Extraordinarily rare local films from 1918 and 1919 were recently discovered and restored by The Dutchess County Historical Society. These films have not been seen in 107 years and will be shown at the Starr Cinema which first showed films in 1915.
The films show Boy Scout groups, families, veterans, politicians, community groups—all segments of society celebrating the end of WWI after having endured the privations of war as well as the horror of a flu pandemic. While The effects of WWI and the flu pandemic were devastating, the films also show a joyous small-town celebration, the emergence of women’s rights and the inauguration of the fairgrounds as an annual county fair like no other. Communities depend on volunteers—for food banks, care for those aging in place, fire departments, and service on town boards and nonprofits.
“These films represent a one-of-a-kind visual record of the region’s past and hold immense cultural and historical value.”— The donor of the films trusting DCHS with perpetual care
