Greenville calendar pays tribute to area barns

GREENVILLE―The 2027 Greenville Area Barns is a remarkable calendar. Produced by Greenville Town Historian Don Teator and the Greenville Local History Group, it is a one-of-a-kind keepsake, departing from the routines of the previous thirty calendars (1991, the first).

The reception to this one-of-a-kind calendar has been enthusiastic. Barns engender a widespread sense of nostalgia, and the details of the captions should spark many a conversation.

The barns garnering the early attention:

May: The Blaisell barn in Coeymans is the largest of the barns in the calendar. Two small human figures, posing grandly on a sunny November day, highlight the size of the barn (nearly 100’ x 40’ x 60’).

February: The Lewisdale farm in Rensselaerville is one of the last two milk-shipping farms, with a generational history over 100 years old. The morning exit of cows heading for greener pastures attracts every eye!

Only 25 photos to go, each one representing a facet of the utilization of barns in the eight-town area.

The longtime purchaser of the calendar will notice two changes immediately. The paper is of heavier stock, allowing for a fuller page spread. The second is a spiral divider, replacing the stapled fold and facilitating a more convenient viewing of the photos.

A third change is the first-ever themed calendar. Instead of twelve vignettes of Greenville local history, the calendar displays an array of existing barns.

Taking identity as an expanded geographic area, this Greenville Area includes not only Greenville but also its seven neighboring towns: clockwise, starting at the 12 o’clock position: Westerlo, Coeymans, New Baltimore, Coxsackie, Cairo, Durham, and Rensselaerville. Seven of the months feature a non-Greenville barn.

Another change is the additional pages, leading to two expansions. The extra eight pages (two calendar sheets) allowed for the inclusion of twelve additional barns in the Honorable Mention section. The viewing of dozens of area barns compelled the Barnsters (the four-person Barn Committee) to share more picturesque barns.

The second result of the additional pages allowed the two principal writers, Greenville Town Historian Don Teator and New Baltimore Town Historian Ted Hilscher, to share two informational addendums. Don wrote a ten-item list of the Testimony Barns Give, a collection of statements of the meaning and value of barns, starting with their construction and finishing with their demolition. Ted created a Barn Primer, defining the characteristics of the Dutch and English barns as well as their origins and adaptations.

A significant visual change from past calendars is the near-full-page use of vivid color, a contrast to the black-and-white calendars of only two years ago. Barns of red, yellow, white, and weather-beaten hues grace the calendar.

A cornucopia of twenty-seven barns fills not only the usual twelve months but also comprises the Honorable Mention section. In addition, both covers recognize the two grand barns of Greenville Town Park.

So, what is the same? The captions, written by the two town historians, average about 150 words, giving context and depth to the barns as well as the calendar.

Also, the same is the inclusion of the GLHG annual recognition. GLHG recognizes a person/couple who has provided service above and beyond ordinary public service for the community and/or who has brought acclaim to the community through their accomplishments. Serendipitously, this year’s recipients―Debbie and Bill Von Atzingen―live in the barn they modernized in the 1980s.

The scope of the calendar has taken Greenville Town Historian Don Teator to places not visited before. The Altamont Enterprise, an excellent weekly newspaper, also runs a print shop, the one that prints this calendar. A call from editor Melissa Hale-Spencer led to an article and an hour-long podcast detailing the Greenville area, the local history group, and the calendar. Both are available at: https://altamontenterprise.com/09122026/don-teator-produces-nostalgic-educational-calendar-greenville-area-barns

A description of the calendar-making process was detailed in the September 2026 GLHG newsletter, available at: https://www.dteator.com/glhg/glhg%20349pdf.pdf

One offshoot of the calendar was an artistic achievement. Debra Teator, surrounded by constant talk of barns, ventured into watercolor, painting first one, then two, and finally all twenty-seven. Her finished 5x7 paintings were delivered to each owner of the barns as a thank you for sharing their barns with the community. Mindful that each painting would not be publicly seen again, the Teators captured the artistic effort in a poster of all 27 barns. The poster is available at the Greenville Library.

Calendars are available through the end of this year or until sold out. A thank you goes to the vendors who carry the calendar:

Greenville:

• Kelly’s-Greenville

• GNH

• Greenville Public Library

Elsewhere:

• Altamont – Altamont Enterprise

• Altamont – Altamont Country Values

• Altamont – Altamont Fairground – December 5 & 12 Festival

• Catskill – Swamp Angel Antiques

• Catskill – Catskill Collectibles

• Coeymans – Coeymans Town Hall

• Coeymans – RCS Library

• Coxsackie – Kelly’s

• Coxsackie – Heermance Library

• Durham – Milk Run

• Freehold – Freehold Country Store

• Ravena – Crossroads Ford

• Rensselaerville – Town Hall

• Rensselaerville – Library

• Westerlo – Town Hall

• Westerlo – Library

Town Historian Don Teator and GLHG are most appreciative of the recognition and support of this “remarkable” calendar.

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