PETERBORO — Historian Norman K. Dann continues the Summer Sunday Series at 1 p.m.
Sunday, Aug. 18 with a look back at “Greene Smith: Rebel and Outdoorsman” at the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, 5304 Oxbow Road. Smith was contrary in his family from the way he spelled his name to the passions he followed in his short life.
Dann will discuss the causes of the rebelliousness and the reaction of his parents, Gerrit and Ann Smith. Perhaps best known for the bark-covered remarkable Birdhouse museum on the family estate, Smith made other contributions which will be described during the program. Smith designed and built The Birdhouse, which was an unusual museum with a large collection of preserved North American birds, also with live birds and pools of running water.
The Ornithon, as he named the museum, will be described from diagrams and descriptions from persons who had been in the beautiful structure. At the close of the session, attendees will be guided to the site of The Birdhouse. The program will examine the national impact of Smith’s progressive wildlife conservation ideas, and his recognition by a state hall of fame.
Smith contributed significantly to the growing public knowledge about the importance of protecting wild animal species. The program will demonstrate how his life reflected the mid-19th century clash between science and religion, which shows the tension growing between secular and sacred realms of belief, both in his family and in the l.