Enjoy music, a silent auction, and a fun trivia program on a night to be remembered!

We are delighted to announce our upcoming Annual Gala on Sunday, November 2, 2025, an event dedicated to celebrating Putnam County’s history and the exceptional individuals who work to preserve and enhance our local communities. This is the Putnam History Museum’s biggest annual fundraiser, and it’s only with your support that we can preserve and share the history of Putnam County and the Hudson Highlands!

Each year, the General Israel Putnam Trailblazer Award is presented to people whose leadership has made a major impact upon the community and create a path for others to follow.

This year, we recognize Cathy and David Lilburne, a couple whose commitment to building community and sharing history exemplifies the spirit of this award.

David and Cathy have been Philipstown residents since 1982. They have been antiquarian booksellers for forty-nine years and have operated their firm, Antipodean Books, Maps & Prints, in London, Australia, and Philipstown. Read more about our honorees below!

This year, we will also be honoring long-time volunteers Corinne Guinta, Bob Polastre, Janet Rust, Jan Thacher, and Jane Silver Timm with the Putnam County Historic Preservation Award. These volunteers have spent years cataloging our collection of historic photographs, and recently completed an impressive documentation of homes in Cold Spring designed and published by local architect L. I. Mekeel in 1907.

Interested in joining the Benefit Committee? The Gala is PHM’s largest annual fundraising event, and the support of the Benefit Committee is essential to its success. Your participation helps ensure that the PHM continues to thrive, and that the history of our region is preserved for future generations. All Benefit Committee members will be acknowledged on the Gala promotional materials, in the program and signage at the event, and in the Annual Report. You’ll also get a special nametag with a Benefit Committee ribbon to wear if you choose.

If you have any questions, please contact PHM Executive Director Kevin Price at director@putnamhistorymuseum.org or 845-265-4010, ext. 11.

We look forward to celebrating our honorees with you. Thank you for your consideration and continued support!

Important Info: 

Early Bird Ends: Friday, October 10
RSVP Deadline: Wednesday, October 22

Cocktails and silent auction begin at 2:00 PM, entertainment and program to follow. Cocktail attire.

Tickets are no longer available. If you need to change something about your order, please contact education@putnamhistorymuseum.org. 

Thank you to the members of the benefit committee!

Vice-chairs:

Priscilla Goldfarb, Preston Pittman, Rudolph & Sheila Rauch, Philip & Martha Scott, George Whipple III

Benefit Committee:

Paula Andros & John Provet, May Brawley Hill, Jennifer Carlquist, Diana Carulli & Bryan Dunlap, T. Jefferson Cunningham III, Caroline Danford, Peter Hofmann & William Burback, Frank Lucente, Fred and Anne Osborn, Marcelline Thomson and David Duffy, Timothy Wallach & Fleur Fairman, and Anonymous.

Also supported by: 

About the Honorees

David and Cathy Lilburne’s passion for history dovetails well with their business. Over the years, they have assembled large collections on the Hudson Highlands and the history of tea. They have been privileged to value or handle items of historical importance. One of their favorite moments includes the identification of “The Course of the Exchange” which was published in 1697. This book is the only known copy of the first year of this stock and currency trading record, which is the genesis of “The Stock Exchange Daily Official List” still published in London over 300 years later. They have purveyed several copies of the rare Antarctic book the “Aurora Australis” of which only sixty-five copies were ever published. These were written, printed, and bound in the Antarctic under the supervision of Ernest Shackleton in 1908. Their collection of Hudson River prints was featured on Bill Moyer’s 2002 special “America’s First River; Bill Moyers on the Hudson.”

Both David and Cathy volunteer often in the community. David has been a member of the Cold Spring Lions Club since 1983 and is a recipient of the Melvyn Jones Lifetime Achievement Award. He has a long association with the Desmond Fish Library, the Garrison Volunteer Ambulance Corps, the Ephemera Society of America, and the Antiquarian Booksellers Association of America. Cathy was a Garrison School board member for 8 years. She has been a board member of the Putnam-Northern Westchester BOCES board since 2002 and is currently board vice president. David is a native of Perth, Western Australia and Cathy is a native of the Hudson River Valley. They have three sons, Will, Doug, and Jon.