Conrad Hanson is the executive director of The Friends of Clermont, a non-profit organization that supports the museum and historic preservation of the Clermont State Historic Site. He grew up in Oneonta, NY, and after graduating from SUNY Albany, blew his graduation money on a one-way ticket to London. He lived in Europe for two years, then in NYC until he relocated to Columbia County a few years ago, although he swore he’d never live in a small town again. What’s that phrase — never say never? I worked in fashion advertising in the city. I loved the energy and frenetic pace there. But I had bought an historic property in Germantown in 1998, and eventually got to know a mix of people on my weekends in the country. I joined the board of Wilderstein and was always volunteering with other historic sites. I realized I loved gardening, driving or riding my bike on the back roads, hiking the Catskills and Bash Bish Falls. My house, Schoolfield, is a brick Italianate home built in the 1850s. It was gut renovated in 1965, but hadn’t been touched since then. The first year or two of renovation was similar to camping out. At the time my parents and their friends were downsizing and vans of family furniture nobody wanted would show up, so the house got furnished that way. Now I open the house up to guests. I wouldn’t say I’m a fulltime innkeeper, but I enjoy meeting the people who want to spend the weekend at an eccentric country house. I started the daffodil garden from scratch my first year in the house. I wanted to plant a woodland garden — and got poison ivy in the process! I made a goal to plant 500 daffodils every year, and I’ve done it ever since. Now the garden is going farther and farther into the woods. I’ve been executive director of The Friends of Clermont for two-and-a-half years, but I was on the board before that. My philosophy with Clermont is that people should be encouraged to appreciate and experience it, not consider it just a history lesson. Last year we did the Yarn Burst, and this June we are doing a Poetry Trail. Anyone can submit their writing — poetry, prose, haiku, funny stories — and we will laminate it and hang it trailside for visitors to read as they stroll the park. There are writing prompts on our Facebook page to encourage creativity. It drives me crazy when historic homes are not being used for anything, so these activities are a great way for people to interact with the site.
