Alf Evers (1905-2004) was an esteemed regional and local historian, the author of The Catskills: From Wilderness to Woodstock (1972),Woodstock: History of an American Town (1987) and Kingston: City on the Hudson (2005). He made his home in Woodstock for the larger part of his long life and participated fully in the concerns of the town. Alf wrote numerous articles and lectured frequently on historical, artistic, cultural and folklore subjects. Above all, his writing on all aspects of the Catskills shows a meticulous attention to detail and a great love of its natural beauty and its inhabitants, flora and fauna.
Byrdcliffe acquired the Archive shortly before Evers' death at nearly 100 years of age. It encompasses his personal library, research files for his books, copies from state archives, photographs, postcards, stereopticon slides, maps of early Woodstock, local literary magazines, newspaper clippings and Woodstock and Ulster County newspapers from the 1920s and 1930s that are a rich source of information on local artists. There are comprehensive files on the Maverick Concert series, the Woodstock Playhouse, Woodstock Historical Society, Hervey White and the Maverick as well as Byrdcliffe.
Alf Evers was an avid photographer and translated his photographs into a large collection of slides ranging from early mills and glass works to Catskill resorts and works by Art Students League artists. He sought out Woodstock families in order to record their photo albums, and his slides of local shops and private homes document the changing face of Woodstock through the decades.
Click here to listen to an audio tour by Alf Evers about the Byrdcliffe Art Colony!
Students painting Overlook Mountain // Woodstock Library Fair.
The Finding Aid to the Alf Evers Archive (click on the link to download it) is a preliminary listing, not a definitive inventory of its contents. It is a work in progress that will be added to from time to time.
The Archive is available for consultation on Thursdays, 10:00 am – 3:00 pm by contacting Byrdcliffe (Eila Kokkinen) in advance for an appointment at 845.246.1708 or via email at eilakokkinen1@gmail.com.
Art Students League (now Woodstock School of Art) // Maverick Festival Costumes // Art Students League students walking down Tinker Street.