Crossroads of Rockland History
Crossroads of Rockland History, a podcast of the Historical Society of Rockland County. Host Clare Sheridan welcomes guests every month to to explore, celebrate and learn about the rich history of Rockland County and the Lower Hudson Valley, NY.
Crossroads of Rockland History
Anna Frances Levins with Eve Kahn and Elizabeth Stack-Crossroads of Rockland History
A 30-minute version of this interview originally aired on Monday, March 17, 2025 at 9:30am on WRCR Radio 1700AM.
Crossroads celebrated both Women’s History Month and Saint Patrick’s day with a discussion about an exciting program coming up at Harmony Hall in Sloatsburg. Eve Kahn, the former Antiques Editor for the New York Times and Elizabeth Stack the Executive Director at the American Irish Historical Society will joined host Clare Sheridan to discuss Anna Frances Levins, the Irish American artist and entrepreneur who traveled widely to photograph remotest Ireland and created portraits of sitters ranging from Pope Pius X to martyred Irish revolutionaries.
Anna Frances Levins founded her own company, Levins Press, which published lavish books about the history of Ireland and Irish Americans, and her photos appeared by the hundreds in books, newspapers, and magazines. Levins also helped the newest Irish arrivals at Ellis Island, combating her era's bitter prejudices against immigrants. She eventually married one of her portrait sitters, an Irish baronet. Despite all of this, Levins has ended up in contemporary obscurity.
About the guests:
Eve Kahn is an Independent scholar and former Antiques Columnist at The New York Times. She is an award winning author who writes about art, architecture, and design for the Times among other publications.
Elizabeth Stack, PhD, is the Executive Director of the American Irish Historical Society in New York City. Dr. Stack was previously the executive director of the Irish American Heritage Museum in Albany, NY and before that she taught Irish and Irish American History and was an Associate Director at Fordham University’s Institute of Irish Studies. She completed her PhD at Fordham, writing about Irish and German immigrants in New York at the turn of the twentieth century, as they grappled with the immigration restriction movements of that time.
About the Program: Anna Frances Levin on Sunday, March 30th, 2:00 pm at Harmony Hall, Jacob Sloat House in Sloatsburg, NY.
Tickets available at https://www.friendsofharmonyhall.org/events
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The American Irish Historical Society will also host Eve Kahn for "Rediscovering Anna Frances Levins” on March 25th at 6pm. Info here: https://aihsny.org/events-2/rediscovering-anna-frances-levins-forgotten-irish-american-photographer-publisher-political-activist-and-baroness
Crossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the morning show on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms and at our website.
The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York.