The Castro Collection
The "Castro Collection” gets its name from Kathleen Helmer Castro of Walnut Creek, California. Kathy is a great great grandaughter of D.J. and Caroline Manning France. Kathy graciously donated these items to us in 2016. The documents in the collection relate to the Brower (Brewer), Manning and France families. These families were the among the original settlers of the Wappinger area and were instrumental in its early growth.
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It is a collection of 217 originals and their transcripts of correspondence, personal notes and other documents. The collection also includes several historical artifacts that were donated along with the ephemera collection.
The Castro Collection was originally cataloged and transcriptions were created prior to it being donated to the Wappingers Historical Society. At that time, the archivist broke the collection into 7 volumes. Six of the volumes are of paper ephemera. One volume is about the genealogical information of the France Family and includes an index and source of the artifacts that were donated to the Wappingers Historical Society. The artifacts belonged to the France family and are primarily from the Civil War timeframe.
On this webpage, we have provided a sample of the transcriptions as well as scans of the corresponding original documents.
Volume B - Sample scans of transcripts & summaries
Volume B is one of the volumes referred to above and is shown here to provide a sample of 8 of the 97 documents in this volume. In some cases the transcriptions only broadly describe the contents of the referenced document, in other cases it is a word for word transcription of the original. Click on any line to see a scan of the transcription.
Volume B - Sample Scans of Originals
The items below correspond to the items above. Click on any line to see a scan of the original document that is referred to in the above transcription
Castro / France Collection - Artifacts
Some of the artifacts that were donated in the Castro collection are shown in the photo gallery below. Click on the arrows at the right and left of the strip to advance to other photos. Hover over any photo for information about the item.
Watch fob made of hair of Caroline Manning, wedding gift for her from her husband, 1856.
Piece of the regimental flag carried in second battle of Bull Run, 1862.
Photograph is of Caroline France after her marriage, date unknown.
Watch fob made of hair of Caroline Manning, wedding gift for her from her husband, 1856.
Bird's Eye View of Wappingers Falls
This reproduction of an original 1889 map of the Village of Wappingers Falls is a great addition to any home and makes for a great gift as well. The business buildings are numbered and the key at the bottom of the map tells the name of the business and its proprietor. This high quality reproduction measures 11" high x 22" wide and is suitable for framing. Order yours today from our online gift shop or pick one up the next time you are in our Gift Shop at the Mesier Homestead.
Only $5.00