INTERVIEW
Shirley Katherine McCarty Briggs (1921-2018)
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Born in Coeymans on July 12, 1921, Shirley spent nearly a century
preserving the memories, traditions, and history of her hometown. A
graduate of Coeymans High School at age sixteen, she earned a
Bachelor's Degree in Music from Potsdam State University in 1942 and
later a Master's Degree in Education from SUNY Albany. For
twenty-eight years she taught music in the Ravena-Coeymans-Selkirk
School District, inspiring generations of students through classroom
instruction, school productions, piano lessons, and community
musical programs.
Music and service were central to her life. For nearly fifty years
she served as organist and choir director of the Coeymans Reformed
Church, while also contributing to numerous civic organizations,
including the Ravena-Coeymans Historical Society, of which she was a
founding member. Her knowledge of local history, family stories,
river commerce, and everyday life along the Hudson River made her a
treasured resource for residents, researchers, and visitors alike.
During the fall and winter of 2003, Shirley participated in an
extensive oral history project conducted in her home by Linda S.
Bruno. Over the course of approximately twenty-three hours of
recorded interviews, Shirley shared her memories of growing up in
Coeymans during the 1920s and 1930s, her family's deep roots in the
community, life along the Hudson River, local schools, churches,
businesses, transportation, and the many people who shaped the
village and hamlet over the years.
These interview sessions captured not only historical facts, but
also the personal stories, observations, and experiences of someone
who witnessed much of the twentieth century in Coeymans firsthand.
Linda S. Bruno's interviews helped preserve a remarkable record of
community life that might otherwise have been lost to time.
Through Shirley's words, visitors can experience Coeymans not only
as a collection of historic buildings and landmarks, but as a living
community filled with stories, memories, and generations of families
who called it home.
More than a narrator, Shirley serves as a bridge between the past
and present. Her recollections preserve a way of life that might
otherwise be forgotten and allow future generations to hear the
history of Coeymans through the voice of someone who lived it.
We also recognize Linda S. Bruno for conducting and preserving these
invaluable oral history interviews. Her dedication and commitment to
documenting Shirley's memories created an enduring historical
resource that continues to educate and inspire.
We gratefully dedicate this Virtual Walking Tour to the memory of
Shirley Katherine McCarty Briggs, whose lifelong commitment to
preserving local history continues to educate and inspire all who
visit the Hudson River community she loved so dearly.
