Historic Preservation

A vital part of our mission is to work to preserve the local history, knowledge, and stories of the Beaverkill Valley.

This includes conserving important historical structures and cultural resources. These elements of our community’s history continue to be woven together in our collective effort to respect, conserve, and cherish the region’s importance and legacy.

Lew Beach Community House

In April 2023, BVLT acquired the Lew Beach Community Church from the New York Conference of the United Methodist Church. This building, constructed in 1890 and serving the community with regular religious services for over 100 years, functioned as a gathering place for the Lew Beach portion of the Beaverkill Valley. Like many small churches in our area, the building was shuttered in 2010 due to low congregation participation, and it remained locked and in disrepair for thirteen years.

BVLT purchased the building in order to preserve it as a historic asset, and to re-open it to the people who live and visit the area. With funds raised from the local community, BVLT has taken on a multi-year restoration process, with a new roof and steeple installed in 2023/2024, and a lead remediation and paint project completed in 2025, in addition to hands-on volunteer participation in cleaning and upgrades inside the building.

The newly-dubbed Lew Beach Community House has now opened its doors for regular public educational programing and events. For an events calendar, and to learn more about the Community House, visit the LBCH website:

In addition to our work at the Community House, BVLT has been working on a Heritage Project, conducting interviews with Valley residents to document and save their knowledge of the Valley and its people over past generations.

The work of BVLT is to preserve and protect the legacy of this beautiful place for the future, and a big part of that work is acknowledging and celebrating the people who came before us. This region has a long and rich history of agriculture, timber, fishing, hunting and stewardship, and we are committed to collecting the stories of this place. If you have a story, photos, or other insight to share about the history of the Beaverkill Valley, please contact us at info@beaverkill.org.

Photo Credit: Backman Family