The Women’s History Institute of Historic Hudson Valley Summer Research Fellowship
Apply now to be a 2027 Women’s History Institute Summer Fellow!
Historic Hudson Valley is pleased to offer summer research fellowships through our Women’s History Institute to support matriculated college and graduate studentsthrough our Women’s History Institute. This fellowship is for students engaged in scholarly research focused on the women who shaped the culture and chronicle of the Hudson River Valley. It is an opportunity to gain a privileged and sustained engagement with the substantial archives, collections and research library of Historic Hudson Valley, as well as special access to its historic sites.
Fellowships can be on site or low-residency and include a stipend of $3,000. Past Fellows have studied subjects including young women’s education and professions; culinary and architectural history; and the history of medical practice both by and on women.
Fellowship Requirements and Benefits
A maximum of three Research Fellows are chosen each year. Research fellows are given access to Historic Hudson Valley’s library, archives and collections, personalized guidance from Historic Hudson Valley’s Research Librarian and the Archives and Collections Manager, and ample workspace in the Regional History Center at 639 Bedford Road in Tarrytown, NY.
Fellows are expected to produce the following:
- An article or mid-term report of approximately 750 words on a topic related to their research during the period of their Fellowship, and
- A final paper of 2,500 words or more on their findings at the conclusion of their Fellowship.
Fellowship stipends are $3,000 for research undertaken during June, July, and August, with a minimum of 10 days of in-person work at the Regional History Center (where the library, archives and collections are housed).
Application Dates
Residence between June 1, 2027 – August 31, 2027. Low residency candidates are welcome to apply.
Applications containing a cover letter, resume, proposal, interview, and two letters of recommendation must be submitted by December 4, 2026. Successful applicants will be notified by January 29, 2027, and award acceptances are requested by February 12, 2027.
Please contact the Research Librarian and the Archives and Collections Manager by email at [email protected] with inquiries in advance of submitting application materials.
Application Requirements
A complete application consists of five (5) parts.
- A cover letter to [email protected] including:
- Name and contact information of the applicant;
- A general description or abstract of the research project; and the Historic Hudson Valley collections to be consulted (when possible).
- A project proposal of 500 words which describes the theme and format as well as how it relates to the Women’s History Institute of Historic Hudson Valley
- A resume or curriculum vitae
- Two letters of recommendation from recent professors or relevant employer
- A virtual or in-person interview with the Librarian and Archives & Collections Manager (by November 1)
Applications should be submitted in PDF format by email to [email protected].
Archives, Collections and Library
Historic Hudson Valley’s archives and collections represent seventy-five years of collecting and curation. No other institution can offer a more comprehensive view of the Hudson Valley’s material culture or the rich history of the region.
Historic Hudson Valley’s curatorial collection of nearly 8,000 objects is one of best-documented in the Hudson Valley. The collection is particularly strong in the decorative arts, including furniture and ceramics, over 65 percent of which are original family possessions exhibited in situ at our historic houses. HHV’s object storage and archival holdings are housed in a custom-built and climate-controlled facility at our Regional History Center in Tarrytown, NY.
Our archival collections include more than 4,000 rare books and 5,000 manuscripts as well as maps, subject files, photographs, and prints. Among the subjects in our archives are numerous unique items of interest to researchers in women’s history, covering topics such as enslavement and manumission in the Hudson Valley; women’s land ownership; 19th century politics, arts and letters; women’s entrepreneurship and domestic economies; female friendships; childhood; and teenage life.
Historic Hudson Valley’s library offers a general book collection of more than 17,000 titles relating to the history and culture of the Hudson Valley. Subject areas include early African American history, agriculture, American 18– and 19th-century culture, art, architecture, biography, cooking, decorative arts, the history of science and technology, social and political history, textiles, women’s history, and the works of Washington Irving.
In addition to on-site research, Historic Hudson Vallleys’s curatorial, archival, and library holdings can be explored through the Digital Collections Portal on our website. This resource is freely available and provides worldwide access to over 20,000 items related to the individuals who lived and worked at our historic sites as well as broader regional and national history. Applicants to the Summer Research Fellowships are strongly encouraged to review the Digital Collections Portal and to identify relevant topics and items for inclusion in their proposal.
The Women’s History Institute
The Women’s History Institute is a trustee-directed initiative of HHV that seeks to illuminate the significant contributions made by women in the Hudson Valley, past and present, and to reveal the stories of the diverse women who lived and worked at our historic sites. Through research, on-site and digital interpretation, and a lively roster of programs, the Women’s History Institute fosters a deeper understanding of the lives of these and other women of the Hudson Valley and offers a contemporary audience the resources necessary to take inspiration from their history.
