Although most rivers and ponds are far from fully frozen in January 2022, it is possible that avid ice skater Ruth Mills was enjoying skating season in the late nineteenth century. January is National Skating Month and a time for figure skaters to share their love of ice skating with others. It is the perfect time to learn to skate, but in lieu of getting out on the ice yourself, let us take a look back at skating in the United States a century ago. Given the skating background of Staatsburgh's curator (me), the subject is one of great interest and I have enjoyed researching and writing about skating these past few years! *
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| Unknown skaters enjoying the ice in 1925. Photo Source |
*For more information about Staatsburgh's past programs about figure skating in the Gilded Age, take a look at this Poughkeepsie Journal article, this blog essay, or these essays on Staatsburgh's blog