GILBOA— Driving through the green fields of Schoharie County, you’re reminded that history is not just found in the soil; it is kept alive by the families who tend it. Today, eleven-year-old Reed Shultes of Gilboa, NY extends his family’s legacy in his own quiet way, running a yard sale to benefit the Gilboa Museum & Nicholas J. Juried History Center once a month through the museum season. Opening day for the ‘Red Shed’ is June 6th.
When he’s not attending school at Gilboa-Conesville Central School, or volunteering for the Gilboa Museum, Reed is usually doing one of the things he loves best--pitching for his ball team. This summer, he’ll be “pitching” to preserve local history at “The Red Shed,” an earlier gift to the museum from long-time supporter Dottie Pickett has slowly been transformed by Reed with help from his grandparents, Kristen and Walt Wyckoff and a supportive board of directors, into a storage unit for yard sale items that will be sold to benefit the Gilboa Museum.
This story could go back to Reed’s great-grandparents, Wallace and Sylvia Van Houten. Wallace, a longtime Middleburgh science teacher and county historian, mapped local stretches of the Long Path hiking trail and volunteering at the Old Stone Fort Museum. Sylvia served the Iroquois Indian Museum as an early trustee, sorting through colonial deeds and organizing old Native American records to make local history accessible. Together, they laid a foundation of stewardship, ensuring that the early stories of Palatine settlers and the physical trails of the valley were not lost.
That passion for the land moved straight down to Reed’s grandparents, Kristen and Walter "Walt" Wyckoff. The Wyckoff family’s presence in Gilboa dates back over 130 years, spanning many generations. Walt grew up exploring the backroads of Gilboa, learning the contours of a valley altered by the Schoharie Reservoir. Kristen became a pillar of the Gilboa Museum, helping transform it into a vital regional hub. A gifted artist with a deep knowledge of paleobotany, she painted the museum’s detailed murals, bringing the world’s oldest prehistoric fossil forest to life for visitors and the many tours she conducts.
The family’s connection to the earth took another turn with Reed’s mother, Trista Shultes. A certified landscape designer, Trista designed the original plantings on the museum grounds and maintains them to this day while running her own nursery and greenhouse business on Route 23C in Jewett.
Now, we have young Reed. His steady volunteer efforts at the Gilboa Museum and Nicholas J. Juried History Center on Stryker Road in Gilboa show that the family tradition of community care is still going strong. Looking towards the future, the landscape will continue to change, but the roots planted by generations of Van Houtens, Wyckoffs, Shulteses and other heritage families ensures that the community will remain grounded. Reed’s efforts give his community—and the Gilboa Museum-- good reason to be hopeful for the future, proving that the spirit of protecting our local history is safe in the hands of the next generation.
Come, meet Reed and discover the Gilboa Museum for yourself on Saturday, June 6th from noon to 4 pm when he opens the door of his “Red Shed” yard sale as a fundraiser for the museum.
