Tim Blydenburgh is reporting for the Times Union Ruth Piwonka, Kinderhook village historian, has been named the 2020 recipient of the Martha Washington Woman of History Award. The award is given by Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site every year to a woman who has made a contribution to the history of the Hudson Valley through education, promotion or preservation. Piwonka holds a seat on the Village of Kinderhook Historic Preservation Commission and at one time served as the municipal historian for the town of Kinderhook. She played a significant role in the restoration of Kinderhook's Persons of Color Cemetery, listed by the National Register of Historic Places. For more than 50 years Piwonka has been an independent curator and researcher of Dutch heritage and material culture in the Hudson Valley. She is also a published author and a mentor to students, colleagues and volunteers, the historic site said. The award presentation will take place at Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site, at 2 p.m. on March 22 The public is invited and encouraged to attend. Read the full story in The Columbia Paper.