a brief history
Carved out of the wilderness of Risingville, NY in 1858, what was to become Beulahland was originally home to one of three Rising brothers, Justus, and his young family. Farming and lumber supported the clan, with house and barn-raising skills acquired as needed.
The land was a working farm until the late 1960's, when, losing its barn to fire and two-thirds of the land to sale, it became a 'farmette', now less than 40 acres. Another change of hands in 1972 to Noel and Caryl Jones-Sylvester, two young artists from NJ, laid the foundation for Beulahland. (Referenced in John Bunyan's "Pilgrim's Progress", as "the Enchanted ground (heaven) is placed... nigh to the land Beulah"). They pressed their noses up against the windows, and without ever stepping inside the house, bought the property. Their dream was to transform the main part of the house into a gallery, to create an art haven in the backwoods. Over the next 20 years, they completely remodeled the house, surrounded themselves by gardens, kept turkeys, made artwork, befriended many of the neighbors, and imbued Beulahland with magic and charm. On Thanksgiving morning in 1997, however, Beulahland tragically lost Caryl in a fatal car accident. A dark cloud hovered over Beulahland for a number of years, and efforts to bring the gallery to life halted. Sumac took over the gardens and sculptures in the lower field. The dug out area for the addition slowly filled up with weeds. Beulahland fell silent. |
Then, in 1999, Jennifer Fais entered the scene and began spending more time with Noel at Beulahland, painting watercolors and painting shutters. She inspired Noel to continue working on improvements to the house and the grounds. Light started shining more brightly through the freshly windexed windows, glinting off of newly polished silver. The incessant list of projects sprung to life again. Bird songs filled the air in the summer and the wood-burning furnace kept the house cozier than ever in the winter.
In 2006, for Amelia Fais Harnas's 24th birthday, called Kabloomer Blast, the first epic festivities were held at Beulahland. It started with a 7-foot bonfire and bottle rockets and resumed the next day with Extreme Croquet in steady pouring rain. However, just days later, Beulahland entered into a second troubled time when the house and out buildings were foreclosed. Over 25 years worth of collections of artwork and tools and dishes and antiques had to be quickly sorted and stored. As the lock was turned, though, a peacock walked on the front porch. A symbol of rebirth, resurrection, of things to come. Through the generosity of a member of Noel's family, he was able to buy back the property and start over fresh. With the house empty, he and Jennifer were able to make much needed improvements and add more fresh paint, which was a beautiful silver lining. In 2010, Amelia returned from Portland, OR, invigorated by the innovative and wildly creative scene she experienced there, and was brimming with energy to pour into Beulahland. |
Amelia started a small salon series and somehow convinced Jennifer to retire and throw another epic party, called Flingenburnen. Then, while trying to figure out the best way to celebrate Jennifer's upcoming 60th birthday, The Hours Festivals were born. At first, it was just going to be a one-time-shot. But the success of 60 Hours of Art led to 61 Hours, followed by 62. Beulahland exploded into a glowing hub of collaborative and personal creative projects, where folks shared their talents and conducted artistic experiments together, and so many bonfires, sky lanterns, and happy voices lit up the sky. 63 Hours featured the long-anticipated marriage of Jennifer & Noel, complete with confetti cannons accidentally knocking out the power to the house.
House-gutting, well-digging, & nip-and-tucking reconstruction brought new life to a farmhouse-in-decline. Through several five-year plans, and the gamut of what life offers, Beulahland again balances on precipice and principle of the necessity of art in our very existence. |