For generations, Ulster County’s cement industry drew workers and families from across the country and around the world, transforming the Mid-Hudson Valley through migration, labor, and community-building. The ruins it left behind aren’t just industrial archaeology — they are the physical residue of lives lived, communities formed, and an economy that boomed, busted, and disappeared. In this immersive program, All-American Ruins creator Blake Pfeil brings his signature genre-bending, multimodal storytelling to the Bevier House — featuring audio from the Ambie Award-winning podcast abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast, a screening of the HUDSY-TV docu-series All-American Ruins: Universal Atlas Cement Plant, hands-on artifacts from the Rosendale cement works, and an intimate audience conversation about history, memory, and the landscapes industries leave behind. Featuring special guests Dylan Thuras and Stev Hull-Allen.

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This event is free, but seating is limited—please reserve your spot in advance.
We suggest a donation of $15 to support the Sunday Salon Series and the work of the Ulster County Historical Society. You can contribute online when you RSVP or donate at the event itself via cash, check, or credit card.

Thank you for supporting local history and community programming!

About the Presenters

Blake Pfeil is an Ulster County-based multidisciplinary artist whose work explores abandoned spaces and the communities that once filled them. His project All-American Ruins — a multimedia travelogue reimagining industrial ruins through documentary audio, film, and live performance — has won dozens of awards, been featured in 13 countries and 17 states, and earned coverage in Business Insider, Forbes, People, and Atlas Obscura. The podcast arm of the project, abandoned: The All-American Ruins Podcast, received three UK Press Gazette Future of Media Award nominations for Regional Podcast of the Year and was named Podcast of the Year by the American Writing Awards in 2026. Blake has served as a guest producer for History Colorado’s Lost Highways and is Operations & Programs Manager at TMI Project and co-host of Cinema Kingston! on Radio Kingston/WKNY. He lives in High Falls with his handsome partner Jake and their equally handsome pup Jax.

About All-American Ruins

All-American Ruins is a multimedia travelogue in which Blake Pfeil recounts his experiences exploring abandoned spaces around the world, reimagined through podcast, documentary film, and live audio theatre. The project has been featured in 13 countries and 17 states, spotlighted in major national media, and screened during AMC, Cinemark, and Regal Cinemas pre-shows nationwide through a partnership with Noovie. The live performance piece Fading Transmissions from a Republic of Ruins has been developed and presented at festivals including On Air Fest in Brooklyn and the O+ Festival in Kingston.

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Dylan Thuras is the co-founder of AtlasObscura.com, the collaborative guide to the world’s hidden wonders. He is the co-author of three New York Times bestsellers Atlas Obscura, Gastro Obscura, and The Explorer’s Guide for The World’s Most Adventurous Kid. Dylan hosted Brand USA’s Small Town Big Story TV series as well as the number one travel podcast in the U.S., The Atlas Obscura Podcast. Dylan is currently the Head of Storytelling and Creative for Miles Partnerships and lives in the Hudson Valley with his wife, Michelle, and two kids, Phineas and Jean.

Stev Hull-Allen is a storyteller and solo traveler drawn to the quiet mysteries of forgotten places. His work is shaped by the folklore of his Appalachian and Scottish heritage and by the hush of abandoned spaces, where memory seems steeped into the bones of a place like smoke into old velvet. You’ll often find him walking old train tracks, sitting fireside, or lost in the crowd at a punk show. Stev plays acoustic guitar and draws inspiration from he uncompromising creativity of his friends. He often volunteers his time in the Hudson Valley, where he believes in the power of art to build community and bring dynamic voices to the cultural forefront