Black History Month display features community patron
Bates owned local resort, used talents to raise funds
KINGSTON — A new display in Ulster County’s Historical Profiles series features entertainer and community patron Clayton “Peg Leg” Bates.
The exhibit panel will be on display during February on the first floor of the County Office Building, 244 Fair St., Kingston, as part of Black History Month celebrations.
County Clerk Nina Postupack said Bates, a dancer and resort owner, was a beloved member of his community, both in Kerhonkson and his childhood home of Fountain Inn, S.C. He spoke to youth groups, taught at dance schools and performed regularly right up to the night before he died in 1998 at the age of 91. According to the South Carolina Encyclopedia, he is buried in Ulster’s County’s Palentown Cemetery.
“He loved entertaining and often used his talents to raise funds for the less fortunate,” Postupack said in a news release. “Peg Leg was a firm believer that everyone deserved happiness, regardless of race or their condition in life ... he was a joyful man whose main goal was to inspire others to rise above their situations and
make the most out of life.”
On Wednesday, Feb. 1, the Peg Leg Bates Historical Profile will be at two Black History Month kickoff events. From 10 a.m. to noon, the panel will be displayed at the Kingston City Hall, 420 Broadway, for the Black History Month Kingston breakfast mixer, where attendees can learn about the events and activities planned for this year.
At 5 p.m., the panel will
be displayed at the Ulster County Black History Month kickoff event on the front lawn of the Ulster County Office Building at 244 Fair St.
After these events, the display will be available in the lobby of the County Office Building for the remainder of the month.
For further information, call 845-340-3040 or email countyclerk@co.ulster.ny.us or visit the archives online at ulstercountyny.gov/archives.