The Lebanon Valley Historical Society’s Tilden Project

submitted by Jeannine Tonetti, Director of the LVHS Tilden Project
In 1824, in New Lebanon, Elam Tilden established Tilden and Company, which became the first pharmaceutical company in the United States. Tilden grew the herbs and then used them to develop and manufacture herbal medicines which were sold locally and nationwide. The company became an important part of the economic, social and environmental life of the community. It closed in 1963 after being absorbed into a series of larger companies.
[private]The Lebanon Valley Historical Society (LVHS) has begun a project to discover the story of the decline and disappearance of the Tilden Pharmaceutical Company during the 20th century and to document the impact of this de-industrialization on the landscape and citizens of the town. In 2010, the LVHS received funds from the NYS Documentary Heritage Program for Phase 1 of the Tilden Project to plan and begin the research. Information and artifacts from the local community were obtained through interviews and donations.
The LVHS is pleased to announce that this year the Society was again awarded a grant from the Documentary Heritage Program of the New York State Education Department. The grant is $3,770 to fund Phase 2 of the Tilden Project – surveying the records. The LVHS has contracted with Steve Oberon, a local archeologist, to research, discover and document information about the Tilden Company in the 20th century. Members of the LVHS will also contribute time to this project.
Plans for phase 3 will be to transcribe the information so it is available for researchers and to present a report to the public.
The records of the Tilden Company are hidden in varied and undiscovered public and private repositories. The LVHS is interested in receiving suggestions about possible locations of information. Please contact the LVHS at P.O. Box 363, New Lebanon, New York, 12125, or call Steve at 518-392-9229.[/private]