The Woodstock Historical Society was founded during World War II and incorporated in 1943. Its founders acquired this Federal house as the organization’s main building, and over many years expanded it to accommodate a library, gallery, museum archive, and educational spaces. The organization continues to preserve the history of the Woodstock area, engage in local, place-based education, and serve as a center for historical research, and in 2017 it formally changed its name to the Woodstock History Center. Its mission is sharing and preserving the history of Woodstock through inspiring educational experiences and dynamic collections. The Dana House was originally built in 1807 for Charles Dana, a young merchant, and his soon-to-be wife Mary, at a time when Woodstock was thriving with numerous homes and businesses in its hamlets and abundant new construction. Three generations of the Dana family lived there until 1942. Charles Dana and his son Charles, Jr. were dry goods merchants, and their New York Dry Goods Store stood in the brick building next door. Long after Charles Dana, Jr.’s death, two of his sons established the Elm Tree Press, a printing and publishing firm, in that same neighboring building.