Folks at the Thomas Cole National Historic Site in Catskill, NY are busy preparing for the 2010 season and are looking for volunteers. They're currently seeking volunteer docents to conduct tours of the site from May through October. They are also recruiting guides for their hiking program on the Hudson River School Art Trail.
Everyone is invited to an Open House on March 14th, 12 noon, with behind-the-scenes tours and an opportunity to meet other volunteers and ask questions about becoming a docent. The Open House will be followed by a lecture about American landscape painting by Dr. Linda S. Ferber, offered as part of the Cole House’s ongoing Sunday Salon series. Participants in the 12pm Open House will also receive refreshments and complimentary admission to the 2pm lecture.
Reservations are required for participation in the Open House. Admission is free. For more information, please contact Joanna Frang, Education Coordinator, at 518-943-7465 ext. 2, or education@thomascole.org.
Sunday, February 28, 2010
Thomas Cole National Historic Site Seeks Volunteers
By Editorial Staff
Vermont Files Proposed Archeology Rule Change
By Editorial Staff
The State of Vermont has officially filed a proposed revised rule for protecting archeological and historical sites during development, beginning the formal process of review.
Under Vermont's Act 250, the state’s environmental protection and development review law, the Division for Historic Preservation makes recommendations to the district environmental commissions on whether a proposed development would impact “historic sites,” including archeological sites.
The proposed rule revisions clarify that District Commissions, not the Division, have the final decision-making authority about such questions as whether to require additional field studies, and whether a site is historically significant enough to warrant protecting it.
“We don’t issue permits,” Peebles said. “The Division provides testimony to the District Commission about historic and archeological resources, on whether or not a project will adversely affect an ‘historic site,’ and on how much field study should be done to determine whether an area is historically significant and should be protected if a permit is issued. The District Commission makes those decisions.”
One concern raised by the archeology community was that undiscovered “potential” sites must continue to be considered and protected where possible. Peebles, who is also the State Archeologist, says that the revised rule clearly provides for this within the ability of existing state law.
Peebles said that the revised rules clarify that the definition of “historic site” includes archeological sites that have not yet been discovered, and encourages applicants to work with the Division as early as possible in the planning process to identify and protect sites, even well before an Act 250 application is submitted.
“Based on several steps during project review, Division staff can identify an area as historically significant and recommend to the District Commission that an archeological investigation be conducted by the applicant to ensure no undue adverse effect to significant archeological sites,” Peebles said. “The applicant still has the opportunity to present evidence to the commission disputing that.”
The proposed revised rule also sets additional time limits for reviews to make the process more predictable for permit applicants, with exceptions for winter months when the ground may be frozen and archeological field assessments impossible.
Officials with the Division for Historic Preservation said the changes reflected the feedback received during five public meetings this summer around the state.
“The public meetings to get informal feed-back on the proposed changes were very well attended. We heard from a broad spectrum of the archeology and applicant communities about the proposed rule changes,” said Giovanna Peebles, the State Historic Preservation Officer and head of the Division for Historic Preservation. “Based on that, we have further revised our original suggested changes to clarify all aspects of the original rule, including the roles of the participants in the Act 250 process.”
After review by the Interagency Committee on Administrative Rules, the proposed rule revisions will be submitted to the Secretary of State’s Office. The formal rules adoption process includes a public hearing.
After that the rule must be reviewed by the joint Legislative Committee on Administrative Rules before it can be put in place.
Additional details and the draft guidelines are available at www.HistoricVermont.org
Saturday, February 27, 2010
NYS Museum To Close March 6th and 13th
By Editorial Staff
The New York State Museum will be closed to the public on two consecutive Saturdays in March -- March 6 and 13 -- to allow for testing of the emergency power system in the Cultural Education Center building. The Museum will reopen with normal operating hours on the Sundays following the closings, March 7 and March 14 at 9:30 a.m.
The New York State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, it is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year's Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the museum website at www.nysm.nysed.gov.
New Reference Book: Architects in Albany
By Editorial Staff
Every once in a while a book shows up that I know will have a permanent place on my desk-side bookshelf. Architects in Albany, a new book by the Historic Albany Foundation and Mount Ida Press, is a collection of profiles and images of the work of 36 designers and their firms that played a major part in forming Albany's architectural heritage.
Edited by Diana S. Waite, the president of Mount Ida Press, this new volume was five years in the making and expands on a booklet the Historic Albany Foundation published in 1978, soon after Albany's leading historic preservation organization was founded.
Architects in Albany if heavily indexed and includes the work of popularly known local architects like Philip Hooker, Marcus Reynolds, and also the work of builders with a national reputation that worked in Albany like Robert Gibson (Cathedral of All Saints) and Patirck C. Keely (Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception). Albany is unique in that the work of architects brought in by the state is also present in large numbers, and Architects in Albany includes profiles of them as well. Men like Thomas Fuller, H. H. Richardson, and Leopold Eidlitz (State Capitol), are featured along side more recent builders like Edward Durell Stone (SUNY Albany Campus), and Wallace K. Harrison (Empire State Plaza).
The real gems here are the original research, much of it contributed by Cornelia Brooke Gilder, on the lesser known Albany architects. Ernest Hoffman's late 19th century contributions (15 of them) are documented here. Albert W. Fuller, one of Albany's more prolific architects, who built Albany Hospital (the original buildings of the Albany Medical Center) and the Harmanus Bleecker Library, but also banks, clubs, apartment houses, a YMCA, several schools, the Dudley Observatory, the Fourth Precinct Police Station, and a number of residences. The book is heavily illustrated.
Friday, February 26, 2010
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Holy Bullies, Headless Monsters: Black History LGBTs
- Museyon Guides: The Gangster Museum
- NY Times: When There Were Arts Olympians
- Don Rittner: Don't Think About Closing Thacher Park
- Kathleen Airdrie: African Grove Theatre History
- City Journal: The Education of John Jay
- EJ Forbes: Canton Gridiron of 1901
- Clermont: Was Robert Livingston a Scoundrel?
Mellon Fellowship at the New-York Historical Society
By Editorial Staff
The New-York Historical Society invites qualified applicants who are within 3-5 years of having received the Ph.D. to apply for one of two Andrew W. Mellon Foundation Fellowships for research and writing in any field relevant to the Society's library and museum collections. Awardees are expected to be in residence for the academic year commencing on September 1, 2010, and carry an academic year stipend of $60,000. The
deadline for applications is March 1, 2010, with decisions to be announced by April 23.
Applicants should send a cover letter, including date of PhD, current institutional affiliation and rank, mailing and e-mail addresses, telephone and fax numbers, and title of project; a two to three page description of project, including resources to be used; a curriculum vitae; and three letters of recommendation to Jean Ashton, Executive
Vice President and Library Director, 170 Central Park West, New York, NY 10024. Postmark deadline is March 1, 2010; electronic applications must be received by 11:59 p.m. on that date.
Collection descriptions may be found on the New-York Historical Society website.
This Week's Top New York History News
By Editorial Staff
Thursday, February 25, 2010
SepiaTown: A New Historical Image Mapping Site
By Editorial Staff
There is a new historical image website (mobile version coming soon) that lets people experience the past through a large and growing collection of user-submitted, mapped historical images. SepiaTown is just getting started with a collection of over 400 mapped New York City images, plus a growing collection from a host of cities around the world.
In the coming months they'll be adding a number of new features to the site: a mobile version, filtering by date and media type, film and audio upload, plus individualized pages for registered users. Users can upload, map and share their own images; if you like, each image can feature a link to your own site.
Oldest Dutch Farm in Mohawk Valley Seeks Interns
By Editorial Staff
The Mabee Farm Historic Site on the Mohawk River in Rotterdam Junction, Schenectady County, is considered the oldest house in the Mohawk Valley. The Schenectady County Historical Society is continuing to develop the farm site as a museum and educational center for the community and holds Colonial events, workshops, tours and educational programs which reflect the historical significance of this early Mohawk River farmstead.
The Mabee Farm Historic Site is a young, rapidly growing historic site, listed on the National Register of Historic Places and on the New York State Register of Historic Places. Originally established in the mid to late 1600's possibly as an early trading post, the Mabee Farm Historic Site contains one of the oldest houses in New York State. This riverside complex, a time capsule to the past, includes a 17th century dutch style stone house, slave quarters, Inn, 1760 dutch barn family cemetery and other outbuildings. When the farmstead was donated to the Schenectady County Historical Society in 1993, much of the family's heirlooms and furniture were found, some dating to the 17th century and are presently on display.
Site Manager, Pat Barrot is announcing the following two paid internships:
COLLECTIONS INTERN
The Mabee Farm Historic Site is seeking a Collections Management Intern for a summer project. The intern will be responsible for the accessioning process including collections registration, photographing, cataloguing and labeling of artifacts, organizing, housing and documenting completed work. Previous experience working with collections and a knowledge of Past Perfect software is preferred but not necessary.
Must be computer savvy. Responsibilities also include: interpretive guide, participating in special events, school programs and more. We are looking for a strongly motivated, detail oriented person, able to work independently and possessing excellent organizational skills. Must be flexible and able to deal with the public.
Available: May to the end of August from Tuesdays to Saturdays, 9 am - 5 pm. (occasional hours outside that time frame). Compensation: $10.00 per hour/40 hour work week.
HISTORIC SITE INTERNSHIP
The Mabee Farm Historic Site, a three hundred year old historic site located on the Mohawk River in Rotterdam Junction, NY has an opening for a summer intern to work from May to the end of August/September 2010. Tasks include but are not limited to: tour guide, school programs, preparing publicity, gift shop sales, special events and coordinating volunteers. Must be flexible and able to deal with the public. We are
looking for someone with excellent organization skills, able to work independently and able to work well with the public. Must be computer savvy. Available: May to the end of August. The intern will work 40 hours per week Tuesdays through Saturdays 9 am - 5 pm. (occasional hours outside that time frame). Compensation: $10.00 per hour.
To apply email mabeefarm@gmail.com or send a CV to Mabee Farm Historic Site,
1080 Main St., Rotterdam Jct., NY 12150.
Wednesday, February 24, 2010
Books: Historic Photos of New York State
By Editorial Staff
Richard Reisem’s new book, Historic Photos of New York State showcases striking black-and-white images that take you on a journey through New York State during the unforgettable landmark epochs of the Civil War, Prohibition, and the Great Depression. Other historic subjects depicted include the 1939 World’s Fair, the age of the industrialists, the Pan-American Exposition at Buffalo, European immigrants who disembarked at Ellis Island, the Grand Union Hotel at Saratoga Springs, the State Capital at Albany, Niagara Falls, and more.
Among the photographers represented in the Historic Photos of New York State are Matthew Brady, John Collier, Carl Dietz, Arnold Genthe, Lewis Wickes Hine, Listte Model, Arthur Rothstein, Alfred Stiglitz and others. The range of New York experience from 1850 to 1967 is covered in nearly 200 images drawn from around the state.
The author is a former trustee of the Landmark Society of Western New York, and has served on the board of trustees of the Rochester Historical Society. For sixteen years he served on the Rochester Preservation Board and was chair for four years; he spent 31 years at Eastman Kodak.
The book is published by Turner Publishing.
Abraham Lincoln Reurns to The Cooper Union
By Editorial Staff
Widely considered the turning point for the still-obscure Illinois senator, Abraham Lincoln’s forceful appearance in The Cooper Union’s Great Hall 150 years ago is credited with helping him secure the nomination for president. Great Evenings in The Great Hall, The Cooper Union’s dynamic performance series celebrating its 150th anniversary, will offer a powerful finale by recreating one of the most influential presentations ever given: Lincoln’s pivotal Right Makes Might speech from 1860.
Academy Award and Golden Globe winner Richard Dreyfuss (Jaws, The Goodbye Girl, Close Encounters), Tony, Obie and Drama Desk honoree André De Shields (The Wiz, The Full Monty,) and Tony nominee and film actor Stephen Lang (The Speed of Darkness, Avatar) will voice the stirring words that changed a nation. Lincoln scholar and co-chairman of the United States Lincoln Bicentennial Commission Harold Holzer will introduce the evening filled with fiery oration and period music. Michael Unger will direct this free performance.
“Abraham Lincoln: Right makes Might" takes place on Thursday, February 25, 2010 at 6:30 PM at The Cooper Union, New York City. The event is free, however tickets are required. Distribution will begin at 4 p.m. in front of Cooper Union's Foundation Building (East 7th St. b/w 3rd and 4th Aves) on a first-come, first-served basis.
In memory of John Jay Iselin, 10th President of The Cooper Union, this program is the second annual John Jay Iselin lecture, a collaboration of The Cooper Union and the New York State Archives Partnership Trust.
For more information, visit http://www.cooper.edu, call 212.353.4195 or email events@cooper.edu.
Photo: Photo of Abraham Lincoln taken February 27, 1860 in New York City by Mathew Brady, the day of his famous Cooper Union speech.
Tuesday, February 23, 2010
Queen City Review Seeks Black and White Photography
By Editorial Staff
The Queen City Review, the yearly journal of art and literature published at Burlington College, has sent out a call for photographers working in black and white for submissions for their Fall 2010 issue. According to a recent announcement, the journal "accepts the work of new and established writers and artists in the areas of poetry, fiction, creative non-fiction, memoir, photography, and fine art, as well as essays and criticism on all aspects of the aforementioned. We seek to publish high quality work that ranges broadly in topic and genre."
The guidelines for submissions are on the web at www.burlington.edu. Submissions may be emailed to: queencityreview@burlington.edu.
Great Lakes Underwater Event Adds Speakers
By Editorial Staff
New York Sea Grant, the Oswego Maritime Foundation, and the Great Lakes Seaway Trail have added to the March 6 Great Lakes Underwater conference program at SUNY Oswego. The added presentations for the 9am to 3pm event at the SUNY Oswego Campus Center in Oswego, NY, include:
· Dr. Henry Spang and “Building the OMF Ontario - “a floating maritime classroom”
· Skip Couch and the “Lost Fleet of the 1000 Islands,”
· James Sears and four New York State Divers Association “Two-Tank Tips,” and
· Brian Prince of S.O.S. - the Save Ontario Shipwrecks program preserving Ontario Canada’s maritime heritage.
Oswego Maritime Foundation (OMF) Director of Education through Involvement Dr. Henry Spang will talk about the volunteer effort that is completing the construction of the OMF Ontario. Spang says, “The OMF Ontario will be dedicated to public service and is designed to educate the public about our Great Lakes maritime history, heritage, resources and ecology by hands-on involvement in the experience of sailing this fabulous re-creation from our sailing era.”
Spang says the 85-foot-long schooner will be the only ship of its kind of US registry on Lake Ontario when shipboard classes begin in two years. The last schooner built in Oswego, NY, launched 131 years ago.
Raymond I. “Skip” Couch’s ancestors include Connecticut shipbuilders that settled in Clayton, NY, and a Great Lakes Seaway Trail Rock Island Lighthouse keeper. A Clayton Diving Club founding member, Couch participated in an underwater survey for iron cannons believed abandoned by the British before the War of 1812 near Carleton Island in 2009. Couch, co-author of the Diver’s Guide to the Upper St. Lawrence River, says, “At Great Lakes Underwater, divers and maritime history buffs will hear fascinating details about the more than three dozen ships stranded or lost to natural disaster or human error in the Narrows of the Thousand Islands.”
James Sears of the New York State Divers Association will share four destinations where divers can easily dive on two different shipwrecks. Two of the sites are in the St. Lawrence River with one each in Lake Ontario and Lake Champlain.
The keynote presentation of the 2010 Great Lakes Underwater is deep wreck explorer Jim Kennard’s presentation on the “Discovery of the HMS Ontario,” a British warship that sank in Lake Ontario in 1780 during the American Revolution. Kennard, who might easily be called the “Great Lakes Seaway Trail’s Jacques Cousteau,” will share a video and the exciting story of how he and diving partner Dan Scoville located this “Holy Grail” of diving. Kennard’s 200-plus discoveries have been featured in such publications as National Geographic and Sea Technology.
Brian Prince, president of S.O.S. – Save Ontario Shipwrecks, will highlight Canadian efforts to preserve Ontario’s shipwrecks and maritime heritage. The nonprofit organization conduct underwater archaeology and side scan surveys, collects oral histories, maintains an historical archives, offers diver training, and installs maritime-theme interpretive signage.
New York Sea Grant Coastal Recreation and Tourism Specialist and conference co-organizer Dave White, says, “Great Lakes Underwater provides divers and non-divers who enjoy maritime heritage with a fabulous day of discoveries with speakers who offer an inside look at our history and fascinating details of shipwrecks, the underwater landscape, and the technology now used to explore the underwater landscape.”
Great Lakes Underwater 2010 will be held in the high-tech SUNY Oswego Campus Center Auditorium. Registration for Great Lakes Underwater is $25 ($20 for students) payable to Cornell University and includes the program, buffet lunch, and refreshments. For more information, contact New York Sea Grant, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-312-3042, www.oswegomaritime.org/glu.html.
Photo: Oswego Maritime Foundation's Ontario undertest sail.
Monday, February 22, 2010
The 1920s: America's Golden Age of Sports
By Editorial Staff
A new book by Michael K. Bohn, Heroes and Ballyhoo: How the Golden Age of the 1920s Transformed American Sports, profiles the great American sports heroes of that era and highlights their roles in turning their sports into the kind of large spectator events they are today. Among them are the standards like Babe Ruth, Bobby Jones, Jack Dempsey, and Knute Rockne, but also those from the fringes of modern sport.
Swimmers like Johnny Weissmuller, who turned Olympic success into a seminal role as Tarzan, and Gertrude Ederle, the first to swim the English Channel are profiled. Helen Wills is here, the winner of 31 Grand Slam tennis titles who the New York Times called "the first American born woman to achieve international celebrity as an athlete." Heroes and Ballyhoo also considers the role of tennis player Bill Tilden and golfer Walter Hagen in bringing large audiences to their sports.
Arena sports became a cornerstone of modern American life in the 1920s, after Americans, freed from the burden of World War I and Victorian traditions, seemed to seek out everything that was modern, from bobbed hair, bathtub gin, jazz, Model Ts, movies and radio to fads of all kinds.
The author goes further to explore the people behind the scenes: press agents, and over-the-top sports writers and journalists that helped establish what the publisher calls "the secular religion of sports and sports heroes, and helping bond disparate social and regional sectors of the country."
Reporters like Grantland Rice and Damon Runyon, are found here, along with modern era promoters like C. C. Pyle and Tex Rickard and agent Christy Walsh, a founder of sports marketing.
Photo: Parade for Gertrude Ederle coming up Broadway, New York City in 1926.
A Fugitive Slave Rescued: Paintings of Charles Nalle
By Editorial Staff
150 years ago, on April 26, 1860, escaped slave Charles Nalle was kidnapped from a Troy bakery and taken to the District Circuit Court at State and First Streets, in Troy where he was to be sent back to Virginia under the Fugitive Slave Act. Hundreds of people, including Harriet Tubman, rushed to the site where a riot ensued, allowing Nalle to escape across the Hudson to West Troy and ultimately to freedom.
On February 27, 2010 from 5-8 pm, the Rensselaer County Historical Society opens a major new exhibit, A Fugitive Slave Rescued: Paintings of Charles Nalle by Mark Priest, which will kick off an examination of this nationally important event. Artist and University of Louisville professor Mark Priest worked with RCHS staff to research the history of the Nalle rescue. His dramatic narrative paintings and drawings depict the events of April 26, 1860, immersing viewers in the emotions and issues of the day. This exhibit is presented in partnership with the Sage Colleges, which also host part of the exhibit through April 26, 2010.
Mark Priest is an Associate Professor of Art at the University of Louisville. He received his MFA in painting from Yale University and has exhibited his work at museums and galleries throughout the United States and internationally. His Underground Railroad series developed from an interest in Harriet Tubman:
“I began my research in 2003 and in May of 2004 I followed the routes on which Tubman took passengers to freedom. Forever etched in my memory are an infinite number of untold stories of individuals who toiled tirelessly to attain freedom. Many events were recounted to me by noted historians, genealogists and descendants while I traveled through, Maryland, Delaware, New York, and Canada; retracing the steps of many who went before me on this route to freedom. The wealth of personal experiences and detailed information I obtained is the foundation of this series or artworks. I strive to create dramatic compositions to portray the intensity of each moment. The life Tubman chose was one of uncertainty. Every moment could have been her last. She carried on undaunted and these are the ideas that I strive to portray in this series. Figures are tugging and heaving, hoisting and dragging. Figures depict the mental, emotional, and physical prowess needed to succeed on the UGRR. Every muscle is strained to the limit. Vibrant color and light are used to lead your eye through the composition.”
Exhibition-Related Events:
Russell Sage College Reception with Mark Priest
Thursday, February 25, 2010, 4-6pm
Schacht Fine Arts Center Gallery
Division & Front Streets, Troy
Free & Open to the Public
(518) 244-2248
High School Student Artist Gallery Talk with Mark Priest
How does Mark Priest get inspired to create his art? What is the life of a professional artist like? High School artists are invited to attend a free workshop and gallery talk with artist Mark Priest and get answers to these questions and more. This workshop is offered as part of the 2010 Art of History Competition, however students need not be preparing work for the competition to participate in the student workshop. Pre-registration is required – call or email Mari Shopsis at 272-7232, x17 / mshopsis@rchsonline.org or register online at http://artofhistory.eventbrite.com/ .
Thursday, February 25, 2010, 5-7 pm
Rensselaer County Historical Society
57 Second Street, Troy
(518) 272-7232, x17
Exhibition Opening & Book Signing
Saturday February 27, 2010; 5-8 pm, remarks at 6 pm
Rensselaer County Historical Society
Join RCHS and the Underground Railroad History Conference attendees for a reception at RCHS celebrating the exhibit of artist Mark Priest’s Charles Nalle paintings and the release of author Scott Christianson’s new book, Freeing Charles, The Struggle to Free a Slave on the Eve of the Civil War. Freeing Charles is the culmination of 18 years of research into Nalle's life, escape from slavery, and the operation of the Underground Railroad. In this book, Christianson follows Nalle from his enslavement in Virginia through his escape via the Underground Railroad to his experiences in the North on the eve of the Civil War. Christianson also presents a richly detailed look at slavery culture in antebellum Virginia, and probes the deepest political and psychological aspects of this epic tale. His account underscores fundamental questions about racial inequality, the rule of law, civil disobedience, and violent resistance to slavery in the antebellum North and South. Both Scott Christianson and Mark Priest will speak briefly at 6pm and will be available for discussion and book signing afterwards. Light refreshments served.
Photo: "The Altruist," Mark Priest, 2008, Acrylic on canvas, 7.5’ x 7.5’ – shows Charles Nalle struggling to break free from a mob at the corner of Second and Congress Streets, Troy. Portions of what is today the Russell Sage campus are visible in the background.
Sunday, February 21, 2010
Get New York History Delivered By E-mail, RSS, Twitter
By Editorial Staff
Nearly 250 people get the New York History blog each day via RSS and e-mail subscription services. It's a convenient way to get the latest about New York History news, information, and events.
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Saturday, February 20, 2010
NY Council for the Humanities Grant Winners
By Editorial Staff
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This past month, the New York Council for the Humanities awarded more than $300,000 in major grant funds to 22 organizations located in 14 counties in New York State. Awardees were selected from a pool of 60 applicants, a 35% increase from this time last year. Below is a complete list of awarded projects.
The Adirondack Museum
Blue Mountain Lake, Hamilton County
Awarded $20,000 for Let's Eat!: Adirondack Food Traditions
An exhibition exploring the development of Adirondack food traditions from the 19th to the 20th centuries with a focus on the local environment.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Albany Institute of History and Art
Albany, Albany County
Awarded $2,500 for 2010 Hudson River Lecture Series
A series of four illustrated lectures about different aspects of the cultural and social significance of the Hudson River.
Awarded January 11, 2010
Brooklyn College, Hitchcock Institute for Studies in American Music
Brooklyn, Kings County
Awarded $8,800 for Black Brooklyn Renaissance Conference
A day-long event celebrating Brooklyn’s role as a major center of Black American music and culture.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Chemung County Historical Society
Elmira, Chemung County
Awarded $8,181 for Mark Twain in Elmira
An exhibition celebrating Mark Twain's ties to the community of Elmira on the occasion of the anniversary of his birth.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Community Works
New York, New York County
Awarded $11,050 for Harlem's Black Arts Movement: Its Past, Its Present and Its Future
Three interactive dialogues with key figures in the Black Arts Movement.
Awarded January 15, 2010
CUNY John Jay College of Criminal Justice
New York, New York County
Awarded $16,250 for Justice and Injustice in America: the 1950s
A series of lectures focused on the 1950's and 1960's in America featuring preeminent scholars of jurisprudence and U.S. History.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Eldridge Street Project
New York, New York County
Awarded $12,982 for Ways We Worship: Jewish Practice & Beyond
A new public tour and related lecture series exploring the history of Judaism in America.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Epic Theatre Center
New York, New York County
Awarded $11,300 for Epic Forum Series 2010: Doubt and Certainty
A series of over 100 post-performance scholar-led discussions related to the theme of “Doubt and Certainty.”
Awarded January 15, 2010
Erie Canal Museum
Syracuse, Onondaga County
Awarded $20,000 for Heartland Passage: the Oral History of the Erie Canal
An on-line oral history exhibition about people involved with the Erie Canal.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Geneva Historical Society
Geneva, Ontario County
Awarded $10,310 for Geneva's Changing Landscape
Development of a permanent exhibition about the history of Geneva from the 1700s to the present, using the lens of environmental history.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Historic Cherry Hill
Albany, Albany County
Awarded $2,250 for Program Planning: Class and Power in 18th Century Albany
A planning grant for a program exploring class and power in 18th century Albany.
Awarded January 26, 2010
Imagining America
Syracuse, Onondaga County
Awarded $18,000 for Revitalizing Downtown Syracuse: Local Culture, Trans-Local Knowledge
A performance and four public discussions exploring issues of culture and community revitalization.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Lower Manhattan Cultural Council
New York, New York County
Awarded $15,000 for Access Restricted: Nomadic Lecture Series Exploring Lower Manhattan
A free nomadic lecture series that opens to the public rarely visited or inaccessible spaces in Lower Manhattan. This year's session will focus on the topics of jurisprudence and ethics.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Morrisville State College, Science, Technology & Society Program
Morrisville, Madison County
Awarded $5,850 for Agricultural Acts: On the Futures of Farming and Food
A two-day program of events about the future of food production.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Mount Vernon Hotel Museum & Garden
New York City, New York County
Awarded $2,095 for A Feminine Palette, Women Artists of the 19th and Early 20th Century
A panel discussion exploring the work and lives of three lesser-known women artists from the 19th and early 20th century.
Awarded January 26, 2010
National Jazz Museum in Harlem
New York, New York County
Awarded $20,000 for Jazz for Curious Listeners
A year-long series of weekly dialogues about jazz and culture.
Awarded January 15, 2010
New Rochelle Council on the Arts
New Rochelle, Westchester County
Awarded $6,000 for Sounds Shore Shakespeare Festival
A Westchester county-wide celebration of Shakespearian works.
Awarded January 15, 2010
New York Library Association
Guilderland, Albany County
Awarded $7,500 for The Empire State Book Festival
A two-day celebration of reading held in the Empire State Plaza
Awarded January 15, 2010
Old Fort Niagara Association
Youngstown, Niagara County
Awarded $11,370 for Anglo-Native Relations on the Niagara Frontier, 1759-1764
A combination of special lectures and daily programs designed to examine the cross-cultural interactions at the fort between Iroquois people and Europeans.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Radio Diaries, Inc.
New York, New York County
Awarded $20,000 for America's Lost Stories
A series of radio documentaries uncovering little-known chapters of 20th century American history to be broadcast on National Public Radio.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Slate Valley Museum Foundation
Granville, Washington County
Awarded $13,845 for Cultural Expressions in the Slate Valley
A series of six programs exploring the impact of various immigrant groups who came to the Slate Valley region between 1850 and 1930.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Southampton Historical Museum
Southampton, Suffolk County
Awarded $2,150 for Southampton Women Who Made a Difference
An exhibition exploring the influence of the Southampton women and their work from different historical periods and cultures.
Awarded January 9, 2010
SUNY Oswego, School of Communication, Media and the Arts
Oswego, Oswego County
Awarded $7,884 for From Global to Local: Diaspora, the Arts and Community
Weekly radio programs over a two-month period exploring issues of immigration and globalization as it relates to Central New York.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Three Village Historical Society
Saint James, Suffolk County
Awarded $20,000 for General Washington's Spies: How a Group of Long Islanders Helped Win the Revolution
A permanent exhibition for children about a Long Island-based spy-ring during the Revolutionary War.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY)
Canton, Saint Lawrence County
Awarded $20,000 for Kindred Pursuits: Folk Art in North Country Life
An exhibition of contemporary and historic folk art from the North Country, exploring its relation to the region’s culture and history.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Underground Railroad History Project of the Capital Region
Troy, Albany County
Awarded $19,686 for Gender, Class, Race and Ethnicity in Abolitionism, on the Underground Railroad, and in the Struggle Since
Three days of programming related to the history of the Underground Railroad in New York State and beyond and its contemporary implications.
Awarded January 15, 2010
Weeksville Heritage Center
Brroklyn, Kings County
Awarded $2,500 for Planning Weeksville's Orientation Exhibition: Defining a Sense of Place
Planning for an interactive orientation exhibition for the historic Weeksville community.
Awarded January 1, 2010
Friday, February 19, 2010
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Great Lives In History: Samuel J. Tilden
- Bowery Boys: Deadliest Roller Skating Event Ever
- Virtual Dime Museum: The NY Chocolate School
- Lost City: New Landlord Kills 60 Yr-Old Eatery
- John Brown, Abolitionist: 153 Yrs Ago in Albany
- Franklin Co Historian: Columbian Fire Insurance Co
- Ephemeral NY: Foundries Built Cast Iron Soho
14 State Historic Sites, 41 State Parks to Close, Another 24 At Risk
By Editorial Staff
At least 14 state historic sites and 41 state parks are targeted to close if Governor Paterson’s Executive Budget is enacted, according to a list released today by the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). Twenty-four more parks and historic sites will face severely reduced hours and services. The historic site closures would mean nearly half of the 36 state operated historic sites would close indefinitely. In all a total of 25 of 36 historic sites will either close or under threat of closure. A complete list of the closings and those threatened is included after the jump.
“If parks are forced to close it will be the first time in the 125-year history of the System," Robin Dropkin, Executive Director of Parks & Trails New York, said. "Even during the Great Depression our parks remained open for people to enjoy and spend time with their families in nature.”
According to a 2009 report [pdf], state parks and historic sites generate $1.9 billion annually in economic activity statewide. Visitors from outside the community account for about 40% of that activity--visitors and money communities will lose if parks are forced to close.
Additionally, state parks and historic sites account for 20,000 non-park jobs statewide. These are long-term, sustainable jobs that will last as long as our state invests in its parks system. The investment in State Parks is a good one; for every dollar the state spends on parks, it gets back $5 dollars in economic activity.
“News of the closings will devastate many communities as their citizens rely on parks for affordable, close to home recreation and their businesses rely on parks to bring in revenue,” said Dropkin.
In addition to economic benefits, state parks preserve wildlife habitat, provide an escape for millions of New Yorkers in these difficult economic times, and protect the state’s heritage for future generations. The NYS Park System is the oldest and most historic state park system in the nation.
The State Parks budget is only one-quarter of one percent of the total state budget. The savings to the state from closing the 57 parks is estimated to be $6.3 million.
Here is the list of Historic Sites to close (and those under threat of closure according to a memo leaked to the media yesterday):
Long Island Region
Walt Whitman State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Lower Hudson Region
Fort Montgomery Historic Site
Knox Headquarters Historic Site
New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site
Stony Point State Historic Site
Philipse Manor Hall Historic Site
Senate House State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Washington’s Headquarters Sate Historic Site [Under Threat]
Taconic Region
John Jay Homestead Historic Site [Under Threat]
Staatsburgh State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Olana State Historic Site {Under Threat]
Saratoga-Capital Region (Including the Adirondacks)
Bennington Battlefield State Park
Crailo State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Crown Point State Historic Site [Under Threat]
John Brown Farm Historic Site
Johnson Hall State Historic Site
Schoharie Crossing Historic Site
Schuyler Mansion Historic Site
Central Region
Fort Ontario State Historic Site
Herkimer Home Historic Site
Hyde Hall State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Lorenzo State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Oriskany Battlefield/Steuben State Historic Site
Finger Lakes Region
Ganondagan State Historic Site [Under Threat]
Thousands Island Region
Sackets Harbor State Historic Site
Thursday, February 18, 2010
Addisleigh Park: Jazz Greats, Sports Stars & Politicians
By Editorial Staff
On Tuesday, March 2, 2010 (from 6:30-8:30pm) the New York City Historic Districts Council will offer a cultural resource survey presentation on Addisleigh Park, a little-known but culturally significant neighborhood in Southeast Queens. The event will be held at the Neighborhood Preservation Center, 232 East 11th Street, Manhattan.
In 2007 HDC began an effort to document Addisleigh Park, home to numerous major African-Americans figures such as James Brown, Roy Campanella, W.E.B. DuBois, Count Basie, Lena Horne, Jackie Robinson and Ella Fitzgerald (to name just a few). Once completed, they submitted all the material to the Landmarks Preservation Commission, who recently calendared a historic district, partially in response to our work. This free program will allow participants a firsthand look at the research and learn more about this neighborhood and its storied past.
The event is free to the public. Reservations are required, as space is limited. For more information, please contact Kristen Morith at (212) 614-9107 or kmorith@hdc.org.
RCHS to Host Monthly Travel and Tourism Book Series
By Editorial Staff
In a unique collaboration, the New York Council for the Humanities has joined forces with the Rensselaer County Historical Society to offer Reading Between the Lines: Travel and Tourism Narratives of the Empire State, a monthly reading and discussion series that runs from March through June, 2010.
“Reading Between the Lines offers an unusual twist on the standard book group format with focused thematic discussions led by humanities scholars,” says Council Executive Director Sara Ogger. At the Rensselaer County Historical Society, the discussion leader will be Shealeen Meaney, Assistant Professor of English at Russell Sage College.
Meaney will lead four discussion sessions each focused on a book related to the series theme: Legend of Sleepy Hollow & Other Tales, by Washington Irving; The Artificial River: The Erie Canal and the Paradox of Progress, 1817-1862, by Carol Sherrif; The Second Greatest Disappointment: Honeymooning and Tourism at Niagara Falls, by Karen Dubinsky and Taxi! A Social History of the New York City Cabdriver, by Graham Russell Gao Hodges.
Mari Shopsis, Director of Education at the Rensselaer County Historical Society adds: “The Rensselaer County Historical Society is very pleased to host this Reading Between the Lines program. Groups like this provide an important venue for civic engagement and social interaction, and Professor Meaney’s work on women’s travel writing and the Historical Society’s collection of travel diaries, postcards and letters are an interesting counterpart to the books being discussed.”
Participants in the series read works of non-fiction and works of literature that are discussed within an historical context. The program is free and open to the public, although pre-registration is required. The group will meet on the third Thursday of the month – March 18, April 15, May 20, and June 17 from 7-8:30pm at the Rensselaer County Historical Society, 57 Second Street, Troy, NY. For more information on the program, visit http://www.rchsonline.org/programs.htm#RBTL or contact Mari Shopsis at 518-272-7232, x 17 or at mshopsis@rchsonline.org.
Reading Between the Lines is designed to promote lively, informed conversation about humanities themes and strengthen the relationship between humanities institutions and the public. Reading Between the Lines series are currently being held in communities across New York State. The project is supported by the We The People initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
For more information about Reading Between the Lines: Travel and Tourism Narratives of the Empire State, visit www.nyhumanities.org/discussion_groups.
Wednesday, February 17, 2010
Oldest Shipwreck Highlight of Great Lakes Underwater Event
By Editorial Staff
The discovery of the Great Lakes’ oldest confirmed shipwreck – a British warship used in the American Revolution - is the keynote presentation for the March 6, 2010 Great Lakes Underwater conference at SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY. Underwater explorer Jim Kennard, who might be called the “Great Lakes Jacques Cousteau,” will share the story of how he and diving partner Dan Scoville located the HMS Ontario.
Kennard and Scoville found the sloop-of-war in 500 feet of water May 2008. She was on her way from Fort Niagara in Youngstown, NY, to Oswego and Fort Haldimand on Carleton Island in the St. Lawrence during the Revolutionary War when she sunk in a gale on October 31, 1780. The ship is considered property of the British Admiralty and is to be left undisturbed as a war grave site.
Those attending the Great Lakes Underwater event hosted by New York Sea Grant and the Oswego Maritime Foundation will see a video of the fascinating 229-year-old, 80-foot-long, 22-gun ship and hear the details of her discovery using deep-water sonar scanning. The video images will reveal how well the deep, cool Great Lakes’ water of Lake Ontario preserved her two crow’s nests, carved bow, quarter galleries, anchors and upright masts.
Conference co-organizer David G. White, a coastal recreation and tourism specialist with New York Sea Grant, Oswego, says, “With Jim Kennard as keynote speaker, the 2010 Great Lakes Underwater promises to be a fascinating day of the tales of shipwreck discovery. We are pleased to add our name alongside National Geographic, Sea Technology and others who have recognized the depth and scope of his exploration into the waters of New York.”
In just the past six years, Kennard has discovered 12 historic and rare shipwrecks in Lake Ontario. In his 40-year career, he counts more than 200 discoveries total exploring in Lake Champlain, the Finger Lakes, and the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers.
Great Lakes Underwater 2010 will be held in the high-tech SUNY Oswego Campus Center Auditorium. Registration for Great Lakes Underwater is $25 ($20 for students) payable to Cornell University and includes the program, buffet lunch, and refreshments.
For more information, contact New York Sea Grant, SUNY Oswego, Oswego, NY 13126, 315-312-3042, www.oswegomaritime.org/glu.html.
Photo: One of two crow’s nests on the HMS Ontario; courtesy Jim Kennard and Dan Scoville.
National Archives NYC Branch Threatened?
By Editorial Staff
According to a letter by Roger D. Joslyn, a Fellow of the American Society of Genealogists, that was published at the Upstate New York Genealogy blog, the National Archives – Northeast Region, Manhattan Branch is apparently under threat. "We may be losing the National Archives–Northeast Region as a research facility," Joslyn writes, "perhaps we can save it and not have New York lose yet another important repository for our research."
According to Joslyn, "the supposed plan, told recently to Stuart Stahl by Diane LeBlanc, NARA’s Regional Administrator in Waltham, Massachusetts, for him to pass the word," is not official, but here are the bullet points and the rest of the original letter from Joslyn:
•NARA-NYC will move in approximately eighteen months to about 5000 square feet over two floors in the Customs House.
•Only about twenty percent of the current collection at 201 Varick Street, textual and microform (not specifically identified to Stuart), will go to the new location in the Customs House. All or most textual material will go to a storage facility in northeast Philadelphia and will have to be transported to New York City for researchers, as off-site textual material in Lee Summit, Missouri, is now.
•Among the textual material to be retained in the new space will be the federal court naturalization petitions not microfilmed and the federal court records docket books, but it is not clear if the originals of microfilmed naturalizations will be retained.
•“Non-regional” microfilm will go to NARA-Pittsfield.
•Certifications of records on microfilm will have to be requested from Pittsfield.
Additionally, the following seems to also be in the plans for the move:
•The volunteer staff will be abolished or reduced, since there will no longer be textual records for them to arrange, index, and so forth.
•The new space will be primarily for visitors to see exhibits. There will be a few computers and, apparently, some microfilm readers and reader-printers.
•The microfiche indexes of New York State vital records will evidently go to the new space, together with associated printed material and microfiche readers.
•Nothing has been mentioned about the fate of NARA-NYC’s library, including published census indexes and so forth.
•Some of us had been led to believe there would be invitations to some of us “regular” users to help NARA staff know our needs and plan the space and collection for the Customs House. It would seem now that, while there may be a “public meeting,” it will only be to tell us NARA’s plans—too late for any changes.
When the move of NARA-NYC became more certain a month or so ago, I had a telephone conversation with Diane. She seemed very excited about the increased display space that NARA will have in the Customs House and explained the need to reduce the research collection because there will not be room. She also mentioned that the lower number of patrons using NARA these days justified the scaling down of the research facility. She did not seem to be concerned about the need many of us have for certification of records for legal matters, or that the microfilm and original textual records were still necessary even though there is much online. She was quite proud to tell me that NARA-Waltham had given all of its “non-regional” microfilm to a library in Plano, Texas. Guess who got the better deal there! Ironically, while New York City is scaling down, the Waltham facility is being expanded!!
I do not think I need to state the obvious to all you seasoned and knowledgeable researchers about the huge loss to us if all the plans noted above are correct and go through. I know I use microfilm of the Federal Census at least once a week in order find what I cannot online or clarify what I do find online, one problem being the annotations that obscure names on the 1900 Census. This is but one example. I am sure you have all found census pages missed by Ancestry, Heritage Quest, Footnote, or “front material” and other pieces not scanned from the microfilm that someone evidently decided we did not need. Sorry! One more example: What about the original ships’ passenger lists, especially the ones where the often abbreviated copy is what is on the NARA film? What will become of these?
Who in Pittsfield will make “my” kind of decision about the best copy to be certified for the court? In the always-tight time breathing down our necks for court cases, what will Pittsfield’s turn-around time be? Will there be added costs since we can no longer get the certifications locally? Will Pittsfield staff make “groupings” of certified records that we often get here to hold down costs?
Personally, while I have enjoyed many of the exhibits at NARA-NYC, I rarely see anyone coming to specifically look at them, and even those who come to do research seem not to pause for a few minutes of viewing.
And it has always been my understanding that one of the great things about our National Archives is its wealth of material for scholarly research. Yes, personal visits are down, but we all know what the majority of those who rely strictly on the magic box are missing. And I do not see much effort by NARA to help educate the unwashed about what is there that cannot be found online.
I very much admire the position of Kathleen Roe, New York State Archives’ Director of Operations. At a meeting there last year, she told our advisory committee something like, “I know financing for archives is tight, but our mandate is to serve the public, and we must make every effort to continue to do so.”
The very upsetting plan seems analogous to a library tossing certain books because no one has taken them off the shelves over the last couple of years.
So, who wants to organize the car-pooling to Pittsfield and Philadelphia? No? Then we should organize a group effort to let our concerns be known. Genealogists have been successful in the past in changing the direction of bad thinking at NARA. Some examples come to mind: When President Reagan proposed John T. Agresto as Archivist of the United States and the genealogical and historical communities formed a loud “No!” to the inappropriateness of the candidate; and when Archivist John Carlin planned to ship huge amounts of NARA material from the regions to cold storage (and some of you were on hand to give your two-cents when he came to New York City). Another example is the great effort genealogists lent to getting NARA away from GSA’s thumb.
Are there others out there, including folks you know in the historical community, whom we should encourage to get involved?
I know after the G&B mess, many of you may not want to devote the time and energy it may take to make a difference, but I look forward to hearing from those who are concerned and want to be involved. Then we can plan something together.
Roger
Tuesday, February 16, 2010
Maritime History Focus of Summer NEH Institute
By Editorial Staff
"The American Maritime People" will be a six-week college and university teacher institute for 25 participants on American maritime history from the colonial era to the present June 21st to July 30, 2010 at The Frank C. Munson Institute of American Maritime Studies, Mystic Seaport, CT.
The purpose of the "American Maritime People" NEH Institute at Mystic Seaport is "to provide college teachers... with the opportunity to enhance course offerings by studying the influence of maritime activities on U.S. history and culture." This, the third such NEH Institute, will build on the latest research in studies of the sea, which has recently been the focus of increasing scholarly interest. In a series of seminars, "The American Maritime People" will employ interdisciplinary perspectives on American maritime studies, with an emphasis on the most recent social, cultural and ecological approaches.
The campus for the six weeks of study will be Mystic Seaport, the Museum of America and the Sea. As the largest maritime museum in the nation, Mystic Seaport includes 17 acres of riverfront property, 60 historic buildings, 500 traditional watercraft, 1,000,000 manuscript pieces, and over 1,000,000 artifacts. While the seminar hall will be the focus of the institute, Mystic Seaport, and the maritime region of which it is a
part, will be used to inform further study through tours and exploration.
Mystic, Connecticut is located in the southeastern corner of the state where the waters of Long Island Sound meet the North Atlantic. As such, the greater Mystic area has a long history of maritime activity, from colonial shipbuilding, fishing, whaling, and merchant trade to the current presence of nuclear submarine construction and operations. The University of Connecticut's maritime campus and the US Coast Guard
Academy are a short drive away.
The stipend for NEH Fellows is $4,500, for the six-week institute. These funds should comfortably cover travel expenses, housing and food for the summer session. Books and other resources are also to be purchased with stipend monies.
Faculty will include: Co-Directors Glenn S. Gordinier and Eric Paul Roorda as well as James T. Carlton, Mary K. Bercaw Edwards, John B. Hattendorf, John Odin Jensen, I. Roderick Mather, Matthew McKenzie, Lisa Norling, Marcus Rediker, Helen Rozwadowski, Daniel Vickers, James O. Horton and W. Jeffrey Bolster.
Eligibility: These projects are designed primarily for teachers of American undergraduate students, but other qualified scholars and graduate students may apply.
Completed applications should be submitted to the address below and should be postmarked no later than March 2, 2010.
Dr. Glenn S. Gordinier
Attn: The American Maritime People
Munson Institute
Mystic Seaport
75 Greenmanville Ave.
Mystic, CT 06355-0990
glenn.gordinier@mysticseaport.org
Univ of Rochester to Hold Race and Gender Conference
By Editorial Staff
The University of Rochester has announced a two-day conference on April 16 and 17, 2010 to celebrate the launching of a new book series by the University of Rochester Press, "Gender and Race in American History." The Conference is free and open to the public. The conference organizers include Carol Faulkner (of Syracuse University), Alison M. Parker (of The College at Brockport, SUNY), and Victoria Wolcott (of the University of Rochester).
Featured Speakers will include:
Deborah Gray White (Rutgers University), "What Women Want: The Racial Paradoxes of Post-Modernity."
Michelle Mitchell (New York University), title TBA
Meredith Clark-Wiltz, Ph.D. Candidate, History Department, Ohio State University, "Persecuting Black Men, Gendering Jury Service: The Interplay between Race and Gender in the NAACP Jury Service Cases of the 1930s."
Kendra Taira Field, Assistant Professor, U.C. Riverside, "'You mean Grandma Brown. Grandpa Brown didn't have no land.' Race, Gender, and An Intruder of Color in Indian Territory."
Rashauna Johnson, Ph.D. Candidate, History Department, NYU, "'Laissez les bon temps rouler!' and Other Concealments: Households, Taverns, and Irregular Intimacies in Antebellum New Orleans."
Michelle Kuhl, Assistant Professor of History, University of Wisconsin, Oshkosh, "Countable Bodies, Uncountable Crimes: Sexual Assault and the Anti-Lynching Movement."
Vivian May, Associate Professor of Women's and Gender Studies, Syracuse University, "Historicizing intersectionality as Theory and Method: Returning to the Work of Anna Julia Cooper."
Helene Quanquin, Associate Professor, University of Paris 3-Sorbonne Nouvelle, "'There are Two Great Oceans': The Slavery Metaphor in the Antebellum Women's Rights Movement as 'redescription' of Race and Gender."
For more information visit:
http://www.rochester.edu/College/humanities/projects/index.php?history&events
Monday, February 15, 2010
New Netherland: Hendricks Award Seeks Submissions
By Editorial Staff
The annual Hendricks Manuscript Award application is due March 15. This award is given to the best published or unpublished book-length manuscript relating to any aspect of the Dutch colonial experience in North America. This Award, endowed by Dr. Andrew A. Hendricks, carries a prize of $5,000 and a framed Len Tantillo print with a brass name plate.
Entries must be based on research completed or published within two years prior to first submission. Manuscripts may deal with any aspect of New Netherland history. Biographies of individuals whose careers illuminate aspects of the history of New Netherland are eligible, as are manuscripts dealing with such cultural matters as literature and the arts, provided that in such cases the methodology is historical.
Edited collections of articles that meet the above criteria are eligible; however, works of fiction and works of article length are not eligible. The successful entry should be well written, adequately researched and documented, demonstrate thorough knowledge of primary sources, follow accepted scholarly standards, and contribute to the scholarship in the field.
Three clear, readable photocopies of the manuscript must be submitted on or before March 15 , with a letter of intent to enter the contest. The prize-winner, chosen by a five-member panel of scholars, is selected in May or June. The prize is given at an awards ceremony in conjunction with the annual Rensselaerswijck Seminar, held in September. Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.
Address entries to Hendricks Manuscript Award Committee
New Netherland Institute
P.O. Box 2536, ESP Station
Albany, NY 12220-0536
Previous Hendricks Award Winners:
1987 Oliver A. Rink, Holland on the Hudson: An Economic and Social History of Dutch New York (Cornell University Press, 1986).
1988 Thomas E. Burke, Jr., "The Extremest Part of All: The Dutch Community of Schenectady, New York, 1661-1710 (Ph.D. dissertation State University of New York at Albany, 1984). Published as Mohawk Frontier: The Dutch Community of Schenectady, New York, 1661-1720 (Cornell University Press, 1992).
1989 Firth H. Fabend, A Dutch Family in the Middle Colonies, 1660-1800 (Rutgers University Press, 1991).
1990 David William Voorhees, "'In Behalf of the true Protestants religion': The Glorious Revolution in New York" (Ph.D. dissertation, New York University, 1988).
1991 Joyce Goodfriend, Before the Melting Pot: Society and Culture in Colonial New York City, 1664-1730 (Princeton University Press, 1992).
1992 David E. Narrett, Inheritance and Family Life in Colonial New York City(Cornell University Press, 1992).
1993 David S. Cohen, The Dutch-American Farm (New York University Press, 1992).
1994 Martha Dickinson Shattuck, "A Civil Society: Court and Community in Beverwijck, New Netherland, 1652-1664" (Ph. D. dissertation, Boston University, 1993).
1995 Willem F. Eric Nooter, "Between Heaven and Earth: Church and Society in Pre-Revolutionary Flatbush, Long Island" (Ph.D. dissertation, Vrije Universiteit, Amsterdam, Netherlands, 1995).
1996 Dennis J. Maika, "Commerce and Community: Manhattan Merchants in the Seventeenth Century" (Ph.D. dissertation, New York University, 1995).
1997 Dennis C. Sullivan, "The Punishment of Crime in Colonial New York: The Dutch Experience in Albany during the Seventeenth Century" (Ph.D. dissertation, State University of New York at Albany, 1995).
1998 Paul A. Otto, "New Netherland Frontier: Europeans and Native Americans along the Lower Hudson River, 1524-1664" (Ph.D. dissertation, Indiana University, 1994).
1999 J. A. Jacobs, "Nieuw-Nederland: het tere begin van een pas ontluikend land" (Ph.D. dissertation, Leiden University, 1999).
2000 Cynthia Van Zandt, "Negotiating Settlement: Colonialism, Cultural Exchange and Conflict in Early Colonial Atlantic North America, 1580-1660" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Connecticut, 2000).
2001 Adriana Van Zwieten, "A Little Land to Sow Some Seeds" (Ph. D. dissertation, Temple University, Philadelphia, 2001).
2002 No recipient
2003 Benjamin Schmidt, Innocence Abroad: the Dutch Imagination and the New World, 1570- 1670, Cambridge University Press, 2001
2004 Simon Middleton, Privilege and Profits: Tradesmen in Colonial New York, 1624-1750, University of Pennsylvania Press (Expected date of publication: 2006)
2005 Mark Meuwese, "For the Peace and Well-Being of the Country: Intercultural Mediators and Indian-Dutch Relations in New Netherland and Dutch Brazil (1600-1664)," (Ph.D. dissertation. University of Notre Dame, 2005).
2006 No recipient
2007 1) Jeroen van den Hurk, "Imagining New Netherland: Origins and Survival of Netherlandic Architecture in Old New York, 1614-1776" (Ph.D. dissertation, University of Delaware, 2006).
2007 2) Kees Jan Waterman"'To Do Justice to Him and Myself': Evert Wendel's Account Book of the Fur Trade with Indians in Albany, New York, 1695-1726," (ms. to be published by the American Philosophical Society.)
2008 W. Th. M. Frijhoff, Fulfilling God's Mission: The Two Worlds of Dominie Everardus Bogardus, 1607-1647, Myra Heerspink Scholz, trans. (Leiden: Brill, 2007).
2009 James Bradley, Before Albany: An Archeology of Native-Dutch Relations in the Capital Region, 1600-1664 (Albany: New York State Museum Bulletin 509, 2007).
Viva Woman! at Brooklyn Museum's March 6
By Editorial Staff
The Brooklyn Museum's First Saturdays events attract thousands of visitors to free programs of art and entertainment each month. March's First Saturday celebrates the talent and power of women throughout history. Highlights include the new exhibition Kiki Smith: Sojourn on view in the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art; a special performance by renowned Haitian vocalist Emeline Michel; a screening of Deepa Mehta's Water; a discussion by author Staceyann Chin of her new book The Other Side of Paradise; and a dance party hosted by DJ Mary Mac.
SCHEDULE OF PROGRAMS
5 p.m. Gallery Tour
Join a Museum Guide for a tour of the exhibition To Live Forever: Art and the Afterlife in Ancient Egypt.
5-11 p.m. Object of the Month
Spend some time with the sculpture Mother with Child in the African galleries. A special activity takes place in front of the artwork at 8 p.m.
6-8 p.m. Music
Emeline Michel blends Haitian compas, twoubadou, and rara with jazz and other types of world music. Part of the Carnegie Hall Neighborhood Concert Series.
6-8:30 p.m. Film
Water (Deepa Mehta, 2005, 117 min., PG-13) examines the plight of a group of widows forced into poverty at a temple in the holy city of Varanasi, India, in 1938. A question-and-answer session with Gayatri Gopinath, Associate Professor of Gender and Sexuality Studies at New York University, follows the screening. Free timed tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m.
6:30-8:30 p.m. Hands-On Art
Create a clay figure inspired by one of history's powerful women. Free timed tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 5:30 p.m.
7 p.m. Curator Talk
Yekaterina Barbash, Assistant Curator of Egyptian Art, highlights images of women and goddesses in the exhibition Body Parts: Ancient Egyptian Fragments and Amulets. Free timed tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 6 p.m.
7-8 p.m. Discussion
Filmmaker Barbara Hammer talks about her new book Hammer! and her involvement in the feminist movement. Free timed tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 6 p.m.
8 p.m. Curator Talk
Catherine Morris, Curator of the Elizabeth A. Sackler Center for Feminist Art, discusses Kiki Smith and her work. Sign Language-interpreted. Free timed tickets are available at the Visitor Center at 7 p.m.
8:30 p.m. Young Voices Gallery Talk
Student Guides on female figures throughout the ancient Egyptian collection.
9 p.m. Book Club
Jamaican performance artist Staceyann Chin discusses her memoir, The Other Side of Paradise.
9-11 p.m. Dance Party
DJ Mary Mac hosts a dance party highlighting the queens of hip-hop and soul.
Throughout the evening, a cash bar will offer beer and wine, and the Museum Café will serve a wide variety of sandwiches, salads, and beverages. The Museum Shop will remain open until 11 p.m.
Some First Saturday programs have limited space and must be ticketed; lines for free tickets often form 30 minutes in advance. Programs are subject to change without notice. Museum admission is free after 5 p.m. Museum galleries are open until 11 p.m. Parking is a flat rate of $4 from 5 to 11 p.m.
For more information, visit www.brooklynmuseum.org.
Photo: Staceyann Chin. Photo Courtesy of the Artist
Sunday, February 14, 2010
Marcus Garvey Foundation Offers Research Grants
By Editorial Staff
The non-profit Marcus Garvey Memorial Foundation, established in 1961 in New York City, and whose work is informed by the educational philosophy and ideals of Marcus Garvey, is offering two research fellowships on topics related to Africa and the African diaspora, and those related to the Universal Negro Improvement Association, the African Communities League, and/or Marcus Garvey's organizational activities.
Proposals are welcome on a wide variety of research topics (and in a wide variety of disciplines), but will be evaluated based on their relevance to key questions in the field of African and African diaspora studies and on the basis of their unique contribution to scholarship.
Marcus Garvey Foundation Research Fellowship:
This fellowship – named in honor of the Marcus Garvey Foundation – looks to support doctoral candidates doing primary research in the humanities and social sciences on topics related to Africa and the African diaspora. Those doctoral candidates using archival collections and/or conducting oral histories are especially encouraged to apply. Research fellows receive grants of $500 to help defray research expenses.
2) Jean Harvey Slappy Research Fellowship:
This fellowship – named in honor of Jean Harvey Slappy, a long-time board member of the Marcus Garvey Foundation – looks to support doctoral candidates working on aspects of the history of the U.N.I.A. (Universal Negro Improvement Association), the A.C.L. (African Communities League), and/or Marcus Garvey's organizational activities, and who wish to use the recently deposited papers of Thomas W. Harvey, located at Emory University's Manuscript, Archives, and Rare Book Library. Research fellows receive grants of $500 to help defray expenses associated with travel to and use of the archival collection.
APPLYING FOR THE FELLOWSHIPS:
All applications & attachments must be received by March 17, 2010. Decisions will be announced on May 1, 2010. Required application materials:
A 2-page summary of the larger research project
A 1-page description of the specific project with a line-item budget (for up to $500.00) and timeline for the specific research to be carried out with the grant
CV (no longer than 2 pages)
One recommendation from an advising professor
For more information, contact the Garvey Foundation at GarveyFoundation(at)gmail.com; or at:
Marcus Garvey Foundation
P.O. Box 42379
Philadelphia, PA 19101
Saturday, February 13, 2010
Call For Papers: NYS Association of European Historians
By Editorial Staff
The New York State Association of European Historians (NYSAEH) is currently seeking proposals for presentations and volunteers to chair sessions at this year's annual conference to be held at Siena College, in Louudonville (near Albany), NY September 24-25, 2010. The conference will feature a keynote address by Lara Frader, Professor of History at Northeastern University and Senior Associate at the Minda de Gunzberg Center for European Studies at Harvard University. Among her many publications are Peasants and Protest: Agricultural Workers, Politics and Unions in the Aude, 1850-1914 (1991) and Breadwinners and Citizens: Gender in the Making of the French Social Model (2008).
Proposals for papers and/or panels should be submitted by April 30, 2010 to:
James Valone
Canisius College
2001 Main Street
Buffalo NY 14208
valone@canisius.edu
Friday, February 12, 2010
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Historic Lake George Photos Donated
- Eastman House: Why Basements Are Bad For Film
- American Folk Art: Mural Painting in Rural NY
- LG Mirror: Lumbering the North Woods, 1890
- Adirondack Almanack: Dannemora-Clinton Prison
- American Folk Art: Elmira Reformatory
- Brooklynology: The Grapes of Brooklyn
- John McLaughlin: Am Revolution Black Loyalists
- NY Times: Short History of Superbowl Hype
- YouTube: San Patricios - Chieftains and Ry Cooder
New Paltz Talk: Early Hearths of the Hudson Valley
By Editorial Staff
Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz is known for its unique architecture and for the preservation of the houses built by the community’s founding families. On Saturday, Huguenot Street continues its Second Saturday’s Lecture Series with a lecture by Rob Sweeney, local historian and old house enthusiast, titled "Early Hearths of the Hudson Valley."
The talk will begin at 7pm on Saturday, February 13th in Deyo Hall, which is located on Broadhead Avenue between Chestnut and Huguenot Streets in downtown New Paltz. There is a $7 charge per person ($5 for Friends of Historic Huguenot Street). Refreshments will follow Sweeney’s talk. In the case of inclement weather, the talk will be postponed to February 20th.
Rob Sweeney is a board member of Hudson Valley Vernacular Architecture, the historian for the Town of Ulster and the owner of the Benjamin Ten Broeck House, a stone house built in 1751. His presentation will trace the evolution of the "jambless fireplace," a style that dates to medieval Europe and which can be found in the houses of Historic Huguenot Street, to the popularity of the "Rumford Fireplace" of the early 19th century. Sweeney will also explore the role of tradition over comfort among the residents within the region.
Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), located on the banks of the Wallkill River, is where small group of French-speaking Huguenots settled in 1678. Today, just steps from downtown New Paltz, the site features seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground and a reconstructed 1717 stone church – all in their original village setting. HHS offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world.
Thursday, February 11, 2010
Olympic Bobsled Track Named to National Register
By Editorial Staff
The National Register of Historic Places has listed the 1932 and 1980 Olympic bobsled track, located on Mt. Van Hoevenberg in Lake Placid, N.Y., on its national registry for historic places.
Clearing for the original one and a half, 26-curve course began in August 1930 and the track, specifically built for the 1932 winter games, was open to the public just 148 days later, Christmas Day 1930. More than 27,000 cubic yards of earth and stone were used for the straight-aways and curves, while 8,000 feet of pipe, laid four feet underground, was buried to carry the water used to spray the ice from a pond near the base to the top. A gasoline engine and pump forced the water to the top of the run, where a large storage tank guaranteed a continuous supply of water.
The United States’ bobsled team was right at home on the first track ever built in North America and the first-ever one and a half mile course used in Olympic competition. The team won two gold medals, one silver and one bronze. Billy Fiske, who four years earlier at the age of 16 became the youngest-ever Olympic gold medalist, claimed the four-man crown, while fellow American Henry Homburger of Saranac Lake, N.Y., claimed silver. Two brothers from Lake Placid, Curtis and Hubert Stevens, won the two-man race, while their teammates, John Heaton and Robert Minton, took bronze. That event also marked the first-ever two-man race in Olympic history and the first time athletes pushed their sleds at the start.
In 1934 the International Bobsled Federation (FIBT) established a one-mile standard for all tracks. To accommodate the change, the top one-half mile was shut down above the Whiteface curve and the number of curves was reduced from 26 to 16, making the upper portion of the run unusable.
Fifteen years later, the 1,537-meter long course became the first track outside of Europe to host a world championship competition and it was then that Belgian bobsledder Max Houben was killed during a practice run when sliding through the “Shady” curve, prior to the race. Today, the four-man world championship trophy is named in Houben’s honor.
As sled technology improved and speeds grew, changes were made to the course and it took 12 more years before world championship racing returned, in 1961. Throughout the decade of the 1960’s tracks throughout the world continued to try to keep up with sled technology as the request for speed knew no limits. From time to time crashes and tragedy would strike those tracks … even Lake Placid. In 1966, Canadian pilot Sergio Zardini (1964 Olympic silver medalist for Italy) was killed when his four-man sled crashed on turns 13 and 14, better known as the “Zig-Zag Curves.”
With the improvements made and with the blessing of the FIBT, the course hosted Worlds three more times, 1969, 1973 and 1978. Other sports including luge and skeleton also began using the course before it was demolished and re-built in 1979, in time for the 1980 Olympic bobsled competition.
The re-construction included installing refrigeration piping and the building of a refrigeration plant at the base of the run, operated by electricity, with a stand-by generator for emergencies. Following the 1980 games, the track hosted the 1983 world championships before the current combined bobsled/luge/skeleton track was built in 2000.
Today, the track no longer hosts international competitions, but it remains in use. Summer bobsled rides are held on the course, where visitors can enjoy half-mile rides, while reaching speeds in excess of 50-miles-per-hour, while professional drivers steer their sleds through “Shady” and “Zig-Zag.”
Kathleen LaFrank of New York State Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation helped to direct the research. She gathered much of the data and pictures required for the nomination of New York’s historical sites and the additional honor of being named to the National Registry as well.
“The bobsled run is internationally recognized for its association with the 1932 games and the rise of the sport in the United States,” stated Olympic Sports Complex general manager Tony Carlino. “Athletes and visitors from all over the world know of this track, and there are very few worldwide that carry this kind of history. The creation of this track helped to make Lake Placid famous as a winter sports capital.”
Photo: Construction workers lay rocks as they build the Mt. Van Hoevenberg bobsled track, in 1930 in anticipation of the 1932 Olympic Winter Games in Lake Placid, N.Y. (Photo Courtesy of ORDA)
