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Sunday, October 31, 2010
Get New York History Delivered Every Day
By Editorial Staff
Adk Museum Library Honored by State Archives
By Editorial Staff
The Adirondack Museum Library, Blue Mountain Lake (Hamilton County) has been selected as the recipient of the "2010 Annual Archives Award for Program Excellence in a Historical Records Repository," by the New York State Archives and the Archives Partnership Trust. The award was presented to Director Caroline M. Welsh and Librarian Jerry Pepper at a luncheon ceremony at the Cultural Education Center in Albany on October 12, 2010.
The award commends the library for an outstanding archival program that contributes significantly to the understanding of Adirondack history. The award further recognizes the facility for well-organized and managed archives and for efforts to provide access to documentary heritage through extensive collections and excellent education programs for teachers and school children.
The Adirondack Museum Library is the largest and most comprehensive repository of books, periodicals, manuscripts, maps, and government documents related to the Adirondack region.
Supported by private funds, the library is administered by the museum and fulfills an independent mission as a library of record for the Adirondack Park.
Saturday, October 30, 2010
Buffalo and Erie Co. Historical Announces Awards
By Editorial Staff
The Board of Managers and Regents of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society has announced that it has selected Wayne D. Wisbaum, and brothers Christopher T. and Finley R. Greene, as recipients of its annual Red Jacket award. Wisbaum is an an attorney and devoted public servant, as is Christopher Greene. The late Finley Greene was a fundraising professional who aided many non-profit causes and organizations over the course of his decades-long career. The board will present the awards at a dinner and ceremony at the Historical Society on Thursday, Nov. 18 at 6 p.m.
The Red Jacket Award is given annually in recognition of quiet, continued, unbroken devotion to civic progress. Created 53 years ago, in 1957, by the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, the award is based upon a medal presented in 1792 by President George Washington to the renowned Seneca orator and leader Red Jacket.
"The selection of these three men to receive this award carries special significance, as we are living in a time when civic progress is needed more than ever. They and their work stand for the powerful effects that individuals can have in their communities, without drawing attention to themselves or asking for anything in return," said Joan Bukowski, president of the board of managers of the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society. "It is a great privilege to honor these three Buffalonians."
During the ceremony, the board will bestow two additional awards. Charles LaChiusa will receive the Owen B. Augspurger award, which recognizes local historians devoted to the preservation of Erie County's heritage. And the Grant Amherst Business Association will receive the Daniel B. Niederlander award for outstanding programming by a Western New York historical organization.
The Historical Society currently has on exhibit the original Peace Medal that was given to Red Jacket by George Washington, in its new and ongoing exhibit, "Fact, Fiction & Spectacle: The Trial of Red Jacket."
The 2010 Red Jacket Awards dinner will be held at the Historical Society at 25 Nottingham Court at Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo. Tickets are $150 per person or $275 per couple. Table packages and corporate sponsorship opportunities are available. For reservations and more information, call the Historical Society development office at 716-873-9644, ext. 318.
Washington's Headquarters Going Digital
By Editorial Staff
Matthew Colon, the 2010 winner of the Barnabas McHenry Award for Historic Preservation, is in the middle of a project that will digitize and catalog the entire slide collection of the nation’s first publicly-owned historic site, ensuring that the Washington’s Headquarters library and archives will be useful to the staff and public.
The scope of diverse images that make up the collection measures the value of this project. The range of time represented in the collection spans from the late 19th century to the present, documenting the changes undergone by Washington’s Headquarters through images of the historic house and environs, special events, important visitors, and interpretive programs. A favorite are images that document how the house interior looks in candle light. There are also slides documenting important acts of preservation on the historic house and other museum objects this project will make more accessible.
The biggest advantage, most of all to archivists, a digitization project offers are digital surrogates of the original material. Ideally, an infinite amount of copies can be made from the archival image and distributed to the public or for meeting museum interpretive goals. This ensures that the original material will be stored away from the environmental factors disrupting their condition.
Matt Colon has spent the past few months completing the collection index for about 5,000 slides before he can move onto the last phases of the project which include digitization, editing, and delivery. Matt has cemented his appreciation for the role of the librarian and archivist in a museum setting. Colon said, “’the methods of organization are the inner gears to the clock face viewed by the public.’ One issue with that statement is that today that clock face is typically digital.”
Illustration: Tower of Victory in "Harper’s Weekly", 1887. Courtesy of PIPC Archives.
Friday, October 29, 2010
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Farmers' Museum: Giant Hoax, The Musical
- Clyde Fitch: The Waterfront: Shiny and New?
- Linda Norris: Why Are We Conference Sheep?
- Virtual Dime Museum: Mrs. Dubois' Adventure
- Brooklynology: Racing in Sheephead Bay
- American History Now: First of the 'Mohicans'
- Adk Almanack: Warren County Fair Rebirth?
- Home Movies: Jewish Visitors to 1930s Poland
- FB: Founding Fathers Hijacked by Radical Right
- New York Times: Rare Books About New York
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This Week's Top New York History News
By Editorial Staff
- Schomburg Center Gets Maya Angelou Archive
- Original Basketball Rules Headed to Auction
- Major NYC Native American Exhibition
- History of 1641 Irish Rebellion Put Online
- CIA and FBI Study at The Met
- Divers Find Old Navy Munitions in Hudson
- AHA 125th Annual Meeting Program Online
- 'Fiddler on the Roof' Writer Joseph Stein, 98
- Utica: Historic Rutger Park Mansion Sold
- Saranac Lake: The Waterhole Turns 40
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Thursday, October 28, 2010
Study: Ogdensburg History Event Offers Local Boost
By Editorial Staff
Between $250,000 and $500,000 was injected into the regional economy by the Fort La Présentation Association’s Founder’s Day Weekend, July 16-18, 2010, according to Association President Barbara O’Keefe. The financial impact was made by the 3,000 visitors and 700 re-enactors who came to Ogdensburg to commemorate the last Battle of the French and Indian War.
In an exit survey conducted Friday, Saturday and Sunday, visitors were asked to estimate their expenditures related to the event in terms of transportation, meals and beverages, accommodation, and all other expenses.
Harold G. Needham, a consultant to the Fort La Présentation Association, designed the survey, analyzed the data and wrote the report. He took a very conservative approach. Needham disregarded the high-end estimates of the dollar value in each expenditure range selected by respondents; he also disregarded estimates exceeding 50 percent of the dollar range selected by respondents in each expenditure category.
“I deliberately undervalued event organizers’ estimates of numbers of visitors and gave a zero value to the estimates of people who didn’t respond to the economic impact questions in the survey,” Needham said. “I believe my estimated range of total expenditures errs, if at all, in underestimating the economic impact of the event.”
As to the infusion of visitors’ cash Needham wrote, “While most of this would have been spent in the immediate area, some of it impacted on the economy elsewhere in the state and nation, and a very small part in adjacent areas of Canada.”
The survey did not ask about money spent on groceries, but found from $75,000 to $150,000 was spent on meals and beverages and $31,000 to $63,000 on accommodation. Visitors’ transportation expenses infused between $68,000 and $136,000 and from $77,000 to $154,000 flowed into all other expenses.
“As the Founder’s Day Weekend re-enactment and colonial trade fair has grown over the years, we have assumed a significant amount of money is spent locally by the visitors and re-enactors,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “We decided this year, when we hosted New York State’s final 250th anniversary commemoration of the French and Indian War, would be a good opportunity to gauge the potential economic impact of this tourist-focused event, and we have been pleasantly surprised.”
This is the second survey conducted for the Fort Association to get a profile of the visitors and their responses to Founder’s Day Weekend activities. However, this is the first look at what the weekend can pump into the economy.
“We know people spent money getting here. Some traveled lengthy distances to get to our re-enactment and colonial trade fair, and some who were here to visit family took in the event,” said O’Keefe. “Regardless, local motels, bed and breakfasts, restaurants and other business saw trade directly linked to Founder’s Day Weekend, and we are very pleased to have helped contribute to their bottom lines.”
Re-enactors and others who brought the mid-18th century to life put their dollars into the local economy. They arrived in Ogdensburg one, two or more days before the Friday opening and some did not leave until Monday.
In addition, St. Lawrence County and the City of Ogdensburg benefit from their share of the sales tax collected by local merchants.
As of the end of September 2010, the financial statements of the Fort La Présentation Association indicate almost $59,000 had been spent in the local economy on the event. When bills yet to be received are paid, the total will rise to at least $60,000, giving the event a total economic impact of between $300,000 and $550,000
“The major events hosted by the Fort translate into enough additional business for our restaurant that we can do improvements that we otherwise could not afford,” said Deb Janson, owner of the Freight House Restaurant. “The Fort brings in the additional customer base that establishments like ours really need to move ahead.”
Of the visitors to Founder’s Day Weekend, 61.7 percent live in St. Lawrence County and another 18.9 percent elsewhere in New York State; 11.7 percent came from other U.S. states and 7.6 percent from Canada.
Study of Schenectady Development Online
By Editorial Staff
"Shovel Ready: Razing Hopes, History, and a Sense of Place: Rethinking Schenectady's Downtown Strategies" is now available at the Schenectady Digital History Archive.
A thought-provoking discussion of downtown development in Schenectady in the second half of the twentieth century, "Shovel Ready" is Christopher Spencer's master's thesis in city planning (MIT, 2001) and analyzes the reasoning behind Schenectady's development plans from the 1924 report of the City Planning Commission to the Downtown Schenectady Master Plan of 1999, which is also available at the Schenectady Digital History Archive.
The Schenectady Digital History Archive is a service of the Schenectady County Public Library and a member of the NYGenWeb, USGenWeb and American History and Genealogy Projects and the American Local History Network, dedicated to making information about Schenectady's heritage more accessible to researchers around the world.
Great Crash of 1929 Anniversary Walking Tour
By Editorial Staff
The Great Crash of 1929 will be the subject of the Museum of American Finance's 22nd annual guided walking tour of Lower Manhattan on October 30, 2010, 1:00 PM to 4:00 PM. This unique walking tour, which is the only regularly scheduled event that commemorates the Great Crash of 1929, the Panic of 1907 and the 1987 stock market collapse, delves into the political, financial, real estate and architectural history of Wall Street and New York City.
The tour shows that despite such adversities as the Great Fires of 1776 and 1835, financial panics of the 19th century, the 1920 Wall Street explosion, the Crash of 1929, the stock market collapse of 1987, the September 11, 2001 terrorist attack and the financial crisis of 2008, New York and Wall Street have always recovered their position as the world's financial capital.
Tour meets at the Museum of American Finance and costs $15 per person. For information and reservations please contact Lindsay Seeger at 212-908-4110 or lseeger@moaf.org.
Wednesday, October 27, 2010
Museum Seeks Pre-1945 African American Art
By Editorial Staff
The Brooklyn Museum is inaugurating a new collecting initiative that will focus on the acquisition of works by African American artists that were created between the mid-nineteenth century and 1945. In the first three years, the Museum is seeking to raise a minimum of $500,000 for this ongoing dedicated purchase fund, together with gifts of works of art. The project has already received $100,000, with an additional $100,000 to be given as a matching grant, from Museum Trustee Saundra Williams-Cornwell and her husband, Don Cornwell. Additionally, the promised gift of a major painting, Dream of Arcadia after Thomas Cole (1852) by Robert S. Duncanson, has been given by Museum Trustee Charlynn Goins and her husband, Dr. Warren Goins. Ms. Cornwell and Ms. Goins are both initiators of the project, along with former Trustee Tracey G. Riese.
Additional funds, which will go toward matching the Cornwell's contribution, will be raised through a benefit dinner to take place on January 19, 2011, from 7 until 10 p.m. at the studio of Brooklyn-based artist Mickalene Thomas. This event is being guided by a steering committee chaired by Ms. Cornwell, Ms. Goins, and Ms. Riese. Individual tickets range from $500 to $1,000, and tables are available from $5,000 to $15,000. Introductory events for this newly initiated purchase fund took place this past February at the Swann Auction Galleries in New York, followed several weeks later by a dinner at the home of Museum Director Arnold L. Lehman and Pamela Lehman.
"This important new collecting initiative signals a deeper commitment by the Brooklyn Museum in building collections that are distinguished by the diversity of the artists represented. It will expand and enrich the Museum's exceptional holdings of American art and will parallel what is already under way with our contemporary holdings. We are enormously grateful for the exceptionally generous gifts from our Trustees that will inaugurate this important undertaking," states Arnold Lehman.
"The purchases and gifts made possible by this project will take their place in our current presentation of one of the largest and most important collections of historic American art in the United States and will allow us to celebrate more fully the long and rich tradition of African American artistic production," states Teresa A. Carbone, Andrew W. Mellon Curator of American Art and Managing Curator, Arts of the Americas and Europe. Dr. Carbone has worked closely with the steering committee on the implementation of the project.
During the past decade the Brooklyn Museum has significantly increased its holdings of works by contemporary African American artists, including Nina Chanel Abney, Nick Cave, Robert Colescott, Renée Cox, Rashid Johnson, Rashaad Newsome, Lorraine O'Grady, Adrian Piper, Michael Richards, Lorna Simpson, Shinique Smith, Mickalene Thomas, Hank Willis Thomas, Kara Walker, Kehinde Wiley, Fred Wilson, and Hale Woodruff.
Since 1940, when the Brooklyn Museum was the New York venue for the landmark exhibition The Negro Artist Comes of Age, the Museum has actively sought to showcase the work of African American artists. The Museum has also presented landmark survey exhibitions including Two Centuries of Black American Art (1977), Black Folk Art in America (1982), Facing History: The Black Image in American Art, 1710-1940 (1990), Alone in a Crowd: Prints of the 1930s and 1940s by African-American Artists (1996), and Committed to the Image: Contemporary Black Photographers (2001).
Beginning in the 1960s, the Museum has also presented several monographic exhibitions by black artists, among them Jacob Lawrence (1960 and 1987), James Van Der Zee (1978), Romare Bearden (1982), Martin Puryear (1988), Glen Ligon (1996), Kerry James Marshall (1998), Kehinde Wiley (2004), Jean-Michel Basquiat (2005), and Aminah Brenda Lynn Robinson (2006).
About the Leadership
· Saundra Williams-Cornwell, a Brooklyn Museum Trustee since 2003, practiced law in New York for a decade. She has served on the boards of the Manhattan Theater Club, the Continuum Health Partners, and the Brooklyn Heights Association. She is a Chair of the Community Investment Committee of the Board of the United Way of New York City. She and her husband collect twentieth-century African American Art.
· After a career in the financial-services industry, Charlynn Goins, a Brooklyn Museum Trustee since 2003, is also the Chairman of the New York Community Trust. She is an independent trustee of New York Life Insurance Company's Mainstay Funds and a member of the Council on Foreign Relations. She is a graduate of Barnard College and Columbia Law School. Ms. Goins and her husband collect African American art, with a focus on nineteenth-century paintings.
· Tracy Riese is founder and president of T.G. Riese & Associates, Ltd., a branding and communication consultancy serving public and private organizations. She previously held positions at Revlon, RJR Nabisco, Chemical Bank, Young & Rubicam, Burson- Marsteller, and Sotheby's, where she helped form their corporate art advisory service. She is currently on the boards of A Better Chance, the Hunter College Foundation, and of El Museo del Barrio. She and her husband live in Manhattan and collect contemporary art and twentieth-century furniture and design.
Illustration: Robert S. Duncanson (American, 1821-1872). Dream of Arcadia after Thomas Cole, circa 1852. Oil on canvas, 24 X 42 inches. Charlynn and Warren Goins, promised gift to the Brooklyn Museum.
New York State Archives Research Grants Available
By Editorial Staff
The Archives Partnership Trust and the New York State Archives have announced the availability of awards for applicants to pursue research using the New York State Archives. The Larry J. Hackman Research Residency program is intended to support product-related research in such areas as history, law, public policy, geography, and culture by covering research expenses. Award amounts range from $100 to $4,500.
Academic and public historians, graduate students, independent researchers and writers, and primary and secondary school teachers are encouraged to apply. Projects involving alternative uses of the State Archives, such as background research for multimedia projects, exhibits, documentary films, and historical novels, are eligible. The topic or area of study must draw, at least in part, on the holdings of the New York State Archives.
Information on the 2009 Larry J. Hackman Research Residency Program is available on‑line at www.nysarchivestrust.org or by contacting the Archives Partnership Trust, Cultural Education Center, Suite 9C49, Albany, New York 12230; (518) 473‑7091; hackmanres@mail.nysed.gov.
Deadline for receipt of application: January 15, 2011.
Expanded Canadian Naturalization Database Online
By Editorial Staff
Library and Archives Canada (LAC) has announced the release of a new version of the online database Canadian Naturalization 1915-1951. It now includes digitized images of the lists of names of people who applied for and obtained status as naturalized Canadians between 1932 and 1951; these lists were originally published in the Canada Gazette. This database is one of the few Canadian genealogical resources specifically designed to benefit researchers having roots other than British. The reference numbers indicated in the database can be used to request copies of the original naturalization records, which are held by Citizenship and Immigration Canada.
The mandate of Library and Archives Canada is to preserve the nation’s documentary heritage for present and future generations and to be a source of enduring knowledge accessible to all, contributing to the cultural, social and economic development of Canada. Library and Archives Canada also facilitates co-operation among communities involved in the acquisition, preservation and diffusion of knowledge, and is the continuing memory of the Government of Canada and its institutions. Genealogy Services (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogy/) includes all physical and online genealogical services of Library and Archives Canada. It offers information, services, advice, research tools and the opportunity to work on joint projects, in both official languages.
For more information, please contact webservices@lac-bac.gc.ca.
Nouvelle version de la base de données Naturalisation canadienne
Bibliothèque et Archives Canada (BAC) a le plaisir d'annoncer le lancement d'une nouvelle version de la base de données en ligne, Naturalisation canadienne 1915-1951. Elle comprend maintenant les images numérisées des listes de noms de personnes qui ont demandé et obtenu le statut de citoyen naturalisé canadien entre 1932 et 1951; ces listes étaient à l’origine publiées dans la Gazette du Canada. Cette base de données constitue l’une des rares ressources généalogiques canadiennes spécialement conçues pour aider les chercheurs ayant des racines autres que britanniques. On peut se servir des numéros de référence indiqués dans la base de données pour commander des copies des dossiers originaux de naturalisation, qui sont conservés par Citoyenneté et Immigration Canada.
Le mandat de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada est de préserver le patrimoine documentaire du pays pour les générations présentes et futures, et d'être une source de savoir permanent accessible à tous et qui contribue à l'épanouissement culturel, social et économique du Canada. En outre, Bibliothèque et Archives Canada facilite au Canada la concertation des divers milieux intéressés à l'acquisition, à la préservation et à la diffusion du savoir, et représente la mémoire permanente de l'administration fédérale et de ses institutions. Les Services de généalogie (www.collectionscanada.gc.ca/genealogie/) englobent tous les services généalogiques physiques et en ligne de Bibliothèque et Archives Canada. Ils offrent de l'information, des services, des conseils, des outils de recherche et la possibilité de travailler à des projets communs, et ce, dans les deux langues officielles.
Pour de plus amples renseignements, écrivez-nous à webservices@lac-bac.gc.ca.
Tuesday, October 26, 2010
'June and Art' Explores Family History Collections
By Editorial Staff
A new blog has launched called "June and Art," based on the 1949-51 courtship letters of June Anderson and Art Price, while she was attending Traphagen School of Fashion (1680 Broadway between 52nd and 53rd) and he was just out of the Navy and working as a grocery clerk in the Hamptons. The blog includes historic photos, postcards, and their artwork; both June and Art were amateur artists.
The blog's creator Lee Price, who is also Director of Development at the Conservation Center for Art and Historic Artifacts in Philadelphia, PA, has also created a companion blog, "Preserving a Family Collection," which is about conserving the photos and artwork of the "June and Art" collection.
Lee Price has visited both the New York Historical Society and the New York Public Library in search of late 40s/early 50s photographs of the Traphagen school and the two Upper West Side streets where June lived, 96th Street and 83rd Street, both times between Central Park West and Columbus and would greatly appreciate ideas for other places to look for photos from these areas and this particular time.
Virtual Tours of State Parks, Sites, Now Online
By Editorial Staff
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation has partnered with Fisheye Virtual Tours to provide 360-degree views of scenic vistas, popular attractions, gathering spots and select interiors of nearly 50 parks and historic sites on its website, www.nysparks.com.
"Virtual tours are an innovative and user-friendly tool for both tourists and frequent park visitors to plan their next adventure," said State Parks Acting Commissioner Andy Beers. "By showcasing New York's incredible natural and cultural treasures, the virtual tours will help draw new visitors to popular, favorite spots and provide regular visitors with glimpses of features of the park system they've never visited before."
The virtual tours include images of assorted campgrounds, trails, play areas, golf courses, boat launches, beaches and pools in the parks, as well as landscapes, architectural elements and collections in many of the state historic sites. Tours also feature interior and exterior images of the diverse types of lodging available at State Parks – from the many amenities of the Ironworkers Cabins at Taconic State Park's Copake Falls to the rustic camping areas of Allegany State Park. Additional tours will be added in the coming weeks.
"We are very excited to be working with the state of New York on the first phase of our 'Explore America's Parks' project. This partnership truly shows New York's commitment to bringing exciting new features to their website and to show their global audience the stunning beauty of their parks and historic sites," said Fisheye Virtual Tours president Michael Brennan.
The pilot program between Parks and Fisheye Virtual Tours began in 2009 and has expanded to include the unique photography of all 11 state park regions. The initiative is supported through sponsorships developed and administered by Fisheye Virtual Tours.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 178 state parks and 35 historic sites. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com. For information about Fisheye Virtual Tours, sponsorship and the Explore America's Parks program, visit www.exploreamericasparks.org.
Monday, October 25, 2010
On The Web: Helderberg Hill Towns Wiki
By Editorial Staff
Regular New York History reader and GeneaBloggers.com founder Thomas MacEntee wrote me recently to let me know about a wiki called Helderberg Hill Towns, and devoted to the the Hill Towns of Albany County.
Local native Hal Miller created the concept and arranged for volunteers to provide content to the site; the software installation and other technical components of the project were handled by MacEntee.
The site has 2,548 articles so far and growing, including architecture, biographies, businesses, cemeteries, documents, events, images, maps. military history, natural history, and a lot more.
Photo courtesy Helderberg Hilltowns Wiki.
New Expanded Saturday Hours for NYS Archives, Library
By Editorial Staff
The New York State Library and New York State Archives will institute new Saturday hours beginning on October 16th. Saturday hours of operation at the two facilities, located on the 7th and 11th floor of the Cultural Education Center (CEC) at the Empire State Plaza in Albany, will be from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. Free public parking will be available in the Madison Avenue parking lots adjacent to the CEC. Directions and parking information is available on the New York State Museum website.
This new policy for expanded access does not affect the hours of the New York State Museum, which is open from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. seven days a week, except Thanksgiving Day, Christmas Day, and New Year’s Day. However if a major holiday (e.g. July 4th, Memorial Day, Veteran’s Day) falls directly on a Saturday, the Library and Archives will not be open (checking their websites is advised for such holidays).
The New York State Library has served New Yorkers, New York State government and researchers from throughout the United States for more than 190 years. It is the largest state library in the nation and the only state library to qualify for membership in the Association of Research Libraries. The Library’s research collection of more than 20 million items includes major holdings in law, medicine, the social sciences, education, American and New York State history and culture, the pure sciences and technology.
The New York State Archives identifies, preserves, and makes available more than 200 million records of colonial and state government dating back to 1630 that have enduring
value to the public and private institutions and to all the people of the Empire State and the nation.
Sunday, October 24, 2010
Get New York History Delivered Every Day
By Editorial Staff
More than 550 people get the New York History blog each day via various subscription services. It's a convenient way to get the latest New York History news, information, and events.
There are a number of ways you can subscribe:
Get New York History By E-Mail
RSS Feed - Subscribe!
Follow us on Twitter
Follow us on Facebook (occasional updates).
War of 1812, Border, Focus of Ontario Genealogical Conference
By Editorial Staff
The Ontario Genealogical Society's Region VIII (Kingston, Leeds & Grenville, and Ottawa Branches) will host the Society's annual conference on June 1-3, 2012 at St. Lawrence College, Kingston Campus. The conference theme is "Borders and Bridges: 1812 to 2012" - chosen because the War of 1812 was a border dispute between England and the United States. Issues such as border crossings; land settlement and pension records (on both sides of the border) of participants in the war of 1812 and other wars; immigration and migration; and genealogical resources in areas bordering eastern Ontario as well as in Ontario will be among the topics covered by speakers at the Conference. Also, genealogy is about making connections between people and families, including bridging gaps using DNA and other modern technologies.
The subject of lectures should preferably fall within one of the following categories:
1. Borders and Bridges (immigration/emigration, "Old Country" records, research trips)
2. Location (land records, directories, census)
3. Military records (not limited to War of 1812)
4. Technology (software, internet, DNA, etc.)
5. Eastern Ontario and Vicinity (New York state, Quebec)
Those wishing to be considered as a presenter, should submit a brief outline of your proposed talk(s) via e-mail to conference2012@ogs.on.ca no later than 15 January 2011.
Saturday and Sunday lectures will be one hour long, including time for questions. Friday workshops offering a more in-depth exploration should be 2.5-3 hours in length, including time for questions.
Speakers should bear in mind that PowerPoint presentations must be clearly readable from a minimum distance of 20 metres / 65 feet and should employ fonts no smaller than 32 points.
Each proposal should include on one page:
* a presentation title
* an abstract of 200 words
* a one- or two-sentence description of your talk for the seminar brochure
* your full name, postal address, telephone number, e-mail address, and website
* a brief biography
* whether your lecture would be aimed at genealogists working at the beginner, intermediate or advanced level, and suitable for a general or specialist audience (Multiple proposals are encouraged)
If your proposal is accepted, you will be requested to provide a 4-page summary of your talk or workshop for our Syllabus. This may include references and web addresses mentioned, sample screen shots, etc. It will be submitted electronically (in Word, RTF, WordPerfect, text or PDF format) approximately three months prior to the Conference.
Please include your approximate travel costs, economy class, to Kingston, Ontario, Canada. Remuneration will normally include reimbursement of transportation expenses, free registration, free accommodation and meals on the day(s) of your talk(s), free Saturday banquet, plus honorarium. Workshop fees may be negotiated.
Saturday, October 23, 2010
CFP: Latino Folk Culture and Expressive Traditions
By Editorial Staff
The New York Folklore Society has announced a Graduate Student Conference on Latino Folk Culture and Expressive Traditions to be held on November 20, 2010 at New York University, 20 Cooper Square, 4th Floor, NYC.
For over 65 years, the New York Folklore Society (NYFS) has held an annual conference, typically with guest speakers, such as master artists and academic scholars, who have addressed a particular theme. This year, in collaboration with NYU's Latino Studies and Latin American Studies Departments, NYFS seeks to encourage young scholars to continue their studies and become active contributors to the fields of folklore, ethnomusicology, anthropology and more.
A preliminary schedule can be found online. Registration is $20.00 for Members of the New York Folklore Society, $25.00 for non-members, and free for students. For more further information or to register, call (518) 346-7008, e-mail nyfs@nyfolklore.org, or visit their website.
The New York Folklore Society is a statewide service organization, serving the field of folk and traditional arts in New York State. Besides an annual conference, NYFS publishes a semi-annual peer-reviewed journal, and provides technical assistance and professional development opportunities for folklorists, community scholars, folk and traditional artists, and community based cultural organization.
Adirondack History Center Ghost Stories, Book Signing
By Editorial Staff
The Adirondack History Center Museum is offering ghost stories, haunting music and a book signing on Saturday, October 30 at 4:00pm. The program begins with stories of Essex County ghosts by storyteller Karen Glass. Ms. Glass is Keene Valley town librarian and a member of the Adirondack Storytellers’ Guild and the League of New England Storytellers.
Haunting music will accompany the storytelling. Following the ghost stories, there is a book signing by author Cheri Farnsworth of her book Adirondack Enigma: The Depraved Intellect & Mysterious Life of North Country Wife Killer Henry Debosnys. Henry Debosnys was the last person hanged in Essex County in 1883. His skull, noose, drawings and a pass to his execution are exhibited at the museum.
Cider and donuts will be served at the program. Admission is $7 for adults and $5 for members. Students 18 and under are free. Please call the museum for reservations at (518) 873-6466.
Friday, October 22, 2010
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Hotel Chelsea Blog: A New Basement Club
- WNYC: Women of the Hudson River School
- Landmarks45: The First 20 NYC Landmarks
- Adk Almanack: Remembering Huletts Landing, Lake George
- Rich and Poor: Sons of John Brown and Abe Lincoln in 1914
- Inside the Apple: Recalling the Guggenheim's Opening Day
- Ephemeral NY: West 72nd Street Before the Dakota
- David Minor: Gorham Lanscape History, 1800 to 2009
- Brooklynology - Digitizing Brooklyn History
- Jim Cullen: Dearth of Good Revolutionary Movies
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Finger Lakes Museum Adds Staff, Previews Designers
By Editorial Staff
Thirty-five architectural, engineering, and exhibit design teams from across the U.S. and Canada presented qualification submissions in the first stage of a competition to design the Finger Lakes Museum. The submission deadline was October 1st.
On September 14th executive director John Adamski and project director Don Naetzker hosted 70 design professionals from 60 firms at the museum’s future site in Keuka Lake State Park.
The meeting was followed by a request for qualifications, which is the first step in selecting a design team. “Because of the complexity of the project, a team approach makes sense”, said Adamski, who is also president of the museum’s board of trustees and a retired architect. “It’s unlikely that any single firm would possess all of the design disciplines in-house that are needed for a project like this”, he added.
The museum’s facilities committee will evaluate each of the submissions in order to narrow the field to a maximum of 5 frontrunners. Those firms would then be asked to submit proposals, which would include design concepts. It is hoped that a design team can be onboard before the end of the year.
In other Finger Lakes Museum news, the board of trustees recently hired Natalie Payne as the startup organization’s third employee. She was formerly acting curator at Sonnenberg Gardens in Canandaigua and will serve as associate project director working with executive director, John Adamski, and project director, Don Naetzker.
Adamski and Naetzker were hired by the board last May to develop plans for building the Finger Lakes Museum in Keuka Lake State Park. Payne has been involved with the project since its inception. She has been a museum board member since August 2008 and still serves as its secretary.
Adamski said, “Hiring Natalie is possible because of the early success of our Founders Campaign, which is a grass roots effort to raise the funds we need to hire personnel and equip our offices at the school in Branchport.”
Anyone can become a museum founder for $100 or more by logging on to their website and making a contribution. "We have momentum but we need all of the help we can get to keep it going” Adamski said. He has donated his own 2010 salary back to the project.
Lecture to Focus on Albany's Railroad History
By Editorial Staff
Although Albany remains a vital railroad junction, New York's capital city was once a major hub of the railway industry. Can it become one again? On Sunday, October 24, at 2:00 p.m., the Albany Institute of History & Art welcomes Harvard University Professor John Stilgoe, who will give a lecture entitled, Albany's Railroads: A Once and Future Hub.
Professor Stilgoe recalls the bustling railroad lines that once converged on Albany, examines how curtailment of passenger and freight service has affected our region, and imagines a visionary railway revitalization that transcends the now-dominant interstate highway network. He holds joint appointments to the Harvard faculties of Design and Arts and Sciences. He is the winner of the Francis Parkman, George Hilton, and Bradford Williams medals, the AIA award for collaborative research, and the Charles C. Eldredge prize for art history research.
This lecture is free and open to the public, and is made possible by a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities. Admission to the lecture does not include museum admission.
This Week's Top New York History News
By Editorial Staff
- Many Recall Mohawk Chief's Legacy
- Radio Legend Boom Boom Brannigan, 82
- Utica Museum Celebrates 50 Years
- Mohawks Stop Sharing Casino Revenue
- UAlbany Facing $12 M Shortfall
- New VT Native American Commission Meets
- Local College Degrees Below Average
- 2010 National Book Awards Announced
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Thursday, October 21, 2010
Former Trudeau Sanatorium Patient Publishes Novel
By Editorial Staff
Annapolis, Maryland resident, Florence Mulhern, will be at The Saranac Laboratory, 89 Church Street, on October 23rd, 2010, at 2:00 for a book signing of her just published novel, The Last Lambs on the Mountain. Ryerson University Scholar Dr. Jean Mason will introduce the author.
Mulhern spent two years at Trudeau Sanatorium while a tuberculosis patient. She has written a riveting and absorbing novel bringing her fictional characters together, sharing their varied backgrounds, living with constant hope, despair and uncertain futures. Her character’s lives intertwine as they are forced to live through difficult surgeries and experimental medicines always with the unceasing hope a cure is found allowing their lives will return to normal.
Mrs. Mulhern began her writing career many years ago and is the author of numerous published articles and two historical books. The book is now available for purchase in the Museum Store of the Saranac Laboratory, operated and major book sellers. All proceeds benefit Historic Saranac Lake.
Photo: Saranac Lake (Church Street from River Street). Courtesy Historic Saranac Lake.
Citizen Soldier Exhibit Now Online
By Editorial Staff
The New York State Museum's story of the New York Army National Guard is now online.
"Citizen Soldier: New York's National Guard in the American Century" chronicles a history that is based on a tradition dating back to colonial times in a state that has always been guided by the principle that its defense lies in the hands of its citizenry.
"Citizen soldiers are everyday people who put their lives on hold to defend, aid and protect their communities and their country," a museum press release says. "From militiamen defending their homes on the colonial frontier, to individuals serving in conflicts around the globe, New Yorkers continue this legacy of service to the present day."
The exhibit is open in the museum's exhibition hall through March 2011. Photos from the exhibit, as well as an interactive history timeline can now be found on the museum's website at www.nysm.nysed.gov/citizensoldier.
The displays in the exhibition hall, and the online information, focuses on the 20th century, which witnessed the transformation of the United States from an isolationist nation into a dominant power with the ability to shape world events. It was dubbed the American Century in 1941 by Time Magazine Publisher Henry Luce.
During that time the National Guard evolved from an ill-equipped and poorly trained militia into a modern-day force capable of protecting American interests around the world. The 16,000 men and women who serve in the New York Army National Guard today fulfill a variety of critical missions both at home and abroad.
Encompassing nearly 7,000 square feet of gallery space, the exhibition covers the service of New Yorkers in the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the first Persian Gulf War in 1991 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Also included are the missions closer to home – the Capitol Fire (1911), blizzards in Buffalo (1944, 1977) and New York City (1996), the Woodstock concert (1969), the Attica riots (1971), the ice storm in northern New York (1998), the Mechanicville tornado (1998), the 2001 terrorist attacks and other smaller calamities around the state.
Visitors entering the exhibition will see the M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car that was first introduced into combat in 1943. The 16,000-pound vehicle was used in all theaters of World War II, including Europe, where it was issued to the men of the 101st Cavalry Group of the New York National Guard.
The car is now owned by Gregory Wolanin of Loudonville. Also on display are a flamethrower and bazooka, a 37 mm gun, and various other military equipment. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see the History Channel film, "Defending America," which will be shown in the gallery.
There are many personal stories of courage and heroism throughout the exhibition. One of those is that of Sgt. Henry Johnson of Albany, a member of the all-black 369th Infantry Regiment who single-handedly fought off a group of German soldiers before collapsing from 21 wounds during a battle in France in 1918. It wasn't until 1996 that Johnson was awarded the Purple Heart Medal, and 2003 when the Army awarded him the Distinguished Service Cross, this nation's second highest award for valor.
Medals of Honor, the nation's highest military honor, were awarded to Col. William J. O'Brien and Sgt. Thomas A. Baker of Troy, both of the 105th Infantry Regiment, for their courage in the face of a horrifying enemy attack by the Japanese on Saipan in 1944. Also included is the story of Sgt. LeRoy Sprague of Elmira of the 108th Infantry Regiment who received a Purple Heart after being seriously wounded in 1945 during fighting on the island of Luzon in the Philippine Islands.
First Sgt. James Meltz of Cropseyville, a member of the 108th Infantry Regiment, received the Bronze Star for valor after rescuing fellow soldiers from a burning humvee during a Taliban ambush in Afghanistan in 2008.
The exhibition also features profiles of other members of the 108th Infantry who served in Iraq, including Sgt. 1st Class John Ross of Latham, Sgt. 1st Class Luis Barsallo of Halfmoon and Private 1st Class Nathan Brown of Glens Falls. Brown was killed in Iraq in 2004 when an insurgent fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the back of the 5-ton truck he was riding in.
Also included in the exhibition are a bronze bust and other items related to Maj. Gen. John Francis Ryan, who grew up in Morrisania, Westchester Co. and became the commander of the New York National Guard in 1912. He led the 27th Division on the Mexican border and to victory in World War I.
A section of the exhibition is devoted to women in the New York National Guard. Featured here are profiles of Spc. Amy Klemm of Ronkonkoma, who volunteered to serve in both Iraq and Afghanistan, and Capt. Tara Dawe of Queens, who volunteered for service in Bosnia and later passed up Officer Candidate School so that she could deploy with her unit, the 442nd MP Company, to Iraq.
The State Museum is a program of the New York State Education Department's Office of Cultural Education. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum 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 about programs and events can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting www.nysm.nysed.gov.
Hear Tales of Hauntings at The Farmers’ Museum
By Editorial Staff
During the most haunting time of the fall season, The Farmers' Museum invites visitors to experience “Things That Go Bump In The Night.” Join museum interpreters as they lead you about the shadowy grounds and recount the many mysteries and ghostly happenings that have occurred within the buildings making up the Museum’s historic village. These tours will be held on three nights only: Saturday, October 23; Friday, October 29; and Saturday, October 30, beginning at 5:30 p.m.
Museum guides will lead visitors through the darkened 19th-century village by lantern, stopping at various buildings throughout, including the Blacksmith’s Shop and Bump Tavern, weaving ghostly tales adapted from the Louis C. Jones’ classic, Things That Go Bump In the Night, a timeless record of haunted history and restless spirits in New York State. Participants will hear stories associated with the museum’s buildings as in the tale of a young ghost sighted by staff and guests in Bump Tavern and the mysterious early morning strikes on the blacksmith’s anvil.
These hour-long tours will be held every half-hour between 5:30 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. Reservations are required. Admission is $10 per person (ages 3 and up). Please call Meg Preston at (607) 547-1452.
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
Carol Ash Leaves Office of Parks, Historic Preservation
By Editorial Staff
Considering I'm sharing a dais with Carol Ash next week, I can't believe I missed this news, but better late than never I suppose.
Governor David A. Paterson announced on September 28th, that Carol Ash will resign her position as Commissioner of the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP) effective October 13.
"Over the past four years Commissioner Ash has led her agency with dedication, integrity and professionalism," Governor Paterson said. "Despite these extraordinarily challenging times, the Commissioner presided the over construction and opening of the remarkable Walkway Over the Hudson State Historic Park, a very successful U.S. Open Golf Championship at Bethpage State Park and initiated an effort to rebuild and restore the agency's aging infrastructure."
During Commissioner Ash's term more than $200 million was invested in roadways, bathhouses, historic structures and electrical and plumbing systems. She promoted public-private partnerships and encouraged strong relationships with Friends Groups and non-for-profits. She also saw visitation rates climb, as more than 56 million people visited the State's 178 parks and 35 historic sites in 2009.
Governor Paterson appointed Andy Beers to the position of Acting Commissioner. Mr. Beers has served as OPRHP Executive Deputy Commissioner since 2007. He has been responsible for the day-to-day operations of the agency, as well as overseeing the continuing efforts to revitalize the State parks system. Prior to serving as Executive Deputy Commissioner, Beers served as Deputy State Director at the Nature Conservancy. He received his B.A. from Colgate University and his M.S. from Cornell University.
Iroquois Stories for Thanksgiving Season
By Editorial Staff
The Iroquois Indian Museum in Howes Cave, NY will present “Iroquois Stories for the Season of Thanksgiving” with writer and storyteller Susan Fantl Spivack on Sunday, October 24th at 2 p.m. Museum visitors will enjoy traditional Iroquois stories such as “The Brave Woman and the Flying Head” and “The Talking Stone.”
Ms. Spivack teaches poetry writing workshops to children and adults, and since 1991, has brought her program, "Tricks of the Trade: Stories to Take Home, to libraries and scouting groups. Ms. Spivack conducted The Community Library Story Hour in Cobleskill, NY for thirty years, and has told Iroquois myths and tales at the Iroquois Indian Museum of Schoharie County where she has served as an adjunct educator.
For more information visit the Iroquois Indian Museum online at www.iroquoismuseum.org, e-mail info@iroquoismuseum.org, or call 518-296-8949.
Hudson Valley 'Woman of History' Nominations Sought
By Editorial Staff
Each March, Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site recognizes a woman who has distinguished herself in the field of Hudson Valley history by bestowing upon her the “Martha Washington Woman of History Award.” Appropriately, the award emanates from where Martha Washington resided with her husband, General George Washington, during the last months of the Revolutionary War.
That the ceremony takes place in March, during Women’s History Month, is indeed fitting. The Woman of History award acknowledges Martha Washington’s important place in history as a devoted patriot in support of the American Revolution and the ensuing new nation. This is the ninth year the award has been given, continuing the site’s mission to educate the public about the history of our great state and national heritage.
There are many women who are dedicated to sharing and preserving our history. Perhaps you know of a woman who shares her love of history with children by taking them to historic places during her free time? Is there a woman who has done research about the Hudson Valley and has shared her findings to encourage others to do the same? Do you know a woman who has used her personal funds to preserve historic landmarks? These are just a few examples of what could qualify a woman to be a recipient of the award. As you can perceive, the nomination field is open to any woman who has cultivated interest and awareness of Hudson Valley history, either locally or nationally. Nominations must be completed and submitted by January 7th, 2011. The award will be given during a ceremony in March 2011.
The Nomination Form is online. For more information call (845) 562-1195.
Photo: Washington's Headquarters circa 1852. Courtesy of Palisades Interstate Park Commission Archives.
National Archives Regional Residency Fellowship
By Editorial Staff
The National Archives and Records Administration (NARA), with the support of the Foundation for the National Archives, has announced a new program designed to give researchers the opportunity to conduct original research using records held at National Archives locations in Atlanta, Chicago, Kansas City, Philadelphia and Seattle. This is an opportunity for researchers to explore often overlooked records held by NARA and to experience what many researchers have discovered - that you do not have to go to Washington, D.C. to do research at the National Archives.
For 2011, one fellow will be assigned to each of the participating National Archives facilities, for a total of five fellowships. Each fellow will receive a $3,000.00 stipend to assist with travel and research expenses.
Stipend recipients will be expected to complete a research project that results in a publishable work product. In addition, within one year of receiving the fellowship, recipients will be asked to prepare a short report for publication by NARA that describes the research experience – the discovery, method, and use of the records at whatever facility the fellow is working at.
The use of social media tools to spread information about the experience is encouraged. Fellows will also be asked to conduct a staff briefing at the end of their research visit to share information regarding what was found during the research process.
Academic and independent historians, public and local historians, and writers are encouraged to apply. Current NARA employees and contractors or their immediate family members are not eligible.
Submit proposals by e-mail or mail. Either must be postmarked by NOVEMBER 15, 2010.
What to Send:
* A description and justification for the project, not to exceed six pages. This proposal should include:
o a description of consultation with a regional archivist regarding the records to be used for research (there should be enough records to warrant a research visit of at least one week);
o a listing of the records that will be used at the region;
o the proposed final product; and
o the significance of the project to historical scholarship.
* Please also include the following with your proposal:
o Copy of Vita (no more than three pages) including current contact information; and
o Two letters of recommendation
Proposals should be sent by mail or electronic mail directly to the NARA facility the researcher intends to use for the fellowship:
Tuesday, October 19, 2010
53rd Annual October Conference for Teachers
By Editorial Staff
The 2010 October Conference for Teachers will present an evening performance by historical balladeer Linda Russell on Thursday, October 21 from 7:30 p.m. to 9:00 p.m. She will perform From Parlor and Porch: Music of 19th Century New York at The Farmers’ Museum. This event is free and open to the public.
Ms. Russell’s performance kicks off the 53rd Annual October Conference for Teachers being held October 21 & 22. The Conference is an annual professional development opportunity focused on current issues, topics, concerns, and practices in social studies education. Each year the Conference, a program sponsored by the New York State Historical Association, attracts several hundred educators to the campuses of Fenimore Art Museum and The Farmers' Museum during the fall season. This year, the Conference begins on Thursday evening, October 21, with a reception and Ms. Russell’s performance, and continues on Friday, October 22, with a series or workshops and presentations offered by teachers and museum professionals.
Balladeer Linda Russell explores the music of 19th century New York through canal songs, lumberjack ballads, parlor tunes, minstrel melodies and hymns. With hammered and mountain dulcimers, guitar, pennywhistle and lumberjack, Ms. Russell illuminates the lives of the folks of the 1800’s as seen in the popular songs that they sang.
Linda Russell is a historian, singer and actor who explores America’s past through music. Having served for many years as a balladeer for the National Park Service at Federal Hall on Wall Street, the site of George Washington’s inauguration, Ms. Russell takes her performances to historic sites, schools and festivals around the country. Appearances have included Lincoln Center-Out of Doors, the Metropolitan Museum of Art and the Carnegie Hall Folk Festival. She has recorded 8 albums of traditional American music.
The concert is free and open to the general public. For more information on the Conference or the evening performance, please call Tobi Voigt at (607) 547 1534. To see the full schedule of Conference events visit nysha.org.
Photo: Historical balladeer Linda Russell.
Historic Civil War Coastal Survey Documents Online
By Editorial Staff
In honor of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War in 2011, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) has assembled a special historical collection of maps, charts, and documents prepared by the U.S. Coast Survey during the war years. The collection, “Charting a More Perfect Union,” contains over 400 documents, available free from NOAA’s Office of Coast Survey website.
Coast Survey’s collection includes 394 Civil War-era maps, including nautical charts used for naval campaigns, and maps of troop movements and battlefields. Rarely seen publications include Notes on the Coast, prepared by Coast Survey to help Union forces plan naval blockades against the Confederacy, and the annual report summaries by Superintendent Bache as he detailed the trials and tribulations of producing the maps and charts needed to meet growing military demands.
In the nation's early years, the United States lost more ships to accidents than to war. In 1807, President Thomas Jefferson established the Survey of the Coast to produce the nautical charts necessary for maritime safety, defense and the establishment of national boundaries. By 1861, Coast Survey was the government’s leading scientific agency, charting coastlines and determining land elevations for the nation. Today, the Office of Coast Survey still meets its maritime responsibilities as a part of NOAA, surveying America’s coasts and producing the nation’s nautical charts.
In his annual report on Dec. 15, 1861, Coast Survey Superintendent Alexander Bache wrote, “it has been judged expedient during the past year to suspend usual foreign distribution” of reports on the progress of maps and charts. Distribution of maps, charts, and sketches almost tripled in the 1861 “due to the demands of the War and Navy Departments.” However, because the Coast Survey could not easily ascertain the loyalties of private citizens, private distribution of maps was severely restricted among “applicants who were not well known having been referred to the representative of the congressional district from which the application had been mailed.”
The Civil War special collection is accessible through a searchable online database.
Illustration: Map of the Battlefield of Chickamauga. U.S. Coast Survey cartographers traveled with Union forces to produce battlefield maps during the Civil War. Courtesy NOAA.
Monday, October 18, 2010
Troy's Little Italy Midwife Records Online
By Editorial Staff
Troy area researchers will be interested in the almost 200 midwife records covering 600 surnames that have just been added to the Troy Irish Genealogy Website. These records mostly are for infants born to Italian immigrants who lived in the little Italy section of South Troy. A number of the records, however, are for Syrian immigrants. The records, which range from 1909 to 1923, were completed by the midwife Alesandra Matera, a nurse who lived at 250 Fourth Street in Troy.
The Rensselaer County Historical Society in Troy, New York provided the Troy Irish Genealogy Society access to their copies of these records to develop this on-line database.
You can view these records by going to the Troy Irish Genealogy website at www.rootsweb.com/~nytigs/ and click on PROJECTS and then click on MATERA MIDWIFE RECORDS. There are three separate files for the records covering the child's name, the father's name and the mother's name. Clicking on the alphabetical listing of names on the left side of the page will bring up the individual record for that name.
Illustration: 1880 Map of Troy's Little Italy Neighborhood.
Sunday, October 17, 2010
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By Editorial Staff
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18th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks
By Editorial Staff
The Adirondack Research Consortium is seeking abstracts for panel or poster presentations at the 18th Annual Conference on the Adirondacks to be held May 18th and 19th, 2011 in Lake Placid. Research presentations can involve any topic of relevance to the Adirondack region including the natural sciences, economic and community issues, social sciences, arts and the humanities.
For more information and a 2011 Abstract Submission Form go to the Consortium’s webpage or call Dan Fitts on the Paul Smith’s College Campus at 518-327-6276. The Consortium will review all submissions to determine acceptance for presentation at the conference and scheduling. The Consortium expects that presenters will register for the conference.
Saturday, October 16, 2010
Northeast Natural History Conference
By Editorial Staff
The 11th Northeast Natural History Conference (NENHC) will be held on April 6-9, 2011 in Albany. The meeting will also include the historic first meeting of the new Association of Northeastern Biologists (ANB).
As in the past this conference, held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, promises to be the largest regional forum for researchers, natural resource managers, students, and naturalists to present current information on the varied aspects of applied field biology (freshwater, marine, and terrestrial) and natural history for the Northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.
It is hoped to serve as a premier venue to identify research and management needs, foster friendships and collegial relationships, and encourage a greater region-wide interest in natural history by bringing people with diverse backgrounds together.
Information about registration, submitting proposals for abstracts, organized sessions, workshops, field trips, and special events can be found online. Student volunteer opportunities are also available and offer free registration.
George Washington’s Great Gamble Author Event
By Editorial Staff
Fort Ticonderoga’s 2010 Author Series concludes on Sunday, October 17th, with James Nelson, author of George Washington's Great Gamble: And the Sea Battle That Won the American Revolution. The program takes place in the Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center at Fort Ticonderoga at 2:00 p.m., followed by a book signing at 3:00 p.m. in the Fort Ticonderoga Museum Store. The program is included in the cost of admission.
In George Washington’s Great Gamble, Nelson tells the story of the greatest naval engagement of the American Revolution. In the opening months of 1781, General George Washington feared his army would not survive the coming campaign season. The spring and summer only served to reinforce his despair, but in late summer the changing circumstances of war presented a once-in-a-war opportunity for a French armada to hold off the mighty British navy while his own troops with French reinforcements would drive Lord Cornwallis’s forces to the Chesapeake. The Battle of the Capes would prove the only time the French ever fought the Royal Navy to a draw; but for the British army it was a catastrophe, leading to Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown.
James L. Nelson is the author of 15 works of fiction and nonfiction. His novels include the five books of his “Revolution at Sea” saga and three in his “Brethren of the Coast” series. His novel Glory in the Name won the American Library Association’s W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Best Military Fiction. He is also the author of Benedict Arnold’s Navy and George Washington’s Secret Navy, which earned the Samuel Eliot Morison Award.
Friday, October 15, 2010
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Governors Island Blog: Record Breaking Season
- Eastman House: Honoring Eastman Biographer Elizabeth Brayer
- Ephemeral NY: The Cedar Tavern, Hipster Hangout
- Clermont SHS: Sorrowful Tale of Nancy Shippen
- American Folk Art: Folk Art at "Fenimore House"
- Old Salt Blog: Happy Birthday US Navy
- A.J. Rowley: Is Wikipedia Worth the Trouble?
- Adirondack Almanack: Preserving A Theme Park Legacy
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Champlain History Project Wins Prestigious Award
By Editorial Staff
A partnership of state and non-profit entities has won an important award for its project to educate Vermonters about the history and archeology of the Lake Champlain area as part of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial.
At its recent annual conference, the American Association for State and Local History awarded the Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery project a 2010 Leadership in History Award of Merit.
“This is a special honor, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to accept the award on behalf of the partnership,” said project director Elsa Gilbertson, Regional Historic Site Administrator for the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, which collaborated with Vermont Public Television; the Bixby Memorial Free Library in Vergennes; Broadwing Productions; and the University of Maine at Farmington Archaeological Research Center.
“I’m very proud of the Voyages project and pleased to see the work of so many people in Vermont being recognized at the national level,” said AASLH Council President David Donath, CEO of the Woodstock Foundation and member of the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.
The two-and-a-half year project was funded by a $250,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as well as matching resources from the partnership, and used the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s arrival in Lake Champlain as an opportunity to explore and bring to life the little known but internationally significant area and its peoples from 1609 to the 1760s.
“This project was a multi-disciplinary effort using archeology, historic research, film-making, museum and library outreach, and extensive local and regional participation,” said Giovanna Peebles, State Historic Preservation Officer and head of DHP. “I think it did a terrific job of portraying the Native American and other peoples and their contributions to regional and world history during this critical period in the Champlain Valley.”
It included:
* An archeological investigation with professional archeologists, educators, and volunteers at the DAR State Park in Addison to look for traces of the French colonial past;
* A Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery publication for the general public about this early history and archeological results;
* A one-hour documentary, Champlain: The Lake Between, by film maker Caro Thompson and Broadwing Productions with Vermont Public Television, which won a New England Emmy;
* Public programs and exhibits at the Chimney Point State Historic Site and Bixby Memorial Free Library;
* A special edition Champlain: The Lake Between, with “Classroom Connections” educational activities and resources distributed to schools in the Lake Champlain Basin of Vermont and New York;
* Educational kits and new books and other resources at the Bixby Memorial Free Library;
* A website with information about the project.
The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 65th year, is the most prestigious recognition in the United States for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.
“The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history,” said AASLH President Terry L. Davis.
DVDs of the Champlain: The Lake Between are available from Vermont Public Television by calling (802) 655-5307 and the special educational edition and the publication, Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery, are available from the Chimney Point State Historic Site.
Educational kits are available in the local area on loan from the Bixby Memorial Free Library. For more information, visit: www.historicvermont.org/imls/lakechamplainvoyageshomepage.html
“VPT is proud to be part the Voyages of Discovery project, making this valuable content available to classroom teachers, students and lifelong learners,” said Vermont Public Television president John King.
Vermont Public Television will re-air Champlain: The Lake Between on Monday, Oct. 18, at 10:30 p.m.
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