As the 200th anniversary approaches, there will be a steady stream of new books about the War of 1812. But for readers interested in the effects of the war on the ground in the Champlain Valley, there remains just one foundational text, now available for the first time in paper by Syracuse University Press. Although first issued in 1981, Allan S. Everest's The War of 1812 in the Champlain Valley is still required reading for those hoping to understand the Plattsburgh campaign, considered critical to the war.
The War of 1812, ranks with the often overlooked American conflicts of the 19th century, but unlike the Mexican-American War (1846-1848) or the Spanish-American War (1898-1902), the War of 1812 really was a Second War for Independence. America stood at the other side of Britain's own Manifest Destiny, the homes, farms, property, and lives of Americans in the Champlain Valley stood in the middle.
The first months of 1814 spelled gloom for America, then only 35 years old. The war against England was stalled. The British continued to kidnap and impress American for service on their warships. They supported Native Americans who attacked outposts and settlements on the American frontier. American harbors were blockaded by the British and New England, never sympathetic with the narrow vote of Congress for war, had become openly hostile and was threatening to secede.
Still worse, Napoleon had been defeated in Europe and Britain could now devote more time and effort to America. The British saw an opportunity to split the new American republic and once again take control of sections of the young colonies. The bold plan called for a combined army and naval strike at Plattsburgh, followed by a drive down the lake and through the Hudson Valley to New York City, splitting the colonies in two. The Americans saw that opportunity too.
The Navy Department contracted Noah Brown, one of New York's finest shipwrights, to build a fleet to protect the way south from Canada along Lake Champlain. In less than two months, Brown constructed, armed, and launched a total of six of war ships: Allen, Borer, Burrows, Centipede, Nettie, and Viper. With the help of the small Vermont town of Vergennes and its iron foundry that could supply spikes, bolts, and shot, and it’s water-powered sawmills, and surrounding forests filled with white oak and pine for ship timber, Brown built the 26-gun flagship Saratoga, in just 40 days, and commandeered the unfinished steamboat and completed it as the 17-gun schooner Ticonderoga.
Vastly out-manned and outgunned on both land and sea, a rag tag inexperienced group of 1,500 Americans commanded by Capt. Thomas Macdonough met the greatest army and naval power on earth. Because of a serious shortage of sailors for his fleet, he drafted U.S. Army soldiers, band musicians, and convicts serving on an army chain gang to man the ships.
Their leader Macdonough had some experience. He had served against the Barbary pirates in North Africa, but two decades of warfare had given the British considerably more experience. It had for instance, led to the promotion of officers by merit, rather than by purchase or birth. As a result the British forces were the best trained and most experienced in the world and they enjoyed the backing of the world’s greatest military power. Sir George Prevost led the large British army and its fleet into New York and down Lake Champlain to meet the Americans. But what happened that September 11th no one could have predicted.
By the end of the day, the U.S. had achieved the complete and unconditional surrender of the entire British fleet and the full retreat of all British land forces. More importantly, the American victory at Plattsburgh helped persuade the British to end the war.
That's the bigger story, but the local story is the strength of Allan Everest's history. As a professor of history at SUNY Plattsburgh, and the author of Moses Hazen and the Canadian Refugees in the American Revolution, Our North Country Heritage, and the seminal book on the region's prohibition history drawn from local interviewees, Rum Across the Border, Everest had a grasp of the topography of the region's political, social, and cultural history.
Over some two and a half years, the region saw armies raised, defeated, and disbanded, including their own militia, which was repeatedly called out to protect the border areas and to serve under regular army units. Everest catalogs the political and military rivalries, and the series of disheartening defeats, loss of life, and destruction of property and markets resiliently borne by local people, who were forced to flee when battle threatened, and returned to rebuild their lives.
2001's The Final Invasion: Plattsburgh, the War of 1812’s Most Decisive Victory painted with a broader brush and suffered criticism for misunderstanding the Plattsburgh campaign. As a result, Everest's 30-year-old work - despite its age - is still the definitive work on the impact of the War of 1812 on northern New York.
Note: Books noticed on this site have been provided by the publishers. Purchases made through this Amazon link help support this site.
Saturday, April 30, 2011
Books: The War of 1812 in the Champlain Valley
By Editorial Staff
Friday, April 29, 2011
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Fort William Henry Hotel: Lake George's First Luxury Resort
- Brooklynology: Gertrude Hoffman, Outlaw Dancer
- Clare Spark: Herman Melville, Dead White Male
- Old Salt Blogs: Hard Times at Two Seaport Museums
- Active History: Eating Animals
- Don Rittner: Capital District Civil War Series
- Library History: Carnegie Library Correspondence Destruction
- Brooklyn Historical: African-Am Archival Materials Guide
- Saratoga Skier: Gore Mountain Circa 1986
Each Friday afternoon New York History compiles for our readers a collection of the week's top weblinks about New York's state and local history. You can find all our weekly round-ups here.
Subscribe! More than 1,200 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.
This Week's Top New York History News
By Editorial Staff
- Newly-Identified Papers of Walt Whitman
- Union College to Buy Adk Library
- Business Upswing for Erie Canal Cruises
- Sex Offenders Upset Landmark Society
- NY's Irish-American Museum Moving
- Iroquois Headed to World Championships
- SUNY Plattsburgh Cuts Programs
- New Documentary Hails Olmsted
- Movement Grows to Save Historic Camp
- 2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced
Each Friday morning New York History compiles for our readers the previous week's top stories about New York's state and local history. You can find all our weekly news round-ups here.
Subscribe! More than 1,200 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.
Thursday, April 28, 2011
The History of the '90-Miler' in Rochester
By Editorial Staff
A special program, "The History of the 90-Miler" will be held on May 5, 2011 in Rochester. Adirondack Museum Curator Hallie Bond will share the history of the "90-Miler" at the Midtown Athletic Club from 6:30 p.m. - 8:00 p.m. The fee for the program is $10 per person, and includes a cocktail reception.
The "90-Miler" or Adirondack Canoe Classic is a canoe and guideboat race that celebrates the era of human-powered boats in the Adirondacks. The race begins in Old Forge, N.Y. and proceeds up the Fulton Chain of Lakes into Raquette Lake and on to the Saranac Lakes, finishing in the Village of Saranac Lake. In its 28th year, the event is so popular that registration is capped at 250 boats.
Special guest Nancie Battaglia will share photographs of the race, including her award winning aerial photo of the 90-miler chosen as one of Sports Illustrated's 2009 Pictures of the Year. A renowned Lake Placid, N.Y. based photographer, Nancie Battaglia is a regular contributor to the New York Times and Adirondack Life magazine and shot the 2010 Winter Olympics in
Vancouver.
The ninety-mile water route from Old Forge to Saranac Lake forms what was known a century and a half ago as the "Great Central Valley" of the Adirondacks. It was the best route through the wilderness at the time - easier travel than roads, which were distinguished by quagmires, corduroy, steep inclines, and rocks. The key to traveling via waterway was the Adirondack guideboat. The Great Central Valley is no longer the most efficient way to get through the Adirondacks, but still has tremendous appeal to people who follow it to experience the woods and waters as the original travelers did.
The Adirondack Museum invites all those who have taken part in the 90-Miler, to come and share your own stories of adventure.
Reservations must be made directly with the Midtown Athletic Club by calling (585) 461-2300.
Hallie E. Bond has been Curator at the Adirondack Museum since 1987. She has written extensively on regional history and material culture including Boats and Boating in the Adirondacks, published by Syracuse University Press in 1995 and 'A Paradise for Boys and Girls': Children's Camps in the Adirondacks, Syracuse University Press, 2005.
Photo: Paddlers in the 90-Miler by Nancie Battaglia.
JFK Program at Society for Ethical Culture
By Editorial Staff
It's been fifty years since John F. Kennedy was inaugurated as the nation's 35th president, yet his specter remains ever present in the American consciousness. In conversation with Bob Herbert, celebrated biographer Robert Dallek examines the trials and tribulations Kennedy faced during his political career—obstacles that are surprisingly resonant to issues facing our current president—including the Cold War, conflict in Southeast Asia, and the resistance he faced in passing domestic policy.
Robert Dallek is the author of An Unfinished Life: John F. Kennedy, 1917-1963 and the new book John F. Kennedy, and is a Pulitzer Prize finalist. Bob Herbert (moderator) is an op-ed columnist for The New York Times. He is the author of Promises Betrayed: Waking Up from the American Dream.
During the New-York Historical Society's major renovation project (from April 2010 – November 2011) the Bernard and Irene Schwartz Distinguished Speakers Series will be presented at the New York Society for Ethical Culture at 2 West 64th Street at Central Park West.
Date: May 24 2011 6:30 PM
Full Price Ticket (Non-Members): $20.00
Member Cost: $10.00
Tickets for this program are sold through SmartTix. To order online visit www.smarttix.com. To order by phone please call SmartTix at 212-868-4444. The SmartTix Call Center is open 9am-8pm Monday through Friday, 10am-8pm Saturday and 10am-6pm Sunday. For more information on programs:
Please call the N-YHS Public Programs Department at 212-485-9205. Management reserves the right to refuse admission to latecomers.
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Boscobel Offers Free Westchester County Day
By Editorial Staff
On Sunday, May 1, simply show proof of your Westchester residency and admission to Boscobel House & Gardens is free. It’s a wonderful opportunity to get to know one of the Hudson Valley’s most interesting historic sites.
Set upon 68 acres of landscaped grounds, Boscobel House contains a collection of furniture and decorative arts from the Federal period. Collections include rare china and glassware, antique books and fine art, including a Benjamin West painting. An exhibition about the rescue and restoration of Boscobel may also be seen in the Visitors Center at the Carriage House.
In addition to a house tour, guests are invited to stroll Boscobel’s grounds & gardens and to admire vistas of the Hudson River and its Highlands. For the more adventurous, a 1.25-mile Woodland Trail offers forest paths that include a summerhouse pavilion, a wooden footbridge and scenic overlooks. Bring your camera, pack a picnic and use this special offer as your chance to get to know Putnam County’s renowned Boscobel House & Gardens.
Located on scenic Route 9D in Garrison New York, Boscobel is just one mile south of Cold Spring and directly across the river from West Point. From April through October, hours are 9:30am to 5pm (first tour at 10am, last at 4pm). The House Museum and distinctive Gift Shop at Boscobel are open every day except Tuesdays, May 15, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For more information, visit Boscobel.org or call 845.265.3638.
Union College to Aquire Adirondack Library
By Editorial Staff
Union College has entered into an agreement with the private conservation group Protect the Adirondacks! (PROTECT) to purchase a building complex in Niskayuna that includes the former home of the noted Adirondack conservationist Paul Schaefer (1908-1996) and a modern addition that houses the Adirondack Research Library.
The decision to acquire the two-acre property on St. David’s Lane and preserve and expand its use as an educational learning center "reaffirms and builds upon the College’s long connection to the Adirondacks," college officials said in a prepared statement.
“This is an exceptional opportunity to provide a home for and advance the College’s curricular and co-curricular offerings related to mountains, wilderness and waterways in general and to the Adirondacks in particular,” said College President Stephen C. Ainlay. An anonymous donor has made it possible for the College to purchase the property.
The property is located on a two-acre parcel of land, three miles from the Union College campus, adjacent to the adjacent 111-acre H. G. Reist Wildlife Sanctuary, which is stewarded by the Hudson-Mohawk Bird Club. The complex includes a 2,400 square-foot Dutch replica home built by Schaefer in 1934 used for offices and meetings and a 3,900 square-foot addition completed in 2005 that houses additional offices, conference rooms, and the Adirondack Research Library.
The library, which contains more than 15,000 volumes, as well as extensive collections of maps, photographs, documents and the personal papers of some of the region's foremost conservationists, was the creation of Paul Schaefer. The building is surrounded by award-winning perennial gardens that have been maintained by Garden Explorers of Niskayuna and a bluestone amphitheatre used for public lectures and musical events.
PROTECT was incorporated in 2009 following the consolidation of the Association for the Protection of the Adirondacks with which Schaefer was associated for many years and the Residents’ Committee to Protect the Adirondacks. "PROTECT has elected to focus its activities within the Adirondack Park, prompting the organization to begin exploring appropriate uses for the building and protection of the highly respected library," the College's statement said.
President Ainlay noted that Schaefer once taught a course on the Adirondacks at the College and in 1979 was awarded doctor of science degree for his conservation efforts. Union alumni and members of the faculty have been involved in the Adirondacks for well over a century. Numerous faculty members have conducted research in the Adirondacks and incorporated it into their courses. The College also has hosted a number of academic conferences and symposia centered on the Adirondacks, and the six-million-acre Adirondack Park is a destination for student field trips.
The College will explore collaborative partnerships with other colleges and universities involved with the Adirondacks, as well as museums and preservation groups the statement said.
According to David Quinn, treasurer of PROTECT, when the transaction is complete the Adirondack Research Library will be transferred intact to the College on permanent loan, to be managed by Union’s Schaffer Library.
“Union College will provide the quality of stewardship the place deserves,” said Quinn. “The building and library and the history they represent will be associated with a first-rate institution of higher learning and the public and park will be the ultimate beneficiaries.”
Dutchess County History Conference May 7
By Editorial Staff
The Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education (IHARE) has announced the fourth of five county history conferences in the Hudson Valley to be held this spring. The history of Dutchess County will be the focus of the conference, which will be held May 7, Greenspan Dining Room, Drumlin Building, Dutchess Community College.
Each Saturday conference brings together scholars, municipal historians, historic organizations, teachers, and lovers of history to share in the experience of the history of a region in the Hudson Valley, address the challenges in preserving that legacy, and to hear about teaching local history in our schools. We look forward to
seeing you at the next conference.
Lunch is $10 (mail check payable to IHARE to POB 41, Purchase, NY, 10577). To pre-register or for more information contact info@ihare.org
9:00 Welcome - D. David Conklin, President
Dutchess Community College [invited]
9:15 Students take a Trip in a Time Machine Back 7,000 Years
Stephanie Roberg-Lopez and Tom Lake
Dutchess Community College
Examine the legacy of the first human settlers in what would become Dutchess County. Explore the mysteries of Bowdoin Park. See what the students have uncovered as part of their archaeological training over the past decade. The discoveries of Native American culture dates to at least 7,000 years ago.
Stephanie Roberg-Lopez is an Associate Professor in Behavioral Sciences at Dutchess Community College where she teaches Anthropology and Archaeology. She also does cultural resource management consulting throughout New York. She has a BA in Anthropology from Columbia University and an MA in Archaeology from Yale.
Tom Lake works for the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation's Hudson River Estuary Program as its Estuary Naturalist, where he shadows eagles, teaches the ecology of the estuary, and edits the Hudson River Almanac, a natural history journal now in its 18th year. He is an Adjunct lecturer at Dutchess Community College.
10:15 It Really Is Our History:
Dutchess County And The American Civil War
Pete Bedrossian, National Purple Heart Hall of Honor,
New York State Office Parks Recreation and Historic Preservation
Everyone knows that the Civil War occurred in the South - that's where all the National Park Services sites are located excepted for Gettysburg! But it was the people from the North who fought in those battles and marched in those campaigns and no state contributed more than New York State. Units tended to be based on communities and the soldiers from Dutchess County were no exception to this practice. Come here the story of the 150th New York, the Dutchess County regiment.
Peter Bedrossian has studied the Civil War for 20 years as a Civil War Living Historian and re enactor. He is the military commander of the 150th New York, which is an education association chartered by the Board of Regents. His areas of focus are the 150th New York, "the Dutchess County Regiment" and Civil War Medicine and Surgery. He has made presentations at Gettysburg National Battlefield Park, the Antietam National Battlefield Park, St. Paul's National Historic Site, local libraries and historical societies as well as providing school programs throughout the region. When not in the 19th century, he preserves our history as Program Director at the National Purple Heart
Hall of Honor.
11:15 The Home Front at Roosevelt's Home Town
Carney Rhinevault, Hyde Park Town Historian
The Home Front at Roosevelt's Home Town tells an almost entirely forgotten story in wonderful, personal detail: the myriad ways in which people in small town America coped with the challenges, hardships and inconveniences of world war and threw themselves - every man, woman and child of them - into the effort of winning the war by
means of civic enterprise. A selection of chapter titles spells it out: "airplane spotters," "blackout drills and civil defense," "home front industries," "rationing and shortages," "victory gardens," "recycling." This book presents Anytown USA in wartime. It also tells us about the lifelong home town that was much loved by the
Commander-in-Chief. The Roosevelts pass in and out of the narrative with sufficient frequency to add celebrity flavor and worldwide resonance to the initiatives and privations of his "friends and neighbors."
Carney Rhinevault is the Hyde Park Town Historian, a position once held by FDR. Rhinevault discovered a previously unpublished account of daily doings in Hyde Park and Staatsburg during eighteen months in the middle of World War II written by a career newspaper reporter Helen Myers.
12:15 Lunch
1:15 Preserving the Past in Dutchess County
Saving the Fishkill Supply Depot: A Call to Action
Lance Ashworth, President, Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot
Over the past forty years, the overall site has been considerably damaged and fragmented by commercial development. A combination of general contemporary pressure to seek revenue from properties, regulatory, legal and procedural gaps, and historical accident have combined to produce a situation in which the 70 acres of National
Register of Historic Places-designated Fishkill Supply Depot land, or at least some parcels within it, have never come under the care of effective custodianship.
Key open space parts of the Fishkill Supply Depot complex are currently up for sale, primed for future commercial development. Still, the opportunity remains for respectful preservation and subsequent interpretation of remaining open space. The preservation of essential properties at the core of the Depot site can happen in our
time. It is to this end that we are dedicated.
The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot is a not-for-profit organization that advocates the permanent preservation of undeveloped acres within the Fishkill Supply Depot and Encampment, a Revolutionary War site that is listed on the National Register of Historic Places. The mission of The Friends of the Fishkill Supply Depot includes
permanent protection of the Continental Army Burial Complex within the boundaries of the Fishkill Supply Depot, stringent archaeological review of development projects that may affect the site, preservation of archaeological resources associated with the Fishkill Supply Depot during the Revolutionary period, and the future interpretation of the historic site for public benefit.
Restoring the Beacon Railway
Anne Lynch, Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society
Founded in 1996, the Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society consists of members from across the Hudson Valley and beyond. This diverse organization is united in its efforts to restore, operate and preserve an integral piece of American industrial, engineering, transportation and leisure history. Incline railway service to the summit of Mount Beacon will offer the public unparalleled vistas and scenic beauty. The Incline Railway will serve as a living museum and centerpiece asset in the restoration of the Mount Beacon summit as a scenic, historic educational and recreational resource.
Anne Lynch is the president and CEO of the Mount Beacon Incline Railway Restoration Society
2:15 Dutchess County: A Community Experience
Dutchess County: A Community of Pots and Transportation
George Lukacs, Poughkeepsie City Historian
Upper Landing: Bridging our Past and Future in Poughkeepsie
Jolanda Jensen and Nancy Cozean
Restoring a Village Green, Renewing a Community
The Pawling Green Project
Nancy Tanner, Bill McGuinness, and Karen Zukowski
Historic Resource Surveys:
Planning Tool for Communities in the 21st Century
Kathleen Howe, New York State Historic Preservation Office
Historic resource surveys help raise awareness about historic and cultural resources, provide useful information for municipal planners, developers and property owners, and help protect these resources, providing critical baseline information about historic resources in a specific area. Learn about the State Historic Preservation Office's
(SHPO) recent efforts to enhance survey efforts throughout New York State.
Kathleen Howe is the Survey and Evaluation Unit Coordinator for the New York State Historic Preservation Office (SHPO), part of the Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). She holds a M.A. in Architectural History and Certificate in Historic Preservation from the University of Virginia. After graduation, she worked in the planning unit of the Peak National Park in the United Kingdom as part of the International Council on Monuments and Sites (ICOMOS)
internship program. Before joining the SHPO staff, Ms. Howe worked for ten years at Bero Architecture in Rochester, New York preparing historic structure reports and surveys. She also worked for a non-profit preservation organization in Rochester as curator of two historic house museums. She began working for the SHPO in 1999 as
National Register representative for the New York City territory, working with property owners and interested citizens in listing properties to the State and National Registers of Historic Places. Under Ms. Howe's guidance over 200 listings (both individual properties and historic districts) were added to the Registers
encompassing over 4,100 properties from skyscrapers and industrial complexes to brownstone row houses and synagogues. She has shepherded through a number of State and National Register nominations that represent the diverse architectural and cultural landscape of New York City including historic districts for the Lower East Side, Chinatown and Little Italy, Gansevoort Market, Garment Center, Sugar Hill, and
Wall Street, among others. She completed the nomination of over 65 subway stations in celebration of the 100th anniversary of the NYC Subway System. Ms. Howe has recently spent time evaluating several properties from the recent past including Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts, the Look Building, the TWA Terminal, and the World Trade Center site. She is a frequent guest lecturer at Columbia University's Historic Preservation graduate program. Since February 2011, Ms. Howe has been head of the SHPO's newly formed Survey and Evaluation Unit which is responsible for the identification and evaluation of historic properties in New York State as required by the National Historic Preservation Act of 1966 and the New York State Historic Preservation Act of 1980.
3:45 Municipal Historian Roundtable: Education and Cultural Tourism
Mary Kay Vrba, Dutchess County Tourism
Mary Kay Vrba CTP, Director of Tourism for Dutchess County has more than 25 years of tourism experience and has the responsibility for marketing Dutchess County as vacation destination. Mary Kay's job responsibilities include sales and marketing for all publications printed by DC tourism, she oversaw the visitor profile study, grant
writer for tourism agency, new product development and the day-to-day-aspects of the agency.
Mary Kay currently serves as President of Hudson Valley Tourism and past President of the NYS TPA Council, Instructor at NYU at the Tisch Center for Tourism, Hospitality and Sports Management, and serves on Eleanor Roosevelt Center at Valkill Board of Directors
Mary Kay has a master degree from George Williams College in Downers Grove Illinois in Leisure and Environmental Resource
4:15 Dutchess County School/Historic Organization Collaborations
Peter Feinman, Institute of History, Archaeology, and Education, moderator
Teaching Dutchess County History: A High School Experience -
Shaun Boyce, Arlington High School
Shaun Boyce has been teaching social studies at Arlington High School since 2000. Although he has developed course curricula at Dutchess Community College and Marist College, Hudson River Heritage is his first truly original course for a high school audience. He?ll discuss the challenges and rewards of teaching about the Hudson River Valley.
Trunks to Interns: Teaching Local History
Betsy Kopstein, Executive Director of the DC Historical Society
Memories of a Community: Seniors to Seniors Oral History Project
Sandra Vacchio, President
Wappingers Historical Society
The Wappingers Historical Society, in collaboration with Robert Wood, Instructor of The Roy C. Ketcham High School Broadcast Arts Class, has documented stories of the past as told to us by long time Wappingers residents. Each Monday night, throughout March, a different program featuring the reflections of lifelong Wappingers residents was presented. "his has been an incredible opportunity for the students here at RCK," says, Robert Wood, art educator. "This has truly been a cooperative educational experience and a terrific interaction between students and community. Students filmed and edited these interviews. All involved are very excited about the final products." An ongoing effort to save history through various mediums, additional video and audio interviews are now in production. One can visit the website at www.wappingershistoricalsociety.org to see photo, post card and glass negative galleries.
Tuesday, April 26, 2011
Candlelight Tour of Historic Huguenot Street
By Editorial Staff
On Saturday, April 30th at 7:30pm, as the sun sets over the ‘Gunks, Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz will offer a special evening tour. Imagine a walk through time. Imagine getting the chance to see how people really lived 100, 200, even 300 years ago. Regular people like your own great, great, great, grandparents. How did they keep warm in the winters? How did they light the dark nights? Where did they take their meals? The iconic houses on the famous street are filled with stories and many original items that help to tell the tales. Now imagine experiencing all of this by candlelight – in the same place, at the same time of day, by the same kind of light as those who came before us.
With bright electric light at our fingertips today, it is easy to forget just how different life was in the years before electricity and in the formative years of the new technology. We'll start with a glass of wine or sparkling water in the DuBois Fort and then we'll move through the eras -- the Jean Hasbrouck House, where Jacob and Esther lived by the light of the fireplace, betty lamps or a few candles; the LeFevre House, where Ezekiel Elting's prosperous family takes advantage of oil lamps; and the Deyo House, where Abraham Brodhead's New Paltz Electric Company brings the "miracle technology" to late 19th century homes. This is better than reality TV. It's real.
The DuBois Visitor Center is located at 81 Huguenot Street in downtown New Paltz. Tickets are $14 per person or $12 for friends of Huguenot Street. Advance reservations are suggested. For more information or to register, call 845.255.1660 or visit www.huguenotstreet.org.
Upcoming History Events in Old Saratoga
By Editorial Staff
These events and items of interest are scheduled for the public in the Old Saratoga region (Schuylerville, Saratoga, Victory and nearby) for the month of May. All events are open to the public and wheelchair accessible. For more information contact oldsaratogahappenings@gmail.com, follow them on twitter @OldSaraHappenin, on facebook Old Saratoga Happenings or on the web.
Old Saratoga Happenings is a collation to promote cultural and heritage programs in the Old Saratoga region. The collation includes Hudson Crossing Park, Old Saratoga Historical Association, Saratoga National Historical Park, Schuylerville Area Chamber of Commerce, Schuylerville Public Library and the Town of Saratoga and Village of Victory Historian’s Office.
A Gardener's Weekend with Lilacs and Grasses on Saturday, May 7 from 9:00 am to 3 pm at the Fort Hardy Park in Schuylerville. Schuylerville Area Chamber of Commerce’s Gardener’s Weekend has become a Mother’s Day tradition with Jeff Young, "Vermont's Mr. Lilac" and ornamental grasses expert Cathy Rogers for discussion and hands-on workshop. Area garden shops will be open all weekend, giving discounts and demonstrations. A full, fun weekend for all ages. Details are at www.schuylervillechamber.org or call 518 695-6923
Plein Aire at Saratoga Battlefield, British Encampment – “Spring Training”, and Guided Natural History Walk are all planned for Saturday, May 7 at Saratoga NHP Battlefield in Stillwater. The battlefield has a day of painting, photography, British soldiers
drilling, a court martial, and a leisurely nature walk planned. Details at For more information call 518-664-9821 ext. 224 or www.nps.gov/sara
NYS Heritage Weekend Guided Natural History Walk on Saturday, May 14 starting at 10 am at Saratoga NHP Battlefield in Stillwater. Discover an amazing array of beautiful flowers and trees in lesser-known areas of the park during this leisurely nature walk with staff and volunteer guides. This walk will include special stories of the Battlefield’s heritage.
The Genealogy Group meets on Tuesday, May 17 at 10 am in the Schuylerville Public Library
Research at Saratoga National Historical Park on Thursday, May 19 at 7:30 pm at Saratoga NHP Battlefield in Stillwater. Join the Old Saratoga Historical Association and the Stillwater Historical Society to learn about ongoing research at Saratoga National Historical Park.
The Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County has their meeting on Saratoga County Genealogy: Black Sheep in the Family Barnyard on Saturday, May 21 starts at 1 pm. at the Saratoga Town Hall. The meeting features Stephan Clarke on what to do with the family members who are socially challenged and may be something of an embarrassment.
Photo Scanning Session is planned for Tuesday, May 24 at 9:30 pm at Saratoga Town Hall. Saratoga Historian will scan photos of Saratoga, Schuylerville, or Victory and save them to CD for you and keep a digital image for the Town’s archives.
Guided Natural History Walk on Saturday, May 28 starting at 10 am at Saratoga NHP Battlefield in Stillwater.
Schoharie: 'Canals during the Civil War' Exhibit
By Editorial Staff
The Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center is presenting a temporary exhibit entitled “Canals during the Civil War” in celebration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War. This small exhibit opens May 4th and runs through October 29. The exhibit includes photos and maps of the Erie Canal, the Chesapeake and Ohio Canal and Grant’s Canal near Vicksburg. The exhibit can be viewed during regular Visitor Center hours.
New York State had a profound impact on the outcome of the Civil War and the Erie Canal was the reason. The factories and companies found in canal towns like Utica, Ilion and New York City helped the war effort in many ways. The Erie Canal was used for stops on the Underground Railroad and served as a link economically, socially and politically between the Midwest and the Northern Atlantic States. The C & O Canal was in the heart of the fighting and was considered the “lifeline of the Union Army.” The Confederates repeated tried to stop navigation on the C & O Canal. Grant’s Vicksburg Campaign included an attempt to build a canal in order to by-pass the city of Vicksburg and thus having an impact on the outcome of the campaign.
A traveling outreach program is also available to coincide with this exhibit. The fee for this outreach program is $30 for any adult group or $1 per student. Recommended places include but are not limited to schools, libraries, senior centers, scout troops, home schooled groups, and historical societies. To make arrangements for scheduling an outreach program, please contact Tricia Shaw at (518) 829-7516 or email Tricia.Shaw@oprhp.state.ny.us.
For more information, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516 or visit their website at www.nysparks.com or Friend them on Facebook.
Monday, April 25, 2011
Garden Tour & Book Signing at Boscobel
By Editorial Staff
Garden enthusiasts and flora lovers should put down their spades and head over to Boscobel (Garrison, NY) on Arbor Day, Friday, April 29 at 2pm for a presentation by Susan Lowry and Nancy Berner, authors of the new coffee table book, Gardens of the Hudson Valley. Buy the book in the Gift Shop at Boscobel (optional), have it signed, and then tour Boscobel’s gardens lead by the authors themselves.
Susan Lowry and Nancy Berner live in Cold Spring and New York City where they are long-time volunteers at the Conservatory Garden in Central Park. They have lectured widely and are also authors of Garden Guide: New York City.
The book’s photographers Steve Gross and Sue Daley selected twenty-five gardens between Yonkers and Hudson that included famous estates, like Boscobel, as well as private gardens that combine sweeping views and lush plantings. Susan and Nancy describe each of the gardens in full detail with focus on the history of the site and the strategies for design and plant materials.
In the book’s foreword, Gregory Long, president of the New York Botanical Garden, praises the book’s collaborators for assembling a monograph that depicts the Hudson River Valley as “a living museum of American domestic garden design . . . a fulsome survey of the styles that American landscape designers have created and promulgated from the early 1800s until today.”
This is a rain or shine garden tour, so dress accordingly. The presentation and tour are free with grounds admission: Adults $9, Seniors (62+ )$8, Children (6-14) $5, Children (under 6) Free, Family of Four $25 (additional $5 per person). No fee for Friends of Boscobel members. Though reservations are not necessary and walk-ins are welcome, indoor presentation space is limited.
Boscobel is located on Route 9D in Garrison New York just one mile south of Cold Spring and directly across the river from West Point. From April through October, hours are 9:30am to 5pm., the last tour at 4:00pm. The House Museum and distinctive Gift Shop at Boscobel are open every day except Tuesdays, May 15, Thanksgiving, and Christmas. For more information, visit Boscobel.org or call 845.265.3638.
This site is sponsored by Cheap Flights to New York.
May Day Family Day at Buffalo & Erie Historical
By Editorial Staff
On Sunday, May 1, from 1 to 4 pm, the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Court, Buffalo, will host their first 2011 Family Day, presented with support from Northwest Buffalo Community Center. All ages are welcome and the grand opening of the newly refurbished Pioneer Life Gallery will be featured.
Visitors may watch and/or join students from the Aurora Waldorf School in a historic May Pole jig -- the traditional May Pole dance ends up with ribbons festively woven around the pole. Additional entertainment and activities will also include: historic blacksmith and weaver demonstrations; pony rides; celebrate spring; learn about the historic May Day celebration; period arts and crafts for all ages; face painting; museum tours; local vendor tables.
Tickets are $5/member, $10/non-member. Adults are free with children's paid admission. Adults unaccompanied by children (all are welcome) are also $5/member, $10/non-member.
Ten Reasons Your News Doesn't Make The Paper
By Editorial Staff
New York History is the only statewide online newsmagazine covering news about the history of the Empire State. As you can imagine, we get a lot of press releases announcing events, news, and other information from historic sites, museums, and cultural organizations from around New York, and bordering states. It's probably safe to say that we receive more media releases from the local history and cultural sector than anyone on the planet.
It's sometimes frustrating for site managers, PR folks and others who handle facility and event promotions to find out that their news never got covered online or at local newspapers, radio, or TV.
In an effort to help local organizations make the most of media, online and otherwise, here is a list of problems we most often encounter from organizations hoping to have their news and events appear here at New York History. With over 25 years of media experience, I can say for certain that most press releases from local organizations end up in the trash because they don't follow one or more of these few important rules:
1. Your press release is incomplete. Leaving off dates, times, and contact information is not an uncommon problem, but more serious is the failure to let the media know who you are. Always include a paragraph describing your organization that includes a URL to your website. Directions, hours, and admission fees are also helpful. Don't assume the person on the other end of your press releases understand the shorthand or acronyms your organization uses, what city or town you are located in, when you are open, or even what your mission is.
2. Your press release is too short. Sure you've included your date, time and place of that lecturer, but also include a paragraph or two about who they are, why the topic is important, and what makes them an expert. A calendar listing is not a press release. News media, including New York History, typically need at least THREE paragraphs.
3. Your press release is formatted with strange fonts, bold, italics, and links without urls. The goal in writing a press release is to provide local media with an easy-to-use, ready-made story. If the media has to spend a lot of time reformatting all your text and putting it into paragraphs, they will probably just skip it and move on to the next press release. Always include your URL (beginning with www) even if you embed a link. Never use all caps, italics, bold, or other strange formatting.
4. You use a membership development service as your media list. Membership organization and contact programs and services like Constant Contact are fine for your membership, volunteers, and friends groups, but not for media. Simply adding media addresses to your membership development software will be sure to get you ignored, or worse, marked as spam. Learn to write a press release - treat the media as media professionals, not someone you hope will become a member. When the media gets your newsletter, 9 times out of 10, they delete it. A newsletter is not a media release.
5. Your press releases do not read like a news story. If your press release says things like "come join us" or includes unnecessary hyperbole, you are asking for your news to be sent to the circular file. The best press release is one that the media reprints verbatim. Forget discussions of the role of the media, if your job is to get your story run as a news story - write it like a news story. One good indicator you are going down the wrong path - does your press release have exclamation points? Rhetorical questions? Avoid using the word "you" in favor of "participants", "visitors", etc.
6. You don't include photos. Some websites, like New York History, require a photo or other illustration with every story. Many local newspapers and TV and radio stations will run a photo with your basic info on the front page, and/or on their social media profiles and webpages. If you don't have a photo, find a relevant public domain image, or send along your logo. You are bound to get more play in the media if you provide them with what they need - often that means images. ALWAYS include a caption with the source for your image.
7. Your press releases include too much. Keep press releases to one subject - a lecture series, a single event, exhibit, or conference. Listing every event on your upcoming schedule will get you tossed. Focus press releases on one specific news item or event, it's better to send one per week if you need.
8. You don't provide enough lead time. Most media outlets need a few days to a week or more to run your story. Don't expect to have a press release they received on Monday run by the end of the week. Here at New York History we have about a one or two week lead time.
9. You don't respond to request for information, images, interviews, etc. If you fail to respond to a media inquiry it's likely the reporter or editor will declare you uncooperative and won't bother assigning your press releases to reporters to write larger stories. Provide good contact info and respond to media requests quickly.
10. You send a flier or poster instead of a press release. We often get fliers for great events with a note asking that it be run. Odds are, like most media outlets, I don't have the time to turn your event flier into a press release or short story and your flier doesn't include enough information anyway. Fliers and posters are great for the wall, but they are not press releases.
Questions? Comments?
Feel free to let me know in the comments below.
John Warren
Editor
Sunday, April 24, 2011
Iroquois Indian Museum Early Technology Day
By Editorial Staff
The Iroquois Indian Museum in Howes Cave, NY has announced their 2nd Early Technology Day on Saturday April 30 from 10 am to 4 pm. Put on your warm clothes and waterproof boots and head to the museum for flint knapping demonstrations, atl-atl shoot with Mike Tarbell, Mohawk educator and various demonstrations of early technology. We will have demonstrations of the brain-tanning and smoke curing of deer hides, dog bane rope making, and various 18th century crafts, as well as hunting, trapping and fishing displays. There will be plenty of show and tell and crafts. The archaeology department will have a staffed display of local finds and information and will be on hand to help identify your artifacts.
For more information contact the Iroquois Indian Museum, 324 Caverns Rd., Howes Cave, NY at (518) 296-8949, info@iroquoismuseum.org or www.iroquoismuseum.org
Saturday, April 23, 2011
Fort Ticonderoga Names Interpretation Director
By Editorial Staff
Fort Ticonderoga has announced the appointment of Stuart Lilie to serve as Director of Interpretation at Fort Ticonderoga, one of the oldest and most significant historic sites in North America.
“Stuart Lilie arrives at the Fort,” said Beth Hill “with tremendous vision and enthusiasm for the Fort’s future. He is extremely competent as a leader in the profession and has a clear commitment to the high quality historic interpretation required for the Fort to attain its vision to be the premier military historic site and museum in North America.”
He will begin work at Fort Ticonderoga on April 25, 2011 and will be responsible for the development and implementation of Fort Ticonderoga’s Interpretive Department.
With a Bachelor of Arts in History from The College of William & Mary, Stuart Lilie has extensive knowledge of material culture, trades and historic interpretation. He has worked in several interpretive and trades positions at Colonial Williamsburg and served as an apprentice archaeologist with the Association for the Preservation of Virginia Antiquities at Jamestown. An accomplished horseman and saddler, Mr. Lilie began and currently operates the only 18th century reproduction saddle company. He has consulted on historical equestrian matters for films at Mount Vernon, 96 Battlefield, Moore’s Creek, Vicksburg and Cowpens National Park.
An avid Revolutionary war and Seven Years war re-enactor for 15 years, Mr. Lilie has taken his belief in high standards of authenticity to work on the development of educational programming for many national sites including Colonial Williamsburg, Putnam Memorial State Park, Fort Dobbs State Historic Site, Minute Man National Park, Endview Plantation, Virginia War Museum, and Middleton Place. “I am both honored and excited to be part of such a great team, making such a huge difference at one of America’s most historic sites.”, said Mr. Lilie about his new post.
Photo: Fort Ticonderoga’s Director of Interpretation, Stuart Lilie. Lilie will begin work at the Fort on April 25, 2011.
Books: A History of the High Peaks and The 46ers
By Editorial Staff
A remarkable book of Adirondack history has been published. Heaven Up-h'isted-ness! The History of the Adirondack Forty-Sixers and the High Peaks of the Adirondacks is a collection of well researched essays on the highest Adirondack peaks, written by 18 members of the storied Adirondack 46ers, along with a short history of the club.
Part meticulously footnoted history of the mountains, trails, and the club itself, and part trail guide, this new volume is a landmark in Adirondack history. Heaven Up-h'isted-ness! is a long-awaited update of Russell Carson's Peaks and Peoples of the Adirondacks, first published in 1927.
The book is a bit of an homage to the popularity of Carson's earlier work and the three subsequent 46er volumes that followed, as much as it is to the 46er legends who grace it's pages. Jim Goodwin's son Tony Goodwin offers an Introduction that provides insight into why this book is so important. With a hat tip to Carson, who was instrumental in spreading the 46er gospel and "who research gave life to the peaks we all climb", Goodwin points out that new research opportunities and the rich history since the 1920s "has allowed authors to provide the reader with the most comprehensive histories of the peaks ever written." I agree.
In a series of in-depth profiles of each of the 46 High Peaks, each author draws on a range of sources from reports, journals, and diaries of the explorers, scientists, philosophers, writers, and other anecdotes describe the geology, history, flora, and fauna. The book is illustrated with a remarkable collection of over 150 photos and illustrations.
It's not all high peaks. In a substantial first section Suzanne Lance surveys the history of the Adirondack 46ers beginning in 1918 with Bob and George Marshall and their guide Herb Clark, who was recognized with the first spot in 1939 when "the list" was created. The full roster of 46ers now includes more than 7,000.
The strength of this section is in illuminating the contributions of folks like Ed Hudowalski (#6), Grace Hudowalski (#9), and the Troy minister Ernest Ryder (#7), but also the recognition and response of the club to the impacts of the many Adirondack peak-baggers they helped inspire.
By the 1970s, as visitors began to flood into the High Peaks, Glenn Fish (#536) and Edwin "Ketch" Ketchledge (#507) helped shepherd the club away from its strictly social approach toward a stewardship role. Summit ecology and alpine environments, wilderness conservation education, trail maintenance and management, and search and rescue have all benefited from the subsequent efforts of dedicated Adirondack 46ers.
Copies of Heaven Up-h'isted-ness! are available online.
Until you get your copy, you'll have to settle with this short excerpt on the formation of the Forty-Sixers of Troy:
During the early 1930s Bob Marshall’s booklet, “The High Peaks of the Adirondacks,” and Russell Carson’s Peaks and People of the Adirondacks captured the attention of a small group of outdoor enthusiasts from Grace Methodist Church in Troy, in particular the church’s pastor, the Rev. Ernest Ryder (#7), and two parishioners, Grace Hudowalski (#9) and Edward Hudowalski (#6)…. Ed and the Rev. Ryder had not, originally, intended to climb all 46. According to Ed, their goal was 25 peaks, but when they hit 27 “by accident,” they decided to climb 30. After reaching 30 they decided to climb all of them. The two finished arm-in-arm on Dix in the pouring rain on September 13, 1936. They shared a prayer of praise and thanks for their accomplishment.
Less than six months after the Rev. Ryder and Ed finished their 46, the duo organized a club, comprised mainly of Ed Hudowalski’s Sunday School class, known as the Forty-Sixers of Troy. It was Ryder who coined the name “Forty-Sixer.” The term first appeared in print in an article in the Troy Record newspaper in 1937 announcing the formation of the hiking club: “Troy has its first mountain climbing club, all officers of which have climbed more than thirty of the major peaks in the Adirondacks. The club recently organized will be known as the Forty-sixers...
Friday, April 22, 2011
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Inside the Apple: Balloon Hoax of 1844
- Lost City: The Knox Hat Factory
- Tenement Museum: Immigrant Heritage Week
- Bridge Whist Club: Worst Booze Taxes Can Buy
- Farmers' Museum: The Grange, American Institution
- Dime Museum: Coney's Champagne Pavilion
- Uncataloged Museum: Thoughts on Outdoor Exhibits
- Adk Almanack: Sinking of the Steamer 'Sagamore'
- NPR: A Miracle For Kateri Tekakwitha?
- NY Outdoors: The Questionable Origin of Monkey Run
Each Friday afternoon New York History compiles for our readers a collection of the week's top weblinks about New York's state and local history. You can find all our weekly round-ups here.
Subscribe! More than 1,200 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.
Albany County Hall of Records Open House
By Editorial Staff
In honor of the Albany County Hall of Records (ACHOR) 10th Anniversary at 95 Tivoli Street, Albany County Clerk Thomas G. Clingan has announced that there will be an open house at the Hall of Records on April 27, 2011 from 2-4 PM. This current location is the third home of the Hall of Records; the first was the Albany High School Annex at 27 Western Avenue from 1982 -1986, followed by 250 South Pearl Street from 1986-2001.
Exhibits and tours of the Hall of Records will be available, including areas normally off-limits to visitors. ACHOR presently holds 12,890 cubic feet of archival records and 75,025 cubic feet of inactive records, all stored in a secure warehouse setting that is significantly more cost-effective for records storage than regular office space. A 992 square-foot concrete vault located within the building stores the most rare and valuable records, including the original 1686 Dongan Charter of the City of Albany.
ACHOR is a joint program of the County and City of Albany, making records available to the public in a state-of-the-art facility. Among the items on special display on April 27 will be: Albany County Sheriff’s Department Bertillon Mug Shots, 1896; Civil War Allotments and Bounty Records, 1862-1864; Register of Manumitted Slaves, 1800-1828 and the Court of Fort Orange and Beverwijck Minutes, 1652-1656.
Further information about the Albany County Hall of Records and directions to the facility can be found online.
If you are interested in attending the open house or a tour of the Hall of Records, please contact Deputy Director Craig Carlson at 436-3663 ext. 204 or ccarlson@albanycounty.com
This Week's Top New York History News
By Editorial Staff
- Union College to Buy Adk Library
- Business Upswing for Erie Canal Cruises
- Sex Offenders Upset Landmark Society
- NY's Irish-American Museum Moving
- Iroquois Headed to World Championships
- SUNY Plattsburgh Cuts Programs
- New Documentary Hails Olmsted
- Movement Grows to Save Historic Camp
- 2011 Pulitzer Prize Winners Announced
- Historians Among Guggenheim Fellows
Each Friday morning New York History compiles for our readers the previous week's top stories about New York's state and local history. You can find all our weekly news round-ups here.
Subscribe! More than 1,200 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.
Thursday, April 21, 2011
11th Annual Algonquian Peoples Seminar
By Editorial Staff
The Native American Institute of the Hudson River Valley and The New York State Museum have announced the program for this year's 11th Mohican/Algonquian Peoples Seminar to be held at the NYS Museum in Albany April 30, 2011.
This year's featured topics will include: Archaeological Research on First Peoples of Eastern New York and the New England-Maritimes, Life's Immortal Shell: Wampum as a Light and Life Metaphor, The 150th Anniversay of the Mohican Stockbridge-Munsee in the Civil War, Frank Speck on Penobscot and Iroquois Worldviews in the Cosmological Narratives, Investigation of the Vosburg Archaeological District, Growing up on the Reservation, Lithic reduction & resource use in southern New York State and the Stephentown Mounds
For a complete schedule and registration information email Mariann Mantzouris, Seminar Chairwoman at marimantz@aol.com or call 518-369-8116.
Stony Point Battlefield 2011 Programs and Events
By Editorial Staff
The Battle of Stony Point, one of the last Revolutionary War battles in the northeastern colonies was where Brigadier General Anthony Wayne led his corps of Continental Light Infantry in a daring midnight attack on the British, seizing the site's fortifications and taking the soldiers and camp followers at the British garrison as prisoners on July 16, 1779.
The site features a museum, which offers exhibits on the battle and the Stony Point Lighthouse, as well as interpretive programs, such as reenactments highlighting 18th century military life, cannon and musket firings, cooking demonstrations, and children's activities and blacksmith demonstrations.
The Stony Point Battlefield State Historic site is located at 44 Battlefield Road, accessed from Park Road, off Route 9W in Stony Point. For more information and directions and to reserve your spot, call the site office at 845-786-2521.
Saturday, April 23rd at 7:45 AM: Spring Bird Walk
Spring Bird Walk with Della and Alan Wells of the Rockland Audubon Society. These experts will lead a walk through the diverse bird habitats found at the Stony Point Battlefield. First time birders welcome, and experienced birders will enjoy exploring the location of a wonderfully accessible birders paradise. Bring binoculars, or borrow an extra pair from the group. This program is free to the public. Site entrance gate will be open from 7:45 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. only to admit Birding Ramblers, so please be on time. No parking fee for this early bird special!
Evening Lighthouse Lantern Tours
Friends of the Stony Point Battlefield & Lighthouse present an evening lecture and slide show on the history of lighthouses along the Hudson River, followed by a lantern tour of the oldest lighthouse on the Hudson River. Reservations required for this program, due to space considerations, call the museum. Please bring a flashlight and bug spray. Admission $4.00 adults, $3.00 seniors and children 10 to 18 years. Program not appropriate for children younger than age 10.
This program will be offered on a TBD Saturday in June, July, and August.
Friday, July 15th at 7 PM: Tavern Night at the Battlefield
Join the Friends of the Stony Point Battlefield & Lighthouse, the site staff and visiting reenactors to celebrate the site’s anniversary weekend at the first annual Tavern Night. Get ready to travel into the convivial world of an 18th century tavern as performers Tom Hanford and Nancy Finlay lead the night with music and story-telling. There will be 18th century games to learn and play and light refreshments will be served, including delicious beverages from 18th century recipes created by Tavern Keeper, John Muller. This program offers entertainment for the whole family. NOTE: No alcohol will be served. Admission to this fundraising event is $15.00 for adults and $12.00 for seniors and children. Rain or shine – the event will be held in the picnic pavilion if inclement weather.
Saturday, July 16th and Sunday, July 17th (11 AM - 4 PM): Celebrate the 231st Anniversary of the Storming of Stony Point
Visit our 18th century military encampment as we commemorate American Brigadier General Anthony Wayne’s daring nighttime assault on the British fortifications at Stony Point. Battle scenarios will be re-enacted each day at 3:00 and a special
Saturday evening presentation on Saturday at 8:00 p.m. Watch as American troops advance on the British camp and experience what the soldiers might have felt in a midnight raid. There will be musket, rifle and artillery demonstrations, cooking demonstrations, blacksmithing, along with colonial games and wooden musket drills for children. $5.00 daytime parking fee. Rain or shine. Evening battle program is free.
Saturday, August 13 at 8 PM: Evening Battlefield Lantern Tour
Presented by the Friends of the Stony Point Battlefield & Lighthouse. Experience the story of the Storming of Stony Point as you follow in the footsteps of the American Light Infantry soldiers who captured the British fort. Tour the historic grounds with a guide by lantern light as the battle unfolds around you. Reservations required for this program, call the museum. Please bring a flashlight and bug spray. Admission $4.00 adults, $3.00 seniors and children 10 and older. Program not appropriate for children younger than age 10.
Sunday, September 17, 8 AM- 1030 AM: Hudson River Birding Ramble
Hudson River Birding Ramble with Della and Alan Wells of the Rockland Audubon Society. These experts will lead a walk through the diverse bird habitats found at the Stony Point Battlefield. First time birders welcome, and experienced birders will enjoy exploring the location of a wonderfully accessible birders paradise. Bring binoculars, or borrow an extra pair from the group. This program is free to the public. Site entrance gate will be open from 7:45 a.m. to 8:00 a.m. only to admit Birding Ramblers, so please be on time. No parking fee for this early bird special!
Saturday, September 17th & Sunday, September 18th, 1 PM and 2 PM: Hudson River Ramble Walking Tours
Enjoy a guided walk to the Lighthouse at 1 PM or a guided tour through the Battlefield at 2 PM- followed by the site’s artillery demonstration at 3 PM. This program is free to the public.
Saturday, September 17th at 11 AM: Historical Gardening Talk
Michael Hagen, Horticulturalist and 18th century reenactor, will give a tour of the new soldier’s scratch garden at the Battlefield’s living history camp area. Come and learn about planning, planting and growing food in an 18th century military camp. The garden is brimming with plants and our camp cook will prepare recipes from the period. This program is free to the public.
Saturday, September 24th, 12 Noon- 4 PM: Lighthouse Day
Celebrate the history of lighthouses on the Hudson River and their important connection to the maritime economy of New York State in the 19th century. Tours of the lighthouse will be given throughout the day along with talks on the history of lighthouses, the history of the economic importance of the maritime trade on the river, artists interpretation of Hudson River lights. 19th century maritime music and storytelling will be performed by Balladeer, Linda Russell and Storyteller Jonathan Kruk throughout the afternoon. A family arts and crafts area featuring lighthouse projects will be available.
TBA Saturday in October, 5-7 PM: Lighthouse Cruise
Spend an evening aboard the historic vessel Commander enjoying a two hour Cruise along the Hudson. While on-board, discover the fascinating history surrounding Haverstraw Bay, the Lower Highlands, Lighthouses along the Hudson and the Stony Point Lighthouse as told by local history narrator, Scott Craven. Enjoy spectacular views of the illuminated Stony Point Lighthouse as we sail along the river. The cruise departs Haverstraw Marina at approximately 5:00 p.m. Presented by Friends of Stony Point Battlefield and Lighthouse and Hudson Highlands Cruises, Inc. By advanced reservation, please contact the museum. Admission: $30 Adults, $25 Seniors (62+), and $15 Children (5-12).
Wednesday, April 20, 2011
Historic Preservation Event Grants Offered
By Editorial Staff
Want to attend the 2011 National Trust for Historic Preservation Conference in Buffalo from October 19 – 22, 2011? If you work in a New York State non-profit organization such as a library, college, or community-based group, you are eligible for a special Go! Grant.
These grants are offered to encourage cross-discipline learning and cross-organization collaboration, these special Go! Grants provide up to $500 to cover travel and registration costs to the conference. This opportunity is only available for New York professionals working for non-profits outside of the museum field. Applications are due on June 1, 2011.
To learn more visit www.museumwise.org.
War of 1812-Like Quilts Sought for Bicentennial Event
By Editorial Staff
It’s “a once-in-200-years” opportunity. The Seaway Trail Foundation is asking quilters and non-quilters, to make quilts with War of 1812-era colors and patterns for the Great Lakes Seaway Trail 2012 War of 1812 Bicentennial Quilt Show and Challenge event.
Organizers are reaching out to American history enthusiasts and re-enactors, children and people of all ages from the U.S., Canada, United Kingdom, Native nations, and internationally to enter and attend the commemorative event to be held March 17-18, 2012 at the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Discovery Center in the War of 1812 heritage community of Sackets Harbor, New York.
Guidelines for making “cot to coffin”-size (30 inches x 70 inches) quilt using a variety of fabrics, including cotton, linen, silk, wool and linsey-woolsey, and patterns common to the 1812 period are online. Entries must be committed to the show by January 15, 2012; quilts must be completed by March 3, 2012.
The Great Lakes Seaway Trail 2012 War of 1812 Bicentennial Quilt Show and Challenge guidelines suggest studying the research works and books of noted quilt historians Barbara Brackman, Anne Orr and Pepper Cory.
Brackman of Lawrence, Kansas, suggests that a quilt in medallion or strip format would be a good patchwork design for the historical era. Brackman says, “Patterns that were popular during the 1812 time were simple stars and basic nine-patch and four-patch variations. The War cut into fabric imports into America but well-to-do women already had stashes of imported French, English and Indian chintzes and calicoes in a variety of colors, and loved to mix large-scale and small-scale prints. For those thinking of using fabric reflecting the domestic prints of the time, indigo blues, browns and a touch of pink would be among the best colors.”
Brackman has designed a reproduction collection of prints from the era for Moda Fabrics; the “Lately Arrived from London” collection should be available in quilt shops by the end of the summer of 2011.
The Seaway Trail Foundation is sponsoring the event as part of a host of War of 1812 Bicentennial commemorative plans for tourism, cultural heritage and military history programs in 2011-2014. The March 2012 show will be the kickoff for a 2011-2014 traveling educational exhibit of the War of 1812-like quilts.
The 518-mile Great Lakes Seaway Trail along the freshwater coastline of New York and Pennsylvania is a National Scenic Byway offering authentic American travel experiences
Illustration: War of 1812 attack on Oswego from the Paul Lear collection.
Tuesday, April 19, 2011
Heritage Organization Announces Scholarships
By Editorial Staff
Historic Huguenot Street, the museum and National Historic Landmark District in New Paltz, New York, announced today the availability of scholarships for the 2011-2012 academic year.
The Hudson Valley organization administers four scholarship funds in collaboration with the Hasbrouck Family Association. Brothers Abraham and Jean Hasbrouck were among the Huguenot founders of New Paltz.
To be eligible, a student must be a sophomore, junior or senior in good academic standing as of September 2011. Applicants must be of documented Huguenot descent or be working toward a degree in historic preservation, art history or architecture at Columbia University, the State University of New York at New Paltz or Hamilton College in Clinton, New York. Some funding may also be available for either graduate or undergraduate students studying the impact of American Huguenot immigrants and descendants on American culture and/or language, or on the history of Ulster County, New York, during the period 1600 to 1800.
The Huguenots that founded New Paltz were part of the Huguenot Diaspora, a movement that forced French Protestants out of their homeland to settle in America and throughout the globe. Of prior recipients that were Huguenot descendants, many descended from Huguenots that founded New Paltz. Others have been descendants of Huguenots whose ancestors immigrated to places as far away as South Africa.
Awards are generally between $1,000 and $2,000. Applications must be received by August 31st. For more information about scholarships at Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org and click on “learn” or call (845) 255-1660.
Hyde's Rembrandt on Loan to Louvre
By Editorial Staff
The Hyde Collection in Glens Falls has announced that its prized Christ with Folded Arms by Rembrandt van Rijn is now on display in the Louvre in Paris as part of a landmark exhibition titled "Rembrandt and the Face of Jesus."
The Hyde masterwork plays a key role in shaping the thesis of the exhibition, which will be seen in three major museum venues. When the exhibition closes at the Louvre, it travels to the Philadelphia Museum of Art where it will be shown from August through October, 2011 and then to the Detroit Institute of Arts for exhibition beginning in February, 2012.
According to David F. Setford, the Hyde’s executive director, “It is seldom that the Museum considers lending this impressive masterwork, but the exhibition being organized by the Louvre offers previously unparalleled opportunities for comparisons with related works from Hygeia4NR.jpgleading museums around the world.” Setford also noted that the exhibition curators specifically requested Christ with Folded Arms because it is “the key image of Christ in Rembrandt’s late work” that “reflects how his idea of Christ had evolved” in a fully realized work.
During the absence of the Rembrandt work, The Hyde will exhibit a painting by the Flemish master Peter Paul Rubens (1577-1640). The work, lent to us by the Detroit Institute of Arts, is entitled Hygeia, Goddess of Health (1615) and depicts the classical goddess of health and the prevention of illness. Hygeia was the daughter of Asclepius, god of medicine and the word hygiene is derived from the goddess’ name. The voluptuous, Baroque figure of a semi-nude female is shown in the glowing, healthy flesh tones synonymous with Rubens and with the subject.
For the duration of the traveling exhibition, Hygeia, Goddess of Health will be on view in the Library of Hyde House where it will allow visitors to compare it with the Museum’s own smaller Rubens Portrait of a Warrior, that also hangs in that room.
Illustration: Peter Paul Rubens, Flemish, 1577-1640, Hygeia, Goddess of Health, ca. 1615; Detroit Institute of Arts, Gift of Mr. and Mrs. Henry Reichhold. Image courtesy of The Bridgeman Art Library.
Sunday, April 17, 2011
Saratoga Automobile Museum Offers 'Forza Italia!'
By Editorial Staff
On May 7, 2011, the Saratoga Automobile Museum will debut the exhibit “Forza Italia!, Fine Sporting Cars From Italy.” The exhibit will feature several cars from the renowned Oscar Davis Collection in Elizabeth, NJ. Cars from Mr. Davis’ fine collection, housed in an exclusive private Museum, have appeared at the Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance, as well as at Amelia Island, Radnor Hunt, and other significant concours events.
Cars expected on display in Saratoga will include a prewar Alfa Romeo 6C1750, a 6C2300 and an 8C2900, along with a sporty Fiat Balilla Spyder. Postwar examples will include a Ferrari 212 Scaglietti Spyder, a Lancia B24S Nardi Spyder America, a Maserati Ghibli SS, a Bizzarrini 5300 Strada, a Fiat Abarth 750 sports coupe, and a Ferrari F40, to name just a few.
Italian vehicles embody everything that’s exciting about a country where speed, head-turning styling and pure sex appeal are standard equipment in every car. The Italian automobile industry has long been one of its country’s greatest, most visible and innovative assets. A major contributor to Italy’s dramatic postwar industrial rebirth, Italian cars continue to set trends and attract countless enthusiasts.
From FIAT, a pioneer automaker whose tiny Topolino economy car preceded Germany’s Volkswagen and Britain’s MINI; to Lancia, an early motoring innovator and successful racing marque; and Alfa Romeo, a serious technical and race-winning pre-war rival to Bugatti; to the premium postwar European sports car renaissance led by Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati, Italian high-performance cars have long contested and set standards for the world’s best.
With the Fiat and Alfa Romeo marques returning soon to North America, and considering the present-day strengths of Ferrari, Lamborghini and Maserati, this is a ‘primo’ time for the Saratoga Automobile Museum to present an overview of great vintage Italian Sports and Grand Touring cars.
Open to the public through the Summer Season, the exhibit will end with the acclaimed Second Annual Fall Ferrari Festival, held in cooperation with the Saratoga Performing Arts Center’s acclaimed Wine and Food Festival, scheduled for September 10, 2011.
The Forza Italia! exhibit will open to the public on May 7, 2011 at 10:00 AM, and will be occupying the Museum during the summer months until September 25, 2011 at 5 pm.
Adjacent to the Saratoga Performing Arts Center (SPAC) in the Saratoga Spa Park, The Saratoga Automobile Museum is located at 110 Avenue of the Pines, Saratoga Springs, NY. Hours of operation during the summer months are: Open Daily 10 am to 5 pm. †For more information, call 518-587-1935 or visit us on the web at www.saratogaautomuseum.org.
Saturday, April 16, 2011
Applications for Fenimore's 'Art By The Lake' Due
By Editorial Staff
Fenimore Art Museum is still accepting submissions for its outdoor, juried art competition - which attracted over 800 visitors last year from all over the region. The 4th annual Art By The Lake will be held Saturday, August 6, 2011 on the Museum's grounds overlooking Otsego Lake.
Art by the Lake is a juried art invitational celebrating artists and landscape. An artist's information packet and application is available on the Museum's website at FenimoreArtMuseum.org/lake.
Selected artists will have the opportunity to display, demonstrate, and sell their art. Prizes will be awarded in the following categories:
• Best Interpretation of New York Landscape
• Most Outstanding Use of Color
• Most Original Style
• Audience Favorite
Judges’ decisions will be based on creativity, craftsmanship, and relationship to the landscape theme.
Applications must be postmarked by May 2, 2011. (Late applications may be accepted at the discretion of the jury if space is available.) Artists will be notified of their acceptance by May 16, 2011, at which point they will receive detailed event information and an artist’s contract.
In addition to showcasing outstanding artists in all genres of landscape art, Art By the Lake features interactive demonstrations, educational programming, live entertainment, and tastings of some of the best food, wine, and beer from across the state, all with the backdrop of the spectacular Otsego Lake.
