The Glens Falls Insurance Company agent’s trade sign, which served as the model for the reproduction currently available from Pottery Barn, is now on display at the Chapman Historical Museum. Shaped in the form of a fireman’s helmet shield, the five foot tall sign, which dates from around 1877, proclaims the company’s solid assets under its logo, “Old and Tried.” The original sign, part of the museum’s Glens Falls Insurance Company Collection, has been reproduced through a licensing agreement between the museum and Williams Sonoma.
The Glens Falls Insurance Company was founded in 1849 by Russell M. Little, a former Methodist minister, to provide fire insurance for residents of his small upstate New York community. The company grew rapidly, and in a few years operated branch offices across the United States. “Old & Tried” became well known for sound business practices and the ability to pay claims after the disastrous fires that plagued American cities a century ago. The company’s motto proved well deserved. In response to the 1906 earthquake and fire that destroyed San Francisco, Glens Falls Insurance Company paid out $1.5 million from its surplus without suffering financial setback.
In spite of research, the exact identity of the agent, C.H. Barber, is not known. Leads from the public are welcome.
For more information call the Chapman Historical Museum at (518) 793-2826. The museum is located at 348 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY. Public hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday, Noon to 4 pm.
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Catalog Features Glens Falls Insurance Co. Sign
By Editorial Staff
Saturday, July 30, 2011
Historical Fiction: Secret of the White Rose
By Editorial Staff
2010 Edgar Award winning Author Stefanie Pintoff has a new novel of historic fiction set in turn-of-the-century New York, Secret of the White Rose.
The murder of Judge Hugo Jackson is out of Detective Simon Ziele's jurisdiction in more ways than one. For one, it's high-profile enough to command the attention of the notorious new police commissioner, since Judge Jackson was presiding over the sensational trial of Al Drayson. Drayson, an anarchist, set off a bomb at a Carnegie family wedding, but instead of killing millionaires, it killed passersbys, including a child. The dramatic trial captured the full attention of 1906 New York City.
Furthermore, Simon's assigned precinct on Manhattan's West Side includes the gritty Tenderloin but not the tonier Gramercy Park, which is where the judge is found in his locked town house with his throat slashed on the night before the jury is set to deliberate. But his widow insists on calling her husband's old classmate criminologist, Alistair Sinclair, who in turn enlists Ziele's help. Together they must steer Sinclair's unorthodox methods past a police force that is so focused on rounding up Drayson's supporters that they've all but rejected any other possibilities.
Stefanie Pintoff's combination of characters and a fascinating case set amongst the sometimes brutal, sometimes glittering history of turn-of-the-century New York makes for compelling reading.
Pintofff, who won an Edgar Award Winner for her first novel, is a long-time New Yorker whose first two novels, In the Shadow of Gotham (April 2009), A Curtain Falls (May 2010) also cover early New York circa 1904-1906.
Note: Books noticed on this site have been provided by the publishers. Purchases made through this Amazon link help support this site.
Friday, July 29, 2011
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Mirror Mag: Lake George Island, Site of Rev War Battle
- Rosslyn Redux: The Adirondack Chair Revisited
- Saratoga Races: Long History of Local Horses
- Active History: Writing Rockefeller Digital History
- Brooklyn Heights: Women’s Suffrage Movement
- Urban Edge: East River Park History
- TU Blogger Profile: Don Rittner
- NY Times: Egypt Revolt Dims Power of Zahi Hawass
- City Room: Retracing a Ride to a Fatal Duel
- Adirondack Attic: Farm Photos
Subscribe! More than 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.
Free August Music Series at Saratoga Battlefield
By Editorial Staff
The race track in Saratoga Springs may be quiet on Tuesdays, but Saratoga Battlefield will be alive with music. Friends of Saratoga Battlefield will sponsor four free lunchtime concerts at Saratoga National Historical Park’s visitor center located on Route 32 and 4 in Stillwater. Bring a lunch and listen to a different program each week: folk, classical and martial music.
August 2 Rich Bala - Find out how waterways and canals shaped New York’s history from colonial times to the end of the 19th century on a musical tour by acclaimed folk singer Rich Bala.
August 9 Elizabeth Huntley - How much more elegant can things get? Sublime music of the 18th century performed on the harp, sublime views of the Saratoga Battlefield from the Visitor Center lawn. Enjoy classical pieces played upon the Queen of Instruments performed by harpist Elizabeth Huntley.
August 16 Dave Ruch - Dave Ruch presents Traditional and Historical Songs of New York. Lively presentations of songs and ditties from all corners of the Empire State. These are the songs of real-life "Yorkers" from the past - farmers, lumbermen, immigrants, children,Native Americans, canallers, lake sailors and more - collected through considerable research, and interpreted for all to enjoy with banjo, guitar, mandolin, bones, spoons and more. (This Speakers in the Humanities event is made possible by the National Endowment for the Humanities and the New York State Legislature.)
August 23 Fort Ticonderoga Fife and Drum Corps - Martial music at its best. The Fort Ticonderoga Fife and Drum Corps performs tunes that may have wafted over the landscape mingled with the gun smoke during the Battles of Saratoga.
Saratoga National Historical Park offers a variety of programs. For additional information call (518) 664-9821 ext. 224 or visit www.nps.gov/sara
Photo: Fort Ticonderoga Fife & Drum Corps (Provided).
This Week's Top New York History News
By Editorial Staff
- Saugerties Drops Plans to Buy Opus 40
- Historic Troy Park Recognized
- Whitehall Armory Goes to Public Auction
- Croghan Dam Wins Grant, Reprieve
- Dig Underway at Fort William Henry Site
- Barbizon Is Considered for Landmark Status
- Many NYC Historic Districts Lack Signs
- Trial Set in Case of Stripped Church
- Mars Bar Closes Before Its Own Last Call
- Saratoga - North Creek RR Service Begins
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 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.
Thursday, July 28, 2011
"Traveling with Winslow Homer" at Adirondack Museum
By Editorial Staff
Join Robert Demarest for a program entitled "Traveling with Winslow Homer," on Monday, August 8, 2011 at the Adirondack Museum, Blue Mountain Lake, New York. The program is part of the museum's Monday Evening Lecture series.
Robert Demarest has traveled the world chronicling Homer sites; his destinations have included Cuba, The North Sea Coast, Bermuda, and the North Woods Club in the Adirondacks. He has fished and painted where Homer fished and painted, and has uncovered many new facts about America's favorite artist.
Demarest recently retired as head of the medical illustration unit and director of the Center for Biocommunications at the College of Physicians & Surgeons, Columbia University, New York, NY. His work has appeared in numerous medical textbooks, countless research papers, medical journals, and many popular magazines, such as the Reader's Digest, Life, Newsweek, and Time.
When not painting watercolors Demarest can usually be found fly-fishing on his favorite streams, often in the Adirondacks. His love of watercolor painting and fly-fishing led him to study Winslow Homer and that started him on an odyssey that has consumed him for the past several years. He traveled to all the places that Homer visited throughout the western world, and painted and fished where Homer painted and fished. He has published a book based on his Homer research entitled Traveling with Winslow Homer.
The presentation will be held in the Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. The lecture will be offered at no charge to museum members; the fee for non-members is $5.00. For additional information, please visit www.adirondackmuseum.org or call (518) 352-7311.
N-Y Historical Commemorates 9/11 With Exhibition
By Editorial Staff
One month after the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001, the New-York Historical Society committed its resources to a new initiative called, History Responds, with exhibitions, public events and educational initiatives. Since then, the Society has presented 17 special exhibitions relating to the attacks, 20 public programs, five community meetings, numerous school and teacher programs and, when the Society’s newly-renovated headquarters reopens on September 8, 2011, a permanent installation of photographs and other materials donated by survivors, witnesses, and rescuers.
To commemorate the tenth anniversary of September 11, the New-York Historical Society will present a special exhibition, Remembering 9/11, which will be free to the public. The exhibition opens on September 7, 2011 and will remain on view through April 1, 2012. The exhibition presents a selection of several hundred photographs taken by professional and amateur photographers in the immediate aftermath of the attack on the World Trade Center (originally collected in the independent exhibition “here is new york: a democracy of photographs”), as well as letters written to policemen and firemen; objects that were placed in makeshift shrines around New York; images and texts from the New York Times “Portraits of Grief” series; photographs of the Tribute in Light; and drawings of the National September 11 Memorial, designed by architect Michael Arad with the assistance of landscape architect Peter Walker.
As a special presentation for families, the Historical Society will also host a free reading by Vin Panaro, Bugler for the Fire Department of New York, and Katie Fuller, Museum Educator, of Maira Kalman’s book Fireboat, to be held in the Rotunda from 11:30 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. on Sunday, September 11, 2011.
“In the months immediately following September 11, 2001, the New-York Historical Society began a vigorous collecting initiative and exhibition program regarding the terrorist attacks,” Kenneth T. Jackson stated. “This was our responsibility, as the institution founded to gather, preserve and interpret materials related to the history of New York City and State and the nation. “On the tenth anniversary of the attacks, it is important that the Historical Society is continuing this effort with Remembering 9/11.”
Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society, stated, “It takes a great historian to recognize the importance of his or her own historical moment, and to collect and preserve its effects. My predecessor, Kenneth T. Jackson is that great historian. On September 11th Ken recognized the tragedy of the day keenly, but saw also the need to collect and preserve so that future generations would understand what September 11th meant, for our city, our nation, our history. It is because of Ken’s work that our tenth anniversary exhibition Remembering 9/11 is able to document New York’s, and the nation’s, resilience along with the selfless acts of heroism, not only at the World Trade Center but also at the Pentagon and Shanksville.”
Remembering 9/11 is organized for the New-York Historical Society by Marilyn Satin Kushner, Curator and Head, Department of Prints, Photographs and Architectural Collections. “I wanted to create a space where people could come to quietly remember those days in 2001 and honor the memories of the people who were lost in the attacks. The solemnity of this occasion calls for a mood of respect and introspection,” stated Dr. Kushner.
When the renovated and transformed New-York Historical Society opens fully to the public on November 11, 2011, Remembering 9/11 will be joined by a permanent installation of photographs from “here is new york” in the Robert H. and Clarice Smith New York Gallery of American History. Approximately 1,500 photographs by 790 contributors will be on display, along with a large fragment of a fire truck destroyed during the 9/11 attack.
Since the inception of the Historical Society’s History Responds, more than 150,000 visitors have taken part in its interpretive programs. Today, the History Responds collection includes numerous artifacts associated with September 11, ranging from architectural relics of the Twin Towers to artworks inspired by the catastrophe.
Remembering 9/11 is supported by Bernard and Irene Schwartz.
Photo: Alan Finkel, Untitled, 2001. New-York Historical Society, Courtesy of Alan Finkel.
New Yorker Named A National Sporting History Fellow
By Editorial Staff
The National Sporting Library and Museum (NSLM) in Middleburg, Virginia, has announced seven John H. Daniels Fellows for 2011-2012 including one to Judith Martin Woodall, a New York City writer and former manager of Claremont Riding Academy, for
“Witching the World with Noble Horsemanship: Riding in New York City, 1770-2007.”
The fellows program began in 2007 in honor of sportsman and book collector, John H. Daniels (1921-2006), a longtime supporter of the National Sporting Library. Since 2007, the fellowship has supported thirty-eight researchers-in-residence at the NSLM from all regions of the United States and ten foreign countries.
The full list of winners includes:
Marcia Diane Brody, Middletown, MD, writer and breeder of Cleveland Bay horses, “Alexander Mackay-Smith: Pioneering the Future of the Cleveland Bay Horse in North America.”
Michael Del Vecchio, Egmondville, ON, Ph.D. candidate, Univ. of Western Ontario, “The Scientific Angler: A Conservation Identity Forged through the Market.”
Carolee Klimchock, Ph.D. candidate, Yale University, “The Theatrics of Coach Driving in Late 19th-Century America.”
Andrew G.F. Lemon, Victoria, Australia, author of the three volume History of Australian Thoroughbred Racing, “The Steeplechasing Mind.”
Earl Parker, Ph.D., Orange, Texas, writer, “The U.S. Remount Service: Stallions Distributed Across America.”
Corey Piper, Curatorial Assistant for the Mellon Collections, Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, Richmond, Virginia, “The Cast and Characters of the British Sporting Ring,” a scholarly essay for “Catching Sight: The World of the British Sporting Print,” upcoming exhibition catalogue, VMFA.
Judith Martin Woodall, New York, New York, writer and former manager of Claremont Riding Academy, “Witching the World with Noble Horsemanship: Riding in New York City, 1770-2007.”
The National Sporting Library and Museum is dedicated to preserving and sharing the
literature, art, and culture of horse and field sports. Founded in 1954, the institution has over 17,000-books dating from the 16th-21st centuries. In the fall of 2011, the newly renovated and expanded historic building on the campus will open to house exhibits of American and European fine sporting art. Information is shared through exhibitions, lectures, seminars, publications, and special events. The NSLM is open to researchers and the general public. Admission is free.
Wednesday, July 27, 2011
Warren County: Rare Covered Bridge Talk Tuesday
By Editorial Staff
This Tuesday, August 2, Jim Ligon will present a free program “Rebirthing Covered Bridges” at the Thurman Town Hall in Warren County (near Warrensburg).
Ligon, whose work for Alpine Construction has been principally centered around restoration and reconstruction of old covered bridges in Vermont, New Hampshire and New York, will talk about the work and the challenges of balancing historical authenticity with contemporary codes and materials. He will also display some bridge parts that exemplify historic craftsmanship, as well as treasures he has unearthed at bridge sites. A slide show of bridges he has worked on will run in the background as he speaks. Questions will be welcomed.
This free talk is presented at 7 p.m, at Thurman Town Hall, 311 Athol Road, Athol by The John Thurman Historical Society. Refreshments will be served. For more information call 623-2007.
Photo: One of Ligon’s projects, the Williamsburg, VT covered bridge, being rolled across the river after its restoration on land.
Fort Ticonderoga Highlights Role of 1759 Indian Agent
By Editorial Staff
Visitors to Fort Ticonderoga this summer will be able to explore the role of an Indian agent in 1759 as part of a new program entitled “Within Humane Bounds.” The program will be offered from 2 pm – 5 pm, Sunday through Thursday through October 20, 2011.
An historic interpreter representing an Indian agent of Sir William Johnson’s Northern Indian Department who supplied and coordinated with Mohawk warriors in 1759 brings this nuanced history to life. The program includes an impressive display of representative trade goods including leggings, shirts, powder horns and weapons that were that were needed to secure Mohawk support to the British army. Visitors will learn about the role the agent played in maintaining the bonds of alliance as well as being an important source for practical trade goods utilized in the native villages including agricultural tools and cutlery.
Native American allies in the French & Indian War were key players for both the French and British armies. Accordingly, both sides had extensive networks of agents and traders to try to forge those alliances and coordinate native warriors. Beyond the backing of the British crown, and a large supply of trade goods, Indian agents also had to use personal connections to fulfill their positions. Their fluency in languages, knowledge of local customs, as well as their own personal bonds of kinship within tribes were all essential in securing native alliances. These bonds were very often tested during these times of war, as Indian agents walked a fine line between encouraging native military support while keeping these warriors acting, “Within Humane Bounds”. Sir William Johnson’s directive to his Indian agents was to use the inherent skills of natives in woodland warfare, while keeping them acting within the moral morays of European warfare. Indeed, 1759 through the work of Indian Agents, the Mohawk allies had a reputation among the British army for discipline as admirable as their martial skill.
“Within Humane Bounds” program is part of Fort Ticonderoga’s broader interpretive emphasis this season which brings to life the year 1759. Costumed historic interpreters portraying members of Abijah Williard’s Massachusetts Provincial Regiment recreate 1759 through daily programs and historic trades demonstrations.
Photo: Fort Ticonderoga’s Historic Interpreter, Joseph Privott, portrays an Indian Agent of Sir William Johnson’s Northern Indian Department at Fort Ticonderoga as part of the “Within Humane Bounds” Program.
Upcoming Events at Rensselaer County Historical Society
By Editorial Staff
The Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) has announced their August schedule of events. RCHS was established in 1927 to connect local history and heritage with contemporary life. RCHS is the largest collecting institution in Rensselaer County. The organization owns two 19th century townhouse buildings, the National Register listed Hart-Cluett House and its Carriage House, servicing as a historic house museum and the adjacent Carr Building housing a research library, galleries, and meeting spaces.
RCHS is located at 57 Second Street, Troy NY 12180. Reservations can be made by calling 518-244-6853 or email ilenefrank@rchsonline.org
2nd Saturday House Tour – Highlighting Galusha’s Furniture
Saturday, August 13, 2011
2:00pm
$10 per person
Elijah Galusha's high-style furniture distinguishes him as the preeminent cabinetmaker of Troy, N.Y., from the late 1820's through 1870. His furniture can be found in museum collections across the country. RCHS has several examples of his work including a suite of furniture for the Hart-Cluett House’s parlor. This tour will focus on his construction and decoration techniques and highlight the many pieces that exist in the collection.
Mornings at the Museum – Let’s Make Butter
Wednesday, August 17, 2011
10:00am
$5 per child, adults free
Bring your pre-schooler to our monthly program where we introduce children to the museum through storytime, exploring an item from the collection and participating in a hands-on activity. August’s theme is butter and children will be have a chance to make their own fresh butter.
Hidden History – Knickerbocker Mansion
Tuesday, August 23, 2011
4:30pm
$15 per person, $12 for RCHS members
The Knickerbocker Mansion located in Schaghticoke was built by Johannes Knickerbaccker III around 1780. The house was lived in by generations of the Knickerbocker family but fell into disrepair in the 20th century. A dedicated group of volunteers began restoration and after decades of work the building has been almost completely restored. Join RCHS staff and Knickerbocker Historical Society members as we get a special tour of one of Rensselaer County’s oldest buildings.
The Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) offers walking tours of historic downtown Troy on Saturday mornings this September. Tours depart from and return to the Market Table at the Troy Farmer’s Market at 10:30 am. Each week brings a different theme for the tours, which are led by RCHS staff and frequently incorporate historic photographs and readings from letters and diaries.
September’s History Walks are part of the Hudson River Ramble. The Hudson River Valley Ramble celebrates the trails, the river and the historic and cultural resources of the Hudson River Valley Greenway and National Heritage Area. For more information about the Ramble visit www.hudsonrivervalleyramble.com
Cost: $5 per person/ RCHS members free. Reservations can be made by calling 518-244-6853 or email ilenefrank@rchsonline.org . For more information, visit www.rchsonline.org
Saturday, September 10 – Uncle Sam’s Life in Troy
10:30am - Noon
50 years ago Troy was designated by Congress as the Home of Uncle Sam. Join us on this 1.5 hour walking tour of sites in downtown Troy associated with Samuel Wilson, the "real" Uncle Sam. Included is a visit to the exhibit at the RCHS museum, which includes artifacts from Samuel Wilson's life and images of our national symbol. Tour is not recommended for children under 10. Total distance covered is about 1.5 miles
Saturday, September 17 – Amazing Architecture
10:30am – 11:30am
Stroll downtown Troy and you'll find a rich built environment. This 1 hour walking tour showcases Troy's architectural gems and range of styles. Tour is not recommended for children under 10. Total distance covered is about 1 mile.
Saturday, September 24 – History Under Foot and Overhead
10:30am – 11:30am
Families with kids ages 5 and up will enjoy this interactive walk through Troy's past. Tour encourages children to look at tops of buildings and bottom of stairs to find architectural details often overlooked. You'll come away saying "I never knew that about Troy!"
Tuesday, July 26, 2011
New Collection of Union Labels Available Online
By Editorial Staff
In 1889, in response to growth in the number of labor unions, New York State passed a law offering unions an opportunity to register their labels, names, brands, or other devices with the Secretary of State. It was thought that this procedure of officially recognizing the uniqueness of each labor association or union logo would help avoid the confusion that might result from similar designs.
The law was amended in 1943 to substitute the Department of Labor as the registering agency. Hundreds of labels were registered during the period from 1901 to 1942, the time period represented by a new collection of online images hosted by the New York State Archive [link].
Most union labels were made of paper and usually fairly simple in design; a few were colorful and elaborate. One of the devices registered was a branding iron designed to literally "make an impression." However, the labels were intended to do more than just identify an association of people who made a particular product or service; all projected, explicitly or implicitly, the pride that members had in their trade, while encouraging solidarity with workers everywhere.
Civil War Battle Flag Exhibit Opens at Capitol
By Editorial Staff
A new exhibit of Civil War battle flags, "1861: Banners for Glory," has been unveiled at the State Capitol, featuring eight flags significant in the first year of the war – including the storied Marshall House Flag, which prompted one of the first skirmishes of the war.
"As the nation looks back on the 150th anniversary of the start of the Civil War, I encourage New Yorkers to visit this moving exhibit in the State's Capitol," said Rose Harvey, Commissioner of the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. The flags are a physical connection to our nation's history, and I am tremendously grateful to the private individuals and organizations who have partnered with New York State to make this exhibit possible."
"The collection of New York's historic battle flags held by the Division of Military and Naval Affairs on behalf of the citizens of New York is a reminder of the courage and sacrifice of the almost 500,000 New Yorkers who fought in the Civil War," said Major General Patrick Murphy, the Adjutant General of New York. "I'm pleased that this exhibit will allow more New Yorkers to share in that history."
The exhibition will run in the New York State Capitol's eastern entrance area through June 2012. The exhibit is taking place thanks to a combination of a $30,000 grant from the Coby Foundation, a New York City organization that funds projects in the textile and needle arts, and approximately $13,000 in donations from private citizens.
The exhibit features the massive 14- by 24-foot Marshall House Flag, which Colonel Elmer Ellsworth of the 11th New York Volunteers, attempted to remove from the Marshall House hotel in Alexandria, Virginia – a flag visible across the Potomac in Washington, D.C. With a small party, Ellsworth climbed to the roof and cut down the flag prompting an exchange of gunfire with hotel owner James Jackson, in which both Ellsworth and Jackson were killed.
The Marshall House incident became national news and plunged the entire country into mourning – the North for Ellsworth, the South for Jackson. President Abraham Lincoln, ordered an honor guard to deliver Ellsworth's body to the White House for a funeral service. Ellsworth, the first Union officer to be killed in the conflict was then laid in state at City Hall in New York City and the State Capitol in Albany respectively before being buried in Mechanicville, New York. The Marshall House flag accompanied Ellsworth's body home to New York State.
Since 2000, the New York State Battle Flag Preservation Project, a collaboration between the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation and the Division of Military and Naval Affairs, has conserved and properly stored over 500 of the state's 2,000 flags carried into battle by New York State regiments.
Photo: Marshall House Inn, circa 1861-1869. Courtesy Wikipedia.
Olana Third Thursdays Curator Tours
By Editorial Staff
The Olana Partnership and the Olana State Historic Site have announced the remaining Third Thursdays Curator Tour Series. The Curator Tour Series provides an unprecedented, behind-the-scenes opportunity to experience Olana under the guide of its curatorial staff. Tours will showcase Olana’s latest exhibition in the Evelyn & Maurice Sharp Gallery and include a component that focuses on Olana’s artist-designed landscape.
These tours are held on the Third Thursday of each month from 5:30-7pm. Each tour will feature its own unique theme and explore many of the various influences that impacted Frederic Church and his design of Olana.
Sara Griffen, President of The Olana Partnership explains that the tour series evolved out of an interest from the community to have more one-on-one time with our curatorial staff: “We have inaugurated this series in response to frequent requests that we offer more in-depth tours, whereby visitors can study the landscape, objects, and architecture in a more leisurely fashion – we hope this provides a new opportunity for the public to enjoy the riches of this magnificent site.”
The series also features wine tastings from some of the regions that had the deepest influence on Frederic Church and his work.
The remaining 2011 tour schedule is as follows:
August 18: Creating a Composition: Frederic Church applied his artistic talent to so much more than his monumental paintings. Olana can be seen as a three-dimensional artistic composition – a living landscape painting he spent decades perfecting. Olana's curators will lead visitors through the property sharing the many artistic compositions created by Church, from the careful artistic arrangement of objects in the home's interiors, to the painterly scenes he created outdoors through his own landscaping efforts.
September 15: Influences on Design: The development of the Persian-inspired house grew out of the artist's experiences in the Near East and the inspirations found in the many books and photographs that he collected during his travels. The artist was also impacted by contemporary trends in American architecture and landscape design. Both these influences permeate the work he continued outside his home in the development of the outbuildings and the landscape. The curators will explain how these sources combined with Church's own intensely personal artistic expression at Olana.
Space is limited. Tickets are $40 for members of The Olana Partnership, $50 for non-members. To reserve, please call (518) 828-1872 x 103 by the preceding Wednesday. Tours are subject to cancellation without minimum registration. The Behind-the-Scenes Curator Tour is also available for private functions upon special request and availability.
Olana State Historic Site is located at 5720 State Route 9G, Hudson, NY 12534.
Monday, July 25, 2011
33rd Annual Schuyler House 18th-Century Day
By Editorial Staff
On Sunday, August 14 from noon to 5pm, the 1777 Schuyler House on Route 4 in Schuylerville, will be the setting for dozens of artisans demonstrating their crafts much as they were plied over 200 years ago when household items were handcrafted.
Visitors to the 33rd annual 18th-Century Day will be able to enjoy free tours of the Schuyler House, listen to music of the period, see Punch and Judy puppet shows, plus see artisans demonstrating 18th century crafts such as tinsmithing, blacksmithing, broom-making, basket-making, rope-making, beer brewing, spinning, dyeing, weaving, soap making, butter-making and needlework. Also see colonial-era farm life activities such as discussions of farming methods, medicinal treatments and bee keeping.
Visitors are advised to dress for hot weather, bring water, and wear insect repellent and sunscreen. Free light refreshments will be available.
This traditional event is organized by the Old Saratoga Historical Association, a non-profit educational organization that provides furnishings for the Schuyler House and promotes interest in the history of Old Saratoga, Schuylerville, Victory and the Town of Saratoga, from Native American occupation through present times.
Saratoga National Historical Park presents special interpretive events and programs throughout the year. For further information about this and other programs, please call (518) 664-9821 ext. 224 or check their website.
New Windsor: A Revolutionary Camp at Night
By Editorial Staff
Saturday, August 13 from 7:00 to 9:00 PM, at the re-created huts, administered by the Last Encampment of the Continental Army, on the west side of Route 300 and on the north side of Causeway Road, visitors will be able to interact with soldiers and their family members as they prepare, in the late spring of 1783, for the end of the encampment. After 8 years of war, most of the army will finally be allowed to go home, but some soldiers had to remain under arms until the British evacuated New York City. There was tension in the air. Knowing that their time was short, soldiers lashed out at their officers. One, they hung in effigy. Causing further resentment, the soldiers would not receive their long overdue pay, only certificates for three months pay, redeemable in six months.
Visitors will be bale to tour the encampment grounds by the glow of tin lanterns. See military drills and musket firings, maybe even join-in a demonstration with wooden muskets. Following the capture of British forces by the allied armies of France and America, at Yorktown, Virginia, in the fall of 1781, the northern Continental Army returned to the Hudson Highlands. The destruction of the principal British field army in the south broke England’s will to continue the struggle. In the fall of 1782, near New Windsor, 7,500 Continental Army soldiers built a city of 600 log huts near New Windsor. Along with some of their family members, they braved the winter and kept a wary eye on the 12,000 British troops in New York City, just 60 miles away.
The event is co-sponsored by the National Temple Hill Association and New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site. The National Temple Hill Association administers the Last Encampment of the Continental Army for the Town of New Windsor and owns the historic Edmonston House. New Windsor Cantonment State Historic Site is part of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission. The Palisades Interstate Park Commission administers 27 parks, parkways and historic sites for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in New York as well as the Palisades Interstate Park and parkway in New Jersey. For more information about New York State parks and historic sites. Visit their website at www.nysparks.com and follow the links for historic sites.
Photo: Two Soldiers of the Massachusetts Line, in a Hut, at the Last Encampment of the Continental Army, New Windsor, New York.
Sunday, July 24, 2011
NY Suffrage Writer Hits PBS in September
By Editorial Staff
Writer Louise Bernikow uncovers the long Suffrage Campaign in New York City, a place she says "where the urban landscape became a prop for incomparable political spectacle. The Statue of Liberty, the transit system, Fifth Avenue, Wall Street, parks and streetcorners-- all became venues for a complicated, shifting alliance across lines of race and class, ending in a historic victory in 1917."
Bernikow will be featured in a segment on the PBS show "History Detectives" that unearth the origins of a purple and gold "Votes for Women" banner found in an upstate New York attic. Bernikow is the historical expert who explain how the winning of woman suffrage in New York in 1917 was the product of a new generation's activism and a tipping point on the road to the 1920 passage of the federal amendment.
The show airs Tues, September 20th at 8pm. If you'd like to join a national network of "Viewing Parties" in schools, clubs, historical societies, living rooms contact Bernikow at Weezieman@aol.com.
Saturday, July 23, 2011
Jerry Jenkins to Receive Adirondack Museum Award
By Editorial Staff
The Board of Trustees of the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, New York has announced the selection of Jerry Jenkins as the recipient of the 2011 Harold K. Hochschild Award.
The Harold K. Hochschild Award is dedicated to the memory of the museum's founder, whose passion for the Adirondacks, its people, and environment inspired the creation of the Adirondack Museum. Since 1990 the museum has presented the award to a wide range of intellectual and community leaders throughout the Adirondack Park, highlighting their contributions to the region's culture and quality of life.
The Adirondack Museum will formally present Jerry Jenkins with the Harold K. Hochschild Award on August 4, 2011.
Jerry Jenkins is an ecologist with the Wildlife Conservation Society's Adirondack Program (WCS). An accomplished botanist, naturalist and geographer, he has almost forty years of field experience working in the Northern Forest. Over the course of his career, his work has included conducting biological inventories for The Adirondack Chapter of the Nature
Conservancy, surveying rare plant occurrences for the State of Vermont, chronicling the environmental history of acid rain with the Adirondack Lakes Survey Corporation, and understanding and interpreting historical changes to boreal lowland areas in the Adirondacks with WCS. His enthusiasm for natural history has also led him to study plant diversity and distribution across various forest types - from the Champlain Hills to large working forest
easements, and from old growth forests to high elevation alpine communities.
His most recent and notable accomplishments with the Wildlife Conservation Society are his collection of Adirondack publications. Together with Andy Keal, Jerry Jenkins co-authored The The Adirondack Atlas: A Geographic Portrait of the Adirondack Park, considered one of the most significant Adirondack book in a generation. Some 300 pages in length, the Adirondack Atlas contains 750
maps and graphics, and represents the most comprehensive collection of regional data brought together in a single source. The park's geology, flora and fauna are featured, as well as the history and the dynamic nature of the park's human communities. Bill McKibben describes the atlas as a "great gift...that marks a coming of age."
In his newest book Climate Change in the Adirondacks the Path to Sustainability, Jenkins demonstrates how climate change is already shifting the region's culture, biology and economy, and provides a road map towards a more responsible and sustainable future. He provides the first comprehensive look at both the impacts of, and the potential solutions to, climate change across the Adirondack region. This compilation, along with his other regional contributions, prompted Bill McKibben to offer that "Jerry Jenkins has emerged as the information source for our mountains...and we are all in his debt."
Photo Courtesy Leslie Karasin, Wildlife Conservation Society.
Friday, July 22, 2011
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Saratoga Races: Long History of Local Horses
- Active History: Writing Rockefeller Digital History
- Brooklyn Heights: Women’s Suffrage Movement
- Urban Edge: East River Park History
- TU Blogger Profile: Don Rittner
- NY Times: Egypt Revolt Dims Power of Zahi Hawass
- City Room: Retracing a Ride to a Fatal Duel
- Adirondack Attic: Farm Photos
- Grist: Poughkeepsie For Keeps
- Who’s on the Family Tree? Now It’s Complicated
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 1,000 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
- Mars Bar Closes Before Its Own Last Call
- Saratoga - North Creek RR Service Begins
- Pike's Cantonment Excavation to Begin
- NYC Historian Arrested in Document Thefts
- Interim Director For American History Museum
- NPS Awards Historic Preservation Grants
- Damaged Synagogue, Architectural Milestone
- Group Buys Historic Hilltown Farm
- DNA Solves A Joseph Smith Mystery
- Strong Demand for 9/11 Memorial
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 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.
Thursday, July 21, 2011
Albany Institute's Free, Discount Admission Days
By Editorial Staff
The Albany Institute of History & Art has announced that it will offer a special discount admission program on Fridays and Saturdays in July and August 2011 as part of an ongoing effort to reach out to members of the Capital District community.
On each Friday in July and August, the Albany Institute will offer free admission to all visitors during regular museum hours, from 10 am to 5 pm. There will be no charge for any visitors to enter the museum and see the galleries on the following dates: July 22, 29, and August 5, 12, 19, and 26.
Additionally, the Institute will offer buy-one-get-one-free admission on Saturdays throughout July and August during regular museum hours from 10 am to 5 pm. Any adult or child visitor purchasing one admission will be entitled to one free admission of equal or lesser value. Buy-one-get-one-free Saturday dates are: July 2, 9, 16, 23, 30 and August 6, 13, 20, and 27.
This program is not available in combination with any other discount or coupon offers and does not apply to group tours, facilities rentals, or special events. For more information about the summer discount admission program, please call (518) 463-4478. To learn more about current exhibitions and events, visit www.albanyinstitute.org.
Free admission to the Albany Institute of History & Art is funded in part with a Museums for America grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, a federal agency.
Wednesday, July 20, 2011
Haunted History Investigation of Herkimer Home
By Editorial Staff
The doors of the historic Herkimer Home State Historic Site will be opened to the public for paranormal investigations at 6:00 p.m. on Friday, July 29th and Saturday, July 30th. This event marks the first time under NY State ownership that the historic 18th century mansion has been investigated for paranormal activity.
Both nights will begin with a lecture and a Ghost Hunting 101 Class provided by members of the New York Shadow Chasers, a paranormal research group who recently conducted a private investigation of the property. This short class will be followed by public paranormal investigations of the grounds led by Shadow Chaser staff. The public will explore the interior and exterior of the property using paranormal equipment often seen on many popular “ghost hunting” television shows.
Tickets for this event are $25.00 and reservations are required by calling (315) 823-0398. A limited number of tickets will be sold to the public. Proceeds from the tickets will support educational programs at the Herkimer Home.
Formed at SUNY Potsdam in 2002, the Shadow Chasers represent a team of academic professionals who research and document regional folklore. Certified by SUNY CITI Ethics as Social Science researchers, their investigations have covered numerous historic sites and properties throughout New York State, raising thousands of dollars to support local history.
Built circa 1764, the Herkimer Home is the Georgian home of Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer, A Palatine German farmer, Indian trader, and prominent Mohawk Valley Businessman. As commander of the Tryon County Militia, Herkimer became a hero during the Battle of Oriskany in 1777. Despite a bullet wound to his leg and although greatly outnumbered, he and his command held the field. Following the battle, Herkimer was carried home, where he died in his mansion 10 days later.
Herkimer Home is located on NYS State Route 169, 4 miles southeast of Little Falls, 1/4 mile before NYS Thruway exit 29A. Events are in cooperation with the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation – Central Region. For more information about this and other events planned at the Herkimer Home visit www.littlefallsny.com.
New Exhibit Honors Theme Park Designer Monaco
By Editorial Staff
A new exhibit, "IMAGINING MAKEBELIEVE: An Exhibition Honoring Arto Monaco" will open with a reception at the Tahawus Lodge Center (14234 Rte 9N, Main St, Au Sable Forks, NY) on Friday, July 22, 2011, 6-9pm.
From 1954 to 1979, the Land of Makebelieve captivated visitors young and old. This summer, the Arto Monaco Historical Society invites you to remember the Land of Makebelieve, an enchanting, child-sized theme park, and its creator, Arto Monaco.
Born in Ausable Forks in 1913, Monaco designed not only the Land of Make Believe but Santa's Workshop and Charley Wood’s Storytown and Gaslight Village. The Arto Monaco Historical Society was created after Monaco’s death in 2003 to preserve his legacy.
The exhibition in Au Sable Forks will feature images and artifacts from the original theme park, formerly located in Upper Jay but now closed to the public. The exhibition will also include plans for a new park that’s under consideration for the former Land of Makebelieve site.
Photo: The Land of Makebelieve in 2006 before volunteers began work on the abandoned theme park.
Tuesday, July 19, 2011
Soldiers Atop Mount Independence Event
By Editorial Staff
It was 235 years ago this July that American soldiers began building one of the largest Revolutionary War fortifications in the country—on what would become known as Mount Independence in Orwell, Vermont. An event commemorating this anniversary and experience the Revolutionary War and the road to American independence will be held on Saturday and Sunday, July 23 and 24, as the Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell, Vermont, presents the annual “Soldiers Atop the Mount” living history weekend. Dedicated reenactors recreate this exciting period in American history in an event that is fun for the whole family. Admission is $6.00 for adults and free for children under 15, and includes the museum and all activities.
The public is invited to visit the American and British tent camps, talking with reenactors whose units portray some of the actual units that garrisoned Mount Independence.
On Saturday, the camps open at 10:30 with ongoing demonstrations of camp life, a history scavenger hunt, and special children’s activities. During the day children and the young at heart can learn how to drill, visit the camps, attend Mistress Davenport’s School, and enjoy music from the Seth Warner Mount Independence Fife & Drum Corps. At 1:00 p.m. experience the artillery demonstration and at 2:00 p.m. witness the annual reading of the Declaration of Independence. In the afternoon see how the soldiers would have made fascines, bundles of wood used in military construction. At 3:00 p.m. is the narrated military tactical demonstration with military action encircling the audience.
On Sunday the camps open to the public at 10:00 and the history scavenger hunt is on.
At 11:30 or attend Mistress Davenport’s School, and experience the narrated military tactical demonstration at 1:30. The camp closes at 2:00 pm. At 2:30 site interpreter Paul Andriscin will give a short talk in the auditorium on the construction of Mount Independence. Call for details.
American forces built Mount Independence in 1776 and 1777 to defend New England and Lake Champlain from the British enemy in Canada. On the night of July 5 and 6, 1777, the Northern Department of the American Army withdrew from Mount Independence in Orwell and Fort Ticonderoga, as British Lt. Gen. John Burgoyne sailed down the lake pursuing his plan to split New England off from the rest of the United States. Following the Battle of Hubbardton on July 7, the British and Germans occupied Mount Independence until November of that year.
Mount Independence, a National Historic Landmark, is near the end of Mount Independence Road six miles west of the intersection of Vermont Routes 22A and 73 in Orwell. It includes an air conditioned visitor center and museum and nearly six miles of hiking trails. It is open daily through October 10, 9:30 to 5:00. Call (802) 948-2000 for more information or visit www.HistoricVermont.org/sites.
Photo: American Revolutionary War Soldiers firing at Mount Independence. Courtesy Vermont Division for Historic Preservation.
Event: Spiritualist Fox Sisters in Petersboro
By Editorial Staff
Spiritualism was born in the spring of 1848 when Margaret and Kate Fox heard strange rappings in their Hydesville NY bedroom. Within two years the two “Rochester Rappers” with their sister Leah were touring the country communicating with spirits. The Free Church of Peterboro was one site for the rapping demonstrations. “Scraps of paper in the Gerrit Smith Papers showing questions posed to a spirit medium … revealed that the family attempted to communicate with their loved ones, including Fitzhugh and Peter, after they had died,” according to one historian.
At 2 pm on Sunday, July 24 the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark in Peterboro will host programs on 19th Century spiritualism with particular attention to the Fox Sisters and Peterboro’s connections to the spiritualism movement. The program is open to the public and free.
The featured speaker Nancy Rubin Stuart (Osterville, Mass) will present Maggie Fox, Victorian America's Reluctant Spiritualist. Upstate New York teenager Maggie Fox (1833-1893) rose to national fame as Victorian America's "reluctant spiritualist." Young and beautiful, Maggie's alleged ability to communicate with spirits in America's first séances of 1848 astounded the press, and made Maggie and her sisters the darlings of Broadway. Maggie inspired hundreds of imitators, and fascinated the most prominent men and women of her era, among them Horace Greeley, James Fenimore Cooper, Harriet Beecher Stowe, Mary Todd Lincoln, William Lloyd Garrison, Nathaniel Hawthorne, and William James. After a passionate love affair and secret marriage to distinguished Arctic explorer Dr. Elisha Kent Kane in 1856, during which Maggie promised to give up mediumship, her life took surprising twists and turns, culminating with a startling confession in 1888 at the New York Academy of Music. The lecture is accompanied by slides of Maggie Fox and her era.
Rubin explains that her purpose is neither to prove nor disprove the veracity of spirit communication, but rather to illustrate how 150 years ago the Fox sisters’ introduction of that idea swept through America and why it continues to fascinate people today. Maggie’s story is important, Rubin believes, because of passion – the passionate longing that 19th C. Americans had to once again talk with their beloved dead, and the passionate romance between Fox and Kane.
This Speakers in the Humanities event, which is free and open to the public, is made possible through the support of the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities. The Speakers in the Humanities program has linked distinguished scholars with diverse audiences since its launch in 1983, bringing the best in humanities scholarship to thousands of people at hundreds of cultural organizations in virtually every corner of New York State. This program is just one of the ways the New York Council for the Humanities helps all New Yorkers to lead vibrant intellectual lives by strengthening traditions of cultural literacy, critical inquiry, and civic participation.
After Stuart’s presentation, popular local performers and sisters Darothy DeAngelo and Sue Greenhagen will provide a light-hearted look at early spiritualism with a vignette of the Fox Sisters during a rapping session enticing the spirits of some “dearly departed.” DeAngelo portrays Maggie, and Sue portrays Kate.
Beginning at 1 pm, Michael Keene will sell and sign his recently published book by The History Press: Folklore and Legends of Rochester: The Mystery of Hoodoo Corner & Other Tales. The book includes the story of the Fox Sisters, as well as the anti-Masonic hysteria of the early nineteenth century and the unexplained disappearance of former Mason, Captain Morgan. Keene worked for twenty-five years in the financial services industry as a financial planner. He is also the producer of an award-winning 2008 film Visions, True Stories of Spiritualism, Secret Societies & Murder, which, in part, inspired his new book.
Copies of Town of Smithfield historian Donna Burdick’s paper "Spirited Women – and Men & Their Unpopular Causes" will be on sale at the Peterboro Mercantile for the benefit of the Peterboro Area Historical Society. Burdick’s document describes Spiritualism as it was introduced and “practiced” in Peterboro. Burdick refers to written accounts of medium sessions and spiritualism conferences.
The Gerrit Smith Estate and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Peterboro are open from 1 – 5 p.m. on Saturdays and Sundays until October 23, 2011. Admission to each site is two dollars. Stewards and students are free. For more information:
Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark, 4543 Peterboro Road, Peterboro NY 13134-006; call 315-280-8828 or visit www.sca-peterboro.org
Exhibition Celebrates 175 Yrs of State Museum
By Editorial Staff
The New York State Museum traces its origins to an 1836 survey of the state’s geology, plants, and animals. To celebrate 175 years of adding to the scientific and historical knowledge of New York, the State Museum presents an exhibition that showcases many of its important collections in anthropology, history, and natural science. The exhibition highlights some of the people who, through their work, built these invaluable collections, and presents examples of continuing research based on the collections. Together, the stories of the collectors, the artifacts and specimens in the collections, and the continuing research illuminate the history of the oldest and largest state museum in the nation.
The exhibition "From the Collections" will run through April 2012 in the Exhibition Hall.
Photo: The coyote collection includes skins and skulls that document the expansion of coyotes into New York. Shown here is the skull of a coyote-wolf-dog hybrid from New York state. Scientists at the State Museum recently evaluated skulls and genetic samples of New York coyotes and found they have larger and wider skulls because of hybridization
with wolves. The coyote collection is included in From the Collections, an exhibition highlighting some of the State Museum’s important collections and related research.
Monday, July 18, 2011
New S. R. Stoddard Exhibit: New York Harbor
By Editorial Staff
The Chapman Historical Museum in Glens Falls (Warren County) has opened a new exhibit of Seneca Ray Stoddard photographs featuring views of New York Harbor. Taken in the 1880s on his visits to New York City, the fifteen photographs include images of sailboats and steamers in the harbor, people bathing on the beach at Coney Island, the Brooklyn Bridge and other landmarks. A highlight is Stoddard’s famous night-time photo of the Statue of Liberty, captured using magnesium flash powder. The exhibit, planned to coincide with The Hyde Collection’s exhibit, "NY, NY," will be on view through September 4th.
The Chapman Historical Museum is located at 348 Glen Street, Glens Falls, NY. Hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, and Sunday, noon to 4 pm. For more information call (518) 793-2826.
Photo: Coney Island bathers by Seneca Ray Stoddard, ca. 1880
'Social Dance Saturdays' at Iroquois Museum
By Editorial Staff
The Iroquois Indian Museum in Howes Cave, NY has announced the second in a series of three “Social Dance Saturdays” featuring Iroquois social dance groups. On Saturday, July 23, the HAUDENOSAUNEE DANCERS from Onondaga will perform three sets at approximately 11, 1, and 3. Visitors are encouraged and welcomed to join in with the dancers.
Led by Sherri Waterman Hopper, the Haudenosaunee Dancers will perform Iroquois social dances as practiced in their small traditional community near Syracuse. Sherri Waterman-Hopper has traveled internationally as an artist and cultural speaker. The Dancers feature a core group of seasoned singer/musicians and talented and dedicated young adults. Pride in the culture and adherence to the traditions are the hallmarks of this troupe. Hopper is also a designer and seamstress who incorporates her knowledge of the construction and significance of traditional outfits into her presentations.
For more information contact the Museum at 518-296-8949, info@iroquoismuseum.org or visit their website.
Photo: Haudenosaunee Dancer from 2010 (provided).
Collection Storage Tours at Adirondack Museum
By Editorial Staff
Visitors can see some of the more than 7,000 historic artifacts not currently on exhibit at the Adirondack Museum in a state-of-the-art collections storage facility in Blue Mountain Lake, New York.
The Collections Storage and Study Center holds an amazing array of objects from the Adirondack past. Collections consist of boats, including power boats, canoes, kayaks, guideboats, and unusual boats; traditional and rustic furniture; hand tools and machinery; large vehicles, including horse-drawn carriages and sleighs, snowmobiles, fire trucks, and a Jitterbug; maple
sugaring equipment; ice harvesting tools; and agricultural artifacts.
Adirondack Museum Conservator and Collections Manager Doreen Alessi will lead the tours. Alessi cares for more than 100,000 two and three-dimensional artifacts in the collection of the Adirondack Museum. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).
Tours of the Collections Storage and Study Center will be held each Monday through August from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. The tours are free for museum members and $10 for non-members. Visitors can sign up for a tour on Mondays at the Membership Desk in the Visitor Center. Each tour is limited to thirty people.
The Adirondack Museum, accredited by the American Association of Museums, tells stories of the people - past and present -- who have lived, worked, and played in the unique place that is the Adirondack Park. The museum is supported in part by public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a State Agency. For information about the museum call (518) 352-7311 or visit www.adirondackmuseum.org.
Sunday, July 17, 2011
John Brown Lives! Concert Promotes Cultural Exchange
By Editorial Staff
On Wednesday, July 20, 2011, John Brown Lives! (JBL!) is presenting “desert blues” musician, Bombino, live and in concert, at the Lake Placid Center for the Arts. Doors open at 7:00 p.m. for a 7:30 p.m. performance. Omara “Bombino” Moctar is a young Tuareg singer from Niger, Africa, on his first North American tour. He has received advance praise as a “guitar wizard” likened to Jimi Hendrix (KCRW), who plays “some of the most sublime guitar licks you’ll hear in 2011” (NPR).
The concert is an outgrowth of JBL!’s Dreaming of Timbuctoo Exhibition detailing a black settlement effort in the Adirondacks in the mid-1800s. It is also inaugurates the Timbuktu Sahara * Timbuctoo Adirondack Project, a cultural exchange initiative John Brown Lives! is developing to link schoolchildren and communities in the Adirondacks with a Tuareg village on the outskirts of Timbuktu, Mali. A share of proceeds from this concert will benefit the Scarab School in the desert village of Tinghassane.
The Tuareg, often called the “Blue Men of the Desert” by outsiders, are a nomadic people descended from the Berbers of North Africa. In his short life, Bombino, and many Tuareg, have endured drought, rebellion, tyranny, and exile. Fusing traditional rhythms of nomadic peoples of the Sahara and the Sahel with the drive of rock and roll and songs about peace, Bombino plays an influential role today in educating the Tuareg about the importance of the fragile democracy in Niger while maintaining their rich cultural heritage.
John Brown Lives! (JBL) is a freedom education project founded in 1999 to promote social justice through the exploration of issues, social movements and events, rooted mainly in Adirondack history, and their connection to today’s struggles for human rights.
Individual tickets are $18 in advance or $20 at the door. Children under 12 are admitted for $5. Sponsor tickets are also available at $160 for a book of 10 tickets. Tickets are available at the LPCA Box Office 518-523-2512. For sponsor tickets, please call 518-962-4758 or 518-576-9755.
For more general information, contact John Brown Lives! at mswan@capital.net or 518-962-4758. To learn more about Bombino and the Tuareg, check out these links (1, 2).
Brooklyn Museum Announces New Trustees
By Editorial Staff
Associate Professor of Law at New York Law School Tamara C. Belinfanti, Forest City Ratner Companies Executive Vice President and General Counsel David L. Berliner, and Brooklyn-based artist Fred Tomaselli were elected to the Board of Trustees of the Brooklyn Museum at the June Board meeting. The election of Tomaselli marks the first time in recent years an artist has served on the Museum Board.
"We are delighted to welcome these three new Members. They bring a breadth of experience, interest, and expertise that will further enhance and strengthen our Board, working together with Museum Director Arnold L. Lehman and the Staff," states newly elected Board Chair John S. Tamagni.
Tamara C. Belinfanti is an Associate Professor of Law at New York Law School and lives in Brooklyn. Previously, she was a Corporate Associate with the international law firm of Cleary Gottlieb Steen & Hamilton LLP. She is a graduate of Harvard Law School, where she was a Clinical Intern to Professor Alan M. Dershowitz.
Executive Vice President and General Counsel of Forest City Ratner Companies, a Brooklyn-based real estate developer and property owner, David Berliner is also Chairman of the Board of Directors of the Madison Square Park Conservancy and a founding member of their Curatorial Committee, an advisory group that sources and evaluates proposals to commission work of contemporary artists to be shown in Madison Square Park.
A native of California, Fred Tomaselli emerged from the California art scene, creating installation and performance art in the early 1980s. In 1985 he moved to New York, where he was one of the pioneering artists of Williamsburg, Brooklyn. His work has been shown worldwide in both galleries and museums and is represented in public and private collections. In the fall of 2010, the Brooklyn Museum presented a critically acclaimed mid-career survey of his work.
Saturday, July 16, 2011
Grand Opening of New Calvin Coolidge Exhibit
By Editorial Staff
A new permanent exhibit that examines the life and times of President Calvin Coolidge will open August 6 at the 30th President’s state historic site and childhood home in Vermont.
The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation will host the exhibit’s grand opening on Plymouth Old Home Day at the President Calvin Coolidge State Historic Site from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. Gov. Peter Shumlin, Coolidge family members, and state officials will be among the honored guests at the opening of “Calvin Coolidge: His Life & Legacy” at the President Calvin Coolidge Museum & Education Center at 10 a.m.
“Calvin Coolidge embodied a respect for this beautiful state and the deeply-rooted pragmatism that present day Vermonters revere and endeavor to sustain,” said Gov. Peter Shumlin. “Visitors to Plymouth Village truly understand how this place shaped the man and why it remained so important to him throughout his life.”
“Calvin Coolidge: His Life & Legacy” will include interactive features, historic newsreels, a voice recognition station and a holographic image. The Division for Historic Preservation has worked closely over the past several months with Media-FX, a Montreal -based design firm noted for its innovative, interpretive displays.
The grand opening and Plymouth Old Home Day will continue with building tours and performances by pianist Abigail Charbeneau and the Green Mountain Brass Band. Also on exhibit this season is “First Pets: The Coolidge White House Animals,” which reveals the important role animals played in the private life and public image of the Coolidge family.
Plymouth Old Home Day, which dates back to the early 20th century, unites town organizations in a fun-filled festival of historic music, traditional craft and farm demonstrations, wagon rides and culinary treats. Activities will include:
* Old-time children’s games, apple head doll making with Susan Remington, Native American artifact tent from the Chimney Point State Historic Site
* Cart rides with Zandor the dog
* Wagon rides and sheep shearing with Fred DePaul
* Chicken barbecue and bake sale to benefit the Plymouth Volunteer Fire Department
* Home-style cooking at the Wilder House Restaurant
* Cheese making at the Plymouth Cheese Factory
* Vermont artisans – Fiber Arts in Vermont (demonstrating creative fiber arts – weaving, spinning, knitting, etc.), Heritage Weaving (rag rugs), Irene Ames (basket making), Carolyn Guest (silhouettes & fancy paper cutting), Marianne Fassett (paper quilling), Black River Academy Museum (chair caning)
* Old-time fiddler Adam Boyce
* Special exhibits by the Plymouth Historical Society and Vermont State Parks
* Vintage automobiles on display
Plymouth Old Home Day is the great opportunity to explore Plymouth Notch, considered one of the best-preserved presidential sites in the country. Twelve buildings are open to the public including the Coolidge Homestead, Coolidge Birthplace, general store, village church, cheese factory (still making cheese using the original 1890 recipe), and 1924 Summer White House office. An outstanding collection of early agricultural equipment is displayed in the Wilder Barns.
For more information about Plymouth Old Home Day and the grand opening of the new Coolidge exhibit, call 802-828-3051 or visit www.HistoricVermont.org/Coolidge
Friday, July 15, 2011
This Week's New York History Web Highlights
By Editorial Staff
- Active History: Writing Rockefeller Digital History
- Brooklyn Heights: Women’s Suffrage Movement
- Urban Edge: East River Park History
- TU Blogger Profile: Don Rittner
- NY Times: Egypt Revolt Dims Power of Zahi Hawass
- City Room: Retracing a Ride to a Fatal Duel
- Adirondack Attic: Farm Photos
- Grist: Poughkeepsie For Keeps
- Who’s on the Family Tree? Now It’s Complicated
- Chronicling America: Theodore Roosevelt’s Africa Expedition
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 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.
Millbrook Carriage Road Restoration Project Complete
By Editorial Staff
The Millbrook Carriage Road, a multi-use carriage road that is used for hiking, biking and horseback riding in Minnewaska State Park Preserve, has reopened following completion of the first of several carriage road restoration projects in the Shawangunk Mountains. The project was made possible in part from a $300,000 grant from the Environmental Protection Fund and a substantial individual donation.
The Palisades Interstate Park Commission, the Palisades Parks Conservancy, the Mohonk Preserve, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation have launched an joint initiative to rebuild the historic Smiley family carriage road network in New York State's Shawangunk Mountains. Many of the 83 miles of hand-built broken stone are in stages of disrepair, some causing closure.
The Minnewaska State Park Preserve carriage roads offer guests easy access to lakes, steep ravines, and scenic lookouts. The intention of the carriage roads was and still is to be both aesthetically pleasing and functional, while providing access to previously inaccessible and rugged terrain. T
To support the Palisades Parks Conservancy reach their goal of restoring the entire 35 mile carriage road network at Minnewaska State Park Preserve (which is expected to costs more than $4 million) visit their website.
This Week's Top New York History News
By Editorial Staff
- NYC Historian Arrested in Document Thefts
- Interim Director For American History Museum
- NPS Awards Historic Preservation Grants
- Damaged Synagogue, Architectural Milestone
- Group Buys Historic Hilltown Farm
- DNA Solves A Joseph Smith Mystery
- Strong Demand for 9/11 Memorial
- 1848 Albany Church Collapsing
- NJ Man Held in Picasso Theft
- 'Oldest' Trees Discovered at Gilboa Dam
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 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.
