Month: September 2010

Fort Montgomery Fall Lecture Series

admin

Fort Montgomery State Historic Site is offering an evening lecture series sponsored by the Fort Montgomery Battle Site Association. All lectures will be held at the Fort Montgomery State Historic Site Visitor’s Center, located at 690 Route 9W in Fort Montgomery, NY. For more information, please call (845) 446-2134.

Fort Montgomery State Historic Site is part of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which administers 28 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.

Thursday, September 16th , 7PM &#8211 Claudius Smith: Revolutionary Rogue or Robin Hood?

Claudius Smith was a controversial figure during the American Revolution, hailed by some as a champion of charity, but eventually hung by others as a thief and a profiteer. Come to your own verdict after author Patricia Edwards Clyne’s, evening lecture “Claudius Smith: Revolutionary Rogue or Robin Hood”- Patricia Edwards Clyne is the author of Hudson Valley Faces and Places- Hudson Valley Tales and Trails- and Caves For Kids in Historic New York. Book sale and signing to follow lecture.

Thursday, September 30th ,7 PM &#8211 The Hudson Valley’s Provincial Corps: Loyalist Troops in Sir Henry Clinton’s 1777 Highlands Expedition

Our Patriot forefathers are often remembered, but what about the day’s conservatives, the loyalists? Learn more about those that decided not to rebel and their military campaign against Forts Montgomery and Clinton. Evening Lecture by Todd Braistead, loyalist scholar, and member of the 4th battalion, New Jersey Volunteers.

Thursday, October 28th , 7PM – Haunted Hudson Valley

Join Linda Zimmerman, author and ghost hunter, on a tour of some the valley’s most haunted historic places! In addition to hearing about Linda’s latest investigations, find out what Linda discovered during her investigation of Fort Montgomery! Book sale and signing to follow lecture.

Thursday, November 4th, 7 PM &#8211 A British Soldier’s Story

Roger Lamb was one of over 50,000 British soldiers who served in the American Revolution. During his eight years in America he served in two major campaigns, was captured twice, and twice escaped captivity to rejoin the British Army. This is his story as told by Historian, Don Hagist. Slide Presentation followed by book sale and signing.

De Nieu Nederlanse Marcurius Now Online

admin

The September issue of De Nieu Nederlanse Marcurius, the quarterly publication of the New Netherland Institute, is available on the Institute’s website. The issue can be browsed for easy on-screen viewing or downloaded as a PDF. This issue features the upcoming New Netherland Seminar &#8216-The Company Strikes Back: 1673 Recovery of New Netherland&#8221 on September 25, 2010 in Albany, NY, notices of new books, upcoming lecture, a short biographical sketch of Cornelis Evertsen by Peter A. Douglas, and a lot more.

The New Netherland Institute, first organized in 1986 as Friends of the New Netherland Project and subsequently as Friends of New Netherland, supports the work of the New Netherland Project and the functions and activities of the New Netherland Institute.

Fall Events at Senate House Historic Site

admin

Fall brings a diverse lineup of programs at Senate House State Historic Site, in historic uptown Kingston, NY at 296 Fair Street. Senate House is part of a system of parks, recreation areas and historic sites operated by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the site is one of 28 facilities administered by the Palisades Interstate Park Commission in New York and New Jersey. For further information about thess and other upcoming events call the site at (845) 338-2786 or visit the State Parks website at www.nysparks.com.


Saturday, October 2, 1:00 – 7:00 PM

African American History & Culture Festival: Music as the Pulse of Life

Some of the best regional talent performing music of different genres, from freedom songs to hip hop. Featured artists include Kim and Reggie Harris, Rednex Poetry, POOK, the Ulster County Community Choir, and more. Also, hands-on activities for kids, lectures, food and more. This event is free, for all ages, and occurs rain or shine.

Saturday, October 9, 10:00 AM – 5:00 PM

Living History Encampment by the Third Ulster Militia

Re-enactors demonstrate the realities of 18th-century life during wartime, as well as domestic activities and trades. Free- occurs in light rain or shine. Please call for details.

Saturday, October 23, 10:00 AM – 4:30 PM

Arts Forum: Appraising Art / Re-appraising Vanderlyn

Tickets $10.00

Join arts expert and television personality Leigh Keno and renowned regional art experts for a day of talks and object evaluations to learn about Hudson Valley art and history, the Vanderlyn family of painters—particularly its most famous member, John Vanderlyn—and strategies for evaluating objects to understand their significance and value. Tickets for the public program are $10.

Saturday, October 23, 5:00 – 7:00 PM

Evening Reception with Leigh Keno

Tickets $50.00

Join Leigh Keno and other arts experts in the Senate House Museum’s Vanderlyn Gallery for wine, food, 19th-century chamber music and artful conviviality.

Through October 31:

Currier & Ives: “Cheap and Popular Pictures” a free exhibition of 40 prints by the best-known printmakers of the 19th Century, with images offering fascinating glimpses of the Hudson Valley’s past.

Barry Hopkins Run at Olana

admin

On Sunday, September 12 at 9:30 a.m. the Barry Hopkins Run will take place at Olana State Historic Site. This Onteora Runners Club Grand Prix event also offers a free children’s run that precedes the adult event at 9:00 a.m. Runners will spend the morning on this 3.8 mile course traversing primarily unpaved carriage roads in the designed landscape of Hudson River School artist Frederic Church.

Registration is $10 per person- $9 for members of The Olana Partnership or the Onteora Runner’s Club. Email [email protected] or call (518) 828-0135 to receive a registration form. Unique awards will follow the race.

Olana, the home and studio of Hudson River School artist Frederic E. Church, is a New York State Historic Site and a National Historic Landmark. It is located at 5720 Route 9G in Hudson. Olana is one of seven historic sites and 15 parks administered by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, Taconic Region. The Olana Partnership is a private not-for-profit organization which works cooperatively with New York State to support the preservation, restoration, development, and improvement of Olana State Historic Site.

This Weeks Top New York History News

admin

Each Friday morning New York History compiles for readers the previous week’s top history related news from around New York State. You can find all our weekly news round-ups here.

Subscribe! More than 400 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.

Historic American Revolution Interview Saturday

admin

Ever imagine what it would be like to ask Revolutionary War soldiers about their life and times? The Mount Independence State Historic Site in Orwell, Vermont, will bring to life the Revolutionary War at the site tomorrow Saturday, September 4, at 2:00 p.m. with the program, “An Investigation into the Revolutionary Mind: What Were You Thinking, Isaac Kendall and Benjamin McCool?”

Modern day historian and site interpreter Paul Andriscin will interview two soldiers so he and the audience can find out first hand from two American soldiers what happened 233 years ago at Mount Independence and during the Northern Campaign of the American Revolutionary War.

“Paul will interview two soldiers who were garrisoned on and helped build Mount Independence,” said to Elsa Gilbertson, Regional Historic Site Administrator for the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation. “He’ll ask them, ‘What were you thinking?’ as they served on Mount Independence and in other locations after the leaving the fort in 1777.”

“What was their work? What was their life like? What did they think about their officers and fellow soldiers?” Gilbertson said. “These re-enactors really help humanize these historical figures in a way that textbooks simply can’t.”

Isaac Kendall will be portrayed by Mike Austin, Castleton State College history professor and president of the Vermont Alliance for Social Studies. Benjamin McCool will be portrayed by Karl Crannell, Chimney Point State Historic Site interpreter.

The men will discuss what happened as British General John Burgoyne and his British troops advanced and the Americans abandoned Mount Independence and nearby Fort Ticonderoga.

On July 5, 1777, faced with a British force more than twice his size that had occupied a position from which they could bombard him with impunity, General Arthur St. Clair withdrew from the fortifications without firing a shot.

Though his actions helped preserve the army, Congress was outraged and censured St. Clair for the loss. He later argued that his conduct had been honorable- demanded review by a court martial- and was ultimately exonerated.

Admission is $5.00 for adults and free for children under 15, and includes visiting the museum and access to all the trails on the over 300-acre site.

The Mount Independence State Historic Site is one of the best-preserved Revolutionary War sites in America. It is located near the end of Mount Independence Road, six miles west of the intersections of Vermont Routes 22A and 73 near Orwell village- carefully follow the signs. Regular hours are 9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m. daily through October 12.

Call (802) 948-2000 for more information or visit: www.HistoricVermont.org/sites.

Photo: Karl Crannell, who will play Benjamin McCool.

Albany Institute Offers Shoe Exhibits

admin

The Albany Institute of History & Art has announced two related upcoming exhibitions: “The Perfect Fit: Shoes Tell Stories” and “Old Soles: Three Centuries of Shoes from the Albany Institute’s Collection.” The exhibitions open on October 16, 2010, and close on January 2, 2011.

Since the invention of protective foot coverings by early societies thousands of years ago, shoes have become not only an essential element of our clothing, but also symbols of status, utility, amusement, and art. “The Perfect Fit” features more than 100 examples of fanciful footwear created by contemporary American artists between 2004 and 2008. The shoes are made of materials ranging from clay, metal, fabric, wood, glass, and paper, and transcend everyday style and function to illustrate various themes pertaining to issues of gender, history, sexuality, class, race, and culture.

The exhibition, curated by Wendy Tarlow Kaplan, is organized by the Fuller Craft Museum, Brockton, MA. An illustrated catalog accompanies the exhibition and will be on sale in the Albany Institute’s Museum Shop for $10.00.

Accompanying “The Perfect Fit” will be a complementary exhibition entitled “Old Soles: Three Centuries of Shoes from the Albany Institute’s Collection.” The selection includes a variety of shoes ranging from a pair of brocaded silk women’s wedding shoes from the early 18th century to modern men’s and women’s footwear from the 20th century. The collection also includes protective over-shoes, pattens, slippers, jeweled buckles, work shoes, boots, and more. The Old Soles exhibition will be located in the museum’s Lansing Gallery, in proximity to many historic paintings in which the subjects are wearing shoes similar to those that will be on display.

Photo: Red riding shoes awarded to Miss Catherine Fitch for “Best Equestrian Rider” at the Albany Agricultural Society Fair, September, 1856, Wool felt and leather, 1856,
Gift of Margaret Boom, 1941.45, from Old Soles.

Faces of Schenectady Seminar Announced

admin

Due to the interest generated by the exhibit “Faces of Schenectady: 1715 &#8211 1750” as well as brand-new research, support from the First Reformed Church of Schenectady, and generous grants from the New York Council for the Humanities, and Schenectady County, the Schenectady County Historical Society (SCHS) is offering a two day seminar this October.

Participants will be able to experience, first hand, new research related to eighteenth-century art, politics, and culture in Schenectady County. Along with one-of-a-kind lectures, SCHS is also offering a one-on-one gallery talk with co-curator Ona Curran and a 17th century Dutch Luncheon made possible by the Glen Sanders Mansion!

FRIDAY October 15

Exhibit Tour with Gallery Lecture Schenectady County Historical Society, 32 Washington Avenue Schenectady NY 12305

Registration 1:30

2:00 &#8211 3:15 Ona Curran Nehemiah Partridge: His style, use of mezzotints, English influence Clara Clack van Beek &#8211 Account ledger of Annatje Beck, tavern keeper and seller of dry goods

3:30 &#8211 4:30 Ona Curran Peter Vanderlyn and John Heaton

Schenectady Portraits &#8211 Susanna Truax and Deborah Glen Other portraits &#8211 Albany, Hudson Valley, The Van Bergen Overmantel, the Oliver portrait

5:30 &#8211 7:30 Evening Fare and Folklore (Additional $10.00 Fee) First Reformed Church of Schenectady 8 North Church Street, Schenectady NY 12305 Buffet and Story Telling Joe Doolittle

SATURDAY October 16

Exhibit Open 9:00 &#8211 9:30 Schenectady County Historical Society

Registration 9:00

Lectures First Reformed Church of Schenectady

9:30 &#8211 10:15 Susan Blakney, 17th Century Double Wedding Portrait

10:15 &#8211 11:15 Nancy Hagadorn Ph.D., Laurens Claese Van Der Volgen Cultural Broker and Interpreter

11:30 &#8211 12:30 John Townsend The Mohawk Prayer Book

LUNCHEON 12:30 &#8211 2:15

2:15 &#8211 3:00 Karen Hess The Indomitable Ariantje Coeymans: Bangles and Beads &#8211 Jewelry in Portraiture

3:00 &#8211 3:45 Rod Blackburn Scripture Paintings

3:45 &#8211 4:30 Rod Blackburn and Ruth Piwonka The Data Base of early 18th century paintings

4:30 &#8211 5:00 Questions and Closing Remarks

Register online here.