Month: November 2010

Knox’s Headquarters Celebrates Christmas

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For two Christmases, John and Catherine Ellison shared their home with the officers and soldiers of the Continental Army. Over the winter of 1780-81, General Henry Knox, his wife Lucy and the young Henry and Lucy were there, while two years later it was General Horatio Gates and his military family of aides de camp who shared in the season’s festivities. From 6:00 to 8:00 PM on December 18th tour the elegantly appointed 1754 Ellison house decorated for Christmas and staffed by Revolutionary War era costumed interpreters. For your further enjoyment the King’s Delight will play period music throughout the evening.

In December 1774, Colonel Thomas Ellison of New Windsor, John’s father, received a letter from a grandson in New York City wishing him greetings of the season: “May you and yours see the return of many happy Christmasses & New Years & may each bring you an occasion of joy and peace – especially of that peace which passeth understanding & which this world can neither give or take away.”

On Monday December 27, Tuesday December 28 & Wednesday December 29 Open House at Knox’s Headquarters. The Ellison mansion is open for tours at 10:00 AM, 11:00 AM, 1:00 PM & 2:00 PM each day. Tour the elegant 1754 historic house decorated for the season in 18th century fashion.

Knox’s Headquarters is located at 289 Forge Hill Road in Vails Gate, at the corner of Route 94 and Forge Hill Road, just three miles south of the intersection of I-87 and I-84. For more information please call (845) 561-1765 ext. 22.

Utica Exhibition Highlights Holiday Season

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A mixture of greenery and finery marks the Victorian Yuletide celebration that opens in the Munson-Williams-Proctor Arts Institute Museum of Art period rooms in Fountain Elms Friday, November 26 and remains on view through January 2, 2011. This annual exhibition brings to life an historical 19th-century Christmas and illustrates the origins of many of today’s Holiday customs.

This year, the dining room and parlor will be arranged to depict an evening party called a kettledrum. At this type of affair, somewhat of a predecessor to the 20th-century cocktail party, the dining table was set with a buffet of cold entrees, salads, fruit, cakes, and other sweets. Guests were served eggnog, tea, coffee, wine, and claret or champagne.

One author of etiquette books noted that at a kettledrum, an assortment of unmatching china should be used, which added to the festive appearance of the table. In keeping with all these traditions, the dining room will feature a bountiful table setting using all of the best crystal, silver, and china, and highlighted by an elaborate Yuletide centerpiece.

The Successful Housekeeper (1882) provides a detailed description of a kettledrum: “At a kettledrum, the time is passed in greeting friends, disconnected fragments of conversation, listening to music or recitations, and, best of all, in partaking of good cheer from the groaning refreshment table.”

After “partaking of good cheer,” a guest could retire to the parlor to enjoy music and the profuse Christmas decorations of greenery and a table-top tree. Despite the convivial gathering and abundant food and spirits, guests were expected to follow certain proprieties. The Successful Housekeeper also noted that: “[Women’s] bonnets are not discarded and only one hand is ungloved. The experienced guest hardly ever remains more than an hour.”

The Museum’s other period rooms will be adorned with various types of Christmas trees. The library will feature a German putz—a traditional miniature farm scene featuring buildings, animals, and figures. The Museum’s putz belonged to the Williams family, whose daughters, Rachel and Maria, grew up in Fountain Elms. The girls’ diaries from the 1860s record the simple gifts they received: books, cornucopias filled with candy, pens and journals, and paper dolls.

In the manner of our forebearers, the period rooms will be dressed with a variety of greenery, ribbon, wreaths, and flowers and with the beauty of autumn, which was harvested and laid aside for the bleak winter holidays. Nineteenth-century toys and games will be on display. All of the decorations that grace the period rooms are based on 19th-century accounts of how a home as grand as Fountain Elms would have been decorated for the Holiday season.

Finger Lakes Museum Narrows Design Teams

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Project director Don Naetzker announced that the number of design teams interested in planning the Finger Lakes Museum has been narrowed from 35 to 4. The four teams are led by Bohlin Cywinski Jackson, Cambridge 7, HBT Architects, and The Smith Group. Each team has museum design experience.

In September, representatives from 60 architectural, engineering, exhibit design and landscape architecture firms from across the country and Canada met at Keuka Lake State Park to hear Naetzker and board president John Adamski describe the concept, mission, and vision for the project. Attendees were invited to submit qualifications to compete for the design commission. Thirty-five qualification packages were received by museum officials.

Naetzker said that the museum’s facilities committee, which he chairs, worked long and hard to evaluate the submissions, some as thick as phone books. He saluted the efforts and stated, “The choices were not easy to make. Each of the firms is nationally-known and very-well qualified.”

The four design teams on the short list will be asked to submit proposals outlining design concepts and fee structures by the end of December. A final selection is scheduled for January 2011.

The Finger Lakes Museum is an initiative to create a world-class educational institution that will showcase the cultural heritage and ecological evolution of the 9,000 square-mile Finger Lakes Region. Last April, Keuka Lake State Park was selected as the preferred location to build the project.

For more information or to make contact, see www.fingerlakesmuseum.org.

This Weeks Top New York History News

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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.

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This Weeks New York History Web Highlights

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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 550 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.

New Online Collection Focuses on 9/11

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Beginning on September 11, 2001, Michael Ragsdale started collecting items focusing on the aftermath of 9/11, including materials relating to the security, recovery, war, health, peace, civil liberties, Iraq, war costs, war dead, remembrance, prisoner abuse and more. His project ended in September 2008, but this documentary paper history of what happened in New York City after the attacks of 9/11 now includes over 400 images.

Ragsdale says he has been receiving high praise from historians, authors, professors, filmmakers, activists, librarians, museum curators, and others. You can find the collection online here.

Ragsdale hopes to raise money to take the collection on the road, especially next year during the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and the opening of the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York City.

Photo: Flyer announcing a peace rally after 9/11 from Ragsdale’s collection.


Buffalo, Erie Co Historical to Host Book Signing, Sale

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The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society presents its annual Local Author/Buffalo Book-Signing on Saturday, Nov. 27 from noon to 2 p.m. at the History Museum, located at 25 Nottingham Court at Elmwood Avenue in Buffalo.

The event, designed for shoppers looking for personalized gifts in a relaxed atmosphere, features over 20 local authors selling and signing their books. The wide range of publications-including cookbooks, neighborhood, regional and military history, novels and coffee-table books-makes this a perfect opportunity to shop for a variety of tastes.

This year’s event includes the following authors:

* Jim Arnone, Central Park, Buffalo, New York: A Neighborhood of History and Tradition (exclusively at BECHS!)

* Dr. Joseph Bieron, Postcard Views, Orchard Park

* Evelyn Brady, Peaceprints

* Steve Cichon, The Complete History of Parkside

* Gary Costello & Douglas Kohler, Hull Family Home & Homestead: A Bicentennial Celebration

* Lorna Czarnota, Legends, Lore and Secrets of Western New York

* Mark Donnelly, The Fine Art of Capturing Buffalo, Frozen Assets: The Beautiful Truth About Western New York’s Fourth Season

* John Edson, Hamburg: 1910-1970, Hamburg Revisited

* Julianna Fiddler-Woite, Snyder: A Brief History, WNY and the Gilded Age

* Catherine Gildiner, After the Falls: Coming of Age in the Sixties, Too Close to the Falls (New York Times bestseller)

* John Koerner, Mysteries of Father Baker, Father Baker Code

* George Kunz, Buffalo Memories

* Elizabeth Leader, Buffalo Snow

* Raya Lee, BPO Celebrates the First 75 Years

* Donald Mang, One Nation Under God (a novel)

* Nancy Mingus, Buffalo: Good Neighbors, Great Architecture

* Martin Nowak, The White House in Mourning: Deaths and Funerals of Presidents in Office

* Janice Okun, Buffalo Cooks with Janice Okun

* Laura Pedersen, Buffalo Gal, Buffalo Unbound-a Celebration

* John Percy, Buffalo-Niagara Connections, Town of Tonawanda

* Joseph Ritz,Blood Along The Niagara &#8211 A Guidebook to Battles of the War of 1812 an Hour’s Drive from Niagara Falls

* Erno Rossi, White Death: The Blizzard of ’77

* Maria Scrivani, Brighter Buffalo

* Christine Smyczynski, An Explorer’s Guide to Western New York

* Wanda Slawinska & Edward Szemraj, The Polonian Legacy of Western New York

* Joel Thomas, Creature Comforts

* Mason Winfield, A Ghosthunter’s Journal, Haunted Places of Western New York, Shadows of the Western Door, Village Ghosts of Western New York, Spirits of the Great Hill, Ghosts of 1812

Aside from this collection of books, some of which can be purchased only at the Historical Society, the museum shop offers unique Buffalo-themed gifts, including jewelry, fine art prints, maps, educational toys. It is also an opportunity to peruse and purchase from their exclusive 1901 Pan-American Exposition-themed items.

The Local Author Book Signing is free and open to the public. For more information, call the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society at (716) 873-9644 or visit www.buffalohistory.org.

Museum Professional Joins Historic Huguenot St

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John H. Page has joined the board of trustees of Historic Huguenot Street after being elected at the September meeting of the organization’s board. Page, a member of the organization’s collection’s committee prior to his election, brings a wealth of experience to his new role, according to Historic Huguenot’s Richard Heyl de Ortiz.

Page manages and operates the reconstructed 18th century gristmill at Philipsburg Manor, a historic site in Sleepy Hollow which is owned and operated by Historic Hudson Valley. In this role, Page manages the daily operations of the mill and cooperage, contributing to its interpretive and educational programs and managing on-site staff and both its public and school group visits.

Prior to this, Page has served as the executive director of The Hermitage, a National Historic Landmark in Ho-Ho-Kus, New Jersey. The site features a mid 19th century Gothic home that incorporates a colonial-era stone house. He has also worked as an independent contractor, and brings over a decade of building restoration experience to his new role at Historic Huguenot Street.

Mary Etta Schneider, president of Historic Huguenot Street, says of Page’s election, “We are thrilled to welcome John and very pleased to have a museum professional of his caliber on our board of trustees. John has been a valuable member of our collections committee. We look forward to his input and hope to leverage his experience in museum operations, restoration and program development.”

After receiving a Bachelor of Fine Arts from the Swain School of Design in 1985, Page completed a Master of Arts History from Hunter College in 2007. He also has a Certificate in Museum Studies from Harvard University. Page is a practicing artist, a painter in landscapes with over twenty-five years of professional experience. Examples of his work may be seen online. He lives in Nyack, New York.

Saratoga Battlefield Holiday Open House

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Visitors to the Saratoga Battlefield will ring in the holiday season with live guitar music, book-signings, free refreshments and unique holiday gift ideas in the bookstore at Saratoga National Historical Park’s Holiday Open House on Sunday, December 5th from 1pm – 4pm.

Local authors Dr. Warren Roberts, who recently released, A Place in History, Albany in the Age of Revolution 1775 – 1825 and co-authors Tom Barker, PhD and Paul Huey, who just wrote The 1776-1777 Northern Campaigns of the American War for Independence will be available to sign copies of their books and talk to visitors about their findings. Musician Linda Russell will also perform and copies of her CD will be available.

Except for inclement weather, Sunday December 5 will also be the last day that the scenic 10-mile tour road will remain open for vehicle traffic. During the winter, the tour road and park trails remain open daily dawn to dusk for pedestrian use, such as walking, bicycling, and winter activities, but it will close to vehicular traffic on Monday, December 6.

The park Visitor Center &#8211 open daily throughout the year from 9am to 5pm, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and News Year’s holidays &#8211 offers a 20-minute orientation film, photography exhibit, fiber optic map, bookstore and National Park Service rangers to tell stories about the events here, that changed world history.

Saratoga Battlefield is located on Route 32 and 4 in Stillwater, NY. For more information about program and events at Saratoga National Historical Park, please call (518) 664-9821 ext. 224 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/sara.

State Museum Adds to Citizen Soldier Exhibit

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In honor of Veteran’s Day, the New York State Museum has installed two new cases in its Citizen Soldier exhibition, including personal items of the late Sgt. David Fisher, formerly of Watervliet, who was killed in Iraq in December 2004.

Vicki DiMura, the mother of Sgt. Fisher, has loaned the items to the Museum for display in the section of the exhibition documenting the role of Task Force Wolfhound in Iraq. The 21-year-old graduate of Watervliet High School was one of the Task Force Wolfhound soldiers and served with the 1st Battalion 101st Cavalry based at the Glenmore Road Armory in Troy. He was working as a humvee gunner during a patrol in Baghdad when his vehicle rolled over during a high-speed maneuver intended to avoid improvised explosive devices.

The items installed in the exhibition include a print of a portrait of Sgt. Fisher painted by artist Phil Taylor of the American Fallen Soldiers Project that provides, at no cost to family members, an original portrait of their loved one. Also on display are a memorial bracelet, a copy of Sgt. Fisher’s dog tags, a photo of him taken on the day he was killed, an unfinished lego tank, a stuffed Elmo doll given to Fisher by his unit on his 21st birthday, a frog ornament honoring Fisher’s nickname of “Squeak Frog” and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy.

The other new addition to the exhibition is in the Spanish-American War section. It includes a cartridge belt with .45-70 cartridges worn by Sgt. James S. Martin of Brooklyn. This was loaned to the Museum by Martin’s grandson, Marty Pickands of Delmar. Martin enlisted in Company L, the 71st regiment. He and his regiment marched to San Juan Hill with the Rough Riders. Following the battle, Sgt. Martin was stricken with yellow fever and was so ill that he was mistaken for dead and placed alongside other American dead. A passing soldier noticed Martin “twitch” and promptly sought medical help for him. He later attended Yale Medical School and became a doctor.

The “Citizen Soldier: New York’s National Guard in the American Century” exhibition recounts the history of the New York National Guard and those who carried out its mission through wars and battles, natural disasters and national emergencies. The exhibition features personal stories of soldiers from across New York State, as well as mementos, uniforms, and artillery pieces from the State Museum, New York State Military Museum, members of New York’s National Guard, and local collectors.

Open in Exhibition Hall through March 2011, the exhibition can also be found on the Museum’s website. The exhibition focuses on the 20th century, which witnessed the transformation of the United States from an isolationist nation into a dominant power with the ability to shape world events. It was dubbed the American Century in 1941 by Time Magazine Publisher Henry Luce. During that time the National Guard evolved from an ill-equipped and poorly trained militia into a modern-day force capable of protecting American interests around the world.

Encompassing nearly 7,000 square feet of gallery space, the exhibition covers the service of New Yorkers in the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the first Persian Gulf War in 1991 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Also included are the missions closer to home – the Capitol Fire (1911), blizzards in Buffalo (1944, 1977) and New York City (1996), the Woodstock concert (1969), the Attica riots (1971), the ice storm in northern New York (1998), the Mechanicville tornado (1998), the 2001 terrorist attacks and other smaller calamities around the state.

Visitors entering the exhibition will see the M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car that was first introduced into combat in 1943. The 16,000-pound vehicle was used in all theaters of World War II, including Europe, where it was issued to the men of the 101st Cavalry Group of the New York National Guard. The car is now owned by Gregory Wolanin of Loudonville. Also on display are a flamethrower and bazooka, a 37 mm gun, as well as various other military equipment. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see the History Channel film, “Defending America,” which will be shown in the gallery.

There are many personal stories of courage and heroism throughout the exhibition. Medals of Honor were awarded to Col. William J. O’Brien and Sgt. Thomas A. Baker of Troy, both of the 105th Infantry Regiment, for their courage in the face of a horrifying enemy attack by the Japanese on Saipan in 1944. First Sgt. James Meltz of Cropseyville, a member of the 108th Infantry Regiment, received the Bronze Star for valor after rescuing fellow soldiers from a burning humvee in Afghanistan in 2008.

The exhibition also features profiles of other members of the 108th Infantry who served in Iraq, including Sgt. 1st Class John Ross of Latham, Sgt. 1st Class Luis Barsallo of Halfmoon and Private 1st Class Nathan Brown of Glens Falls. Brown was killed in Iraq in 2004 when an insurgent fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the back of the 5-ton truck he was riding in.