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The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake, New York has been awarded a grant in the amount of $40,000 by the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH). The funds will be used in the planning and development phase of the museum’s new long-term exhibition “Mining in the Adirondacks,” scheduled to open in 2013.
NEH has designated the Adirondack mining exhibit a National Endowment for the Humanities “We the People” project. Support comes in part from funds the agency has set aside for this special initiative.
The goal of the “We the People” initiative is to encourage and strengthen the teaching, study, and understanding of American history and culture through the support of projects that explore significant events and themes in our nations history and culture, and advance knowledge of the principles that define America.
The National Endowment for the Humanities is an independent federal agency created in 1965. It is one of the largest funders of humanities programs in the United States.
The Endowment accomplishes its mission by providing grants for high-quality humanities projects in four funding areas: preserving and providing access to cultural resources, education, research, and public programs.
NEH grants typically go to cultural institutions such as museums, archives, libraries, colleges, universities, public television and radio stations, and to individual scholars.
Photo: Garnet miners at Barton Mines, North River, N.Y.: ca. 1915.
In 1935, the Philip Schuyler Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR), located in Troy, New York, documented the death and marriage records that were printed in various Troy newspapers during the years 1812 to 1885. This project, which was funded by the Works Progress Administration (renamed during 1939 as the Work Projects Administration- WPA), was the largest New Deal agency employing millions to carry out public works projects.
The Rensselaer County Historical Society in Troy, New York provided the Troy Irish Genealogy Society (TIGS) access to their copies of these extensive records to develop this searchable online database. These records will be of great interest to genealogy researchers since much of the information in this collection predates the 1880 New York State law requiring the reporting of death and marriage records.
Newspaper records transcribed so far include the Troy Post (1812-1823), the Troy Weekly Whig (1834-1839), the Troy Daily Press (1833-1834), and the Troy Sentinel (1823-1832). Volunteers are currently transcribing the Troy Daily Whig covering the years 1834 to 1873. To volunteer on this project send an email to [email protected].
You can view all these records by going to the Troy Irish Genealogy website. Click on PROJECTS and then TROY NEWSPAPER PROJECT. It should be noted that these records, like most of the TIGS data series, cover the general population in the area and are NOT restricted to Irish surnames.
On November 9, 2010, the Preservation League will present its most prestigious tribute, the Pillar of New York Award, to two honorees whose commitment to historic preservation is reflected across New York State.
Beyer Blinder Belle Architects & Planners LLP of New York City will be celebrated for the firm’s role as one of America’s premier authorities on historic preservation, and for their work on some of New York State’s most iconic and best-loved historic buildings and important historic areas. Matthew Bender IV’s name is virtually synonymous with philanthropy and leadership in historic preservation, particularly in upstate New York, where has served on the New York State Commission on the Restoration of the Capitol since its creation in 1979.
Each year the League presents The Pillar of New York Award to those who have demonstrated a keen understanding of the value of New York’s historic resources by taking extraordinary actions to protect, preserve, and promote those assets.
The Pillar of New York Gala will be held on November 9, 2010, at 7:00 p.m. at the Hilton and Empire Rooms of the Waldorf=Astoria in New York. Tickets start at $600 for individuals, and tables of 10 are available starting at $10,000.
For more information or to purchase tickets, contact the Preservation League at 518-462-5658 x11.
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The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown will hold what it hopes will be an annual Tractor Fest on Saturday and Sunday, October 9 and 10, from 10:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. Tractor Fest will offer visitors an opportunity to see classic tractors from John Deere, Ford, and other manufacturers – representing the growth of farming technology from the 1920s until today. The Museum provides an ideal setting where visitors can learn about the world of tractors and how they powered America’s farms.
Families will find Tractor Fest to be an appealing weekend destination. Kids, ages 7 and under, can compete for prizes in a Kiddie Pedal Tractor Pull contest on both Saturday and Sunday at 2:00 p.m. There will be wagon rides around the Museum’s Historic Village – pulled by a Ford Golden Jubilee Tractor on Saturday and Sunday morning from 10:00 a.m. – 12:00 noon. See a “hit and miss” engine powering a grinding wheel and Mr. Whipple operating his steam engine near the Blacksmith Shop. There will also be thrashing demonstrations, rides provided by Cooperstown Carriage Rides, The Empire State Carousel, craft demonstrations and more.
Discover classic and modern tractors throughout the Museum’s grounds. Springfield Tractor will display compact tractors with backhoe & front-end loaders and Cazenovia Equipment will demonstrate satellite controlled farm tractors.
For those with a deeper historical interest in tractors, Syracuse University history professor, Milton Sernett, will give a talk titled How the Ford Tractor Changed the American Family Farm: 1920 – 1940, on Saturday, October 9 at 12:30 p.m. in the Cornwallville Church located on the grounds of the Museum. This lecture is free and open to the public. It is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities. Speakers in the Humanities lectures are made possible with the support of the National Endowment for the Humanities, the New York State Legislature, and through funds from the Gladys Krieble Delmas Foundation.
Tractor Fest is sponsored in part by Northern Eagle Beverage. Admission to the event: $12 adults (13+), $10.50 seniors (65+), $6 children (7-12), children 6 and under and members of the New York State Historical Association are free. Admission to the lecture is free. Food and beverages will be available throughout the day. Please visit our website at FarmersMuseum.org/tractorfest for more information and a full schedule of events.
Photo by Frank Forte.
The week of Sunday October 10 to Sunday October 17, 2010 is Surrender Week in the Town of Saratoga marking the 233rd Anniversary of the American Victory at Saratoga. There are a series of events planned to call attention to the siege period of the Battles of Saratoga (October 10 – 16) and the Surrender of British General Burgoyne’s complete army on October 17, 1777.
On Friday, October 15 at 10 AM, the anniversary commemoration of the Sword Surrender of British General Burgoyne to American General Gates will take place at the bandstand at Fort Hardy Park, The ceremony location overlooking the Hudson River is where the British troops surrendered their weapons to the Americans. The ceremony includes patriotic songs from the Schuylerville Elementary School 4th grade students.
On Saturday, October 16 from 6 to 9 pm, visitors can feel the welcome of the warm, soft glow of candlelight as Old Saratoga Historical Association members in period costume, park staff, and park volunteers guide visitors through General Philip Schuyler`s 1777 country house. Light refreshments and period music follow the tours.
“We plan a whole week of events to commemorate the seven days the British Troops under General Burgoyne were under siege by the Americans in Old Saratoga (now the Schuylerville area),” according to Saratoga Historian Sean Kelleher. “We have a great partnership made up of the various levels of government including the Saratoga National Historical Park, Schuylerville Public Library, Town of Saratoga, Village of Victory, and non-governmental partners including the Fort Hardy Committee, Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County, and Old Saratoga Historical Association.”
The American Victory at Saratoga was considered the “turning point in the American Revolution”. France and other European countries entering the war as a result of the American Victory at Saratoga.
The schedule includes:
Sunday, October 10
Saratoga Monument and the Schuyler House Open – 9:30 am – 4:30. pm
Monday, October 11
Walking tour of Siege Lines (through along the Champlain Canal) at 3 pm meet at the Old Saratoga Town Hall on Ferry Street.
Tuesday, October 12
Researching your American Revolution Ancestor with Deputy Historian Pat Peck at the Schuylerville Public Library 10 am
Wednesday and Thursday, October. 13 and 14
Voices of the American Revolution – a program for pre-schoolers at the Schuylerville Public Library 10 am
Thursday, October 14
Stories from the Saratoga Battlefield with storyteller Joe Doolittle at the Saratoga Town Hall 12 Spring Street, 7:30 pm
Friday October 15
233rd Anniversary of the American Victory at Saratoga Ceremony Commemoration at the Fort Hardy bandstand 10 am The ceremony includes the 4th grade students from the Schuylerville elementary school singing songs and commemorations by the Daughters and Sons of the American Revolution.
Saturday, October 16
Heritage Hunters Fall Genealogy Conference at the Saratoga Town Hall 12 Spring Street, from 8:45 am until 3:15 pm. Lisa Alzo is the featured speaker in a series of programs on researching family history. Registration is $30 for members and $35 for all others and includes the workshops, exhibits, coffee breaks and hot lunch. For information, contact Joan Cady at 518-587-2978 or email: [email protected].
Saturday and Sunday, October 16 & 17
Saratoga Monument and the Schuyler House Open 9:30 am – 4:30. pm
Saturday, October 16
Candlelight Tour of Schuyler House 6 – 9 pm
Sunday, October 17
Walking tour of Surrender Field at 10 am meet at the Old Saratoga Town Hall on Ferry Street.
For more information search Old Saratoga Historical Association on Facebook or twitter: oldsaratogahist or call (518) 698-3210 or e-mail [email protected]
Illustration: Surrender of General Burgoyne by John Trumbull, 1822- The original painting hangs in the United States Capitol Rotunda.
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.
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On the occasion of The Grinnell’s 100th birthday, members of the Grinnell Centennial Planning Team have mounted an exhibition of more than 50 photos, prints, maps, and documents that tell the story of the half-acre triangle of land numbered 800 Riverside Drive, from the Native American Lenape people who inhabited northern Manhattan when Dutch settlers arrived in the early 17th Century through The Grinnell’s co-oping in the late 20th Century. The exhibition explores the individuals who have owned this unique half-acre during the last three centuries, and examines the political and economic events that inserted a triangle in the midst of the rectangular grid pattern that dominates New York’s street plan.
A slide presentation accompanying the exhibition highlights newsmakers who have lived at The Grinnell during its hundred year history, including operetta prima donna Christie MacDonald (a favorite of Victor Herbert who wrote “Sweethearts” for her)- actress, playwright, and novelist Alice Childress- architect Max Bond- artist Ademola Olugebefola- Lucy McDannel, the first woman to graduate Yale Law School- and Catherine Phelan, a housekeeper who earned The Grinnell unwanted national publicity in 1934 when she murdered her employer Douglas Sheridan in his Grinnell apartment.
“The Ground Beneath Our Feet” is open to the public free of charge. There are three dates left:
Sunday, October 10th: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Tuesday, October 12th: 7:00 p.m. to 9:30 p.m.
Sunday, October 17th: 2:00 p.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Photo: The Grinnell in 1950 when it appeared on the cover of Grace Magazine. At the time, the evangelist Sweet Daddy Grace owned 800 Riverside Drive.
The United States Green Building Council (USGBC) has recently granted Fort Ticonderoga’s Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center at Fort Ticonderoga Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design (LEEDtm) certification. The prestigious certification is a national accreditation honor given to buildings that have been rated as “green” for their efforts to minimize negative impacts on the environment, and that actually make a positive contribution through their structure and design.
The LEED certification is awarded after the successful completion of a rigorous two-year evaluation based on environmental factors including reduced site disturbance, energy efficient lighting, water conserving plumbing fixtures, and indoor air quality management.
According to Beth Hill, Executive Director, “The biodiversity and natural significance of the Fort Ticonderoga peninsula were just as important to the armies who occupied the site more than 250 years ago as they are today. We are dedicated to programs rooted in all aspects of Fort Ticonderoga’s history and its relevance to today’s issues. By educating our visitors on these matters in a space that clearly reflects our commitment to responsible environmental stewardship, we hope to emphasize the importance of preserving and respecting the natural world for future generations.”
Andrew Wright, the building’s architect said that the feature of the building with the largest reduction in energy use is the geo-thermal heating and cooling system. which takes advantage of the energy in water from three deep wells. The heating and cooling needs of the entire building is met through sophisticated heat pumps. The design and construction team for the Mars Education Center was lead by Tonetti Associates Architects and Breadloaf Corporation with careful oversight of the Fort staff. The certification was achieved through careful selection of materials and building practices.
The building, constructed on the site of the original French magazin du Roi, is a faithfully reflection of the warehouse that preceded it. The interior is a 21st century Mars Education Center providing visitors with new opportunities to understand the Fort’s rich history and includes two classrooms, offices for education and interpretive staff, the Great Room which accommodates 200 guests, and a state-of-the-art exhibition space. The education center opened in 2008.