Year: 2010

NY Historical Society SeeksTimes Square Photos

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The New-York Historical Society is soliciting digital photographs of contemporary Times Square from West 42nd to 47th Streets at Broadway or Seventh Avenue. Photographers are encouraged to share their perspective on historic Times Square in New York City by submitting photos taken between November 21, 2010 to March 31, 2011

Photographers should look to capture exterior architecture, outdoor portraits, group snapshots, billboards and advertisements and interior images of notable area buildings. Everyone, from serious amateur photographers to tourists are invited to submit photographs.

Photograph submissions should be sent to [email protected] in either GIF, JPG, or PNG format, and be at least 1,200 x 1,500 pixels *or 8” by 10”. Include the photographer’s name so work can be attributed. Complete submission guidelines are online.

Photo: Times Square, 1922.

A New National Heritage Area Guidebook

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The Hudson River Valley Greenway has unveiled its Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area Heritage Site Guidebook that provides information about 100 “Heritage Sites” in New York’s Hudson River Valley. The presentation was held at the Senate House and Museum in Kingston, one of the venues featured in the guidebook.

The guidebook encourages visitors to explore the resources of the Hudson River Valley and visit local communities that they encounter along the way. In addition to descriptions and full color photographs for each site, contact information is provided in a variety of formats (address, GPS coordinates, website, and phone number) to help visitors reach their destination as easily as possible. Furthermore, sites are identified as being &#8220family friendly,&#8221 &#8220accessible by public transportation,&#8221 or &#8220part of the regional Greenway Trail System&#8221 to facilitate visitation.

Those sites participating in the National Park Service Passport Stamp Program are also identified to provide visitors the opportunity to acquire cancellation stamps at no cost. Visitors can explore the region by topic of interest with Heritage Area theme information included for each Heritage Site such as “Architecture,” “Art, Artists, and the Hudson River School,” and others. Heritage Sites in this guidebook are also organized by proximity to one another for visitors who wish to explore a variety of sites as they travel throughout the valley.

The Heritage Site Guidebook is expected to encourage heritage tourism in the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area. Heritage tourists have been shown to spend more on trips than other types of tourists. By targeting heritage tourists, this guidebook will help grow the $4.7 billion dollar tourism economy in the Hudson River Valley.

The Heritage Site Guidebook features over 100 pages of information about the sites and themes of the region and costs only $9.95 plus shipping and handling. For more information visit: www.hudsonrivervalley.com

The DeLong House: An 1880s Christmas

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For the 2010 holiday season the Chapman Historical Museum’s historic DeLong House will be decorated to reflect the Christmas customs of the 1880s. Throughout the house visitors will find ribbons and flowers not only in the familiar red associated with the holiday, but also in burgundy, mauve and white – colors used in homes one hundred thirty years ago. The house also will feature centerpieces reproduced from period illustrations, hand-made velveteen tree ornaments and snowflakes cut from patterns of the time.

Tours will explore changes in the customs of Christmas from the 1850s to the mid 20th century. Included will be information about popular music, literature, children’s toys and even how our vision of Santa Claus changed over the decades from the first illustrated version of “The Night before Christmas” to the 1930s. A display of early 20th century postcards will provide visitors with a delightful glimpse at the variety of holiday greetings people could send to each other one hundred years ago.

The holiday display will be open through January 2, 2011. Public hours are Tuesday – Saturday, 10 am to 4 pm, Sunday, noon – 4 pm. The museum will be closed on December 24 & 25 and January 1. Admission is free. Donations are welcome. For more info call (518) 793-2826.

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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Olanas Annual Holiday Bonfire

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This Sunday, December 5th marks Olana’s 6th Annual Holiday Bonfire, with caroling by The Merry Minstrels. Explore the house at your own pace, with guides stationed in each room to answer your questions. Afterward enjoy a winter sunset, the company of neighbors and the warmth of the bonfire while enjoying the sounds of traditional Victorian caroling of The Merry Minstrels.

House tours 10AM-4PM (last tour starts at 3), Caroling from 2-4PM, Bonfire from 3-4PM. Call 518-828-0135 for info.

Photo courtesy Olana State Historic Site, NYS OPRHP.

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.

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Roosevelt Island Opens New Aerial Tramway

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The newly rebuilt Roosevelt Island Tramway opened today, following a nine-month modernization project which replaced the previous 33-year-old tram system. The new tram reduces travel time, permits both cabins to start on the side with highest demand during rush hour, and includes new safety measures, according to an announcement by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), a New York State Public Benefit Corporation in charge of the management of Roosevelt Island.

&#8220Roosevelt Island’s Tramway is once again the most modern urban aerial transportation system in the world,&#8221 said Leslie Torres, President of RIOC, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new tram. &#8220It’s built to serve residents, business, and tourists for the next thirty (30) years.&#8221 Roosevelt Island is currently home to approximately 12,000 residents, open spaces, recreation areas, six landmarks, schools, and shops. The Tram continues to be part of the Metro Card fare system, providing free transfers to buses and subways. The infrastructure improvement was funded through a $15 million investment from the State of New York and $10 million from RIOC.

The Tram was designed to be more stable in high winds, eliminate impact of electrical and mechanical malfunctions, and allow for one cabin to continue operations while the other undergoes preventive maintenance. According to Brian Lawler, Commissioner and CEO of New York State Homes and Community Renewal, &#8220We created this tram with the convenience and safety of Roosevelt Island residents, businesses and tourist in mind. A state-of-the-art tram helps further our mission to create a model community of mixed-income housing, small businesses and plenty of open, green space to serve both island residents and the larger City community.&#8221

Key innovations for the new Tram include:

• Two separate Tram systems. Each cable track operates independently of the other, allowing for preventive maintenance and other servicing on one side, while maintaining service on the other.

• Cabins that are attached to a double hanger arms, providing for a more stable ride. The cabins of the previous system were suspended from a single hanger arm.

• Built-in operational and electrical back-ups including a separate motor for each cabin, back-up motors for the cabins, and four (4) back-up generators.

Pomagalski, S.A. (Poma), one of two companies world-wide capable of rebuilding the tram, was awarded the design/build contract in 2008, after a selection process. POMA worked closely with local trades and contractors, under the supervision of RIOC and its engineering team consisting of New York based LiRo Engineering and Thornton Tomasetti, and Shea, Carr, Jewel of Denver, Colorado. Leitner-Poma, the American affiliate has a five-year operating agreement to run the Tram with a New York based crew.

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation of the State of New York was created by State statute in 1984 with responsibility for the operation and development of Roosevelt Island. A General Development Plan, which accompanied the 1969 Ground Lease between New York City and State, directed the development of &#8220a new community&#8221 specifically providing for mixed income housing, an abundance of open space, protection of its six City landmarked buildings, protection of the environment and innovative solutions to New York’s technology requirements. &#8220.. a demonstration of modern planners’ capacity to harness technology for human use, while enhancing rather than degrading the environment.…&#8221, according to a 1976 editorial marking the naming of Roosevelt Island after our 32 President.

The Roosevelt Island Plan is now nearly complete. The Four Freedoms Park, a memorial to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, is under construction and three more residential buildings are expected within the next few years. The Tram’s redesign anticipates increased usage over the coming years.

Iroquois Indian Museum Deerskin Event

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In the spirit of traditional Eastern Woodland Native American culture, Jerry and Cheryl Schenandoah will be at the Iroquois Museum with their custom handmade Native American deerskin clothing, arts and crafts on December 9 – 12, 2010. On-site deerskin demonstrations will take place each day noon through 5:00pm.

The Schenandoahs are Native designers and creators of traditional and contemporary deerskin clothing and accessories including bags and fur hats. They will also have items made from deer antler and deer bone such as chokers and bracelets. A large collection of silver jewelry will also be on display and for sale. Custom orders will be welcome.

Anniversary of John Browns Execution

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151 years ago this week, John Brown was executed and his body was returned to the Adirondacks. Had Brown escaped from Harpers Ferry rather than been captured he might well today be just a footnote, one of the tens of thousands that struggled to undermine the institution of slavery in America before the Civil War.

It’s often said that just one thing secured Brown’s place in the hearts of millions of Americans that came after him &#8211 his execution and martyrdom. There is another equally important reason Americans will celebrate the life of John Brown this week however &#8211 he was right slavery would end at a heavy price.

Last year, I wrote a series of posts following the last days of John Brown’s fight to end slavery. You can read the entire series here (start at the bottom).

New York Anti-Slavery Conference

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In farm fields, artisan workshops, private homes, and brothels then- in fields and orchards, restaurants, factories, private homes and sex-oriented businesses, now—American and foreign-born women, men and children are trafficked and enslaved across New York State.

As the Syracuse Post Standard recently reported, it is as close as the New York State Fair held every summer. According to the Post Standard, a restaurant vendor from Queens was charged earlier this month with allegedly trafficking workers from Mexico to work at the Fair, mistreating and barely paying them, if at all.

“We have both the past and the present to reckon with,” said Martha Swan, Director of the freedom education project John Brown Lives! “Although largely erased from official history and collective memory, New York “promoted, prolonged and profited from” slavery from the 1620s through the 1850s. It continues today, often hidden in plain sight.

“We have organized a two-day Anti-Slavery Convention to put slavery &#8220on the map&#8221 as a reality not solely of the South but of New York- and not as a relic but a legacy and crime against humanity still with us today.”

The Convention will be held in Lake Placid, NY, on December 3-4, 2010 and will feature experts on contemporary slavery and human trafficking, scholars, historians, victims advocates, lawyers, artists, and musicians joining with the general public to examine slavery and trafficking in New York State and ways to end it.

The Convention will include a full-day workshop for educators, teaching artists, and librarians at Heaven Hill Farm on Friday, December 3. Advance registration and a $55 fee are required. Call 518-962-4758 to register.

Later that evening at Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Dr. J.W. Wiley from SUNY Plattsburgh’s Center for Diversity, Pluralism & Inclusion will show film clips and lead a lively conversation on how film has shaped American’s perceptions of slavery and race. The event, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., is free and open to the public.

From 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 4, the Convention will continue at High Peaks Resort on Main Street in Lake Placid with keynote addresses and panel discussions ranging from historical slavery in New York State to up-to-the-minute reports and analysis on slavery and trafficking today.

Dr. Thomas Hopkins, descendent of Harpers Ferry Raider John A. Copeland, will help bring the Convention to a close with a candlelight wreath-laying ceremony at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site at 5:00 p.m..

Partners in the Convention with John Brown Lives! are John Brown Coming Home, the National Abolition Hall of Fame, SUNY Plattsburgh’s Center for Diversity, Pluralism & Inclusion, and the New York State Archives Partnership Trust.

The Anti-Slavery Convention is funded, in part, with support from the New York Council for the Humanities. For more information or a full schedule of events, call 518-962-4758 or go to www.johnbrowncominghome.org.