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Independence Day on Sunday, July 4 will be celebrated at Saratoga National Historical Park on Routes 4 and 32 in Stillwater, with a 10:00am Citizenship Ceremony and traditional readings of the Declaration of Independence with free lemonade toasts at 1 and 3pm.
10:00am – On the anniversary of our nation and upon the grounds where independence was won, 20 immigrants from countries all over the world will become new citizens of the United States of America. Fife and drums, color guard, musket and cannon firings frame this special event organized by Sons of the American Revolution, Daughters of the American Revolution, Friends of Saratoga Battlefield and U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services.
1:00 and 3:00pm – As a messenger from 1776, park ranger Joe Craig reads from the Declaration of Independence with authentic 18th century toasts reflecting the insightful wit of the document signers. Enjoy free lemonade to share in the toasts, followed by celebratory musket and cannon firings.
Saratoga Monument in Victory and the General Philip Schuyler House in Schuylerville, both located 8 miles north of Saratoga Battlefield, will also be open from 9:00am to 5:00pm. The Battlefield is open daily from 9am to 5pm.
Saratoga National Historical Park, located on Routes 4 and 32 in Stillwater, offers a variety of special events throughout the season. For further information, please call (518) 664-9821 ext. 224, or visit www.nps.gov/sara.
On April 15, 1912, the HMS Titanic sank, killing 1,517 people and leaving the rest clinging to debris in the frozen waters of the North Atlantic awaiting rescue. In a new Oral History of the disaster, historian Nick Barratt provides a narrative of the disaster in the words of those involved —- among them the designers and naval architects at the White Star Line- first-class aristocratic passengers and the families in third class and steerage- and the boards of inquiry.
Lost Voices from the Titanic: The Definitive Oral History combines tales of folly and courage. Barratt has gathered the aspirations of the owners, the efforts of the crew, and of course, the eyewitness accounts from those lucky enough to survive. Barratt was lucky enough to interview the last surviving passenger of the Titanic about the way the disaster had shaped her life.
The majority of the book however, relies on letters, newspaper articles, memoirs, correspondence, and a few large collections, such as those collated by the historian Walter Lord. In part because the work rests on the words of witnesses rather than a technical account of the sinking, the book uses a surprising amount of original heretofore unpublished material.
Nick Barratt is a columnist for the Daily Telegraph and writes for Ancestor magazine. He is a director of Firebird Media and is on the National Executive Board of the Federation of Family History Societies. He lives in London.
Note: Books noticed on this site have been provided by the publishers. Purchases made through this Amazon link help support this site.
On July 1, the New York State Museum will present the Emmy award-winning HBO documentary “Baghdad ER,” followed by a reunion and discussion between the producer and the first wounded soldier to appear in the film.
Following the 6:30 p.m. film presentation, producer/director Matthew O’Neill will be reunited with Staff Sgt. Craig Macy from Buffalo, a New York National Guard Soldier who was wounded in Iraq in 2005. Macy will speak about his experiences as a wounded veteran, appearing in the documentary and his continuing membership in the National Guard.
The program is being held in conjunction with the new Museum exhibition “Citizen Soldier: New York’s National Guard in the American Century,” open in Exhibition Hall through March 2011.
When it was released in 2006, “Baghdad ER” was the most honored documentary of the year, winning four Emmy Awards for its “unflinching” look at the cost of war. It also won a Peabody Award, the Overseas Press Club Award and the Alfred I. duPont Columbia Award. The groundbreaking documentary chronicles the day-to-day lives of doctors, nurses, medics, soldiers and chaplains in the Army’s premier medical facility in the combat zone. O’Neill and producer Jon Alpert were given unprecedented access to the Army’s 86th Combat Support Hospital during a two-month period in 2005.
The film captures the experiences of the military medical professionals as they work to save lives from their trauma center in the middle of war-ravaged Iraq. The film is not suitable for children. It includes graphic scenes that are at times disturbing and when the film first came out, the Army was concerned about the emotional impact it might have on troops and military families. Instead, the film became almost required viewing for all members of the military medical community and went on to receive critical acclaim from both inside and outside the U.S. military.
Macy was serving with the National Guard’s 1st Battalion 69th Infantry in Iraq in 2005 when he was struck by a sniper as he was handing out candy to Iraqi children. Thanks to his comrades who rushed to his aid, and the expert medical care he received at the trauma center, Macy survived his ordeal, recovered and returned to duty with the National Guard. He volunteered for a deployment to Afghanistan in 2008 with nearly 1700 New York National Guard troops. While still a member of the National Guard, Macy is now a police officer with the City of Buffalo. He recently became a new father and has named his son after one of the soldiers who pulled him to safety in 2005.
This program is the first in a series of special programs that the State Museum is hosting in conjunction with the “Citizen Soldier” exhibition. The 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 National Guard is based on a tradition dating back to colonial times in a state that has always been guided by the principle that its defense lies in the hands of its citizenry. Citizen soldiers are everyday people who put their lives on hold to defend, aid and protect their communities and their country.
The Preservation League of New York State joined economic development, smart growth and environmental groups in denouncing the Legislature’s plans on tax law amendments that it says will “undermine years of work to revitalize the upstate economy, protect open space and foster green initiatives.”
The New York State Senate and Assembly are considering tax law amendments that would temporarily defer certain state tax credit incentives for up to six years. Among the targeted credits are the recently expanded (2009) NYS Rehabilitation Tax Credit programs. Just last week, the Senate and Assembly passed legislation designed to bolster these programs by bringing new private investment to redevelopment projects.
“The New York State Legislature is considering tax law changes that will gut this program one week after they passed legislation that allows it to attract significant new national investment to distressed communities throughout New York State,” said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. “Just as redevelopment projects are set to launch in cities throughout the state, this proposed change pulls the rug out from beneath their financing plans.”
According to Robert Simpson, CEO of the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity in Syracuse, “This rehabilitation tax credit has been anticipated by many as one of New York’s most effective economic development programs, but before we can begin to realize its long-sought economic and community redevelopment benefits, the Legislature is about strip the program of the incentives that make it work.”
Deferring incentives of the New York State Rehabilitation Tax Credit program are expected to prevent some projects from securing financing, as partners will no longer be assured of a timely return on investment.
“When the expanded Rehabilitation Tax Credit program was adopted in 2009, a number of modifications were made to reflect New York State’s difficult financial situation,” said Daniel Mackay, Director of Public Policy for the Preservation League. “This program has already been adapted to work in a tough fiscal climate. If further changes are imposed upon the program, it will lose all effectiveness as an economic development tool.”
In 2009, the rehabilitation tax credit programs were limited to distressed census tracts in New York State, commercial rehabilitation project credits were capped at a maximum value of $5 million, and the credits were limited to a five-year pilot program, set to sunset in 2014. Despite those limitations, an economic benefits assessment for the program commissioned by the Preservation League showed a $12:1 return on state investment, noting significant job creation and increased local and state tax revenue returns in addition to community redevelopment benefits.
Twenty-eight other business tax credits were also mentioned in legislative discussions, a number of which address environmental clean-ups, promote alternative fuel and energy development, stimulate affordable housing and green building development, and conserve open space.
The tax credits under threat include the Rehabilitation of Commercial (Historic) Properties Credit (expanded in 2009, 2010 enhancement bill is Governor’s program bill, and has passed Senate and Assembly), and the Historic Homeownership Rehabilitation Credit (expanded in 2009, 2010 enhancement bill is Governor’s program bill, and has passed Senate and Assembly).
The proposal under consideration would defer 50% of allowable credits accrued by a project from 2010 – 2013 until 2013 -2016. Rules for allocation in 2013-2016 will be promulgated by the Commissioner of Tax & Finance, so there is not yet any suggestion as to how the credits will be issued in that three year period.
The board of managers of the Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society today named Melissa N. Brown, an expert in Western New York history and the Historical Society’s director of research and interpretation, its new director.
Brown, 36, becomes the museum’s 11th director and succeeds Cynthia A. Conides PhD., who will return to her full-time job with Buffalo State College, which “loaned” Dr. Conides and her expertise to the Society for the past four years. Dr. Conides will stay on part time as curator of special projects at the Historical Society’s museum.
Brown, who helped drive the popular “Buffalo Bills 50th Anniversary Season” exhibit last fall, worked closely with Dr. Conides, the head of the college’s Museum Studies Program, on a series of recent initiatives at the Historical Society. Brown is an expert in managing collections and has consulted on more than a dozen major exhibits at the Society and at other Western New York museums.
She will transition into her new position as Dr. Conides reverts to the college by Dec. 31. This will also give Brown time to complete work on a major museum initiative “John Mix Stanley’s Trial of Red Jacket,” opening in October at the Nottingham Court museum.
“This is a logical transition of expert leadership and the board of managers is delighted that Melissa can move seamlessly to carry on the work Cynthia initiated to grow and modernize the museum,” said Joan M. Bukowski, president of the Society’s board. “We are extremely gratified that Melissa has worked her way through the museum’s hierarchy to this position of ultimate responsibility. We are impressed by her innovation and imagination and look forward to where she will take us.”
“We are also cognizant that among Buffalo’s leading cultural institutions, including the Albright-Knox, Science Museum and Zoo, the Historical Society also now has a vibrant young leader from a new generation of museum innovators,” Bukowski said.
Brown returned to her native region from Boston to join the Society’s staff in 1998 as a collections assistant. She received her M.A. in Historical Administration from Eastern Illinois University in 2000, adding to her 1995 B.A. in history with a museum studies minor from the State University of New York at Oswego.
“This of course represents a fantastic opportunity for me to build on the superior example and leadership of Cynthia Conides and continue our effort to modernize the museum and bring its exhibits up to and beyond current expectations,” Brown said. “I’m grateful to the board of managers, and the excellent staff here at the museum for this opportunity and I pledge to use all my energy and expertise to make sure we reach our shared goals.”
Dec. 31 also represents the end of the present four-year agreement between the museum and Buffalo State College. The “memorandum of understanding” allows the college, across Elmwood Avenue from the museum, to aid the museum, as it did with Dr. Conides’ involvement. The board and the college are currently negotiating an extension, which will start Jan. 1, 2011.
A resident of Gasport, Brown has been involved in nearly all the major archiving and collections work at the Society in the last 10 years. Her responsibilities included providing commentary, developing interpretive materials, facilitating exhibit design, performing historic research and scripts, and furthering and maintaining the museum’s collection.
More About The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society
The Society’s mission is to maximize the educational potential for our community’s vast resources and abundant narratives through innovative programming, partnerships and collaborations- to share, preserve and add to our outstanding collections to tell the stories of Western New York, from the ordinary to the extraordinary. The Society’s building, designated a National Historic Landmark in 1987, is the only permanent building erected for the Pan-American Exposition, Buffalo’s international fair attended by 8 million people from May to November 1901. The Exposition is best known for being the largest showcase to that time of the uses of electrical illumination. It celebrated the technological innovations that had recently harnessed the generating power of nearby Niagara Falls. During the Exposition, the building served as the New York State Pavilion and was the scene of an intensive schedule of receptions welcoming distinguished guests from around the world.
Awarded the design commission by a state-sponsored competition, young Buffalo architect George Cary (1859-1945), who had been classically trained in Paris, designed the building, faced and corniced with Vermont marble, in Doric style. The beautiful south portico, overlooking Hoyt Lake in Delaware Park, is a scaled-down version of the east front of the Parthenon, in Athens. Cary was able to complete his original design in 1927 when the building was enlarged to accommodate the present-day Library and Auditorium. Eleven relief sculptures, designed by Edmund Amateis, surround the building, each depicting a significant event in local history. The bronze entry doors, designed by J. Woodley Gosling and sculpted by R. Hinton Perry, show allegorical figures depicting “History” and “Ethnology.”
After the Exposition closed, the building became the headquarters of the Buffalo Historical Society in 1902. The Society, founded in 1862, had previously displayed its growing collections in a series of rented spaces in downtown Buffalo. Today the building hosts the Historical Society’s Research Library (collections include 20,000 books, 200,000 photographs and 2,000 manuscript collections), its Auditorium, long term exhibits BFLO Made! and Neighbors, galleries for temporary exhibits, and the Museum Shop. BECHS is a private not-for-profit organization tax exempt under Sec. 501(c)(3) of the Internal Revenue Code. It receives operating support from the County of Erie, the City of Buffalo, the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA, a state agency), and from members and friends. BECHS is accredited by the American Association of Museums.
The New York State Board for Historic Preservation recommended that 35 properties and historic districts be added to the State and National Registers of Historic Places, including Manhattan’s iconic Park Avenue and the nationally significant Crotona Play Center in the Bronx and the Hotel Lafayette in Buffalo.
The State and National Registers are the official lists of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, objects and sites significant in the history, architecture, archeology and culture of New York State and the nation. There are approximately 90,000 historic buildings, structures and sites throughout the state listed on the National Register of Historic Places, individually or as components of historic districts. Property owners, municipalities and organizations from communities throughout the state sponsored the nominations.
Once the recommendations are approved by the state historic preservation officer, the properties are listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places and then nominated to the National Register of Historic Places, where they are reviewed and, once approved, entered on the National Register.
State and National Historic Register listing can assist property owners in revitalizing the structures, making them eligible for various public preservation programs and services, such as matching state grants and state and federal historic rehabilitation tax credits. Listing will oblige state and federal government agencies whose projects would adversely impact the properties to consider other options. Private projects are not subject to state or federal review after a property is listed, and private property owners – or in historic districts, a majority of property owners – must consent for the listing to move forward.
STATE REVIEW BOARD RECOMMENDATIONS
Allegany County
Ceres School, Ceres – the 1893 one-story frame structure is a surviving example of a late 19th century schoolhouse which served students from both Pennsylvania and New York.
Bronx County
Crotona Play Center, Bronx – the Art Moderne complex was one of eleven immense outdoor swimming pools opened in 1936 by then Mayor Fiorello LaGuardia and Parks Commissioner Robert Moses, built through the Depression-era Works Progress Administration.
Cattaraugus County
School House #10/Ivers J. Norton Elementary, Olean – the 1909 school is a rare example of an early 20th century public school constructed with architectural references to the Prairie School style of architecture.
Chemung County
John Brand, Sr. House, Elmira – the intact 1871 large-scale Italianate home is a reflection of the prosperity and prominence of its owner, John Brand, Sr., a late 19th century brick manufacturer, grocer and tobacco farmer.
Chenango County
Rockwell Mills Historic District, Rockwell Mills – laid out along the Unadilla River is an intact example of a 19th century water-powered manufacturing hamlet.
Columbia County
Van Salsbergen Home, Hudson – built as a two-room limestone house around 1700 and expanded around 1860, the noteworthy home was built by early European settlers of the Hudson Valley.
North Hillsdale Methodist Church, North Hillsdale – built between 1837 and 1838, with the portico and steeple added in 1859, the Greek Revival church is a significant example of 19th century rural meetinghouse architecture.
Delaware County
Erskine L. Seeley House, Stamford – the distinctive Queen Anne style house was built in 1900 for Erskine Seeley, a well know leather manufacturer, merchant and prominent citizen of Stamford.
Dutchess County
Second Baptist Church of Dover, Dover Plains – built around 1833, the oldest religious building in the hamlet is an outstanding example early 19th center Protestant meetinghouse design.
Erie County
Hotel Lafayette, Buffalo – the 1902 French Renaissance style hotel is the most important building still standing designed by Louise Bethune, a Buffalo architect who was the first woman in the United States to be recognized as a professional architect by the American Institute of Architects and the Western Association of Architects.
Greene County
Torry-Chittenden Farmhouse, Durham – erected by Revolutionary War veteran William Torrey around 1799, it is distinct intact example of the type of late 18th century farmhouse built by settlers of New England origins.
Moore-Howland Estate, Catskill – built in 1866 by painter Charles Herbert Moore, the cottage with fine views of the Hudson River and Catskills was expanded in 1900 by the members of the wealthy Howland family.
Herkimer County
Thendara Historic District, Webb – a collection of five surviving late 19th and early 20th century associated with development around the Adirondack Division of the New York Central and Hudson Railroad that brought thousands of tourists to the region.
Monroe County
Edward Harrison House, Brockport – today the Brockport Alumni House, the French Second Empire home was built in 1877 by successful Brockport merchant tailor and civic leader Edward Harrison.
East Side Presbyterian Church, Rochester – today the Parsells Avenue Community Church, the simple Romanesque Revival church reflects the growth of the Beechwood section of Rochester in the early 20th century, where the church was built in two stages in 1909 and 1926.
Montgomery County
Caspar Getman Farmstead, Stone Arabia – a significant and highly intact example of family farm buildings from the late 18th to mid 19th century, operated by descendents of the Palatine Germans who settled the region.
Margaret Reaney Memorial Library, St. Johnsville – the 1909 Beaux Arts library and museum donated to the village by local textile manufacturer Joseph Reaney is an excellent example of civic architecture.
New York County
Park Avenue Historic District, New York – the linear corridor from 79th to 96th Street is a repository of some of the finest 1910s and 1920s apartment buildings in New York City, mostly built after a landscaped center mall was erected over an open railroad tunnel, making the avenue more desirable for residential development.
133 East 80th Street, New York – a distinct 1929-30 luxury apartment house designed in the French Gothic and Tudor Revival styles by not architect Rosario Candela, where several citizens nationally prominent in the arts, law, business and government have lived.
Niagara County
The Chilton Avenue-Orchard Parkway Historic District, Niagara Falls – the district includes a rare collection of contiguous, largely intact residential building from the late 1800s and early 1900s that reflect the appearance and character of the city in its heyday.
Park Place Historic District, Niagara Falls – the residential district features intact examples of American residential styles, spanning from late Italianate and Victorian-era Queen Anne to early 20th century craftsman and revival styles.
Morse Cobblestone Farmhouse, Wilson – constructed around 1840, the farmhouse is an excellent example of cobblestone masonry construction in New York.
Oneida County
Munson Williams Proctor Institute, Utica – the 1960 museum and arts center is a significant example of modern architecture designed by internationally-renowned architect Philip Johnson.
Onondaga County
Shepard Settlement Cemetery, Skaneateles – the rural cemetery founded in 1823 contains the graves of at least 30 armed forces veterans of all wars from the Revolutionary War to World War II.
Otsego County
Tunnicliff-Jordan House, Richfield Springs – one of the village’s earliest buildings, it was built between 1810 and 1825 by the sons of an early s
ettler, John Tunnicliff, who operated a saw and grist-mill industry at the site.
Rensselaer County
Chapel and Cultural Center, Troy – the 1968 example of Modernist quasi-religious architecture has been an important venue for the performing and visual arts in Troy.
Rockland County
Houser-Conklin House, Viola – the oldest sandstone portion of the 1775 house was built for Henry Houser, a veteran of the American Revolution.
William Ferndon House, Piermont – the high-style Neoclassical, also known as Ferndon Hall, was built in 1835 for William Ferndon, a successful Piermont woolen mill owner.
Schoharie County
Abraham Sternberg House, Schoharie – a distinctive and intact example of pre- and post-Revolutionary War Dutch and English building practices, built sometime in the late 18th century on land owned by the Sternberg family since the 1740s.
Steuben County
Gold Seal Winery, Hammondsport – originally the Urbana Wine Company, the 1865 Keuka Lake complex was the second winery established in the Finger Lakes region of New York.
Suffolk County
Frank W. Smith House, Amityville – the 1901 Queen Anne was built by prominent store owner Frank Smith during a period of rapid growth in the village due to the arrival of the railroad.
Saint Anne’s Episcopal Church, Sayville – the distinctive 1887-88 English Romanesque/Norman Revival church and its 1879 rectory were designed by noted Long Island architect Isaac H. Green, Jr.
Tompkins County
Telluride House, Ithaca – the 1909 example of early 20th century American architecture at Cornell University was built by Lucien Nunn, who made his fortune mining in Telluride, Colorado, and founded the Telluride Association to encourage pursuit of technical careers, particularly engineering.
Ulster/Delaware Counties
Amelita Galli-Curci Estate, Fleischmanns – the 1922 Catskill mountain estate named Sul Monte was designed by renowned country house architect Harrie T. Lindeberg for acclaimed Italian-American opera soprano Amelita Galli-Curci.
Westchester County
Witthoefft Residence, Armonk – the 1957 articulated steel structure is a rare example of modernist architectural design in the New York City suburbs, designed by architect Arthur Witthoefft.
The New York State Board of Regents voted to approve two sets of strategies to achieve cost reductions in the state assessment program at its full Board meeting in Albany this week. History educators will no doubt be appalled at the elimination of 5th and 8th grade Social Studies examinations, which include the history curriculum. The two plans were laid out in a press release:
* If the State budget includes the $7 million that the Regents have requested for the assessment program, the Board approved a cost reduction of $4.25 million to be achieved through reduced reliance on educational specialists in developing tests ($1.25 million), discontinuance of paper-based scoring materials for examinations ($.60 million), elimination of component retesting for high school Math and English exams ($1.6 million), and elimination of 5th and 8th grade Social Studies examinations ($.80 million).
* If the State budget does not include the $7 million that the Regents have requested, or a final State Budget is not in place by August 1, 2010, the Board approved additional reductions of $6.1 million to further offset the deficit. These reductions would be achieved by eliminating Grade 8 second language proficiency exams ($2.0 million), eliminating August administration of Algebra II/Trigonometry and Chemistry high school Regents exams ($.8 million), eliminating all high school Foreign Language exams except for Spanish and French($1.2 million), an immediate end to translation of state assessments into Chinese, Haitian-Creole, Korean, and Russian while continuing translation into Spanish ($.75 million), and eliminating January high school Regents exams ($1.4 million).
Should additional funds be included in the P-12 budget the reductions listed last in the priority order above would be the first to be restored.
“These were tough decisions made in light of the State’s difficult financial situation” Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said, “Foremost in our consideration was the concern we heard from stakeholders across the State that the cuts to the assessment program made to achieve savings should not have an impact on high school graduation.”
Background on these decisions was also provided in the press release, as follows:
The State Education Department’s expense to operate the assessment program continues to rise in light of the State’s fiscal crisis as a result of several factors including: inflation, the addition of examinations, increased cost of testing vendor contracts, and the need for more test security. Based on the Executive Budget, SED projects a deficit of approximately $11.5 million in available funding in 2010-11 for P-12 programs, including the assessment program. The Regents have requested $7 million in additional State funds for the assessment program from the Legislature. The State Education Department has limited ability to address the P-12 deficit by redirecting federal or state funds dedicated to specific purposes by title or statute. SED will explore further internal cost reduction strategies to eliminate the remaining deficit of $1.1 million in the P-12 budget.
Full details of the cost reduction strategies the Board of Regents approved are on the web.
A webcast of the full board meeting of the Board of Regents is also available online.