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Venison and Potato Chips:Native Foodways in the Adirondacks

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During the nineteenth century, a number of Adirondack Indians marketed their skill as hunters, guides, basket makers, doctors, and cooks.

On Monday, July 5, 2010 Dr. Marge Bruchac will offer a program entitled &#8220Venison and Potato Chips: Native Foodways in the Adirondacks&#8221 at the Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake. Bruchac will focus attention on what might be a lesser-known Native skill &#8211 cooking.

The first offering of the season for the museum’s Monday Evening Lecture series, the presentation will be held in the Auditorium at 7:30 p.m. There is no charge for museum members. Admission is $5.00 for non-members.

Nineteenth century white tourists paid good money to purchase wild game from Native people, to hunt in their territories, to buy medicines and remedies, and to eat in restaurants or lodgings where Indians held sway in the kitchen.

Dr. Bruchac will highlight stories of individuals such as Pete Francis, notorious for hunting wild game and creating French cuisine- George Speck and Katie Wicks, both cooks at Moon’s Lake House and co-inventors of the potato chip- and Emma Camp Mead, proprietress of the Adirondack House, Indian Lake, N.Y., known for setting an exceptionally fine table.

Bruchac contends that these people, and others like them, actively purveyed and shaped the appetite for uniquely American foods steeped in Indigenous foodways.

The Adirondack Museum celebrates food, drink, and the pleasures of eating in the Adirondack Park this year with a new exhibition, &#8220Let’s Eat! Adirondack Food Traditions.&#8221 The exhibit includes a 1915 photograph of Emma Mead as well as her hand-written recipes for &#8220Green Tomato Pickles&#8221 and &#8220Cranberry Puffs.&#8221

Marge Bruchac, PhD, is a preeminent Abenaki historian. A scholar, performer, and historical consultant on the Abenaki and other Northeastern native peoples, Bruchac lectures and performs widely for schools, museums, and historical societies. Her 2006 book for children about the French and Indian War, Malian’s Song, was selected as an Editor’s Choice by The New York Times and was the winner of the American Folklore Society’s Aesop Award.

Photo: Dr. Marge Bruchac

Saratoga Battlefield Celebrates July 4th, Immigration

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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 &#8211 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 &#8211 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.

This Weeks New York History Web Highlights

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Preservationists Decry Proposed Cuts to Tax Credits

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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 &#8220undermine years of work to revitalize the upstate economy, protect open space and foster green initiatives.&#8221

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.

&#8220The 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,&#8221 said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League. &#8220Just as redevelopment projects are set to launch in cities throughout the state, this proposed change pulls the rug out from beneath their financing plans.&#8221

According to Robert Simpson, CEO of the CenterState Corporation for Economic Opportunity in Syracuse, &#8220This 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.&#8221

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.

&#8220When 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,&#8221 said Daniel Mackay, Director of Public Policy for the Preservation League. &#8220This 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.&#8221

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.

This Weeks Top New York History News

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Northeast Public Radio Launches History Program

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WAMC Northeast Public Radio and the New York State Archives Partnership Trust present the Power of Words, a new series of programs that follows American history through some of the most memorable and inspiring political speeches of our time. The series of 26 programs kicks off tomorrow Friday, June 25th at 1 p.m. and a new program will air every other week on WAMC.

On the debut program, WAMC’s Alan Chartock and Dr. David Woolner, senior fellow and resident historian at the Franklin and Eleanor Roosevelt Institute, will set the scene and provide context and analysis of Franklin D. Roosevelt’s first inaugural address. In addition, listeners will have an opportunity to actually hear the speech as it was delivered on March 4th, 1933. Other speeches in the year-long series include Barack Obama’s inaugural address, Ronald Reagan’s speech at the Berlin Wall, John F. Kennedy’s &#8220I am a Berliner&#8221 speech, and more.

WAMC’s President Alan Chartock says, &#8220It is imperative that everyone remember and learn where we came from and what this country has gone through in tough times. Great leaders are hard to come by and these great speeches can teach us a great deal about courage and leadership. WAMC is very proud of this series.&#8221

Support for the series is provided by the Archives Partnership Trust- Einhorn Yaffee Prescott Architecture & Engineering P.C.- the New York Council for the Humanities, a local affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities- and Assemblyman Jack McEneny.

&#8220We could not be more indebted to WAMC for their leadership on this series and to our sponsors for their support,&#8221 said Robert E. Bullock, President of the Archives Partnership Trust. &#8220It is our hope that this series will encourage citizens to truly understand the role of great ideas and transformational language in our everyday lives.&#8221

WAMC Northeast Public Radio broadcasts 24 hours a day with information and cultural programming from stations reaching parts of seven Northeastern states. WAMC is an award-winning producer of regionally based programming. WAMC is a member station of National Public Radio and is affiliated with Public Radio International and American Public Media.

The program will be broadcast over WAMC-FM 90.3 FM, Albany- WAMC, 1400 AM, Albany- WAMK 90.9 FM, Kingston- WOSR, 91.7 FM, Middletown- WCEL, 91.9 FM, Plattsburgh- WCAN, 93.3 FM, Canajoharie- WANC, 103.9 FM, Ticonderoga- WRUN, 90.3 FM, Remsen-Utica- WAMQ 105.1 FM, Great Barrington, MA- 93.1 FM, Troy- 99.3 FM, Oneonta- 97.1 FM, Hudson- 107.1 FM, Warwick- 107.7 FM, Newburgh- 103.9 FM, Beacon- 96.5 FM, Ellenville- 106.9, Middletown- 102.1, Highland, NY and 90.9 FM, Milford, PA.- 97.3 FM, Cooperstown and on-line at http://www.wamc.org/.

History Canceled:Regents Eliminates History Assesments

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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.

&#8220These were tough decisions made in light of the State’s difficult financial situation&#8221 Regents Chancellor Merryl Tisch said, &#8220Foremost 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.&#8221

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.

35 Places Recommended to State, National Registers

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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.

SUNY ESF Students Launch Olana Nature Walks

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Olana State Historic Site interns Danielle and Jessica Zeller will launch three self-guided nature walks on Sunday, June 27th. Each of the three experiences will focus on a different part of Olana’s landscape- the lake, meadows and forests.

“Did you know Olana State Historic Site is one of only five known locations in the state where you can see Shrubby St. John’s Wort, a threatened species in New York? Or that Olana’s lake is home to invasive Chinese Mystery Snails?” ask the interns. “You can find out more about these species and others in the area on the nature walks.”

Starting on Sunday, visitors can pick up a map and guide in Olana’s Visitor Center or Wagon House Education Center, then venture out to learn more about the site’s natural history. On Sunday, June 27th, Danielle and Jessica will be at Olana’s Visitor Center between 12 p.m. and 4 p.m. promoting the new guides and seeking feedback on their content.

Danielle and Jessica are 2006 alumni of Cairo-Durham High School and 2008 alumni of Columbia Greene Community College. Both are now enrolled in the Natural History and Interpretation program at the State University of New York College of Environmental Science and Forestry at Syracuse.

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 six 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. Call 518-828-0135, visit www.nysparks.com or www.olana.org for further information.

Photo: Danielle and Jessica Zeller exploring Olana’s Lake Road, Image courtesy Olana State Historic Site, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation.