Replica Ship Half Moon Seeks Re-enactors

In conjunction with the celebration of the Half Moon&#8216-s original voyage in 1609, the City of Albany will hold a festival on Saturday, September 26, 2009. The replica ship Half Moon is looking for 17th century re-enactors who can help re-create the Dutch presence during this time. In addition to the Dutch re-enactors, there will also be members of the Stockbridge Munsee band of Mohicans presenting native technologies and daily life activities.

With the Dutch re-enactors, they are seeking a minimum involvement lasting from 9AM Saturday morning, Sept. 26, to Sunday morning. Preferable would be arrival of re-enactors on Friday afternoon or evening, with departure Sunday afternoon.

Re-enactors working with the Half Moon may either establish a camp, or bunk on the Half Moon. Re-enactor emphasis will be on musketry drills and demonstrations, daily life activities, and individual interaction with visitors. Those with specific skills (coopering, woodwork, sail making and
canvas work, games and pastimes, etc.) are also encouraged to participate.

A minimum reimbursement of $150 is available for expenses of travel, etc., is available for the first 20 who commit to the program.

If interested, send an e-mail to the Half Moon’s crew coordinator, Karen Preston, at [email protected].

Atlatl Contest Highlights Chimney and Crown Points Festival Of Nations

Vermont’s and New York’s annual shared celebration of Lake Champlain, The Festival of Nations, hosted by the Chimney Point and Crown Point, N.Y., State Historic Sites will be held Sept. 18-20 and will feature a wide variety of events, including the 14th Annual Northeastern Open Atlatl Championship at Chimney Point.

The event honors the Native American, French, and early American history of the region and includes music- food vendors- Native American and primitive life and craft demonstrations- exhibits- showings of the award-winning documentary film Champlain: The Lake Between– a colonial French encampment with re-enactors- tours of Crown Point’s historic forts- historic, cultural, educational, nature, and family activities- a ceremony re-dedicating the Champlain Memorial lighthouse- and fireworks on Saturday night. The nearby DAR (Daughters of the American Revolution) State Park will offer camping on a first-come, first-served basis.

The atlatl, a shaped wooden stick, acts as an extension of the throwing arm, so hunters can throw long, flexible darts with greater accuracy, energy, and speed. The atlatl was one of the earliest prehistoric weapons, pre-dating the bow and arrow, and was used by many cultures, including Native Americans.

On Friday, there will be a workshop held at Chimney Point at which participants can learn modern and ancient atlatl construction as they build their own dart-thrower and projectiles and learn how to use them. The fee of $65 includes instruction by champion atlatlist Robert Berg and all materials. Pre-registration is required.

On Saturday competitors of all ages test their prowess in using the atlatl to “hunt” wooly mammoth, bison, and other game targets- shoot at modern day bulls-eyes (International Standards Accuracy), and compete in a distance challenge.

The winners in each category compete in a shoot-out at the end of the event for the title of Grand Champion. At 5:30 p.m. and leading up to the start of the fireworks, enjoy lively music from Atlantic Crossing, well-known for their vast repertoire of music highlighting and honoring the history of the region. The Seth Warner Mount Independence Fife and Drum Corps will also perform.

On Sunday morning, from 7:30 a.m. to 8:30 a.m. one lane of the Lake Champlain Bridge between Addison and Crown Point, N.Y. will be open for pedestrian and bicycle traffic. The Sky Blue Boys, Banjo Dan and Willy Lindner, will be performing their lively music near the Vermont end of the bridge from 8:00 to 10:00 a.m.

On Sunday morning there will be another International Standards Accuracy competition at 10:00 a.m., followed by master coaching for youth and the young at heart, as well as conversations with Samuel de Champlain and wood carving demonstrations.

Saturday’s and Sunday’s contests are $5 and $3 respectively to enter. Admission to the site on each day is free.

Photo: John Morris using an atlatl. Morris, along with Greg Maurer, will be offering master coaching on Sunday, as well as competing on Saturday. Courtesy Vermont Division for Historic Preservation

Weekly New York History Blogging Round-Up

Workshops And Webinars On NYS Preservation Tax Credit

The Preservation League of New York State is sponsoring or participating in a series of workshops and webinars this fall to help New Yorkers take advantage of New York’s expanded preservation tax credit which begins in 2010. The tax benefit provides incentives for developers and municipalities seeking to rehabilitate historic buildings, and is hoped to advance redevelopment and economic stimulus goals throughout New York State by spurring over $500 million dollars of economic activity and creating some 2,000 jobs over its initial five-year lifespan.

The act will take effect on January 1, 2010. For more information on New York’s Historic Preservation Tax Credit Programs, call the New York State Historic Preservation Office at (518) 237-8643 or visit http://nysparks.state.ny.us/shpo/investment/index.htm .

Workshops and webinars:

Albany Tax Credit Workshop
Thursday, September 17, 2009
Time: 8:30 to 12:00 noon
Place: 11 North Pearl Street
$5 for Historic Albany Foundation members, $10 for the general public. Email Cara Macri at [email protected] or call 518-465-0876 x12

Rochester Tax Credit Workshop
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Time: 8:00 to 11:00 a.m.
Place: Nixon Peabody LLP, 1100 Clinton Square
Register online, or for more information, email Dan Kolodner at [email protected].

Statewide Tax Credit Webinar
Tuesday, September 22, 2009
Time: 1:30 p.m. to 3:00 p.m.
The law firm of Cannon Heyman & Weiss will host a webinar on the recently expanded NYS Historic Preservaion Tax Credit. For further details and registration information, visit www.chwattys.com or call 518-465-1500 (Albany) or 716-856-1700 (Buffalo).

Syracuse Tax Credit Workshop
Thursday, September 24, 2009
Time: 1:30 p.m. to 4:30 p.m.
Place: Hotel Syracuse, 500 South Warren Street, Persian Terrace
Sponsored by the Metropolitan Development Association of Syracuse and Central New York. For more information, contact Ben Walsh at [email protected].

Buffalo Tax Credit Workshop
Wednesday, September 30, 2009
Times: 1:00 &#8211 3:00 p.m. (Commercial) 5:30 &#8211 7:30 p.m. (Residential)
Place: Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society, 25 Nottingham Terrace
Hosted by Assemblymember Sam Hoyt, the workshops will offer guidance for people and businesses interested in using the Historic Rehabilitation Tax Credits authored by the Assemblyman. To RSVP, call Preservation Buffalo Niagara at 716-852-3300.

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New York States First Heritage Weekend Approaching

During a year filled with celebratory events, the 2009 Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission has partnered with the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area and the Historic House Trust of New York City to inaugurate the state’s first ever New York Heritage Weekend, September 12 and 13. Visitors are welcomed free, or at a reduced rate, to many museums, historical societies, and heritage areas- to architecturally significant buildings- and to battlefields, parks and historic districts in the Hudson River Valley, the Champlain Valley, and New York City. In addition, communities throughout the region are planning tours, special events and concerts that will highlight this first-ever celebration of New York’s unique cultural heritage. Participating counties include: Albany, Bronx, Columbia, Dutchess, Essex, Greene, Orange, New York, Putnam, Queens, Rensselaer, Richmond, Rockland, Saratoga, Kings, Ulster, Warren and Westchester.

Modeled after France’s popular annual event, “Les Journees du Patrimoine,” the inaugural New York Heritage Weekend will focus on the history and culture of the Champlain and Hudson River Valleys and showcasing these regions to residents and visitors alike. For further information on Heritage Weekend sites, visit the New York Heritage Weekend website www.heritageweekend.org.

Senate House State Historic Site Celebrates Heritage Weekend

Senate House State Historic Site will celebrate New York State’s first annual Heritage Weekend by offering free admission to the site, free tours of Senate House, and demonstrations of 18th-century crafts and amusements on Saturday and Sunday, September 12 and 13. Visitors will be able to tour the first meeting place of New York’s elected Senate, which is also among the earliest homes built in Kingston’s historic Stockade district. The site’s museum collections include art and objects reflecting three centuries of mid-Hudson Valley history, including paintings by John Vanderlyn and other early American artists. Site staff will demonstrate 18th-century crafts, and introduce children to the toys of the past. The site’s special exhibition, Archives Alive!!, features highlights from the site’s extensive collection of documents.

On Sunday, September 13, at 2:00 pm, a free author’s talk and book signing by A. J. Schenkman will feature his recent book, Washington’s Headquarters in Newburgh: Home to a Revolution, published by The History Press. Senate House State Historic Site is open 10:00 to 5:00 pm on Saturday, and 1:00 to 5:00 pm on Sunday. It is located at 296 Fair Street, Kingston, NY 12401. For more information call (845) 338-2786, or visit www.nysparks.state.ny.us.

150 Thomas Cole Images Now Online

The Thomas Cole Historic Site is substantially increasing its online presence with the launch of a new interactive website where visitors can see Thomas Cole’s paintings in a new way, enabling a greatly enhanced understanding of the artist and his work.

The most ambitious feature of the new website is the learning portal. Five years in the making, it offers 150 of Thomas Cole’s best-known artworks all in one place. Written by some of the top scholars in the field of American art, it gives you the experience of seeing Cole’s artwork with a team of experts by your side.

High-resolution digital technology reveals details that are not evident in printed reproductions, and the visitor can zoom in closer to the painted surface than would be permissible in a museum. The database of images will continue to grow, eventually becoming as complete a resource as possible for Cole’s artistic output.

Photo: Autumn in the Catskills by Thomas Cole. Oil on wood, 1827.

Russell Shorto To Guest Host NY Harbor Walking Tour

Island at the Center of the World author Russell Shorto will guest host a special edition of The New Amsterdam Trail walking tour of the National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy, to celebrate the culmination a week-long celebration of the 400th Anniversary of Henry Hudson’s discovery of New York Harbor. Urban historian and National Park Ranger Steve Laise will lead the event which will also include an exclusive curator’s tour of New Amsterdam: The Island at the Center of the World, a new exhibit opening at the South Street Seaport. The tour takes place on September 13th at 9:30 a.m. Tickets are limited and must be purchased in advance by visiting www.nyharborparks.org.

Throughout the 90-minute tour of lower Manhattan, Laise and Shorto will share entertaining and insightful stories about the famous and infamous characters that helped make New Amsterdam a bustling seaport, an international melting pot and a center of commerce. They will also discuss how the Dutch colony still impacts our culture today. The curator’s tour at South Street Seaport follows, with an insider’s peak at rare documents, maps, plans and watercolors connected to New Amsterdam &#8212- including “the best real estate deal of all time”—the 1626 letter of purchase of Manhattan for goods worth 60 guilders. Many of these items have never been seen in the United States.

The audio and map for this tour are available for free at: www.nyharborparks.org.

Weekly New York History Blogging Round-Up

  • American Magazine: Waterfront Priests [Video]
  • Brooklynology: W.F. Mangels and his &#8220Amusing&#8221 Career
  • AHA Today: Is There a Future for Humanities Journals?
  • American Heritage: Doulas Brinkley On TR’s Wild Side
  • Patell and Waterman: Knickerbocker Beer
  • Lost City: The Bloomberg [Preservation] Legacy
  • Ephemeral New York: Wigstock A Labor Day Tradition
  • New York Outdoors Blog: Old Croton Aqueduct Trail
  • Uncataloged Museum: Does Pricing Change Visitor Behavior?