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Hudson Crossing Park to Host Global Work Party

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On Sunday, October 10th between 2pm and 6pm, visitors to Hudson Crossing Park, at Lock 5 in Northumberland, NY will join in the world-wide 10:10:10 Global Work Party – green gardening,
climate solution activities and eco-fashion show.

Participants can start NOW with a Countdown to 10:10:10 Denim Recycling Drive and be part of the solution by donating your old denim clothing to be repurposed for the
10:10:10 Fashion Show and activities. Current drop off locations are The Ice Cream Man in Greenwich, Schuylerville Public Library and Greenwich Public Library. Email [email protected] subject denim drive or call Valerie Munson at 518.695.3104 to plan individual, business or organization collections.

Then, on Sunday October 10th there will be a 10:10:10 Global Work Party event. It’s a ”Day of doing.” When you arrive be a part of planting over 1,000 bulbs in the HCP gardens. See Master Gardener Martha Haynes demonstrate ‘green’ gardening and putting the garden to bed while she works. Help out if you’d like. Learn about Clothing Choices for Climate Solutions. There will also be interactive projects such as designing a t-shirt or apron to promote climate solutions. Displays, speakers and vendors will offer solutions as to how we can all take part to reduce our carbon foot print. Entertainment will include the premier of a music video inspired by the Park. The event comes to an end with the 10:10:10 Eco-“Jeanious” Runway Fashion Show on the Labyrinth at 5:30.

For more information about world-wide 10:10:10 Global Work Parties go to
www.350.org. For more info about Hudson Crossing Bi-County Park, call Marlene Bissell at 518.859.1462 or visit: www.hudsoncrossingpark.org.

Hudson Crossing is a bi-county educational park project centered on and near the Champlain Canal Lock 5 Island of the Hudson River.

Library of Congress Launches Digital Stewardship Alliance

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The Library of Congress has announced the formation of the National Digital Stewardship Alliance (NDSA), a partnership of institutions and organizations dedicated to preserving and providing access to selected databases, web pages, video, audio and other digital content with enduring value.

The alliance is an outgrowth of the National Digital Information Infrastructure and Preservation Program (NDIIPP), which the Library has administered since 2000. In establishing the program, Congress directed the Library to work with other federal agencies and a variety of additional communities to develop a national approach to digital preservation. NDIIPP has achieved substantial success though partnering with more than 170 institutions to provide access to a diverse national collection of digital content. This work demonstrates that a collective effort can achieve far more than individual institutions working alone.

The NDSA will build on this accomplishment by focusing on several goals. It will develop improved preservation standards and practices- work with experts to identify categories of digital information that are most worthy of preservation- and take steps to incorporate content into a national collection. It will provide national leadership for digital-preservation education and training. The new organization will also provide communication and outreach for all aspects of digital preservation.

&#8220It is clear that collective action is needed to preserve valuable digital information that our nation needs to support economic, scientific and cultural innovation,&#8221 said Laura Campbell, associate librarian for strategic initiatives. &#8220The Library of Congress is committed to leading a distributed approach to digital stewardship. This is the best way to sustain and extend the Library’s historic mission to make resources available and useful to the Congress and the American people. It is also the best way for all cultural-heritage institutions to sustain and extend their missions in the midst of a revolution in how knowledge and creativity is created and disseminated.&#8221

The NDSA will launch with a core set of founding members drawn from current NDIIPP project partners. Those members will develop a roadmap for immediate action, including a process for expanding membership. For more information, visit www.digitalpreservation.gov/ndsa/.

September Is Vermont Archaeology Month

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Events ranging from a canoeing trip to the site of an ancient Native American village to a lecture on the sinking and discovery of the Civil War ironclad U.S.S. Monitor are on tap during Vermont Archaeology Month.

The Vermont Archaeological Society and Vermont Division for Historic Preservation are presenting events around the state to celebrate the importance of archaeology to the state.

“We’re very pleased that Governor Jim Douglas has proclaimed September Vermont Archaeology Month,” said Giovanna Peebles, director of the Division for Historic Preservation and Vermont State Archaeologist. “The role of archaeology in understanding Vermont’s past and charting its future can’t be overstated.”

Events taking place include boat tours of shipwrecks under Lake Champlain using a robotic camera- a Sept. 23rd lecture in Waterbury on archaeology finds at the site of the Champlain Bridge reconstruction- and the unique, two-day 15th Fifteenth Annual Northeastern Open Atlatl Championship at the Mount Independence State Historic Site Sept. 18-19.

“This slate of events really has something for everybody,” said Shirley Paustian, Vermont Archaeological Society President. “From active outdoor events like hikes and canoe trips, to lectures and hands-on workshops in pottery making and flint-knapping, people of all ages and interests can find something.”

Formed in 1968, The Vermont Archaeological Society (VAS) is a non-profit volunteer organization comprised of professional and avocational archaeologists and the interested public, and is committed to raising the awareness of Vermont’s past, while at the same time protecting its valuable cultural resources from injury and exploitation.

The Division for Historic Preservation is the public agency designated to be the advocate for historic and prehistoric resources in Vermont. It is located within the Agency of Commerce and Community Development.

For a full schedule of events or more information visit: http://vtarchaeology.org/ or www.Historicvermont.org.

Washingtons HQ: Dutch Ramble Weekend

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Ever wonder what it was like to be a guest at General and Mrs. Washington’s headquarters? Come to Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site on Sunday, September 12th and find out what an 18th century visitor could expect when you accompany Cornelia Tappan Clinton on tour. These special tours by reservation only are scheduled at 1:00 PM and 3:00 PM.

Mrs. Clinton, wife of New York’s first governor, George Clinton, will guide you through the Hasbrouck house rented by her dear friends, the Washingtons. In the course of this First Person Experiential Tour, Mrs. Clinton will not only touch upon her friendship with Martha Washington, but also on her own life. This was a lady who witnessed the burning of Kingston, the smallpox epidemic that followed, and the migration of survivors to safer grounds. In her Dutch-tinted accent, Mrs. Clinton will explain how her family survived. To her way of thinking, surmounting these problems was not that difficult as long as the family was able to stay together.

Coming from an old and prominent Dutch family, Cornelia Tappan married George Clinton, a lawyer from Little Britain, and the couple set about to establish themselves in Orange County, to live, work, and raise their family. In time, Mr. Clinton became an officer in the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War and Cornelia was called upon to keep the family together, save whatever crops from her farm she could salvage and keep her children safe. She rose to the occasion admirably.

It is as Martha’s friend that she is visiting the home the Washingtons will be renting from Mrs. Hasbrouck, in Newburgh. Join Mrs. Clinton as she walks through the rooms speculating on what use the Washingtons will make of this small house on the Hudson River.

Admission for this Special Event is $4.00 per person. Please call by September 11th for reservations. Contact 845-562-1195 6 to reserve a place on one of the tours.

Photo: The Hasbrouck House, Orange County.

Call for Artists to Olana Plein Air Event

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Pre-register by September 18th for Paint Out Olana. Artists of all ages, mediums and experience levels are invited to showcase the Olana landscape on Sunday, October 3rd, from 12-4 p.m. Be inspired by the spectacular views and creative atmosphere of Olana State Historic Site.

Participation in the event is included in the site’s $5 vehicle use fee. A listing of artists pre-registered by September 18th will be available in the Visitor Center. Call 518-828-01356, x305 to pre-register.

House tours will be available on a first come, first served basis starting at 10 a.m., with the final tour of the day beginning promptly at 4 p.m. Come early to ensure tour availability and shorter wait times. House tour tickets are $12/adult, $10/student or senior, and free for children under 12 years of age.

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 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 more information.

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.
Subscribe! More than 400 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.

Early New Paltz Women Subject of Sat Talk

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The Second Saturdays Lecture Series at Historic Huguenot Street in New Paltz continues tomorrow, Saturday, September 11th with a talk entitled, “Early Women of New Paltz.” The talk will focus on the often untold role of women in colonial-era New York. Included will be an exploration of the differences between Dutch law and custom and English law, and how women were impacted by these differences. Richard Heyl de Ortiz of Historic Huguenot Street, who will be the presenter, created this talk for the organization’s recent Gathering event – a “family reunion” of descendants of the early families of New Paltz.

“This talk was well-received at the Gathering. Our history is so often told through the eyes of men or through their lives and stories. The enthusiasm of those in the audience for this fresh, more complete perspective was exciting. For this reason, we decided to offer this talk as part of our Second Saturdays series.” says Heyl de Ortiz. As was done at the Gathering, the stories of three extraordinary Hudson Valley women from the eighteenth century will be the centerpiece of the talk. Their lives and experiences will be used to highlight the challenges faced and opportunities enjoyed by women during this period.

“Early Women of New Paltz” will be offered at 7pm on Saturday, September 11th in the DuBois Fort Visitor Center, which is located at 81 Huguenot Street in downtown New Paltz. Refreshments will be served. Admission is $8, or $6 for Friends of Huguenot Street. For more information, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1889.

Historic Huguenot Street (HHS), located on the banks of the Wallkill River, is the reason that New Paltz is the funky, free-spirited town it is today. Here a small group of French-speaking Huguenots settled in 1678. Today, just steps from downtown New Paltz, the site features seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground and a reconstructed 1717 stone church – all in their original village setting. HHS offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world.

Illustration: The house in Guilford, just south of New Paltz, from which the widow Elsie Schoonmaker Hasbrouck ran a large farm, raised ten children and speculated in real estate during the eighteenth century. Hasbrouck will be one of the subjects of Saturday’s talk. Image by Alfred Hasbrouck from the collection of Historic Huguenot Street.

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.

Subscribe! More than 400 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.

Buffalo and Eries 12th Annual Paint the Town

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The Buffalo and Erie County Historical Society has announced its 12th annual Paint the Town fundraising event, which takes place this year on Thursday, September 23, from 5:30 to 9 p.m. In an updated format, the fundraiser will feature both live and silent auctions, and include a wide range of artworks by almost 60 artists with strong ties to the Buffalo region.

Items in the auctions will include paintings by Peter Fowler, Mark Lavatelli, Nathan Naetzker, and Catherine Parker- prints by Sally Cook, Roycroft Renaissance Master Artisan Dorothy Markert, Julian Montague, and Michael Morgulis- photographs by Lukia Costello, Lesley Maia Horowitz and Gene Witkowski- mixed media works by Russell Ram and Gerald Mead- and glassworks by Marcelo Florencio and Jane Jacobson.

The auctions will also feature works by historically important artists, donated by local galleries, including the Benjaman Gallery, Meibohm Fine Arts, Muleskinner, Dana Tillou Fine Arts, 20th Century Finest, and Vern Stein Fine Arts. Those works include vintage pieces by painter Carlo Nisita (1895-1990) and printmaker Amos Sangster (1833-1904).

Subjects range from the Buffalo Zoo, to views of the harbor, train station, and grain elevators, to Niagara Falls, to a wildflower growing through a crack in a Buffalo pavement.

Starting at 5:30, a buffet of appetizers and small bites will be served, while the silent auction begins. Thom Diina will provide musical accompaniment to the evening, and food will be catered by Oliver’s- an open bar, offering wine, beer and soft drinks, is also included.

After the anticipation and excitement of the silent auction, at 8 p.m., auctioneer Kelly Schultz of Kelly Schultz Auctions and Antiques will rouse the crowd to a frenzy of bidding over the live portion of the auction.

Tickets are $50 for members of the Historical Society, $70 for non-members. Those who would like to make an additional donation with their ticket purchase may select patron level tickets, which are $150 each. Such support will be acknowledged in the event catalog. Tickets are available by calling (716) 873-9644 x318.

The event takes place at the Historical Society’s iconic 1901 building, with views overlooking Delaware Park. There is ample free parking. The event is supported by HSBC.

The Historical Society will celebrate its 150th anniversary in 2012.