July 4th at Boscobel House and Gardens

admin

Former NY State Governor Nelson Rockefeller called Boscobel &#8220one of the most beautiful homes ever built in America.&#8221 National media mogul Martha Stewart featured Boscobel in Living magazine’s American Treasures section. And Boscobel itself rests on a bluff, dutifully overlooking The United States Military Academy at West Point. So what better Hudson Valley location is there for celebrating America’s birthday than at Boscobel?

Monday July 4th from 7 to 9 pm at Boscobel will include a 20-piece jazz orchestra, The Big Band Sound, fresh grilled food by Inn Credible Caterers Chalet On The Hudson, and weather permitting, there will be one of the best views of the West Point Band’s fireworks display in the area.

Visitors should pack chairs, blankets and a picnic. Gates open at 6 pm for picnicking. Adults $16, Senior $14, Children (6-14) $9, Children under 6 FREE. Friends of Boscobel adults are just $14.

Photo: Boscobel House decorated with patriotic bunting.

New App Highlights American Revolution

admin

Revolutionary War is the latest release from Multi-Educator’s History on the Go series of mobile applications for iPad, iPhone and iTouch users. The program covers a variety of topics all accessible by touch menu screens.

Major battles and events of the War are covered with a short and lengthier text entries illustrated by drawings, paintings and maps. Most of the battles include multimedia presentations of the battle, several first-hand accounts, as well as reports about the battle by General Washington to the Continental Congress.

One section focuses on &#8220Famous Stories and Sayings of the Revolutionary War&#8221. Each of these stories and words- such “We have only begun to fight” includes both an illustrated text entry on the true events surrounding the story or quote, as well as a multimedia presentation on the event.

Other sections include: over 200 biographies of participants in the war and the signers of the Declaration- the complete text of the Journals of the Continental Congress that tell the story of the deliberation of the Congress as it struggled with the decision to declare independence- a diary of the Revolution- historic correspondence between John and Abigail Adams- details of the economy of America of the period- as well as a section identifying who were the Americans of that key generation. An updated release of the program to be released later this summer will include a section of simulation so student of all ages can remake historic decisions.

Revolutionary War contains over 100 high quality drawing and illustration (all of which you can zoom into), one hour of multimedia presentations, over 40 high quality maps- and dozens of first-hand accounts.

The app is available online at the Apple iTunes store for $4.99.

Adirondack Museum Offers Paddle Making Workshops

admin

Craftsman Caleb Davis will return to the Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake this summer to teach a series of one-day paddle making workshops. Students will use hand-tools to craft their own wooden canoe paddle. The first workshop is offered on June 29, 2011. Additional workshops on June 30, July 5, 7, 12, 19, 21, 26 and August 2, 18, 25.

Students may choose a single or double blade cherry wood paddle. The workshops start at 8:30 a.m. and end at 5:00 p.m. Space is limited to 5 participants per workshop, and pre-registration is required. The non-refundable fee is due at registration: $115 for single blade paddle, $120 for double blade paddle. Register online, but note this is a
physically demanding activity.

Caleb Davis, proprietor of Tremolo, creates handcrafted canoe paddles. He is a former shop teacher and a member of the League of New Hampshire Craftsmen. Tremolo is both a vocation and a passion for Caleb, whose enthusiasm towards the art of both canoeing and paddle making is contagious- all it takes is five minutes with Caleb to make you want to pick up a blank and craft that perfect paddle, then to jump into your solo or
tandem canoe and master traditional flatwater paddling techniques.

Davis is a skilled instructor and continues to enhance his skills with course work and certifications. His past and current certifications include: Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association Instructor, Canadian Recreational Canoeing Association Instructor, Eastern Professional Ski Touring (XC) Instructor, United States Rowing Association Coach, League of New Hampshire Craftsman &#8211 Canoe Paddles, American Canoeing Association Flat Water Tandem Instructor, American Canoeing Association Flat Water Solo Instructor, Traditional Flatwater Canoeing Association.

Gage Girls Summer Day Camp

admin

The Matilda Joslyn Gage Center (210 E. Genesee Street, Fayetteville, Onondaga County) will offer a &#8216-Gage Girls’ Summer Day Camp, August 15 &#8211 19, from 9:00 a.m. &#8211 3:00 p.m. for girls entering 6th through 8th grades.

Participants will explore the rooms in the home of 19th century activist Matilda Joslyn Gage through fun, thought-provoking and empowering activities including:

Haudenosaunee Room &#8211 Outdoors for nature exploration and to learn about the culture of Central New York’s Native Americans and how they inspired Joslyn Gage in her work for social justice.

Women’s Rights Room &#8211 Create a special exhibit with a Seneca Falls doll house crafter and portrait artist and meet a local pioneer of science.

Oz Parlor & Local History Hall: Learn about the powerful girls of Oz, see what it was like to wear corsets and petticoats and take a look at today’s clothing styles.

Religious Freedom Room &#8211 Discover the rich diversity of people and religion in Central New York- learn about labyrinths- try meditation.

Underground Railroad Room &#8211 Uncover the secrets of the Underground Railroad- examine today’s bullying problem- try your hand at acting- join a drumming circle

Each day wraps-up with a Victorian tea party. Register by Saturday, July 30 ~ Space is limited. Call (315) 243-7667 or email [email protected]. The cost is $135.00 members, $150.00 non-members ~ Some scholarships are available. A $50.00 deposit is required to reserve a space, the balance due by Friday, August 5.

Fort Ticonderoga Acquires Significant Papers

admin

A donation of four important manuscripts describing the American attack on Mount Independence on September 18, 1777 was recently made to the Fort Ticonderoga Museum. The collection of four letters was drafted by American Brigadier General Jonathan Warner and relate to Colonel John Brown’s raid on Ticonderoga. The donation was discovered and organized by Dr. Gary M. Milan and made possible by the generous support of George and Kathy Jones.

After the American army at Ticonderoga was forced to evacuate with the approach of the British army under General John Burgoyne in July 1777, Burgoyne left a small force of British and German soldiers to garrison Fort Ticonderoga and Mount Independence as the bulk of his army pursued the American army southward. In mid September two 500-men forces were ordered to test the defenses of the two posts and on September 18, the forces converged on the sleeping garrisons.

These documents detail the actions around Mount Independence offering on-the-spot reports of the engagement. The beginning of the skirmish near Mt. Independence is described “Our advanc’d party met with a small piquet guard of the Enemy’s about 1 mile from their lines who after the first fire retired leaving around them a few tents, blankets, packs, &c”. A few minutes later “We…heard a brisk firing from Ticonderoga side… It is supposed by many that Colo Brown has got possession of the Batteries upon the large Mountain call’d Mount Defiance.” These documents shed new light on the only time that the two posts were directly fired upon in battle and the last military engagement to occur at Fort Ticonderoga in its final months as an active military post.

Illustration: Jonathan Warner by Joseph Blackburn.

200 Years of Landscape History at Hyde Park

admin

Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Sites will be offering historic landscape and garden tours, free, on the third Sunday of the month offered by the National Park Service and their partner, the Frederick W. Vanderbilt Garden Association.

On July 17, August 21, September 18 and October 16, participants can meet at 1:00 pm at the Vanderbilt Mansion visitor parking area for the “200 Years of Landscape History” tour led by an NPS Ranger. The tour concludes at the Formal Gardens where visitors may join FWVGA volunteers between 1:00 pm and 3:30 pm for an additional 30-minute tour.

Interpreter-guides will discuss the history of the gardens, Vanderbilt ownership and the on-going work by the Vanderbilt Garden Association which was formed in 1984 to rehabilitate and maintain the garden plantings.

Park in the Vanderbilt Mansion visitor parking lot and follow the gravel path on the south side of the mansion. Tours will be cancelled if it rains. Please call 845-229-7770 or 845-229-6432 for status if the weather is questionable.

Ogdensburg Founder’s Day Weekend July 23-24

admin

Ogdensburg, in St. Lawrence County, will play host to it’s annual Founder’s Day celebration, French and Indian War reenactment, and colonial trade fair on Saturday, July 23 10:00 AM to 5:00 PM and Sunday, July 24 10:00 AM to 3:00 PM.

More than 250 years ago the roar of cannon fire echoed over the St. Lawrence River on the now peaceful stretch between Ogdensburg, New York and Prescott, Ontario. The final battle of the French and Indian War – the battle that truly led to the French losing Canada to the English – was fought here in August 1760.

Founder’s Day Weekend is the annual commemoration of Ogdensburg’s French colonial history and the Battle of the Thousand Islands. Lighthouse Point features a military re-enactment and colonial trade fair. As many as 500 participants from the U.S. and Canada, dressed in 18th-century clothes, will establish an encampment of white canvass tents.

French and English naval contingents will moor their historically accurate small boats along the shore and bivouac there. The crews will race on Saturday morning, but Saturday and Sunday afternoon the boats with bow guns and muskets in battle on the river. The skirmishing on the water leads into the land battle. Across the width of Lighthouse Point, the opposing forces and their Native allies will maneuver.

Civilian life of the colonies will also be represented as women and children, pipers, dancers, artisans, traditional tradesmen and women, and sutlers, the merchants that followed the armies, set up their shops to furnish just about anything a re-enactor, or 21st-century tourist, could want.

The re-enactment of the Battle of the Thousand Islands and the colonial trade fair are adjacent to the archaeological remains of Fort de la Presentation, built by the French in 1749. When the tide of war turned in favor of the English, the French vacated the fort in early 1759 and continued the construction of Fort Levis downriver on Ile Royal, now Chimney Island. La Presentation was a wooden stockade- Levis was a substantial fortification.

The 1760 Battle of the Thousand Islands began with the capture of the French corvette L’Outauaise by a swarm of English row galleys off abandoned Fort de la Presentation. The battle continued with the successful, weeklong siege of Fort Levis. The English pressed on to accept the capitulation of Montreal.

For more than a decade, the annual Founder’s Day Weekend has honored the shared history of Canada and the United States. Here, where the Oswegatchie River flows into the St. Lawrence, the Fort La Presentation Association plans to rebuild the historic fort as a high-quality, tourist attraction.

Admission: Adults $8- Children 7 to 12 $2- children 6 and under free.

More information is available online or by calling the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce at 1-877-228-7810.

Photo courtesy Sandy Goss, Eagle Bay Media.

This Weeks Top New York History News

admin

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 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.

and tagged

Saratoga Automobile Museum Names New Chair

admin

Trustees of the Saratoga Automobile Museum (SAM) unanimously elected Gloversville businessman Charles Montano as Board Chairman at their annual election meeting of the trustees in May.

Montano becomes the fourth Board Chair of the Museum, joining the late founder and initial chairman Lewis Golub of Lake George, Bob Bailey of Diamond Point and the most recent chairperson, Jean Hoffman of Clifton Park, as head of the Board of Trustees. Other board officers elected at the meeting included Seth Rosner of Saratoga Springs as Vice-Chairman, Dr. James Hoehn of Menands as Treasurer and Robert Ensign, Jr. of Latham as Secretary. Chairs of the board’s various sub-committees will be announced at a later date.

A Gloversville native, Montano owns and operates a commercial/industrial rental business with divisions specializing in apartments and luxury home development in the downstate area. He is also a well known automobile collector, with a number of “Woodies” from his collection the focus of a recent exhibit in the Museum’s Golub gallery.

“Cars with wooden bodies have always fascinated me,” offered Montano. “But they only represent a segment of my collection and my interests. I truly love all aspects of the automotive world.

“As chairman of the Board of Trustees, my goal is to continue and expand our programs that bring these diverse communities together. Whether your focus is woodies, the brass era, auto racing, classic cars, any of the diverse makes that highlight our lawn shows or our automotive-themed educational programs, the Auto Museum is your place and I want everyone to feel welcome here.”

“Charlie Montano epitomizes the caliber of leadership and automobile enthusiasm the Museum needs to continue advancing the exceptional cultural enrichment we strive to provide for our growing communities,” said Taylor C. Wells, SAM Executive Director.

SAM Board members fulfilling their current terms include Bob Bailey, David Darrin, Wayne Freihofer, Ron Hedger, Jean Hoffman, Tony Ianniello, Eric King, Ed Lewi, Lee Miller, and Alan Rosenblum.

The mission of the Saratoga Automobile Museum is to preserve, interpret and exhibit automobiles and automotive artifacts. We celebrate the automobile and educate the general public, students and enthusiasts regarding the role of the automobile in New York State and in the wider world. In addition to technical and design aspects, our educational focus is on the past, present and future social and economic impact of the automobile

The Museum is chartered by the Board of Regents of the State of New York Department of Education as a not-for-profit institution. Additionally, the Museum is a member of the American Association of Museums (AAM) and the National Association of Automobile Museums (NAAM).

The Saratoga Automobile Museum is located on the grounds of Saratoga Spa State Park at 110 Avenue of the Pines. For more information, guests can visit the Museum’s website at www.saratogaautomuseum.org or call (518) 587-1935.

This Weeks New York History Web Highlights

admin

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 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.