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.

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Roosevelt Island Opens New Aerial Tramway

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The newly rebuilt Roosevelt Island Tramway opened today, following a nine-month modernization project which replaced the previous 33-year-old tram system. The new tram reduces travel time, permits both cabins to start on the side with highest demand during rush hour, and includes new safety measures, according to an announcement by the Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation (RIOC), a New York State Public Benefit Corporation in charge of the management of Roosevelt Island.

&#8220Roosevelt Island’s Tramway is once again the most modern urban aerial transportation system in the world,&#8221 said Leslie Torres, President of RIOC, at the ribbon-cutting ceremony for the new tram. &#8220It’s built to serve residents, business, and tourists for the next thirty (30) years.&#8221 Roosevelt Island is currently home to approximately 12,000 residents, open spaces, recreation areas, six landmarks, schools, and shops. The Tram continues to be part of the Metro Card fare system, providing free transfers to buses and subways. The infrastructure improvement was funded through a $15 million investment from the State of New York and $10 million from RIOC.

The Tram was designed to be more stable in high winds, eliminate impact of electrical and mechanical malfunctions, and allow for one cabin to continue operations while the other undergoes preventive maintenance. According to Brian Lawler, Commissioner and CEO of New York State Homes and Community Renewal, &#8220We created this tram with the convenience and safety of Roosevelt Island residents, businesses and tourist in mind. A state-of-the-art tram helps further our mission to create a model community of mixed-income housing, small businesses and plenty of open, green space to serve both island residents and the larger City community.&#8221

Key innovations for the new Tram include:

• Two separate Tram systems. Each cable track operates independently of the other, allowing for preventive maintenance and other servicing on one side, while maintaining service on the other.

• Cabins that are attached to a double hanger arms, providing for a more stable ride. The cabins of the previous system were suspended from a single hanger arm.

• Built-in operational and electrical back-ups including a separate motor for each cabin, back-up motors for the cabins, and four (4) back-up generators.

Pomagalski, S.A. (Poma), one of two companies world-wide capable of rebuilding the tram, was awarded the design/build contract in 2008, after a selection process. POMA worked closely with local trades and contractors, under the supervision of RIOC and its engineering team consisting of New York based LiRo Engineering and Thornton Tomasetti, and Shea, Carr, Jewel of Denver, Colorado. Leitner-Poma, the American affiliate has a five-year operating agreement to run the Tram with a New York based crew.

The Roosevelt Island Operating Corporation of the State of New York was created by State statute in 1984 with responsibility for the operation and development of Roosevelt Island. A General Development Plan, which accompanied the 1969 Ground Lease between New York City and State, directed the development of &#8220a new community&#8221 specifically providing for mixed income housing, an abundance of open space, protection of its six City landmarked buildings, protection of the environment and innovative solutions to New York’s technology requirements. &#8220.. a demonstration of modern planners’ capacity to harness technology for human use, while enhancing rather than degrading the environment.…&#8221, according to a 1976 editorial marking the naming of Roosevelt Island after our 32 President.

The Roosevelt Island Plan is now nearly complete. The Four Freedoms Park, a memorial to President Franklin D. Roosevelt, is under construction and three more residential buildings are expected within the next few years. The Tram’s redesign anticipates increased usage over the coming years.

Iroquois Indian Museum Deerskin Event

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In the spirit of traditional Eastern Woodland Native American culture, Jerry and Cheryl Schenandoah will be at the Iroquois Museum with their custom handmade Native American deerskin clothing, arts and crafts on December 9 – 12, 2010. On-site deerskin demonstrations will take place each day noon through 5:00pm.

The Schenandoahs are Native designers and creators of traditional and contemporary deerskin clothing and accessories including bags and fur hats. They will also have items made from deer antler and deer bone such as chokers and bracelets. A large collection of silver jewelry will also be on display and for sale. Custom orders will be welcome.

Anniversary of John Browns Execution

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151 years ago this week, John Brown was executed and his body was returned to the Adirondacks. Had Brown escaped from Harpers Ferry rather than been captured he might well today be just a footnote, one of the tens of thousands that struggled to undermine the institution of slavery in America before the Civil War.

It’s often said that just one thing secured Brown’s place in the hearts of millions of Americans that came after him &#8211 his execution and martyrdom. There is another equally important reason Americans will celebrate the life of John Brown this week however &#8211 he was right slavery would end at a heavy price.

Last year, I wrote a series of posts following the last days of John Brown’s fight to end slavery. You can read the entire series here (start at the bottom).

New York Anti-Slavery Conference

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In farm fields, artisan workshops, private homes, and brothels then- in fields and orchards, restaurants, factories, private homes and sex-oriented businesses, now—American and foreign-born women, men and children are trafficked and enslaved across New York State.

As the Syracuse Post Standard recently reported, it is as close as the New York State Fair held every summer. According to the Post Standard, a restaurant vendor from Queens was charged earlier this month with allegedly trafficking workers from Mexico to work at the Fair, mistreating and barely paying them, if at all.

“We have both the past and the present to reckon with,” said Martha Swan, Director of the freedom education project John Brown Lives! “Although largely erased from official history and collective memory, New York “promoted, prolonged and profited from” slavery from the 1620s through the 1850s. It continues today, often hidden in plain sight.

“We have organized a two-day Anti-Slavery Convention to put slavery &#8220on the map&#8221 as a reality not solely of the South but of New York- and not as a relic but a legacy and crime against humanity still with us today.”

The Convention will be held in Lake Placid, NY, on December 3-4, 2010 and will feature experts on contemporary slavery and human trafficking, scholars, historians, victims advocates, lawyers, artists, and musicians joining with the general public to examine slavery and trafficking in New York State and ways to end it.

The Convention will include a full-day workshop for educators, teaching artists, and librarians at Heaven Hill Farm on Friday, December 3. Advance registration and a $55 fee are required. Call 518-962-4758 to register.

Later that evening at Lake Placid Center for the Arts, Dr. J.W. Wiley from SUNY Plattsburgh’s Center for Diversity, Pluralism & Inclusion will show film clips and lead a lively conversation on how film has shaped American’s perceptions of slavery and race. The event, from 7:00 – 9:00 p.m., is free and open to the public.

From 8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m. on Saturday, December 4, the Convention will continue at High Peaks Resort on Main Street in Lake Placid with keynote addresses and panel discussions ranging from historical slavery in New York State to up-to-the-minute reports and analysis on slavery and trafficking today.

Dr. Thomas Hopkins, descendent of Harpers Ferry Raider John A. Copeland, will help bring the Convention to a close with a candlelight wreath-laying ceremony at the John Brown Farm State Historic Site at 5:00 p.m..

Partners in the Convention with John Brown Lives! are John Brown Coming Home, the National Abolition Hall of Fame, SUNY Plattsburgh’s Center for Diversity, Pluralism & Inclusion, and the New York State Archives Partnership Trust.

The Anti-Slavery Convention is funded, in part, with support from the New York Council for the Humanities. For more information or a full schedule of events, call 518-962-4758 or go to www.johnbrowncominghome.org.

Lecture: Albany County on Staffordshire Plates

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The Historical Society of the Town of Colonie will be hosting a program about commemorative Staffordshire plates featuring various scenes from 19th Century Albany, this Friday, December 3, 2010 at the Colonie Pruyn House (207 Old Niskayuna Road, Colonie).

Potters in the Staffordshire region of England used the transfer technique of printing on earthenware to distribute historical American views and commemorative pieces to the middle-class American market.

Deep blue transferware dominated in the 1820s but methodological improvements in printing occurred in the 1830s and 1840s which led to cleaner, sharper images, and a broader variety of colors. Because they were moderately priced, Staffordshire transfer earthenware was an affordable but attractive alternative to more expensive porcelains.

Following the lifting of embargoes in British goods after the War of 1812, Liverpool and Staffordshire potters resumed their high volume commerce with the United States. In the 1840s, earthenware from Staffordshire ranked fifth (behind textiles and metalwork) in importance among English export products. Among the products Staffordshire potters provided the American market was pottery that offered views of the America’s natural wonders and historic events that would appeal to a growing American civic pride.

For additional information about Friday’s program contact either the Pruyn House at 783-1435 or the Colonie Historian’s Office at 782-2593.

Photo: Albany, N.Y. souvenir nine inch plate manufactured in Staffordshire, England. An error in the transfer likely caused the word &#8216-Albany’ to be spelled &#8216-Alany’. Scenes on the plate include the state capitol, Washington Park’s King’s Fountain, the steamer Robert Fulton, the Post Office, and the NYS Senate Chamber.

A Change of Leadership at the Adirondack Museum

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The Board of Directors of the Adirondack Historical Association announced today that Caroline M. Welsh, the Director of the Adirondack Museum since 2007, has been replaced by Michael Lombardi, the current Director of Finance and Operations. Lombardi is being named Interim Director, and Welsh, who has been with the museum since 1987, will become Senior Art Historian and Director Emerita.

Welsh served the Adirondack Museum for over two decades, first as a Curator and then as Director. Just two months after her ascension to the top spot in February 2007, the museum unveiled its ill-fated and sometimes controversial plan to build a museum extension in Lake Placid. Those plans were later abandoned, and the former Adirondack Church of the Nazarene that had been located on the site was demolished.

This past fall, the museum also closed their Lake Placid storefront operation. &#8220The subsequent and continuing economic downturn have forced a strategic re-thinking of the museum’s plans,&#8221 Adirondack Museum spokesperson Katherine Moore told the press at the time. &#8220It is no longer feasible to operate two retail operations and maintain a growing online sales presence.&#8221 Moore said the museum will concentrate its efforts and financial resources on the Blue Mountain Lake campus.

Welsh’s tenure also saw a number of new initiatives designed to bring the museum into the 21st century including launching a museum online photostream, a campus WiFi system, and offering virtual exhibits. She also oversaw the museum during the acquisition of the Clarence Petty and Richard Lawrence collections, and receipt of a $1.3 million bequest from the estate of the Mr. and Mrs. Horace N. Holbrook of Schenectady.

Today spokesperson Moore said &#8220Ms. Welsh will continue her relationship with the museum with respect to art projects including the upcoming Arthur Fitzwilliam Tait exhibit opening in the summer, 2011, along with producing the catalogue for the exhibit.&#8221 Welsh will also collaborate with the museum on other upcoming projects, she said.

Caroline Welsh is the wife of former Adirondack Museum Curator Peter C. Welsh, once also editor of the Journal of History and director of the New York State Historical Association, who held the primary responsibility for the Adirondack Museum’s logging exhibit. He was also the author of Jacks, Jobbers, and Kings: Logging in the Adirondacks, 1850-1950. Peter Welsh died in February, 2010.

Photo: Photo caption: Caroline M. Welsh, Director of the Adirondack Museum and U.S. Senator Charles Schumer at the Adirondack Museum in August 27.

Buffalo And Erie Offers B-Movie Series

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The Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society, in collaboration with the Buffalo B-Movie Series, announces &#8220Movie Tuesdays,&#8221 a five-month schedule of Tuesday night screenings &#8212- a movie a month now through March of 2011.

B-Movie co-founder Scott Washburn brings his cinematic curatorial sensibilities and mind for mischief to the History Museum, which will host the film’s screenings in their 150-seat auditorium. Doors open at 7, films start at 7:30. Admission is $5 for BECHS members, $8 general.

Schedule

Tuesday, November 30, 2010: &#8220The Fall of the House of Usher&#8221 (1933)
Directed by Juan Epstein. A brilliant silent interpretation of the Poe classic.

Tuesday, December 14, 2010: &#8220Scrooge&#8221 (1933)
The first known film version of Charles Dickens’ beloved classic, starring Seymour Hicks.

Tuesday, January 11, 2011: &#8220M, Eine stadt sucht einen moerder&#8221 (1934)
A Fritz Lang film. A child-killer is captured and tried by the city street people when the police fail to catch him. Starring Peter Lorre, in his first major film role.

Tuesday, February 8, 2011: &#8220A Trip to the Moon&#8221 (1902) & &#8220The House of Usher&#8221 (1928)
The only double-bill of the series. &#8220A Trip to the Moon&#8221 (French: Le Voyage dans la lune) is a short, silent, science-fiction film by Georges Melies. &#8220The House of Usher&#8221 is a Dadaist short version of Poe’s classic tale- a gorgeous, surrealist visual interpretation.

Tuesday, March 8, 2011: &#8220The Cabinet of Dr. Caligari&#8221 (1920)
Director Robert Wiene brings us the first modern horror film. It’s gone on to influence a number of contemporary productions. A real classic!

About The Buffalo B-Movie Series

Since 2008, the Buffalo B-Movie Series has been screening the best of the worst (and sometimes the worst of the worst) films it can find, in a variety of locations. Its fans and audiences appreciate scripts that even infamously bad directors like John Waters and Ed Wood passed up. Some of the movies screened are so bad that they appear to possibly have had no script at all. (N.B. &#8220The Creeping Terror&#8221 and &#8220Manos &#8212- Hands of Fate.&#8221) Or, in the case of &#8220The Creeping Terror,&#8221 which lost its original dialogue &#8211are entertaining by virtue of some of the most hilarious dubbing on the planet.

Franklin County Historical Hosts Christmas Tea

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The Franklin County Historical and Museum Society invites the community to its annual Christmas Tea and Open House on Saturday, December 4, 2010 from 12:00-4:00pm at the House of History Museum, 51 Milwaukee St., Malone. The museum will be decorated for the holiday and visitors will be treated to formal tea service, including delicacies, hot tea, cofee, and cider.

Tours of the museum will be available, as well as a gift raffle of items from local businesses. The gift shop will be open, with its wide selection of local history books that makes Christmas shopping easy for the history buff on your list. There is no cost to attend the tea and open house. For your convenience, membership dues for 2011 are welcome and will be accepted.

The Franklin County Historical and Museum Society, founded in 1903, is a membership organization dedicated to collecting, exhibiting and preserving the history of Franklin County, NY. The House of History museum is housed in an 1864 Italianate style building, most recently the home of the F. Roy and Elizabeth Crooks Kirk family. A museum since 1973, the House of History is home to the headquarters of the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society and its historic collections pertaining to the history of Franklin County. The recently renovated carriage house behind the museum is the beautiful Schryer Center for Historical & Genealogical Research, which opened in 2006. The Schryer Center contains archival materials and a library of family history information and is open to the public. FCHMS is supported by its members and donors and the generous support of Franklin County.

The House of History is open for tours on Tuesdays and Thursdays from 1-4pm through December 31, 2010- admission is $5/adults, $3/seniors, $2/children, and free for members. The Schryer Center for Historical & Genealogical Research is open for research Wednesday-Friday from 1-4pm October 13-May 1, weather permitting. The fee to use the research library is $10/day and free to members.

Information about Franklin County History, the collections of the museum and links to interesting historical information can be found at the Historical Society’s website.

Contact the Historical Society with questions at 518-483-2750 or [email protected].

Photo: Volunteer Pennie Sansone pours tea at the formal tea table at the Franklin County Historical & Museum Society’s annual Christmas Tea and Open House

The Jersey Greys in New York Event

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Fort Montgomery State Historic Site (690 Route 9W, Fort Montgomery, NY) will be offering an evening lecture, &#8220The 3rd New Jersey in New York: Stories from “The Jersey Greys” of 1776&#8243- on Thursday, December 2nd at 7 PM.

Speaker Philip D. Weaver will utilize correspondence, company account books, and period diaries to acquaint you with one of the best equipped, most interesting, and dysfunctional regiments in the early Continental Army, the 3rd New Jersey of 1776. Attendees will be given a quick introduction to the organization and the personalities, followed by a discussion of their New York campaign. Weaver will focus on a number of stories and anecdotes. The program will also include information on their garrisoning of Fort Stanwix and their subsequent relocation to “the old French Barracks” at Fort Ticonderoga.

This lecture is FREE and open to all. For more information or directions, call (845) 446-2134.

Image: Charles Wilson Peale portrait of then Captain Joseph Bloomfield of the 3rd New Jersey.