George Washington’s Great Gamble Author Event

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Fort Ticonderoga’s 2010 Author Series concludes on Sunday, October 17th, with James Nelson, author of George Washington’s Great Gamble: And the Sea Battle That Won the American Revolution. The program takes place in the Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center at Fort Ticonderoga at 2:00 p.m., followed by a book signing at 3:00 p.m. in the Fort Ticonderoga Museum Store. The program is included in the cost of admission.

In George Washington’s Great Gamble, Nelson tells the story of the greatest naval engagement of the American Revolution. In the opening months of 1781, General George Washington feared his army would not survive the coming campaign season. The spring and summer only served to reinforce his despair, but in late summer the changing circumstances of war presented a once-in-a-war opportunity for a French armada to hold off the mighty British navy while his own troops with French reinforcements would drive Lord Cornwallis’s forces to the Chesapeake. The Battle of the Capes would prove the only time the French ever fought the Royal Navy to a draw- but for the British army it was a catastrophe, leading to Cornwallis’s surrender at Yorktown.

James L. Nelson is the author of 15 works of fiction and nonfiction. His novels include the five books of his “Revolution at Sea” saga and three in his “Brethren of the Coast” series. His novel Glory in the Name won the American Library Association’s W.Y. Boyd Literary Award for Best Military Fiction. He is also the author of Benedict Arnold’s Navy and George Washington’s Secret Navy, which earned the Samuel Eliot Morison Award.

Northeast Natural History Conference

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The 11th Northeast Natural History Conference (NENHC) will be held on April 6-9, 2011 in Albany. The meeting will also include the historic first meeting of the new Association of Northeastern Biologists (ANB).

As in the past this conference, held at the Empire State Plaza Convention Center in Albany, promises to be the largest regional forum for researchers, natural resource managers, students, and naturalists to present current information on the varied aspects of applied field biology (freshwater, marine, and terrestrial) and natural history for the Northeastern United States and adjacent Canada.

It is hoped to serve as a premier venue to identify research and management needs, foster friendships and collegial relationships, and encourage a greater region-wide interest in natural history by bringing people with diverse backgrounds together.

Information about registration, submitting proposals for abstracts, organized sessions, workshops, field trips, and special events can be found online. Student volunteer opportunities are also available and offer free registration.

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.

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Champlain History Project Wins Prestigious Award

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A partnership of state and non-profit entities has won an important award for its project to educate Vermonters about the history and archeology of the Lake Champlain area as part of the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial.

At its recent annual conference, the American Association for State and Local History awarded the Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery project a 2010 Leadership in History Award of Merit.

“This is a special honor, and I’m grateful for the opportunity to accept the award on behalf of the partnership,” said project director Elsa Gilbertson, Regional Historic Site Administrator for the Vermont Division for Historic Preservation, which collaborated with Vermont Public Television- the Bixby Memorial Free Library in Vergennes- Broadwing Productions- and the University of Maine at Farmington Archaeological Research Center.

“I’m very proud of the Voyages project and pleased to see the work of so many people in Vermont being recognized at the national level,” said AASLH Council President David Donath, CEO of the Woodstock Foundation and member of the Vermont Advisory Council on Historic Preservation.

The two-and-a-half year project was funded by a $250,000 grant from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) as well as matching resources from the partnership, and used the 400th anniversary of Samuel de Champlain’s arrival in Lake Champlain as an opportunity to explore and bring to life the little known but internationally significant area and its peoples from 1609 to the 1760s.

“This project was a multi-disciplinary effort using archeology, historic research, film-making, museum and library outreach, and extensive local and regional participation,” said Giovanna Peebles, State Historic Preservation Officer and head of DHP. “I think it did a terrific job of portraying the Native American and other peoples and their contributions to regional and world history during this critical period in the Champlain Valley.”

It included:

* An archeological investigation with professional archeologists, educators, and volunteers at the DAR State Park in Addison to look for traces of the French colonial past-

* A Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery publication for the general public about this early history and archeological results-

* A one-hour documentary, Champlain: The Lake Between, by film maker Caro Thompson and Broadwing Productions with Vermont Public Television, which won a New England Emmy-

* Public programs and exhibits at the Chimney Point State Historic Site and Bixby Memorial Free Library-

* A special edition Champlain: The Lake Between, with “Classroom Connections” educational activities and resources distributed to schools in the Lake Champlain Basin of Vermont and New York-

* Educational kits and new books and other resources at the Bixby Memorial Free Library-

* A website with information about the project.

The AASLH Leadership in History Awards, now in its 65th year, is the most prestigious recognition in the United States for achievement in the preservation and interpretation of state and local history.

“The winners represent the best in the field and provide leadership for the future of state and local history,” said AASLH President Terry L. Davis.

DVDs of the Champlain: The Lake Between are available from Vermont Public Television by calling (802) 655-5307 and the special educational edition and the publication, Lake Champlain Voyages of Discovery, are available from the Chimney Point State Historic Site.

Educational kits are available in the local area on loan from the Bixby Memorial Free Library. For more information, visit: www.historicvermont.org/imls/lakechamplainvoyageshomepage.html

“VPT is proud to be part the Voyages of Discovery project, making this valuable content available to classroom teachers, students and lifelong learners,” said Vermont Public Television president John King.

Vermont Public Television will re-air Champlain: The Lake Between on Monday, Oct. 18, at 10:30 p.m.

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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Fort Ticonderoga Hosts Garrison Ghost Tours

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Discover the unexplained past at Fort Ticonderoga during evening Garrison Ghost Tours, Fridays and Saturdays, Oct. 22 and 23 and Oct. 29 and 30. The lantern-lit tours, offered from 7 p.m. until 9 p.m., will highlight Fort Ticonderoga’s haunted history and recount stories featured on Syfy Channel’s Ghost Hunters.

Garrison Ghost Tours, led by costumed historic interpreters carrying lanterns, allow guests to enter areas of the Fort where unexplained events have occurred. The forty-five minute walking tour in and around the Fort offers historical context to the many ghostly stories that are part of Fort Ticonderoga’s epic history. The evening tours allow guests to experience the magic of Fort Ticonderoga at night. Guests can also take their own self-guided walk to the historic American Cemetery where a costumed interpreter will share the many stories related to its interesting past.

Fort Ticonderoga has a long and often violent history. Constructed in 1755, the Fort was the scene of the bloodiest day of battle in American history prior to the Civil War when on July 8, 1758 nearly 2,000 British and Provincial soldiers were killed or wounded during a day-long battle attempting to capture the Fort from the French army. During the American Revolution nearly twenty years later thousands of American soldiers died of sickness while defending the United States from British invasion from the north.

Tickets for the Garrison Ghost Tours are $10 each and reservations are required. Call 518-585-2821 for reservations. No exchanges and refunds allowed. The Garrison Ghost Tours are a rain or shine event. Beverages and concessions are available for purchase. Garrison Ghost Tour dinner packages are available through Best Western Ticonderoga Inn & Suites. Visit www.fort-ticonderoga.org for package details.

Photo: Twilight at Fort Ticonderoga

Champlain Maritime Museum Storytelling Festival Sat

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Gather in the museum’s intimate theater or in an Adirondack-style lodge to experience lake history in song and story at Lake Champlain Maritime Museum’s Storytelling Festival, Saturday October 16. Festival activities take place from noon to 5pm, rain or shine, at the museum’s scenic campus just west of Vergennes on the shore of Lake Champlain.

At noon, Russell Van Dervoort will share family stories from over a century of adventure operating tugboats on the Hudson River, Erie and Champlain Canals. Van Dervoort will also personalize autographed copies of his new book, Canal Canaries and Other Tough Old Birds, recently published by LCMM. At 1:30pm, the student actors of Burlington’s Very Merry Theater will lead theatrical activities, games, and present a performance of The Velveteen Rabbit.

Their presentation is a special occasion at “The Roost,” LCMM’s Adirondack-style lodge that served as a children’s theater for Camp Marbury in the 1920s. At 3:00pm, the traditional musicians of Atlantic Crossing team up with LCMM director Art Cohn to offer original songs and illustrated stories of life on Lake Champlain, interweaving narration, images and music to paint a picture of Lake Champlain and its people. Along the way, Art Cohn shares his personal adventures as a nautical archaeologist and his unique perspective on the lake. The show ends with a brief discussion of the current state of lake resources and the need for conservation.

Lake Champlain Maritime Museum is open daily from 10-5. Festival admission includes all performances, a day at the museum, a 20% discount at Red Mill Restaurant, and helps preserve Lake Champlain’s history and archaeology. Enjoy over a dozen exhibit buildings, antique boats in the new Hazelett Watercraft Center, and replica historic vessels at North Harbor. Find out more online at www.lcmm.org or call 802 475-2022.

Panel: Academy of Certified Archivists Accreditation

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The Archivists Round Table of Metropolitan New York invites members and the general public to attend a panel discussion on the role of Academy of Certified Archivists accreditation in today’s professional climate. Please join ART at the Fashion Institute of Technology on Monday October 18, 2010. Panelists will represent a variety of viewpoints ranging from history and development of the ACA examination, and archivists’ experience preparing for the examination to different perspectives regarding the merits of becoming a Certified Archivist (CA).

Pam Hackbart-Dean (President of the Academy of Certified Archivists) will discuss the history and evolution of the ACA- Lois Kauffman (The Winthrop Group) and Michael Nash (NYU Tamiment) will discuss the merits of the examination for both archivists and organizations- Susan Woodland (Hadassah Archives) a recent ACA certified archivist will discuss her experiences preparing for the examination- and Susan Hamson (Columbia University) will discuss different modes of assessment of our profession.

Panelists include:

Pam Hackbart-Dean is Director of the Special Collections Research Center at Southern Illinois University Carbondale. She is currently president of the Academy of Certified Archivists. She has been a member of the Academy since 1992.

Susan Woodland has been Archivist at Hadassah since 1996, where she is now Director of the Archives. She recently passed her examination and is now a Certified Archivist.

Lois Kauffman has been an archivist with The Winthrop Group since 2004. She holds an M.A. in Art History from the University of Missouri-Kansas City, and is certified by the Academy of Certified Archivists

Susan Hamson, Curator of Manuscripts and University Archives at Columbia University Libraries

Michael Nash, Head of the Tamiment Library and Robert F. Wagner Labor Archives.

Date: Monday, October 18, 2010

Place: Fashion Institute of Technology|SUNY, 7th Avenue at 27th Street, Manhattan. Katie Murphy Auditorium, D Building, Ground Floor, Northwest corner

Time: 6:30-8:30 Panel Discussion followed by a Q&A

Directions: http://www.fitnyc.edu/1888.asp

Fee: $5.00 to members of the Archivists Round Table and faculty, staff, and students of FIT. $10.00 admission for all others

RSVP: To Jennifer Anna at [email protected] by October 16. Please provide first and last name of all people attending under your RSVP message within the body of message.

Learning in New York:NYC’s Historic Schools and Libraries

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Join the Historic Districts Council, the advocate for New York City’s historic neighborhoods, for ”Learning in New York” a series of programs exploring the City’s fascinating collection of 19th and 20th century educational buildings.

The entire series is available for $60/$40 for Friends, seniors & students. Advance reservations are required. Tickets can be ordered online, calling 212-614-9107 or e-mailing [email protected].

The Architecture of Knowledge: New York City’s Historic Schools and Libraries
Tuesday, October 19, 6:30pm, LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, Manhattan
Fee: $35/$25 for Friends, seniors & students.

This panel will examine the architecture of school and library buildings across New York City, highlighting their history as well as reuse and restoration. Bruce Nelligan of Nelligan White Architects will showcase his firm’s renovations to historic schools in The Bronx, Manhattan and Queens, ranging from 1893-1930, highlighting discoveries about evolving construction techniques and various approaches to rehabilitation. Throughout the five boroughs, there are 55 public libraries still existing of the original 67 built with industrialist Andrew Carnegie’s support. Rashmi Sen, principal of Sen Architects will discuss her firm’s work renovating several Carnegie Libraries in Brooklyn and The Bronx. Through her efforts, these libraries have been successfully updated and modernized, while retaining and restoring their distinctive historic features. Jean Arrington is a scholar of C. B. J. Snyder, New York City School Superintendent from 1891 to 1923, who designed and constructed more than 400 new buildings and additions. Ms. Arrington will discuss Snyder and how he changed school design both in New York and nationally. This program will be a good introduction for attendees of the related walking tour that is part of this series.

An Educational Walk Through Chinatown: C.B.J. Snyder’s Schools, Andrew Carnegie’s Libraries and Everything In Between
Saturday, October 23, 11:00am, exact location announced upon registration
$35/$25 Friends, students & seniors

The second program of the series will be a walking tour highlighting the rich architectural legacy of public educational buildings in New York City through an examination of those schools designed by Superintendent C. B. J. Snyder, several Carnegie Libraries and other institutions of learning throughout Chinatown. Snyder scholar Jean Arrington will co-lead this tour and discuss several extant Snyder school buildings in the neighborhood, some of which are now being adaptively reused. Tour co-leader and noted guide Justin Ferate will explain the interesting historic development of this diverse immigrant neighborhood, visiting other significant institutional buildings including two existing Carnegie Libraries at Chatham Square and Seward Park.

Learning On Screen: New York City Schools in Popular Film

Wednesday, November 3, 6:30pm, LGBT Community Center, 208 West 13th Street, Manhattan
Fee: $15/$10 for Friends, seniors & students

New York City schools have been the backdrops for some of film’s most celebrated moments, from “Blackboard Jungle” to “Fame”. This fun and informative program explores the portrayal of New York schools in popular film throughout the twentieth century. The program will be led by architectural historian and educator John Kriskiewicz.

A Call to Record Veterans’ Histories

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Librarian of Congress James H. Billington has issued a call to action to all Americans. During the Veterans History Project’s 10th Anniversary Commemoration Sept. 29, he launched a new campaign asking America to &#8220collect and preserve the story of at least one veteran&#8221 and to &#8220pledge to preserve this important part of American history.&#8221 Time is of the essence, he added: &#8220Help us gather in the accounts of 10,000 veterans by Veterans Day.&#8221

Congress created The Veterans History Project in 2000 as a national documentation program of the American Folklife Center (www.loc.gov/folklife/) to record, preserve and make accessible the firsthand remembrances of American wartime veterans from World War I through the current conflicts in Iraq and Afghanistan, so that future generations may hear directly from veterans and better understand the realities of war. More than 68,000 individual stories comprise the collection to date.

The project relies on volunteers to record veterans’ remembrances using guidelines accessible at www.loc.gov/vets/. Volunteer interviewers may request information at [email protected] or the toll-free message line at (888) 371-5848.