Archives Month: Palisades Interstate Park Commission

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October is New York State Archives and National Archives Month, a time to celebrate and promote the rich and diverse documentary heritage of our great state by increasing public awareness of archival materials and repositories and by acknowledging the importance of our records keepers.

Archives are essential to the historical record and include a wide range of document types, including letters, legal records, transcripts, diaries, newspapers, photographs, reports, architectural drawings, manuscripts, artifacts, audio and video records, and materials in electronic formats.

The Palisades Interstate Park Commission has 110 years worth of archives in all of these categories. The PIPC’s archives are currently housed in a former naval barrack on the Iona Island Estuarine and Bird Sanctuary. The vast collection, which documents the creation and development of the nation’s first interstate park, is an important resource for historians, environmental advocates, and archaeologists. From the documentation of the movement to stop the destruction of the Palisades cliffs, the collection of statistics of multiple natural studies, to the reports and hearings that form the genesis of today’s environmental movement at Storm King Mountain, to the creation of its 28 parks and historic sites, PIPC’s archival holdings are a largely untapped Hudson Valley treasure.

Palisade’s archives are divided into four disciplines: Archaeology and Native Americans, Historical Photographs, Research Library, and Park History. Researchers, educators, and authors have used items in the collection for unlimited projects including books, films, newspaper articles, and lectures.

But like many repositories of history, the PIPC Archive is in serious need of improvement. Only generally organized, volunteers and funding are greatly needed for database entry, cataloging, digitizing documents, and general upkeep.

The Commission is grateful for its first archive grant given by the Nyack based Austin Stokes Ancient Americas Foundation in support of the PIPC Native American collection. This funding allowed the protection of this invaluable collection.

But, much more is needed. For example, of the approximately 100,000 photographs located in the collection, less than five percent have been digitized and catalogued. And the facility in which the archives are stored, originally a barracks from when Iona Island was a naval munitions factory for World Wars I & II, lacks climate control, a critical component in the preservation of any archive.

If you are interested in assisting the Palisades Interstate Park Commission to preserve and make available this unique collection, please contact Susan E. Smith, PIPC Research and Development Director, at [email protected].

Photo: The Carpenter Quarry, Fort Lee, NJ.

77th New York Regimental Balladeers at Olana

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Sunday, October 10th, from 1-3 p.m., at Olana State Historic Site, the New York 77th Regimental Balladeers will reenact musical selections from the Civil War era.

Co-founded by John C. Quinn and Michael Yates, the 77th New York Regimental Balladeers are dedicated to preserving the songs, history and spirit of the 1860s. John, Mike, and fellow Balladeers John Perreault, Jim Broden and Kathleen Ross use the original Civil War music arrangements and lyrics to convey the thoughts, motives, and sorrows of the men and women who lived during one of the most defining periods of our American heritage. The songs are sung as they would have been performed in camp or the family parlor 138 years ago.

A $5 per vehicle grounds fee includes the performance. 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. Children under age 12 receive free tour tickets! Call 518-828-0135 for information.

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.olana.org for more information.

Exhibit: The Trail of Red Jacket

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The Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society has announced the opening of &#8220Fact, Fiction & Spectacle: The Trial of Red Jacket.&#8221 This major exhibit centers on the colossal painting, &#8220The Trial of Red Jacket,&#8221 by John Mix Stanley, from the museum’s collection. The show opens to the public on October 8, 2010, and runs through August 7, 2011.

The exhibit will tell the stories behind the canvas through the exploration of four major themes. These themes will include the artist, John Mix Stanley (1814-1872)- the social dynamic of life on the Buffalo Creek Reservation- Native American clothing, jewelry and accessories- and the question of why Red Jacket so captured the public’s imagination.

The museum’s 1,800-square-foot Erie County Gallery will be utilized for the exhibit. Upon entering, visitors are greeted a brief introductory video, featuring WGRZ Channel 2 anchor Scott Levin- he will welcome visitors and give an overview of the exhibit.

The first section showcases the dramatic nine-foot wide painting, The Trial of Red Jacket (1862-1868). It will be gloriously draped in red velvet and lit up with period-inspired footlights- the elaborate canvas will be shown as it would have been in its heyday. Like other paintings of this period, it was more than just a painting- it was an &#8220event&#8221 and a social document. When the painting toured around the country, people lined up to pay to see it, sometimes multiple times.

Stanley’s attention to technical detail is undeniable. Upon examination however, his manipulation of the historical record is revealed. The exhibit story pushes beyond the visual experience, exploring aspects of the painting, its creation, its content and the times during which it was made. Inaccuracies revealed by historic &#8220detective work&#8221 pose new questions- encourage and engage visitors.

In a second video installation, the artist John Mix Stanley will be portrayed by actor Todd Benzin (with costumes by theater professional Kari Drozd). This will be shown in an interactive wall portrait. It discusses his life and times, how he marketed the painting and chromolithographs of it, creating an oral history of how the painting was perceived by the public, its importance and the drama that surrounded it.

Authentic examples of the Native American clothing and accessories depicted in the painting will be an exhibit focal point. Juxtaposing Stanley’s rendering, locally made, period reproductions of Seneca clothing will also be showcased. Interpretive text written by scholar Dr. Alyssa Mt. Pleasant, examines aspects of life on the Buffalo Creek Reservation and reveals the central figures captured on canvas. Themes of why the Reservation existed and what life was like there around 1800 will also be explored.

The last section looks into why Red Jacket himself so captured the public’s imagination and attention. Many additional portraits of him from the Historical Society and others’ collections will be included. The section also includes vintage documents, and one of the country’s most celebrated artifacts, the Peace Medal given to Red Jacket by President George Washington, a rarely displayed item.

Draft Statewide Trails Plan Available for Review

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State Parks has released a draft New York Statewide Trails Plan, which sets out to provide the policy direction for the planning, development and management of a statewide trail system.

A public hearing on the Draft Plan/Draft Generic Environmental Impact Statement will be held Tuesday, October 19th, 2010 at 7:00 pm in the Gideon Putnam Room, Administration Building, Saratoga Spa State Park, Saratoga Springs, NY. State Parks’ staff will make a brief presentation about the plan and receive public comments.

Plans are available for review on the agency’s website at as well as at OPRHP Regional Offices, DEC Regional Offices, and OPRHP, Agency Building 1, 17th Floor, Albany.

Pre-hearing webinars will be offered on Wednesday, October 13, 2010 from 7:00 &#8211 8:00 pm and Thursday, October 14, 2010 from 1:00 – 2:00 pm. The webinars will include a presentation of the draft plan and offer an opportunity for questions and answers. People wishing to participate should email notification of interest to: [email protected] or call 518-474-5578. Instructions for access to the webinar will be emailed shortly before the webinar dates. Participation requires telephone and Internet access.

Written comments on the Draft Statewide Trails Plan will be accepted until November 1, 2010 and can be submitted to the agency contact below or emailed to [email protected].

Agency Contact:

Nancy Stoner
Bureau of Resource and Facility Planning
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation
Agency Building 1, 17th Floor
Empire State Plaza
Albany, NY 12238
518-474-5578
518-474-7013 (Fax)

New Database: Participants at the Battles of Saratoga

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Do you have an ancestor who served in the 1777 Battles of Saratoga? Saratoga National Historical Park, in partnership with Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County, announces that starting on Thursday, October 14th, a free, computer-based, accessible research tool, &#8216-Participants at the Battles of Saratoga’, will be available in the park’s visitor center, open daily from 9am to 5pm.

The easy-to-use, touch screen database program was created by members of Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County, New York, a society dedicated to the study of historical and genealogical records in the area. The information is also on their website, but now will be readily available for any of the 150,000 visitors who annually visit Saratoga National Historical Park and wish to investigate their ancestor’s service here.

Park Superintendent Joe Finan said, “Imagine finding your ancestor’s information recorded from sources over 230 years old and then going out on the battlefield and standing where they did. It will be a deeply moving experience for thousands of park visitors. We greatly appreciate the work of Heritage Hunters.”

Frank Goodway, project coordinator for Heritage Hunters, noted that there are currently over 15,000 participants listed with about 2,500 more available that he and Fletcher Blanchard are currently adding. Pat Peck has recently taken on the task of editing these records. Additionally, some records include family information as well as military records, and more family data is planned to be added in the future.

For over a decade, members of Heritage Hunters have been diligently collecting data from over one hundred reference sources, including pension records, pay-lists, and muster rolls, to obtain names and information about American soldiers who participated at the 1777 Battles of Saratoga. The list is continually updated by Heritage Hunters.

In the next few years, Saratoga NHP staff will enhance the database to include GPS coordinates so that visitors can go to the exact area where their ancestor’s units fought. In addition, the park will also add a database of British soldiers and their allies who fought here. For now, records about British forces are available by making an appointment with Park Ranger and Historian Eric Schnitzer.

Saratoga National Historical Park is located on Route 4 and 32 in Stillwater. For more information about the park and programs call 518.664.9821 ext. 224 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/sara.

Free Admission to Adirondack Museum For Locals

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The Adirondack Museum is once again extending an invitation to year-round residents of the Adirondack Park to visit free of charge from October 1 &#8211 18, 2010. Through this annual gift to close friends and neighbors, the museum welcomes visitors from all corners of the Adirondack Park. Proof of residency &#8211 such as a driver’s license, passport, or voter registration card &#8211 is required.

The museum is open daily, 10:00 a.m. until 5:00 p.m., through October 18, 2010. There is still plenty of time to enjoy the museum’s three special exhibits: &#8220Common Threads: 150 Years of Adirondack Quilts and Comforters,&#8221 &#8220Let’s Eat! Adirondack Food Traditions,&#8221 and &#8220A &#8216-Wild, Unsettled Country’: Early Reflections of the Adirondacks.&#8221

In addition to &#8220Common Threads&#8221 visitors can see contemporary quilts on display in the &#8220Great Adirondack Quilt Show&#8221 through October 18. The special show features nearly fifty quilts inspired by or used in the Adirondack Mountains.

NNY Museums, History Scaled Back Over Economy

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The Adirondack Museum in Blue Mountain Lake has announced that it will close it’s satellite retail store in Lake Placid on October 30th. The store, which opened in 2003, was an initial step in the museum’s long-range plan to reach out to communities in the Adirondack Park. Lake Placid was considered by museum officials to be the best place to begin.

&#8220The subsequent and continuing economic downturn have forced a strategic re-thinking of the museum’s plans,&#8221 Adirodnack Museum spokesperson Katherine Moore told the press in a recent announcement. &#8220At the present time it is no longer feasible to operate two retail operations and maintain a growing online sales presence.&#8221 The museum will concentrate its efforts and financial resources on the Blue Mountain Lake campus Moore told the press.

It’s the second set-back for the Adirondack Museum in Lake Placid. In June of 2008, the museum ended its plan to erect a building on Main Street to house a new branch of the museum and its existing store. That decision was made &#8220very reluctantly&#8221 museum officials said, citing a strained economic situation.

Last year, Adirondack Museum Marketing Director Susan Dineen told WNBZ that they were feeling the effects of the recession. “Like many large nonprofit institutions, our endowment has seen a downturn,” she told Chris Morris, “It’s unavoidable.” Dineen said today that the museum has not yet instituted a museum-wide hiring freeze or any layoffs. However, three employees at the Lake Placid store have been notified that their positions will be eliminated.

The Adirondack Museum’s economic travails are part of wider trend for local historical organizations. First Fort Ticonderoga faced financial ruin after Deborah Mars, a Ticonderoga native married to the billionaire co-owner of the Mars candy company Forrest Mars Jr., bailed on her long-time support for the fort just before completion of a new $23 million Deborah Clarke Mars Education Center. The Mars paid for nearly all of the new building’s construction but left before it was finished leaving Fort Ti about two million dollars in debt.

Then there was the well-publicized New York State Historic Site closure debacle that threatened the John Brown Farm in Essex County and the Macomb Reservation State Park and Point Au Roche State Park, both in Clinton County.

The long-awaited preservation of Rogers Island in Fort Edward is on hold after preservation funds dried up in July. Earlier this month, Governor David Paterson vetoed a bill that would have funded the celebration of the 200th Anniversary of America’s Second War of Independence, the War of 1812.

The news about the Adirondack Museum’s retreat was not the only troubling local museum news this week. The Lake Champlain Maritime Museum (LCMM) abandoned its plan to occupy a 7,000 square foot former generating plant on the Burlington waterfront. The LCMM had planned an installation of the museum’s collection of historic shipwrecks.

“The City of Burlington has done an outstanding job putting together a sound plan for redeveloping the Moran site, but the Maritime Museum has significant concerns about our ability to raise sufficient funds to participate in the project and the long-term financial sustainability of a future Moran maritime museum site. We felt our continued participation in the project, given our funding concerns, was not helpful to the City in meeting their overall goal of redeveloping the Moran site,” Art Cohn, Executive Director of the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum, announced.

Photo: The Adirondack Museum’s store on Main Street in Lake Placid. Photo courtesy Sarah and Marc Galvin, Owners of The Bookstore Plus in Lake Placid.

The Black Pirate Showing in Albany

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&#8220The Black Pirate&#8221 (United States, 1926, 94 minutes, color, silent with live piano accompaniment provided by Mike Schiffer) will be shown on Friday, October 15 at 7:30 p.m. in the Recital Hall, Performing Arts Center, on the University at Albany’s uptown campus. Sponsored by the New York State Writers Institute, the screening is free and open to the public.

Starring the greatest of all swashbucklers, Douglas Fairbanks (who also wrote the script), &#8220The Black Pirate&#8221 is widely hailed as one of the most spectacular action films of the silent era. Directed by Albert Parker, the film also pioneered the art of color with its use of &#8220two-strip Technicolor.&#8221

For additional information contact the Writers Institute at 518-442-5620 or online at http://www.albany.edu/writers-inst.

Study: Audio Preservation, Access in Dire State

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Digital technology alone will not ensure the preservation and survival of the nation’s sound history. That is one of the findings in a major study released by the Library of Congress National Recording Preservation Board (NRPB) detailing the state of sound-recording preservation and access. The study was mandated by the U.S. Congress under the &#8220National Recording Preservation Act of 2000&#8243- (P.L. 106-174) and is the first comprehensive study on a national level that examines the state of America’s sound-recording preservation ever conducted in the United States.

Titled &#8220The State of Recorded Sound Preservation in the United States: A National Legacy at Risk in the Digital Age,&#8221 the study outlines the interlocking issues that now threaten the long-term survival of America’s sound-recording history. It also identifies the public and private policy issues that strongly bear on whether the nation’s most culturally and historically important sound recordings will be preserved for future generations.

Although public institutions, libraries and archives hold an estimated 46 million recordings, the study finds that major areas of America’s recorded sound heritage have already deteriorated or remain inaccessible to the public. Only an estimated 14 percent of pre-1965 commercially released recordings are currently available from rights-holders. Of music released in the United States in the 1930s, only about 10 percent of it can now be readily accessed by the public.

In his introduction to the study, Librarian of Congress James H. Billington noted: &#8220Sound recordings have existed as one of the most salient features of America’s cultural landscape for more than 130 years. As a nation, we have good reason to be proud of our historical record of creativity in the sound-recording arts and sciences. However, our collective energy in creating and consuming sound recordings in all genres has not been matched by an equal level of interest, over the same period of time, in preserving them for posterity.&#8221

Authored by Rob Bamberger and Sam Brylawski under the auspices of NRPB, the study points out the lack of conformity between federal and state laws, which has adversely affected the survival of pre-1972 sound recording. One of the major conclusions in the report is that the advent of digital technologies and distribution platforms has made inseparable the issues surrounding both the preservation of sound recordings and access to them.

The authors also conclude that analog recordings made more than 100 years ago are likelier to survive than digital recordings made today. In addition, the report warns that there must be a coordinated effort by the various stakeholders to address the scope of the problem, the complexity of the technical landscape, the need for preservation education and the copyright conundrum.

Finally, the report notes that newer materials such as born-digital audio are at greater risk of loss than older recordings, such as 78-rpm discs- that there is a lack of a comprehensive program to preserve born-digital audio- and that open-reel preservation tapes made in the 1970s and 1980s are deteriorating faster than older tape recordings. For more findings from the report, review the appendix at www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/PR10-194SRstudyAppendixwithkeyfindings.pdf and the introduction/executive summary at www.loc.gov/today/pr/2010/CLIRpub148Intro.pdf.

&#8220The State of Recorded Sound Preservation in the United States: A National Legacy at Risk in the Digital Age&#8221 is available for purchase and as a free download at www.clir.org/pubs/abstract/pub148abst.html. Information for this study was gathered through interviews, public hearings and written submissions. NRPB previously commissioned five ancillary studies in support of this final report, which will lay the groundwork for the National Recording Preservation Plan, to be developed and published later this year.

The Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation has already begun initiatives to solve some of the problems identified during preparation of the study. For example, the Recorded Sound Section of the Packard Campus has obtained a license to stream acoustical recordings controlled by the Sony Music Entertainment for the Library of Congress National Jukebox, which will debut later in 2010.

The Library of Congress Packard Campus for Audio Visual Conservation is a state-of-the-art facility funded as a gift to the nation by the Packard Humanities Institute. The Packard Campus is the site where the nation’s library acquires, preserves and provides access to the world’s largest and most comprehensive collection of motion pictures, television programs, radio broadcasts and sound recordings (www.loc.gov/avconservation/). The Packard Campus is home to more than six million collection items, including nearly three million sound recordings. It provides staff support for the Library of Congress National Film Preservation Board, the National Recording Preservation Board, and the National Registries for film and recorded sound.

Photo: Vice-President Elect Harry Truman’s family listening to election returns, 1944.