Adirondack Museum Announces Winter Programs

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The Adirondack Museum at Blue Mountain Lake has announced its 2010 Cabin Fever Sunday schedule. Complete information about all of the Cabin Fever Sunday programs can be found on the Adirondack Museum’s web site at www.adirondackmuseum.org.

In addition to the cabin fever programs, the museum will introduce a program in North Creek, on January 10th, entitled &#8220North Creek Songs and Stories &#8211 Working for the Man.&#8221 The special presentation will feature folktales and music from the region’s mining and logging industries with Lee Knight and Christine Campeau.

Here’s what’s on the Cabin Fever Sunday schedule:

Jan. 17, &#822019th Century Magic and Beyond,&#8221 a magic show featuring Tom Verner

Feb. 14, &#8220Passion in the Park,&#8221 Valentine’s Day presentation with Curator Hallie Bond

Feb. 28, &#8220Rosin & Rhyme&#8221 with Bill Smith and Don Woodcock, at Saranac Village at Will Rogers

Mar. 14, &#8220Epic Stories of the Iroquois,&#8221 by Darren Bonaparte

Mar. 28, &#8220Moose on the Loose in the Adirondacks,&#8221 with Ed Reed

Apr. 11, &#8220An Armchair Paddlers’ Guide to the Schroon River&#8221 by Mike Prescott

Photo: A vintage valentine from the collection of the Adirondack Museum.

This Weeks New York History Web Highlights

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Each Friday New York History compiles for our readers the week’s best stories and links from the web about the history of New York. You can find all our weekly web highlights here.

150th Commemoration of John Brown Events Planned

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Margaret Gibbs, Director of the Essex County Historical Society / Adirondack History Center Museum in Elizabethtown has sent along the following notice of the 150th Commemoration of John Brown scheduled for December 6th. Regular readers of my other online project Adirondack Almanack know that I have been writing a series of posts on John Brown, his anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry Virginia, subsequent capture, trial, and execution. You can read the entire series here.

Here is the press release outlining the commemoration events:

On Sunday, December 6, 2009 the Adirondack History Center Museum is commemorating John Brown on the 150th anniversary of his death and the return of his body to Essex County. Events are scheduled in Westport and Elizabethtown in recognition of the role Essex County citizens played at the time of the return of John Brown’s body to his final resting place in North Elba. In the cause of abolition, John Brown raided the U. S. arsenal at Harper’s Ferry, Virginia on the night of October 16, 1859. The raid resulted in the capture of John Brown and the deaths of his sons Oliver & Watson and his sons-in-law William and Dauphin Watson. John Brown was tried in Charles Town, Virginia on charges of treason and inciting slaves to rebellion and murder. He was found guilty and hanged on December 2, 1859.

John Brown’s body was transported from Harper’s Ferry to Vergennes, VT, accompanied by his widow, Mary Brown. From Vermont the body was taken across Lake Champlain by sail ferry to Barber’s Point in Westport, and the journey continued through the Town of Westport and on to Elizabethtown. The funeral cortege arrived in Elizabethtown at 6 o’clock on the evening of December 6th 1859. The body of John Brown was taken to the Essex County Court House and “watched” through the night by four local young men. Mary Brown and her companions spent the night across the street at the Mansion House, now known as the Deer’s Head Inn. On the morning of December 7th the party continued on to North Elba. The burial of John Brown was on December 8th attended by many residents of Essex County.

The commemorative program on December 6th begins at 1:00 pm at the Westport Heritage House with award-winning author Russell Banks reading from his national bestselling novel, Cloudsplitter, about John Brown, his character and his part in the abolitionist movement. The program continues with a lecture by Don Papson, John Brown and the Underground Railroad, on whether or not Brown sheltered runaway slaves at his North Elba farm. Don Papson is the founding President of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association. The program continues in Elizabethtown at 3:30 pm at the United Church of Christ with The Language that Shaped the World, a tapestry of sounds, stories and characters portraying the human spirit and the fight for freedom. At 4:30 pm a procession follows John Brown’s coffin from the United Church of Christ to the Old Essex County Courthouse. At 5:00 pm the public may pay their respects at the Old Essex County Courthouse with the coffin lying in state. The program concludes at 5:30 PM with a reception held at the Deer’s Head Inn.

The cost for all events of the day including the Deer’s Head Inn reception is $40 ticket, or a $15 donation covers the programs at the Westport Heritage House and The Language that Shaped the World only. Reservations are requested. The procession and Courthouse are free and open to the public. The Westport Heritage House is located at 6459 Main Street, Westport, NY. The United Church of Christ, is located beside the museum on Court Street, Elizabethtown, NY. For more information, please contact the museum at 518-873-6466 or email [email protected].

The December 6th program is part of a series of events from December 4-8, 2009 presented for the John Brown Coming Home Commemoration through the Lake Placid/Essex County Visitors Bureau. For a complete schedule of events go to www.johnbrowncominghome.com.

NYS Museum Chocolate Expo, Holiday Gift Market

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Shoppers can sample chocolate treats, listen to holiday carolers and purchase hand-crafted gifts from more than 40 vendors at the New York State Museum’s fourth annual Chocolate Expo & Holiday Gift Market on Sunday, December 6.

The Expo, from 11 a.m. to 4:30 p.m., will offer samples and sales of chocolates, desserts, wines and specialty foods. Vendors from New York State and New England will also sell a variety of hand-crafted jewelry, glassware, ornaments, handmade bath and skincare products, clothing and accessories.

There also will be two chocolate fountains stations, free to all visitors, compliments of Price Chopper, presenting sponsor, and We Do Fondue. From 1:15 until 2:30 p.m., Vocal Point, South Glens Falls High School’s premier choral ensemble, will perform a wide variety of holiday music, representing various traditions, beliefs and cultures from around the world. The school’s flute choir will also perform from 2:30-3 p.m.

As a special promotion, visitors who purchase a State Museum membership will be eligible to win a gift basket full of products from Expo vendors. Many products offered at the Chocolate Expo are made using fresh, locally produced ingredients. Products will include organic and hand-dipped chocolates, chocolate fudge, candy, and several varieties of truffles, including vegan. Specialty foods and beverages will include homemade gourmet sauces, pesto, and wines “with an attitude.”

Other gift items will include chemical-free soaps, hand creams and bath products- handmade jewelry and Italian glass beads- hand-swirled glassware- hand-painted Christmas ornaments and children’s clothing- hand-knit sweaters and accessories, including scarves, hats and mittens made from hand-spun llama yarn.

Hyde Exhibition of Modern Art to Open November 28

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This Saturday, November 28, The Hyde Collection will open Divided by a common language? British and American Works from The Murray Collection. The exhibition of approximately twenty works of Modern art from the twentieth century are part of a larger collection donated to the Museum by the late Jane Murray.

Between 1991 and 1996, Murray gave nearly sixty works of Modern art to the Museum, the first significant donation of twentieth-century art received by The Hyde. An additional group of works was bequeathed by Murray upon her death earlier this year. This donation helped to form the foundation of the Museum’s Modernist holdings.

The exhibit, curated by The Hyde’s Executive Director David F. Setford, celebrates the works donated by Murray and reflects the breadth of her collection, while looking at differences and similarities between British and American Modernism. Artists represented in the exhibition include Britain’s Ben Nicholson, Barbara Hepworth, John Piper, Howard Hodgkin, and Paul Mount. American artists include Gregory Amenoff, Betty Parsons, Stuart Davis, and Ellsworth Kelly.

“This exhibition was organized as a tribute to Jane Murray’s legacy,” said Setford, “Her generosity to our Museum is only surpassed by the attention she paid in selecting works for her impressive Modern art collection.“

According to Setford, the exhibition pieces were selected to help visitors examine the similarities and differences between American and British works of the period, as both are areas of particular strength in the Murray Collection.

The exhibition in Hoopes Gallery will be open through Sunday, February 28, 2010. Admission to the Museum complex is free for members. Voluntary suggested donation for non-members is five dollars. For more information, contact The Hyde Collection at 518-792-1761 or visit www.hydecollection.org.

 

Vermont Downtown Projects Honored at State Conference

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Vermont’s downtowns and village centers have been in the spotlight recently for efforts to make them more vibrant and prosperous. The Green Mountain Awards were part of the Vermont Downtown Program’s annual Downtown Conference in Middlebury last week, which celebrated 11 years of revitalizing Vermont.

“These awards recognize the hard work and dedication to community revitalization that goes on in so many Vermont towns,” said Joss Besse, Director of the Division of Community Planning and Revitalization. “Our downtowns and village centers are so critical to our way of life, and much of the effort that sustains them is volunteer.”

One of the award winners was the venue that hosted the awards – Middlebury’s Town Hall Theatre, which had fallen into serious disrepair after it was abandoned as the municipal offices years ago, won the Best Building Renovation award.

“In addition to restoring a landmark building in a prominent location, this building is providing a space for many uses that can help ensure the long term economic vitality of a historic downtown in changing times,” Besse said.

The Best Economic Restructuring Story award went to the Downtown Rutland Partnership for their “Free Rent For A Year” initiative, which provided funding for a new or relocating business in Downtown Rutland to.

“Facing an all-too-common problem for downtowns – vacant retail space – the Partnership came up with an innovative solution that brought positive statewide attention to the city and helped bring a new business downtown,” said Besse.

In addition to providing training, technical assistance, and administering grant and tax credit programs, the Downtown Program also oversees designation of downtowns and village centers.

To date, 23 downtowns and 94 village centers are designated and all older and historic buildings in these designated areas are eligible for these investment incentives.

To become a Designated Downtown, communities must have both a downtown revitalization organization and demonstrate their commitment and capacity to support such a program, as well as meet several other requirements. Village Centers go through a similar, but abbreviated process.

Designated communities become eligible to compete for funding for building rehabilitation and safety improvements, and transportation projects.

The award winners announced at the Green Mountain Awards Luncheon:

Best Building Renovation
The Town Hall Theatre, Middlebury
The restoration/renovation has restored original detail to the interior and exterior, including windows throughout the building- installing the town’s original bell in the bell tower- and installing a weather vane similar to the original.

The restoration/renovation project has allowed a state of the art performance space, art gallery, and dance studio to be created within a 19th century building. The Town Hall Theatre will play a pivotal role in bringing residents and visitors to Middlebury for many years to come.

Best Public Space Improvement
Bank Lot Park, Wilmington

Best Public space improvement is given to a community that has demonstrated a willingness to invest in public space improvements as an integral part of a community revitalization effort.

On Easter Sunday, April 7, 2007, one of Wilmington’s landmark buildings, the old bank building burned to the ground. One third of the land fell into the Deerfield River as a wooden retaining wall also burned and gave way.

After a special town meeting, a plan was developed including a special set of criteria created by The Beautification Committee with the goal of creating a “gathering place” both for community and for tourists to enjoy.

After a planning grant and approval by the citizens at town meeting, funding was secured and work began. After much hard work and volunteer hours, the Wilmington community’s Bank Lot Park was completed in May of 2009.

Best General Image Campaign
Destination Historic Poultney, Poultney

The general image award honors any campaign designed to improve the overall perception of a downtown or village center. Poultney took the position that historic preservation is integral to a vital downtown and village center. They adopted in their Economic Development Strategy opportunities that stress the area’s cultural, historical and recreational assets. Believing such, Poultney created Destination Historic Poultney – Historic Walking & Driving Tours – comprised of a website, C.D.s and brochures. The website offers the tours as streaming audio, downloadable MP3 files and a podcast with photographs accompanying the audio.

The production was a community partnership involving the Town of Poultney, The Poultney Downtown Revitalization Committee, the Poultney Historical Society and Green Mountain College. Teams of GMC students and Historical Society members collected oral histories from longtime Poultney residents. The Society advised the College’s Communications class in taping those histories as well as in collecting crucial historical data for use in writing the tours.

As a result, the community has seen increased, community enrichment and the ultimate goal to promote Poultney as a destination for historic tourism.

Best Special Event
Pocock Rocks Music Festival and Street Faire, Bristol

The Bristol Downtown Community Partnership sought to create an event that involved the broad spectrum of the community and to celebrate what makes Bristol special and its heritage.

Bristol was founded in 1762 and originally named Pocock, after a British Admiral, so the Promotions Committee picked that name for the event and the date of June 20th and began the planning.

The goals were to showcase downtown, support downtown businesses, involve diverse groups, support the arts, and celebrate the Lake Champlain Quadricentennial.

Despite the challenging economy, the promotions committee secured three major media sponsors the Addison Independent, 99.9 The Buzz, and Spin Creative which provided marketing expertise.

On the day of the event they closed off the street and filled it with local food booths, arts, crafts and businesses in celebration of the town and its history. Local bands played in the street and young and old enjoyed the sounds, shopped and ate, and Pocock Rocks has now become the annual signature event for the Bristol Downtown Community Partnership.

Organizational Excellence
RUDAT-Building a New Newport, Newport

To create a durable vision plan for Newport, the Newport City Renaissance Corporation board of directors engaged in a Regional Urban Design Assistance Team (RUDAT) visit, a 5-day resource team visit from experts with the American Institute of Architects that blend citizens concerns with national quality expertise in town planning, landscape architecture and Historic Preservation.

From November 2008 to April 2009 the NCRC board of directors and a steering committee of 25 began to plan to for the comprehensive visit. During the March 2009 RUDAT visit, nearly 30 volunteers assisted the eight member team and over 150 community members participated in three separate community forums to create the vision for a “New Newport.”

As a result of the visit and the RUDAT report, action plans have been developed with direct recommendations for the Promotions, Design and Economic Development subcommittees.

Additionally, The NCRC received over 50 letters of support for its USDA Rural Business Opportunity Grant application and the result was a grant award for $120,000 toward resource development that will assist in sustaining the organiz
ation over a two year period.

Best Economic Restructuring Story
Downtown Rutland Partnership’s Free Rent For A Year Initiative, Rutland

Converting underutilized space in the downtown into economically productive property helps boost profitability and creates economic vitality. In an effort to help build business in uncertain economic times, the Downtown Rutland Partnership launched a new initiative called Free Rent For A Year in Downtown Rutland to one new or relocating business into downtown.

The award went to a new retail business that was located in a first floor vacancy and signed a three year lease. From this new downtown business a retail incubator of artisans has been created in an attempt to fill other downtown vacancies. It has been a remarkable success and the Partnership plans on rolling out phase two of the program later this year.

Outstanding Staff Achievement
Karen Bresnahan of Downtown St. Albans, St. Albans

Karen Bresnahan of Downtown St. Albans was nominated for the award by fellow downtown director, Michael Coppinger, of the Rutland Downtown Partnership. He praised Bresnahan for her collaboration in working with other downtown directors, and for her work on St. Alban’s master plan, saying “This plan shows great vision and it will lead to the continued success and sustainability of her downtown community.” Coppinger noted Bresnahan’s direct support Rutland established a relationship with a real estate developer working in both communities.

Volunteer of the Year
Paul Trudell of the Morristown Alliance for Culture and Commerce, Morristown

This award is granted to an individual who has exhibited a commitment to the community’s business district revitalization efforts through the unselfish donation of time and talent. Paul Trudell of The Morristown Alliance for Culture and Commerce has volunteered his services to the various “downtown” efforts in Morristown even before it was a “Designated Downtown.”

Trudell has been on the MACC board since its creation and has played a vital role in almost every grant written and awarded by providing professional drawings, such as streetscape improvements and building facades. He has also worked with downtown property owners assisting them with drawings for improvements to their building facades and helping with tax credit applications. Trudell has also been on the street helping to plant trees, spread mulch and fill the 60 planters distributed around downtown.

For more information please visit: www.historicvermont.org/programs/downtown.html

Role of White House Advisors Subject of FDR Exhibit

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With unemployment soaring and many of the nation’s banks in uncertain straits, a newly elected President adopts the activist agenda of “wooly-headed professors” and soon is being bitterly accused of seeking dictatorial power.

This scenario, which has its uncanny echoes in today’s political scene, was played out beginning in 1932 by Franklin Delano Roosevelt and the circle of Columbia University scholars who became his close advisors. The story of this epoch-making alliance between the White House and academia is told in the New-York Historical Society exhibition FDR’s Brain Trust, on view now through March 1, 2010.

&#8220No President in the past century took office in such difficult circumstances as did Franklin Delano Roosevelt, and no President moved ahead more quickly and forcefully,&#8221 said Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO of the New-York Historical Society. &#8220This new exhibition explores how Roosevelt, while still a candidate for President, did something that was unprecedented at the time and sought counsel from academics. We see how this decision led directly to the daring innovations that became known as the New Deal, and that remain with us to this day.”

Curated by Jean W. Ashton, Executive Vice President and Director of Library division, the exhibition is designed to evoke both the desperation of the Great Depression and the hope and energy of a nation rebuilding itself. FDR’s Brain Trust presents rarely seen photographs, cartoons, documents, artifacts, and newsreels drawn from the New-York Historical Society collection and the archives of Columbia University. These materials bring to life the personalities, convictions and circumstances of FDR and the people who were at first known jokingly as his “Privy Council”—Columbia University professors Raymond Moley, Adolf Berle and Rexford G. Tugwell. Dubbed “The Brains Trust” in July 1932 by a New York Times reporter—the “s” was eventually dropped—these men were eventually joined in the new Roosevelt administration by Harry Hopkins, founder of the Works Progress Administration (WPA), and Frances Perkins, who as Secretary of Labor became the first female cabinet member.

Highlights of the exhibition include:

· an etching by Martin Borne titled Hooverville on Hudson (1934), showing a camp of the unemployed and homeless that would have been visible from the Columbia University campus

· a map from the Real Estate Record and Guide (March 25, 1933) showing the spread of foreclosed properties across Manhattan

· broadsides depicting street demonstrations

· an executive order requiring that all gold be deposited in a Federal Reserve Bank

· editorial cartoons from the Chicago Tribune and Des Moines Register depicting FDR and his advisors as Soviet-style socialists

Despite the vehemence that the Brain Trust aroused, the speed and scope of the New Deal they advocated were unprecedented. Less than four months after Roosevelt took office, his administration stabilized the banks and the economy, saved homes and farms from foreclosure, and began to institute a vast range of programs (including Workmen’s Compensation, a federal minimum wage, child labor laws and Social Security) to address the dire needs of Americans.

53rd Annual Greens Show At Rensselaer County Historical

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The Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) will present the 53rd Annual Greens Show this December 3rd through the 6th. This year?s version of the longstanding tradition transforms twelve rooms of the 1827 Federal-style Hart-Cluett House into &#8220A Christmas Celebration of the Hudson?s Gifts.&#8221 Members of the Van Rensselaer Garden Club incorporate fresh trees, greens and flowers to create beautiful history-inspired displays that are truly a feast for the senses. The 2009 Greens Show theme was inspired by this year?s Quadricentennial celebration and features splendid arrangements that evoke Henry Hudson, the Dutch heritage of our region, and the natural beauty of the Hudson River.

The RCHS Greens Show will also offer a number of new features this year, including a special tour and lunch package, the new exhibit, &#8220Uncle Sam: The Man in Life and Legend,&#8221 and the unveiling of the commemorative Hart-Cluett House print recently commissioned by RCHS from George E. Shear of ARCHistration.

The Greens Show is open to the public from Thursday, December 3 ­ Sunday, December 6, 2008, from Noon-5:00 pm daily. Admission to the Greens Show is $5 for adults, $4 for seniors and children over five. Admission is free for children under five.

Highlights of the 53rd Annual Greens Show include:

Troy?s Treasurers, Tour & Lunch, Thursday, Friday, and Saturday afternoons.
RCHS and Daisy Baker?s Restaurant have partnered to offer a Greens Show tour followed by a delicious three-course luncheon for groups of 4 or more ($25/person). Call 272-7232 x17 for more information or reservations.

Holiday Arrangement Demonstration & Sale, Thursday 2-4 pm, Friday ­ Sunday 1-4 pm.
Learn how the Van Rensselaer Garden Club members create their unique holiday arrangements.

Wreath Display and Silent Auction, 12-5 pm daily.
Visit the Carriage House to view and place bids on one of 50 wreaths decorated by Van Rensselaer Garden Club members.

Free Family Night, Thursday, 5-8 pm
Make family memories together during the Greens Show Family Night. The Show will be open until 8:00 pm and admission is free beginning at 5:00 pm. Family night activities include self-guided tours of the Hart-Cluett House, craft activities for kids, and holiday stories under the big tree in the Front Parlor. Photos with Santa will be available in the Toy Room for $10.

Candlelight House Tour, Friday 5:30-8 pm
See the Hart-Cluett House as you?ve never seen it before! RCHS staff members will lead guided tours of the house on the evening of Friday, December 4th, from 5:30-8 pm. The admission fee for this special tour is $10.00 per person

Lecture by Michael Halloran on Saturday at 2pm entitled Thomas Cole?s Mythical River: Hudson River School paintings viewed from the bottom of the Poestenkill Falls.

Music and Merriment during the Victorian Stroll , Sunday, 2-4 pm
On Sunday, December 6th during the Victorian Stroll, harpist Lydia Zotto will perform seasonal music in the Front Parlor from 2 to 4 pm. This is the fifth year that this talented young musician has been part of the Greens Show.