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An Online ‘Oral History’ Archive Documents America Today
In its first year, OurStoryBridge Listens: Present in the Moment has recorded more than 150 oral histories from residents of 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Organizers believe it is the nation’s only digital short-form oral history project dedicated to preserving personal perspectives during the current period of rapid social, political and economic change. [Read more…] about An Online ‘Oral History’ Archive Documents America Today
Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed
This summer the Ausable Freshwater Center (AFC) finished a stream restoration at the Moss Road crossing of the North Branch Boquet River in the Town of Lewis, in Essex County, NY, by removing two old, undersized culverts to restore a natural river channel.
The culverts that had constricted the river and blocked fish for decades are now gone, and a natural channel carries the river through the road crossing. The project reconnected some 50 miles of Adirondack river and coldwater tributary habitat. [Read more…] about Adk Stream Crossing Restored After Boquet Barrier Removed
The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass
Built originally around 1755 by Stephen Sloat, Harmony Hall functioned simultaneously as a family home and a roadside inn along the New York-to-Albany stage route. Because of its strategic location in the narrow Ramapo Pass, the tavern transformed into a vital military station during the American Revolution. [Read more…] about The Seven Taverns Which Saved the Ramapo Pass
The Great Blondin: Frenchman Jean François Gravelet
The tightrope is the simplest of spectacles. It relies on a human aerialist strolling along the abyss. In Roman times it was called funambulism, walking on rope.
Amid the golden age of daredevils during the nineteenth century, said to be the greatest of all “rope dancers” was the Frenchman Jean François Gravelet, born in 1824. [Read more…] about The Great Blondin: Frenchman Jean François Gravelet
A NYC Fire Department Fireboats History
With over 500 miles of shoreline, the fireboats of the FDNY have protected the city of New York for the last century and a half.
Utilizing historic images, David Rocco showcases their fascinating evolution from wooden-hull tugboats to modern-day specialized watercraft in Fireboats of the FDNY (Arcadia Press, 2026). [Read more…] about A NYC Fire Department Fireboats History
125 Years Later: Teddy Roosevelt’s Ride to the Presidency
In September 1901, Theodore Roosevelt’s overnight journey from Mount Marcy through Newcomb and North Creek became one of the Adirondacks’ most consequential and well-remembered moments. [Read more…] about 125 Years Later: Teddy Roosevelt’s Ride to the Presidency
First New State Park Swimming Facility in More Than 20 Years
The new Lake Sophia swimming facility and bathhouse pavilion at Sojourner Truth State Park in Ulster County, NY is the first new State Parks swimming facility in 20 years.
Featuring a swimming area larger than two Olympic-size swimming pools, Lake Sophia will accommodate hundreds of swimmers a day and will be open daily from 10 am until 6 pm through Labor Day weekend. [Read more…] about First New State Park Swimming Facility in More Than 20 Years
Pendragon Theatre’s $11 Million New Home
Governor Kathy Hochul recently announced that the Pendragon Theatre in Saranac Lake will receive an additional $750,000 state investment to close the final funding gap for the venue.
Earlier this year, the Governor announced the opening of Pendragon Theatre’s new downtown facility in Saranac Lake, with a value at more than $11 million. [Read more…] about Pendragon Theatre’s $11 Million New Home
Mabel Allen’s 1908 Diary: Adams and Henderson Harbor
Alice Mabel Allen (1886-1976) grew up in the village of Adams in Jefferson County. In 1908, while attending Syracuse University, Mabel, as she was known, kept a diary which New York Almanack is publishing each week.
Monday, August 17
I collected the laundry while Edna [her sister] got breakfast. Father took us across [Henderson Harbor] at 8:30 and we waited at Snow’s for Mrs. Rice with whom we rode to Adams. Found mother very tired and Mrs. C. better. [Read more…] about Mabel Allen’s 1908 Diary: Adams and Henderson Harbor
An Adirondack Trout Haiku
Vermiculation
a million pathways to bliss
Adirondack trout
The brook trout was initially adopted as New York’s state fish in 1975; it was re-adopted as the official state fresh-water fish on August 16, 2006. [Read more…] about An Adirondack Trout Haiku
Gertrude Ederle: The Queen of the Waves Hits a Speed Bump
Gertrude Ederle led a long and amazing life. Born in New York City in 1905 to German immigrant parents who ran an Upper West Side butcher shop, Ederle became an Olympic swimming champion at age 19 in 1924, and in August 1926, a century ago this month, became the first woman – and the fifth person – to successfully swim the English Channel.
Henry Ederle promised his daughter a red roadster if she did it, and in a companion boat he and Trudy’s sister shouted reminders about the car as encouragement on the turbulent route from France to England. [Read more…] about Gertrude Ederle: The Queen of the Waves Hits a Speed Bump
The Often-Overlooked Ovenbird
“There is a singer everyone has heard, / Loud, a mid-summer and mid-wood bird…”
Heard, yes, but maybe not seen. This bird keeps me company on summer walks, calling out tea-CHER tea-CHER tea-CHER in loud, ringing tones. When I hear it, I imagine Robert Frost pausing in his New Hampshire sugarbush to pen his ode to the ovenbird (Seiurus aurocapilla). [Read more…] about The Often-Overlooked Ovenbird
Businesses Brace Against Trump’s 50% Tariff on Canadian Goods
On July 20, President Donald Trump imposed 50% tariffs on many Canadian goods, from dairy and alcohol to motor vehicles to building materials like plywood, kitchen cabinets, and cement. They’ll take effect August 19 unless the countries strike a deal before that date. [Read more…] about Businesses Brace Against Trump’s 50% Tariff on Canadian Goods
Free Inclusive Learn-to-Fish Event at Utica Saturday
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), in partnership with Cornell Cooperative Extension of Oneida County 4-H and the City of Utica, will host a free Learn-to-Fish event on Saturday, August 15, at Utica Harbor Point.
Learning to fish encourages outdoor recreation, promotes stewardship of fisheries, and introduces participants to safe and responsible angling. [Read more…] about Free Inclusive Learn-to-Fish Event at Utica Saturday
Astronomical Observatories & Early US Boundary & Coastal Surveys
Boundary disputes such as the those around the New Hampshire Grants came up everywhere in the colonies. Many colonial grants had been based on parallels of latitude or meridians of longitude. It was no easy matter to mark out these lines.
One famous boundary historically is the Mason and Dixon line between Maryland and Pennsylvania. Mason was an astronomer as well as a surveyor and more astronomical observations were probably made in connection with this line than any other. [Read more…] about Astronomical Observatories & Early US Boundary & Coastal Surveys
The Finger Lakes Pro Bowls & The NY Giants
The NFL training camps have begun for another season, with the preseason beginning in mid-August.
During the 1960s the New York Football Giants would play a series of preseason games during a five year period at Cornell’s Schoellkopf Field in Ithaca, NY, which would come to be called the Finger Lakes Pro Bowl. [Read more…] about The Finger Lakes Pro Bowls & The NY Giants
Cooperstown Farmers’ Market Celebrating 35th Year Saturday
The Cooperstown Farmers’ Market will celebrate its 35th year on Saturday, August 15th. During the Market day, which runs from 9 am to 2 pm, there will be 33 local farmers and vendors, two sets of live music, kids’ activities to celebrate Honeybee Day, and a Market Bingo raffle.
At 11 am, there will be a brief program featuring New York State Commissioner of Agriculture and Markets Richard Ball; Meg Kennedy, owner of ARK Floral, which was a founding vendor of the Cooperstown Farmers’ Market; and Jim Dalton and Ellen Pope of Otsego 2000, which founded the Market in 1991. [Read more…] about Cooperstown Farmers’ Market Celebrating 35th Year Saturday
10th Annual Adirondack Harvest Festival September 19th
The 10th Annual Adirondack Harvest Festival will take place at the Essex County Fairgrounds in Westport, NY on Saturday, September 19th from noon until 5 pm.
The Festival saw over 3,500 attendees in 2025. [Read more…] about 10th Annual Adirondack Harvest Festival September 19th
Abe Lincoln’s Funeral Train in the Hudson Valley
In April of 1865, the funeral train of assassinated President Abraham Lincoln moved through the Hudson Valley. Woodstock Town Historian Richard Heppner will offer an account of how the news of the assassination was greeted locally as well as detailed descriptions of the train as it traveled up the Hudson River. He will explore the ceremonies and emotions that awaited the train’s passing on both sides of the Hudson at the Historical Society of Woodstock on Sunday, August 23, at 3 pm. [Read more…] about Abe Lincoln’s Funeral Train in the Hudson Valley
Backcountry Rescue Surge: Axe Injury, Cascade Fall, Lost Party of 9, Many Unprepared
Between August 3 and August 9, 2026, New York State Forest Rangers responded to a surge of backcountry rescues, many due to inadequate gear, poor navigation skills, and physical exhaustion. The following Forest Ranger reports show how unpreparedness and unpredictable events can turn a fun hike into an emergency. Use the links to navigate to stories about that geographical area. [Read more…] about Backcountry Rescue Surge: Axe Injury, Cascade Fall, Lost Party of 9, Many Unprepared