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Rapping with the Dead: New York’s Spiritualist Fox Sisters
The first indication that the Fox Sisters had spiritualist talents occurred on the evening of March 31, 1848 when 11-year-old Kate and 14-year-old Maggie Fox claimed they heard knocking sounds coming from the east bedroom of their parents’ rented farmhouse in Hydesville, Wayne County, NY, about 30 miles east of Rochester.
The next night, the young ladies revealed this strange knocking spirit to their mother and older sister, Leah. The family’s excitement about communicating beyond the grave took no note that the inaugural demonstration had been staged on April first. [Read more…] about Rapping with the Dead: New York’s Spiritualist Fox Sisters
New York & The Struggle to Finance the Revolutionary War
One of the earliest acts of the New York Provincial Congress was the promise on May 24, 1775, to repay all monies advanced for the resistance to British domination. When the old colonial government was gradually superseded in 1774 and 1775 by an extra-legal government of committees and congresses chosen by the people, these bodies were met immediately by the problem of financing both the political activities and the military operations. The latter began with the plans to seize Fort Ticonderoga and Crown Point, shortly after the colonists had been electrified by the news of Lexington and Concord. [Read more…] about New York & The Struggle to Finance the Revolutionary War
Fort Drum’s World War II Combat Con Artists
During the final year of World War II, more than 1,000 soldiers, including artists, engineers, radio operators, and sound technicians, used inflatable rubber tanks, fabricated radio transmissions, recorded sound effects, and carefully staged visual illusions to convince enemy forces that large American combat units were stationed where they were not. Many of the troops trained in Northern New York at Fort Drum in Jefferson County, then known as Pine Camp, before deploying to Europe. [Read more…] about Fort Drum’s World War II Combat Con Artists
Seagle Festival Plans 250-Seat Theatre, Year-Round Campus
A planned year-round performing arts center for the southern Adirondacks has advanced a step or two further: the Seagle Festival (formally known as Seagle Music Colony) has been awarded a $1.8 million grant from the New York State Council on the Arts’ Capital Projects Fund. [Read more…] about Seagle Festival Plans 250-Seat Theatre, Year-Round Campus
Genealogy Workshop: 19th-Century Immigrant Ancestor Travel
In colonial times Americans encouraged immigration, even in the Declaration of Independence.
“He has endeavoured to prevent the population of these States; for that purpose obstructing the Laws for Naturalization of Foreigners; refusing to pass others to encourage their migrations hither,” Patriots wrote in reference to King George III’s limits on immigration to the colonies. [Read more…] about Genealogy Workshop: 19th-Century Immigrant Ancestor Travel
Dr Helen Hosmer’s Rural Healthcare in the US & Canada
In 1934, Doctor Helen Hosmer opened a physician’s office on West Street in the Village of Galway, in Saratoga County, NY. Originally from Billerica, Massachusetts, when Hosmer arrived in Galway, she was 50 years old, and though an experienced chemist and scientist, she was just beginning her career as a physician. [Read more…] about Dr Helen Hosmer’s Rural Healthcare in the US & Canada
Avalanche Pass Trail Reopens After Massive Landslide
The Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the reopening of the popular Avalanche Pass Trail in the High Peaks Wilderness Area in the Adirondack Park. In July 2025, intense rock and mud slides from Mount Colden swept across the width of the pass, making the trail unusable and temporarily flooded. DEC closed the trail, conducted an assessment of the damage, and began the trail work planning and approval processes to reopen Avalanche Pass. [Read more…] about Avalanche Pass Trail Reopens After Massive Landslide
New Bridges Closing Some Genesee Valley Greenway Trail Gaps
Construction has begun on four new pedestrian bridges along the Genesee Valley Greenway State Park in Allegany County, NY that will restore connections where former railroad bridges had been removed, allowing trail users to remain on the Greenway rather than detouring onto local roadways, including busy Route 19. Together with targeted resurfacing, the $6.25 million improvements will provide 22 miles of continuously surfaced recreational corridor. [Read more…] about New Bridges Closing Some Genesee Valley Greenway Trail Gaps
Rochester’s Clothesline Art & Fine Craft Festival This Weekend
One of the longest-running arts festivals on the East Coast returns to Rochester’s Memorial Art Gallery (MAG) on August 29 and 30, 2026. The 69th Clothesline Art & Fine Craft Festival will welcome thousands of art lovers, families, foodies, and craft enthusiasts, transforming MAG’s grounds into a two-day celebration featuring nearly 400 artists, live music, food trucks, family activities, a signature craft beer, and one-of-a-kind art from across the region. [Read more…] about Rochester’s Clothesline Art & Fine Craft Festival This Weekend
How Lake George Became A Vacation Destination
After the Second World War, Lake George underwent a remarkable transformation. In this episode of the ADK Talks podcast, Lisa Hall of The Bolton Museum and Tony Hall, publisher of the Lake George Mirror and a regular contributor to New York Almanack, explore how rising prosperity, automobiles, roadside motels, Storytown, and the Adirondack Northway helped turn Lake George into one of the Northeast’s great family vacation destinations. [Read more…] about How Lake George Became A Vacation Destination
Equine Eyes: A New Way of Looking at Things
In late July the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs debuted a new one-of-a-kind exhibition, “Equine Eyes,” during an open house.
The exhibit is an interactive, research-driven presentation designed to simulate how horses perceive the world. [Read more…] about Equine Eyes: A New Way of Looking at Things
The Warrensburg-Chestertown Plank Road, 1850-1911
Before I-87, Route 9, and the railroad, the fastest way to reach the Town of Chester, NY, in Northern Warren County was over a plank road, part of a trend of wood surfaced roads that began in the late 1830s. [Read more…] about The Warrensburg-Chestertown Plank Road, 1850-1911
History Happy Hour: Revisit the Revolution at Schuyler Mansion
Mingle with history enthusiasts while enjoying a selection of local beer, 18th century punch (with or without alcohol), and hors d’ oeuvres at a History Happy Hour at Albany’s Schuyler Mansion. [Read more…] about History Happy Hour: Revisit the Revolution at Schuyler Mansion
Buffalo’s Hispanic Roberto Clemente League
Buffalo‘s Puerto Rican Roberto Clemente League was founded in the 1970s to create a Hispanic baseball league and included the Leones (Lions), the Boricuas (Puerto Ricans), and the Caribes (Piranhas).
The league grew throughout the 1980s, eventually including many other teams and creating a women’s softball team. [Read more…] about Buffalo’s Hispanic Roberto Clemente League
AI and Rural Communities Conference Set for September
Artificial intelligence (AI) offers potential to support sustainability in rural areas. Smart farming tools optimize water and fertilizer use to cut down waste. Remote monitoring systems help manage local forests and wildlife. Renewable energy grids run more efficiently with AI prediction models. However, serious concerns surround AI adoption. [Read more…] about AI and Rural Communities Conference Set for September
Grocers & The Rise of the Supermarket Chain
At the turn of the twentieth century, grocery retailing was still dominated by small, independently owned stores operating under what was commonly known as the “service” or “credit-and-delivery” model.
In this system, goods were kept behind a counter; clerks retrieved items upon request; and purchases were frequently charged to customer accounts and delivered to the home. Even early chain grocers followed this pattern. [Read more…] about Grocers & The Rise of the Supermarket Chain
Mapping NYC’s Historic Waterfront Development
Most people have seen surveyors at work — marking boundaries, determining distances, angles and positions. It’s the kind of essential data necessary for all types of construction projects, and is an ongoing endeavor for all cities.
The New York City Municipal Archives holds a variety of records from government agencies responsible for surveying what now are the five boroughs, ranging from Brooklyn maps documenting 19th century road placement to aerial photographic maps from the 20th century. One notable collection of maps and notebooks depicts waterfront development. [Read more…] about Mapping NYC’s Historic Waterfront Development
Lake Ontario’s Selkirk Shores, Southwick Beach Get Upgrade
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has completed $9.5 million in upgrades to Selkirk Shores and Southwick Beach State Park on the eastern shore of Lake Ontario, including campground upgrades, restoration of historic facilities, construction of a new park office and a new accessible trail. [Read more…] about Lake Ontario’s Selkirk Shores, Southwick Beach Get Upgrade
Women’s Equality Day Events: 250 Years of Marching Toward Equality
Women’s Equality Day, celebrated on August 26th, commemorates the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920 which ensured that most white women were no longer barred from voting due to their gender. The day also honors ongoing efforts toward full gender equality.
First celebrated in 1971 following the 1970 nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality, it was established by Congress in 1973 after a resolution was introduced by New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug (1920-1998). [Read more…] about Women’s Equality Day Events: 250 Years of Marching Toward Equality
Upstaters: Poets, Pols, Prophets & Bush-League Heroes
Over the last three-plus decades, Bill Kauffman has written about and interviewed upstate New York novelists, politicians, and civic activists who have given the region much of its interest to the author.
Upstaters: Poets, Pols, Prophets and Bush-League Heroes of Upstate New York (SUNY Press, 2026) collects these into a single volume. [Read more…] about Upstaters: Poets, Pols, Prophets & Bush-League Heroes