Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is set to open the doors at their Visitor Center this off season on each first Monday of the month for Museum Monday programs.
The building will open at 10 am on January 6th, February 3rd, March 2nd, and April 6th to provide a themed discussion within the Pathway to Empire Exhibit beginning at noon.
The exhibit space will be open until 2 pm for each of these days. Each of these discussions is open to the public and questions are encouraged. This is not a formal presentation and the idea is to explore the exhibit and discover more about each theme topic.
The schedule is as follows:
On January 6th attendees will explore the Scottish delight, shortbread. Enjoy National Shortbread Day by joining the discussion on Sir William Johnson’s connection to Fort Hunter, the Scots-Irish he encouraged to settle his lands, and how this tasty “biscuit” connects to the Erie Canal.
On February 3rd the topic will be Abolition and Slavery in Montgomery County with Montgomery County Historian Kelly Farquhar. Discover information on freedom seekers in the Mohawk Valley and how the Erie Canal was used to spread ideas, shape ideology, and as a way to escape bondage.
On March 2nd Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site says Happy Birthday DeWitt. Celebrate the Birthday of DeWitt Clinton, Erie Canal proponent, NYS Governor, and founding son of early America. Attendees will take a look at his portrait inside the gallery, enjoy cupcakes, and learn more about his life.
On April 6th the theme will be a discussion on how the federal government rejected funding the NYS project to build the Erie Canal. Learn more about how NY constructed the canal anyway, and some thoughts on how a conspiracy may have been involved.
For information about this program, call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, or email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 71 million people annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call (518) 474-0456 or visit their website.
Photo of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site provided.
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