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Editorial Staff

Thomas Edison Home, Laboratory Complex Reopens

October 13, 2009 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

The National Park Service is welcoming visitors to the new newly renovated Edison Laboratory Complex at the Thomas Edison National Historical Park in West Orange, New Jersey. According to the site’s Superintendent Greg Marshall, “The original music recording studio, Thomas Edison’s private laboratory, and a photography studio will be open to the public for the first time in the history of the site.”

The renovation was a complex project to preserve the historic buildings and the artifact and archival collections at the Laboratory Complex and Glenmont Estate. The original historic furnishings and documents were beginning to deteriorate because of lack of adequate heating and cooling systems. They were at risk of loss or damage from fire because of old, outdated alarm and sprinkler systems. The vast majority of the artifact collection was inaccessible to visitors and researchers while stored on the upper floors of the historic main laboratory.

The original furnishings have been moved back into many rooms and the unique museum collections will be available to see, hear, and experience. Installation of a new elevator and stair tower adjacent to the main laboratory building allows new public access to the upper floors of the laboratory that now feature new exhibits. The Edison home at the Glenmont Estate has also been renovated. Other improvements include new fire detection system and upgraded fire sprinkler system, new heating and cooling systems, and exterior building repairs and an integrated drainage system.

The $13 million partnership project with the Edison Innovation Foundation and Charles Edison Fund of Newark, New Jersey also includes new heating and cooling systems, new fire detection and suppression systems, and structural repairs to the historic building’s roofs, foundations, and windows. The new Thomas Edison experience offers visitors self-guided audio tours, cell phone tours, films, grounds walks, school workshops and traditional guided programs.

Thomas Edison National Historical Park is a unit of the National Park Service that preserves and interprets the West Orange Laboratory and Home of inventor Thomas Alva Edison. Information is available at: www.nps.gov/edis.

The Edison Innovation Foundation is a nonprofit organization that supports the Edison Legacy and encourages students (including women and minorities) to embrace careers in science, technology and engineering and is committed to educating the next generation of great innovators while using Edison and his Invention Factory as the foundation. For information on the Foundation, visit: www.thomasedison.org.

Filed Under: New Exhibits Tagged With: Museums-Archives-Historic Sites, New Jersey, Thomas Edison

CFP: Conference on New York State History

October 12, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Conference on New York State History will be held in the Ithaca on June 3—5, 2010. The conference is an annual meeting of academic and public historians, librarians and archivists, educators, publishers, and other interested individuals who come together to discuss topics and issues related to the people of New York State in historical perspective and to share information and ideas regarding historical research, programming, and the networking of resources and services. Ten to fifteen presentation sessions, workshops, and a keynote address mean more than fifty individuals take part in the program. The conference is self-sustaining and is organized by a committee of historians from a variety of institutions across the state. [Read more…] about CFP: Conference on New York State History

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Calls for Papers, Conference on NYS History, Conferences

Managing Your Historical Photographs Workshops

October 12, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Archives is offering two new workshops on managing historical photographs. The first, offered at three locations around the state in October is intended to present strategies for taking physical and intellectual control of photographs to ensure their long-term access and use. Participants will hear methods of organizing and making accessible photographic material, and preservation guidelines for photographs, along with reference, exhibition, and outreach strategies will be outlined. The workshops are free and open to the public. The second workshop in the two part series, “Digitizing Your Historical Photographs,” will be available next year.

Schedule and Registration

October 13, 2009, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
Hanford Mills, East Meredith, NY
Presenter Ray LeFever, Coordinator of Archival Advisory Services, NYS Archives Register by downloading a registration form from Upstate History Alliance

October 20, 2009, 9 a.m. – 1 p.m.
New City Library, New City, NY (Rockland County)
Presenter Ray LeFever, Coordinator of Archival Advisory Services, NYS Archives
Register by emailing Dianne Macpherson at Greater Hudson Heritage Network.

October 20, 2009 9:15 a.m. – 1:15 p.m.
Schenectady County Library Schenectady, NY
Presenter Denis Meadows, Regional Advisory Officer, NYS Archives Region 4
Register online with the State Archives.

For more information e-mail ARCHTRAIN@mail.nysed.gov.

Photo: Bart Warren and helper in his blacksmith shop, West Sand Lake, NY c. 1900
@greaterhudson.org>

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Albany County, Material Culture, New York State Archives, Photography, Public History, Rockland County, Schenectady County

Shirley Dunn To Speak On Mohicans And Dutch

October 11, 2009 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Shirley W. Dunn, who has published two books about the Mohicans (The Mohicans and Their Land 1609-1730 and The Mohican World, 1680-1750) and has one in press, will speak on October 22nd at the Smithsonian Institution’s Heye Museum in Manhattan (a branch of the Museum of the American Indian) beginning at 6:00 pm. Her topic will be the Mohicans and the Dutch, and the she will deal with contributions of the Mohican Indians to Dutch settlement and to the Colony of Rensselaerswijck. The talk is free and open to the public.

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Albany County, Hudson River, Indigenous History, Mohican, Native American History, Rensselaer County, Rensselaerswijck

NYS’s Museums in Conversation: What Inspires You?

October 10, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Upstate History Alliance and the Museum Association of New York are sponsoring “New York State’s Museums in Conversation: What Inspires You?” a three-day conference April 11-13, 2010 at the Albany Marriott, Wolf Road, in Albany. The event organizers seeks discussion proposals that focus on what inspires you about the work of others, be they museums, libraries, nature centers or parks, small or big businesses. What have you seen that’s been so great, so innovative, so enterprising, so adaptable, and so fun that you want to talk about it with your colleagues?

Proposals are welcome from a wide range of institutions and practitioners, within and outside the museum community, to encourage lively discussions that offer new perspectives on museum work and create new connections to each other.

Submitting a Proposal

The deadline for submitting a proposal is November 2, 2009. Proposals must be submitted electronically, as an email attachment to stephanie@upstatehistory.org

Visit www.upstatehistory.org to download the proposal form and for more information. The program committee will review proposals and decisions will be made by mid-November.

If you have any questions or are looking for assistance with developing a proposal, contact UHA Program Coordinator, Stephanie Lehner, at 800.895.1648 stephanie@upstatehistory.org or MANY Director Anne Ackerson at 518.273.3400 info@manyonline.org

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Calls for Papers, Conferences, Museum Association of New York, Museums-Archives-Historic Sites, Public History, Upstate History Alliance

Weekly New York History Blogging Round-Up

October 9, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

  • Governors Island Blog: Last Chance to Visit This Year!
  • Ephemeral NY: Listening to World Series in Times Square
  • Berne, New York: Rensselawerville Pilot Scanning Project
  • Algonkian Church History: Stockbridge Bible Series
  • The Atlantic: Do American Schoolkids Need 9/11 Education?

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: nyhistoryblogs

This Week’s Top New York History News

October 9, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

  • Battle of Valcour Remembered
  • Crown Point Bridge Fix Years Away
  • Its Number Up, Dewey Is 86ed
  • French Planned Invasion of Britain Using Americans
  • Empire State Bldg in China Lights Row
  • Bill Would Probe Fiscal Legacy of Slavery
  • Old Canal, New Dreams: Champlain Canal
  • The Corning Years – In Pictures
  • Italian-American Museum Opens
  • Old Military Giant Goes On Block
  • Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: nyhistorywire

    First Of Several Local John Brown Events On Saturday

    October 8, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

    This year marks the 150th anniversary of abolitionist John Brown’s anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry, Virginia, his subsequent execution and the return of his body to North Elba, Essex County, NY.

    Over at Adirondack Almanack I’ve been writing a series of posts – The Last Days of John Brown – to commemorate Brown’s struggle to end slavery in America, and both here and at the Almanack I’ll be reporting on events as the anniversary approaches. So far local activities include a lecture, a symposium, and a reenactment of the return of Brown’s body to North Elba. It all kicks off with a lecture this Saturday, October 10th, with a lecture by historian Zoe Trodd at 2:00 PM, at John Brown’s Farm.

    Here is the event announcement:

    A Living Legacy: John Brown in the Anti-Lynching Protest Tradition, a lecture by Zoe Trodd. Protest writers have long pointed to the abolitionist past as central to present and future social change. At the heart was of this living legacy was one figure: John Brown. This lecture will trace the presence of Brown in anti-lynching literature from the Niagara Movement to Langston Hughes. Trodd is the author of Meteor of War: The John Brown Story; American Protest Literature; and The Tribunal: Responses to John Brown and the Harper’s Ferry Raid. This event is presented by John Brown Lives!

    Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Abolition, African American History, Civil War, Essex County, John Brown, Slavery

    Champlain Quad Project Featured In Federal Publication

    October 8, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

    A project that helped celebrate the 400th anniversary of the navigation of Lake Champlain by Samuel de Champlain is being held up as an example of how partnerships between public broadcasters, libraries, and other entities can benefit communities.

    The Vermont Division for Historic Preservation joins the federal Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS) and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in announcing the release of a new publication, Partnership for a Nation of Learners: Joining Forces, Creating Value, which offers guidance on creating effective community collaborations. [Read more…] about Champlain Quad Project Featured In Federal Publication

    Filed Under: History Tagged With: 400th, Chimney Point, Documentary, Lake Champlain, Media, Vermont

    New Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives Collections

    October 7, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives has announced that three recently processed collections relating to the institution are now open for scholarly research. The papers of Met founder John Taylor Johnston, New York art collectors Louisine Waldron Elder and Henry (Harry) Osborne Havemeyer, and long time Met staff member Richard F. Bach have all been made available (with online finding aids).

    John Taylor Johnston Collection, 1832-1981: John Taylor Johnston was a founder of The Metropolitan Museum of Art and was elected its first President in 1870. He held this position until he retired in 1889; the institution’s Trustees subsequently voted him Honorary President for Life. The collection consists of travel journals, visitor books, correspondence, family histories, and other unpublished and published documents relating to the life, travels and family history of John Taylor Johnston. The bulk of this material relates to Johnston’s personal affairs and is not concerned with The Metropolitan Museum of Art. Finding aid.

    The Havemeyer Family Papers relating to Art Collecting, 1901-1922: The New York art collectors Louisine Waldron Elder (1855-1929) and Henry (Harry) Osborne Havemeyer (1847-1907) assembled a large and diverse collection of paintings, sculpture and decorative art between 1876 and 1924. It was known for being one of the first American art collections to include Spanish and Impressionist paintings. The papers include correspondence, writings, notes, and ephemera that document the Havemeyers’ art collecting activities between 1901 and 1922. The majority of the collection consists of correspondence with art dealers and agents, such as Mary Cassatt, Théodore Duret, Albert E. Harnisch and Ricardo de Madrazo, who worked on behalf of the Havemeyers to build their renowned art collection. Finding aid.

    Richard F. Bach Records, 1913-1953: During his tenure at The Metropolitan Museum of Art, Richard F. Bach served as Associate in Industrial Arts (1918-1929), Director of Industrial Relations (1929-1941), Dean of Education and Extension (1941-1949), and Consultant in Industrial Arts (1949-1952). Bach championed the collaboration of museums and the industrial arts, working extensively with manufacturers, industrial designers, and educational institutions. In addition to his work at the Museum, Bach was a member and leader of a number of arts and education organizations as well as a prolific writer and lecturer. The Richard F. Bach Records primarily contain correspondence, meeting minutes, and pamphlets related to Bach’s activities as Director of Industrial Relations, Dean of Education and Extension, and Consultant in Industrial Arts. The majority of the correspondence is professional in nature and concerns Bach’s role as liaison between The Metropolitan Museum of Art and industrial designers, manufacturers, educators, and arts organizations. Finding aid.

    The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives The objective of The Metropolitan Museum of Art Archives is to collect, organize, and preserve in perpetuity the corporate records and official correspondence of the Museum, to make the collection accessible and provide research support, and to further an informed and enduring understanding of the Museum’s history. Archives holdings include Board of Trustees records, legal documents, Museum publications, office files of selected Museum staff, architectural drawings, press clippings, and ephemera. The Archives is accessible to Museum staff and to qualified scholarly researchers at the graduate level and above. Requests for access should be sent via email, and should include a brief summary of the research project, an outline of sources already consulted and a curriculum vitae or resume.

    Access is granted at the discretion of Archives staff, and certain materials may be restricted. Email: archives@metmuseum.org.

    Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Art History, Metropolitan Museum of Art, Museums-Archives-Historic Sites, Online Resources

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