New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Bruce Dearstyne

Bruce W. Dearstyne is a historian in Guilderland. He was formerly on the staff of the Office of State History and the State Archives as well as a professor at the University of Maryland. A revised edition of his book The Spirit of New York: Defining Events in the Empire State’s History and his newest book, The Crucible of Public Policy: New York Courts in the Progressive Era, are being published in 2022 by SUNY Press.

The Revived New York State History Conference: What Is There to Confer About?

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map of New York State with its counties, 1788The Office of State History recently announced the resumption of the annual New York State History Conference on June 20-21, 2024. John Warren provided more information in a post here on the New York Almanack. As John noted, and Ed Knoblauch in a comment on that post explained, the history conference has a history of its own, dating back to the 1890s.

A call for proposals is expected soon. Of course, the content of the conference will be up to its organizers. But New York has so much rich history, much of it unexplored or lightly explored, that there are always a lot of potential topics and lots to confer about these days. [Read more…] about The Revived New York State History Conference: What Is There to Confer About?

America & New York’s 250th Birthdays

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250th Anniversary of Revolutionary New YorkNew York is slowly preparing for the 250th anniversary of both the birth of the United States (July 2, 1776) and the birth of New York State (April 20, 1777, the day the first state constitution was approved). [Read more…] about America & New York’s 250th Birthdays

Exemplary History Museums: Informative & Entertaining

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Saratoga Auto Museum Spring Auto ShowDuring the past couple of weeks, I visited the Saratoga Automobile Museum in Saratoga Springs and the Empire State Aerosciences Museum in Glenville. They are both outstanding for several reasons including the fact that you can see (and sometimes touch) historical relics and artifacts of sorts; they show how many automobiles and aircraft companies started in New York State; and their personnel include docents who are very knowledgeable and eager to answer questions. [Read more…] about Exemplary History Museums: Informative & Entertaining

The 25th Annual NYS History Month Presents Challenges, Opportunities

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new york state history monthNext month, October, is New York State History Month. As usual, the State Museum is planning several activities and offers suggestions for commemorations. Other public history organizations are gearing up for events to “celebrate the history of New York State and recognize the contributions of state and local historians,” in the words of Section 52.02 of the Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, which established State History Month by statute. [Read more…] about The 25th Annual NYS History Month Presents Challenges, Opportunities

Albany’s Philip Schuyler Statue, Slavery and History Reconsidered

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Statue of Philip Schuyler in front of Albany City HallA statue of Albany’s Philip Schuyler (1733-1804) has stood in front of City Hall since its dedication by Mayor William S. Hackett on June 25, 1925. The statue was a gift to the city from George C. Hawley, a beer baron whose family owned the Dobler Brewery in Albany, in memory of his wife Theodora M. Hawley.

In 2020, Albany Mayor Kathy Sheehan ordered it removed because Schuyler was a slaveholder. As Mayor Sheehan noted, removing the statue is one way of acknowledging the enduring legacy of slavery. [Read more…] about Albany’s Philip Schuyler Statue, Slavery and History Reconsidered

Alton B. Parker: New York’s Neglected Statesman

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Alton B Parker and Henry G Davis 1904 Democratic Party candidates for President and Vice President of the United States campaign posterThe History Channel’s new special on Theodore Roosevelt describes his victory in the 1904 presidential election but doesn’t even mention his Democratic opponent.

That was New York Court of Appeals’ former Chief Judge Alton B. Parker (1852-1926), probably the most neglected major party presidential candidate in U.S. history. Yet at the time of the election Parker was the leader of one of the nation’s two major political parties and one of the nation’s foremost judicial statesmen. [Read more…] about Alton B. Parker: New York’s Neglected Statesman

Bruce Dearstyne On Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary

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revolutionary new yorkPlanning has begun for commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, to be officially called the “Semiquincentennial.” The federal government has established America 250. A number of states, including Virginia have established state commissions. In Massachusetts it is called Revolution 250. [Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne On Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary

We Should Celebrate New York State’s Birthday on April 20th

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Secretary of the 1777 Convention Robert Benson reading NYS's new constitution in KingstonNew Yorkers, and New York’s historical community in particular, should be gearing up to commemorate and promote New York State’s birthday on April 20th.

That was the date in 1777 when the Convention of Representatives of the State of New York, an ad hoc group elected the previous year to guide New York’s Revolutionary War efforts and develop its first constitution, completed its work. [Read more…] about We Should Celebrate New York State’s Birthday on April 20th

Syracuse Hero Jermain Loguen, Abolition & The Jerry Rescue

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During Black History Month, it is useful to recall well-known Black Americans and also some not-so-well known. Jermain Loguen (1813-1872) fits a category of those who deserve more recognition and attention.

Born into slavery in Tennessee, he escaped to Canada (where slavery was outlawed) in 1834 and moved to Rochester in 1837 and then to Syracuse in 1841.  He became a teacher and then a minister with the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church.  An eloquent speaker, he used his sermons and public presentations to advocate abolition and resistance to slaveholders and to urge enslaved people to escape. Loguen had an apartment in his Syracuse home for freedom seekers and identified himself as  “Underground Railroad Agent.”  Loguen assisted more than 1,500 enslaved Black people to freedom, earning the informal title “King of the Underground Railroad” in Syracuse. [Read more…] about Syracuse Hero Jermain Loguen, Abolition & The Jerry Rescue

Crystal Eastman and New York’s Workers’ Compensation Law

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Crystal Eastman ca 1914 (Library of Congress)Crystal Eastman (1881-1928) deserves more attention from historians. “In the early twentieth century, Crystal Eastman was one of the most conspicuous Progressive reformers in America,” says Amy Aronson, in her biography Crystal Eastman: A Revolutionary Life. “Her militant suffragism, insistent antimilitarism, gregarious internationalism, support of the Russian Revolution, and uncompromising feminism, led some in the press to brand her notorious.” Yet, “today she is less known than might be expected, especially given the rarity of a woman with such wide political influence and her continuing international legacy in so many high-profile struggles.”

This extraordinary progressive activist was a multi-issue advocate, an energetic researcher, a prolific writer, and a talented speaker. Much of her work was aimed at assembling evidence on issues and conditions, persuading others to act on that evidence, and showing them the path forward. Much of what she did was behind-the-scenes, setting up others for success and giving them the credit. Her role in creating New York’s workers’ compensation program, the first such state program in the nation, in 1910, is largely unknown. [Read more…] about Crystal Eastman and New York’s Workers’ Compensation Law