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MJ Hanley-Goff

Ulysses S. Grant in New York: Civil War General, President

July 9, 2018 by MJ Hanley-Goff 4 Comments

view from grants cottageThe cottage rests on a quiet and forested hilltop just outside of Saratoga Springs. Visitors need to pass through the barren entrance to a one-time correctional facility, an intimidating experience to say the least. Once through the abandoned guard station, and up the winding rough road, the ground levels out with the neat building on the left.

To the right, a trail to the stunning view of the Adirondacks to the north, the Green Mountains of Vermont to the east, and the Catskills to the south. On a blistering, hot day in July 1885, General and President Ulysses S. Grant was brought by wheelchair to this very spot, cancer was eating away his throat, and he had just completed a 300,000-plus word memoir, and knew death was near. [Read more…] about Ulysses S. Grant in New York: Civil War General, President

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Grant's Cottage, Military History, Saratoga Springs, Ulysses S Grant

New Yorkers At The Hindenburg Line in 1918

May 8, 2018 by MJ Hanley-Goff 1 Comment

107th Infantry Regiment

Walter Allison, a graduate of Newburgh Free Academy probably did not know what hit him when wounded in the stomach on September 29, 1918. He lay in a shallow shell hole, bleeding, not far from where his commander lay mortally wounded. Two lieutenants urged the men of E Company of the 107th Infantry Regiment on, but they too were cut down, as bullets ripped through the air, shells exploded all about them wiping out an entire squad and Allison’s classmate Everett Baker. Smoke and chemical gas drifted through the air as the few remaining sergeants, corporals and privates carried on the fight, and the brutal battle to break the Hindenburg Line continued. [Read more…] about New Yorkers At The Hindenburg Line in 1918

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Military History, Orange County, World War One

A Visit to the Pergamena Tannery in Orange County

January 31, 2017 by MJ Hanley-Goff Leave a Comment

Pergamena Tannery A walk around the Pergamena warehouse in Montgomery, NY in Orange County, is a step back in time. Rows upon rows of animal skins, of all kinds, are carefully laid on shelves, in piles and are in various stages of processing.

Some will turn into leather, some into parchment, some will become covers for drums and books, some will be made into shoes, handbags, dog collars, and the list goes on.

Pergamena – Italian for “parchment” – is a tanning business, and Jesse Meyer, co-owner with dad Karl and brother, Stephen, is providing this tour in a cold warehouse off of Montgomery’s Route 211. [Read more…] about A Visit to the Pergamena Tannery in Orange County

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Industrial History, Material Culture, Orange County

The Motorcyclepedia Museum In Newburgh

July 21, 2016 by MJ Hanley-Goff Leave a Comment

The Cornwall Historical Society meetingat the motorcyclepedia museumAt first glance, the inside of the Motorcyclepedia Museum in Newburgh, Orange County resembles a large warehouse of movie poster memorabilia as faces of Steve McQueen, James Garner, Peter Fonda and Elvis line the immense walls. There’s even a poster of  – can it be? – of Barbara Streisand astride a motorcycle from the movie, “For Pete’s Sake.” [Read more…] about The Motorcyclepedia Museum In Newburgh

Filed Under: History, New Exhibits Tagged With: Cornwall Historical Society, Cultural History, Material Culture, Motorcyclepedia Museum, Newburgh, Transportation

A Visit To Orange County’s Gomez Mill House

April 21, 2016 by MJ Hanley-Goff Leave a Comment

gomez houseIf the walls of the Gomez Mill House could talk, what a story it could tell.

Despite the hard stone construction of the building, the sentiment is gentle: “If you have a warm heart, you are welcome.”

The alert observer will see hearts in the designs around the home and grounds, and in the artwork. It’s a place that has been witness to over 300 years of history: not only of Orange County, but of the United States. It has seen days as a business operation, sending construction materials to New York City; it has overheard secret intelligence meetings during the Revolutionary War; it has also been a working farm growing fruit and breeding purebred animals. Built by Jewish businessman Luis Moses Gomez, it’s also the oldest known Jewish dwelling in the United States. [Read more…] about A Visit To Orange County’s Gomez Mill House

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Gomez Mill House, Historic Preservation, Orange County

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