Capital-Saratoga

The Saratoga Electric Railway’s Battle With The D&H

January 21, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Many are aware that one of the first steam railroads in the country was the Saratoga and Schenectady Railroad, which began regular service in 1832. The coming of the railroad provided a great boost to the growth of the resort town of Saratoga Springs.

Fewer may realize that sixty years later the resort and the surrounding communities benefited greatly by another transportation revolution, the electric railway. However, the beginning of the trolley age was not without its birth pains. [Read more…] about The Saratoga Electric Railway’s Battle With The D&H

Amsterdam’s Arts: Visual Artists, Actors & Singers

January 21, 2022 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

This week on The Historians Podcast, Jerry Snyder of Historic Amsterdam League has stories from a new booklet called Amsterdam’s Arts, focusing on visual artists, actors, singers and more with ties to Amsterdam, New York. [Read more…] about Amsterdam’s Arts: Visual Artists, Actors & Singers

NYS Canal System Hand-Launch Facility Design Guide Available

January 21, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In response to a dramatic increase in canoes, kayaks, and stand-up paddleboards on the NYS Canal System, Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has published the New York State Canal System Hand-Launch Facility Design Guide.

The free guide shares best practices for communities, businesses, and organizations looking to install or improve hand-launch facilities for paddlers. [Read more…] about NYS Canal System Hand-Launch Facility Design Guide Available

Memory, Trauma, & Bloody Sunday: A Virtual Program

January 20, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Irish American Heritage Museum will host “Memory, Trauma, & Bloody Sunday,” a virtual program on the Bloody Sunday Massacre by Juliann Campbell set for Monday, January 24th.

Campbell has a personal connection to Bloody Sunday — her uncle, Jackie Duddy, was the first to be killed on January 30th — and she has spent the last decade documenting and archiving experiences of the day. [Read more…] about Memory, Trauma, & Bloody Sunday: A Virtual Program

NYS Writers Institute Announces Spring 2022 Events

January 19, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The NYS Writers Institute has announced its Spring 2022 schedule of events featuring more than two dozen literary luminaries and creative artists, a series-within-a-series titled American HerStory, and a film festival coming to the Capital Region. [Read more…] about NYS Writers Institute Announces Spring 2022 Events

Berne’s West Mountain Methodist Episcopal Church: Some History

January 18, 2022 by Harold Miller Leave a Comment

The 1609 voyage by Henry Hudson up the river that bears his name caused the Dutch to claim the adjacent land. In 1621 these lands, the home of the Mohawk and Mohican people, were granted to the Dutch West India Company. The company established the Patroon System to attract settlers. A Patroon was given a large tract of land to sponsor settlers to colonize their land.

In 1629 the new Patroon, Killaen Van Rensselaer, was granted land to create the Manor of Rensselaerswyck in exchange for helping settle the land with Europeans. It incorporated most of the area in Albany, Rensselaer, Greene, and Columbia counties. Fort Orange (later the city of Albany), became the center of the Dutch fur trade. [Read more…] about Berne’s West Mountain Methodist Episcopal Church: Some History

Abolition, Civil Rights Talk With Underground RR Experts Mary Liz and Paul Stewart

January 17, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Archives Partnership Trust will host “Risk-Takers and Change-Makers,” an online conversation looking at the men and women whose efforts empowered the abolitionist cause and laid the foundation for today’s civil rights movement in the United States, set for Tuesday, February 1st. [Read more…] about Abolition, Civil Rights Talk With Underground RR Experts Mary Liz and Paul Stewart

The Irish Diaspora: Tales of Emigration, Exile and Imperialism

January 17, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Irish American Heritage Museum will host Historian Turtle Bunbury, author of new book The Irish Diaspora: Tales of Emigration, Exile and Imperialism (Thames & Hudson, 2021) on Wednesday, January 19, 2022 who will share stories of Irish emigrants and their descendants.

Through the compelling stories of the great Irish pioneers who left their homeland and in the process profoundly influenced their adoptive countries, Bunbury takes some overlooked events and characters and weaves them into a history of the Irish abroad. [Read more…] about The Irish Diaspora: Tales of Emigration, Exile and Imperialism

Saratoga Springs Train Stations: Their Architecture & Impact

January 16, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Throughout the 1800s and into the 1900s, Saratoga Springs was a premiere travel destination and the D&H Railway Station would be a hub of activity welcoming tourists, business people, and college students.

One station that remains is located at 117 Grand Avenue. It was originally the Adirondack Company Railway office and station and later became part of the D&H Railway’s Adirondack branch. The Foundation preserved the building and used it as its office for many years. (Read more about it here.)

Haudenosaunee Material Culture, 1700-1815 (Virtual Program)

January 16, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Schenectady County Historical Society will host “Iroquois/Haudenosaunee Material Culture, 1700-1815,” a virtual program exploring the material culture of the Six Nations Haudenosaunee, or Iroquois, between 1700 and 1815, set for Thursday, February 24th. [Read more…] about Haudenosaunee Material Culture, 1700-1815 (Virtual Program)