The Capital Region segment of the NYS Birding Trail is now open and is the sixth region to be completed. The region includes 29 sites on a mix of public and private lands throughout five counties. [Read more…] about Capital Region Segment of the NYS Birding Trail Opens
Capital-Saratoga
Kayak Through History in Schenectady, Waterford
The Schenectady County Historical Society has announced the return of their popular Mohawk River paddling tours, in both Schenectady and Waterford, beginning June 15th. [Read more…] about Kayak Through History in Schenectady, Waterford
Three New York Chinatown Stories from Tuck High Company
The Tuck High Company store, sold to the New York State Museum in 1980, embodies tens of thousands of stories about what Chinatown was truly about.
Jack Tchen, cross-cultural historian and co-founder of the Museum of Chinese in America, will share three stories interweaving the lives of a tea merchant, a “laundryman” and the Irish “Mayor of Chinatown” on Wednesday, June 15th at the State Museum’s Huxley Theatre. [Read more…] about Three New York Chinatown Stories from Tuck High Company
Railroads, The Spuyten Duyvil Disaster & Faustian Legend
On September 27th, 2025, it will be two hundred years ago that the world’s first public railway, known as the Stockton & Darlington (S&DR), was opened in north-east England.
As well as carrying coal, the train offered space for six hundred passengers, most of them traveling in wagons, but some distinguished guests were allocated a seat in a specially designed carriage called The Experiment. [Read more…] about Railroads, The Spuyten Duyvil Disaster & Faustian Legend
Cohoes’ Delaware Avenue History Celebration On Saturday
The public is invited to explore Delaware Avenue in Cohoes on Saturday, June 11th from 11 am to 4 pm.
A coalition of community organizations will be showcasing the corridor’s rich history with free re-enactments, walks, talks, and performances. [Read more…] about Cohoes’ Delaware Avenue History Celebration On Saturday
Political Anecdotes From Historical Newspapers
Trivia clue: Known as the Hoosier State, it was a battleground state that turned from blue to red in the 1888 presidential election.
Correct response: What is Indiana? [Read more…] about Political Anecdotes From Historical Newspapers
Alton B. Parker: New York’s Neglected Statesman
The 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
Museum Study Act Passes State Legislature, Awaits Governor’s Signature
The New York State Legislature passed A.9710/S.8934 “An act in relation to conducting a study of public and private museums in New York state,” unanimously in the Assembly on May 24th and in the Senate on June 2nd.
“This bill will make a difference to every museum in the state regardless of budget size, discipline, or location,” said Erika Sanger, Executive Director of the Museum Association of New York (MANY). The bill is headed to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk and her signature would enable the act to take effect immediately. [Read more…] about Museum Study Act Passes State Legislature, Awaits Governor’s Signature
Schuyler House Opening June 10th
Saratoga National Historical Park preserves, protects, and interprets some 3,600 acre of sites associated with the battles, siege, and surrender of the British forces at Saratoga. The park encompasses five sites including the Saratoga Battlefield, General Philip Schuyler’s House, Victory Woods, the Saratoga Monument, and the Sword Surrender Site .
It was here in September and October 1777, during the American War for Independence, American troops battled and defeated the British invasion force. A British Army surrendered, for the first time in history, on October 17th, 1777. This crucial victory secured essential foreign recognition and support and boosted the morale of the American forces making it a decisive moment in the American Revolution. [Read more…] about Schuyler House Opening June 10th
Charles Evans Hughes Doc Screening in Glens Falls on Saturday
Charles Evans Hughes, a Glens Falls native, was Governor of New York from 1907 to October 1910, when he resigned to accept appointment as a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice. He resigned from the court in June 1916 to accept the Republican nomination for President, narrowly losing to incumbent Democrat Woodrow Wilson. He later served as U.S. Secretary of State and Chief Justice of the United States.
Many places in the Adirondacks lay claim to the distinction that Charles Evans Hughes slept there. A century ago, it was at the home of Louis and Charlotte Hyde, now The Hyde Collection art museum, where Charles and Antoinette Hughes stayed overnight on June 24th, 1922, the night before dedication of the Helen Hughes Memorial Chapel, built in memory of their daughter, at Silver Bay Association in Hague on Lake George. [Read more…] about Charles Evans Hughes Doc Screening in Glens Falls on Saturday