New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

FDR ‘Fireside Chat’ at Saratoga Battlefield Saturday

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Corps celebrates Bonneville 75th anniversary September 2012On Saturday June 14, 2014 at 7:00 p.m., Saratoga National Historical Park will host actor Gary Stamm as he portrays President Franklin D. Roosevelt in a real “fireside chat” describing a 1939 royal visit from the King and Queen of Britain and the fascinating implications it had for our country and the entire world.

What do you serve to the King and Queen of Britain if they come to visit your home? In 1939, President Franklin Roosevelt took them on a picnic in the scenic Hudson Valley and served the great American treat of hot dogs. [Read more…] about FDR ‘Fireside Chat’ at Saratoga Battlefield Saturday

Amsterdam to Albany: An Address by Russell Shorto

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800px-Russell_ShortoRussell Shorto, the 2013 New Netherland Research Center Senior Scholar and author of The Island at the Center of the World and Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City, as well as other acclaimed works, will talk about Dutch cultural heritage from Amsterdam and its influence on Albany, New York.

The talk will be followed by a signing of his most recent book Amsterdam: A History of the World’s Most Liberal City, named one of Publisher’s Weekly Best Books of 2013 and described as “an expertly told history of a city of new, shocking freedoms and the tough-minded people that developed them.” Copies of the book will be available for sale. [Read more…] about Amsterdam to Albany: An Address by Russell Shorto

Dutchess County Writing Programs Focus On History

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Hudson Valley Writing Project LogoThe Hudson Valley Writing Project at SUNY New Paltz (HVWP) will offer two “place-based” writing programs in Dutchess County in collaboration with the Roosevelt-Vanderbilt National Historic Site and the Friends of Clermont. [Read more…] about Dutchess County Writing Programs Focus On History

Rensselaer Co. Historical Society’s 2014 Phelan Lecture

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RCHSThe Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) has announced the 2014 Thomas Phelan Endowed Lecture Series to be held on Saturday, June 21. This year’s theme is Controversial Objects, Controversial History. The day consists of a morning lecture, an afternoon workshop and a fundraising dinner in the evening.

In 1997, the Rensselaer County Historical Society established the Thomas Phelan Endowed Lecture Series in recognition of Rev. Phelan’s longtime preservation efforts and support of the educational and cultural vitality of Rensselaer County. Prominent speakers are invited to lecture of topics relating to Phelan’s area of study as Institute Dean and Institute Historian at Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, especially as it pertains to 19th century American material culture and industrialization. [Read more…] about Rensselaer Co. Historical Society’s 2014 Phelan Lecture

Fort Ticonderoga Author Series: Battle of Valcour Island

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Fort Ticonderoga From Mount DefianceFort Ticonderoga’s 2014 Author Series continues on Sunday, June 8, with Stephen Darley, author of The Battle of Valcour Island: The Participants and Vessels of Benedict Arnold’s 1776 Defense of Lake Champlain.

In his new book about the Battle of Valcour Island on Lake Champlain, Steve Darley includes a roster of 448 officers and men who participated, the names and personal history of 16 captains of the American vessels on the lake in 1776, as well as first hand accounts in letters, journals, memoirs, and pension applications that tell this amazing story of a Lake Champlain battle. No such comprehensive information has been published before. It contains a description of all of the American vessels in the battle as well as the story of how the first vessels of the American fleet were obtained and how the last group of vessels were destroyed or captured in 1777. [Read more…] about Fort Ticonderoga Author Series: Battle of Valcour Island

New York’s History Community to Convene

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New-York-State-Map1When the Conference on New York State History meets at Marist College in Poughkeepsie on June 12-14, 2014, it will—as always—bring together scholars to present and discuss their latest work in New York State history.

Sessions will include a New York Academy of History panel led by Columbia University’s Kenneth T. Jackson on the past, present, and future of New York’s urban and suburban history; a panel sponsored by the New York Council for the Humanities featuring leading scholars of public history, historical memory, and architecture addressing “September 11 and the Battle for American Memory;” a Hudson River Valley Institute-sponsored panel on the Hudson River School aesthetic and the formation of a national identity; and a lot more.

It will include more in the way of scholarship, to be sure—but also much more than that. [Read more…] about New York’s History Community to Convene

Copake Iron Works Tours And Talk Planned

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Copake Iron Works cart and horseHistorian Jim Mackin will present “Everything You Always Wanted to Know About the Copake Iron Works But Were Afraid to Ask” at a lecture and slide show on Saturday, June 21st at 2pm at the Roeliff Jansen Community Library, 9091 Route 22 in Copake, Columbia County, NY, followed by a reception and tour of the Iron Works.

Mackin will also host guided tours of the Copake Iron Works Historic District throughout the summer, beginning on June 8th as part of New York State’s Path Through History Weekend. [Read more…] about Copake Iron Works Tours And Talk Planned

Battle of Bennington Talk, Tour On Saturday

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Bennington1777MapDr. Michael P. Gabriel, author of The Battle of Bennington: Soldiers & Civilians, will be giving a short presentation as part of the Road to the Battle of Bennington Inaugural Event to be held at Bennington Battlefield State Historic Site on Saturday June 7 from 2- 4 p.m.

The Path Through History Weekend event celebrates the inauguration of an interpretive driving route that follows the ill-fated excursion of German Lieutenant Colonel Friedrich Baum to Bennington Battlefield in 1777, during the American Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about Battle of Bennington Talk, Tour On Saturday

New Exhibit: Archeological Explorations of Waterford

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History underfootThe Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center (WHMCC) announces the opening of its 2014 exhibit, History Underfoot: Archeological Explorations of Waterford at the Museum on June 6, 2014 from 6pm to 8pm.

WHMCC’s latest exhibit goes underground to explore Waterford’s recent and not-so-recent past. With the help of experts in the field including exhibit consultant Matthew Kirk from Hartgen Archeological Associates, Inc. and exhibit designer Paul G. Schneider, Jr., the Museum has created an exhibit which features objects from WHMCC’s collection as well as the collections of private individuals, the New York State Museum, and the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. [Read more…] about New Exhibit: Archeological Explorations of Waterford

Historic Cherry Hill Offers Free Family Event Saturday

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Cherry HillThis Saturday, June 7th, Historic Cherry Hill will present the Hudson River Family Day, from12:30 – 3:30 p.m. The event is free and open to the public. Cherry Hill is a house museum in Albany which was once the five-generation home of the Van Rensselaer family.

Participants are invited to step into the 1700s and experience Hudson River sloop trade and daily life. The unique Hudson River Trading Game, with its 34-foot game board, will challenge all ages to experience the adventure of 18th century trade and travel on the river. Other activities will include colonial games, crafts and clothing, open house tours highlighting the 18th century architecture and history of Cherry Hill, and more. [Read more…] about Historic Cherry Hill Offers Free Family Event Saturday