New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Fair-Weather Patriot: General James Wilkinson

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General James WilkinsonGeneral James Wilkinson was the 5th Commanding General of the US Army, fought along the St. Lawrence River during the War of 1812, and was a spy for the Spanish. Find out more about this colorful character when Matt Dudley presents For King and Countries: The Remarkable Life of an Occasional Spaniard and a Fair-weather Patriot on Saturday, March 1st, 2 p.m. at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House, 3 East Main St., Canton.

This War of 1812 program is part of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association’s Commemoration of the 200th anniversary of the War of 1812, which was fought from 1812-1815. St. Lawrence County was one of the battlefields of the War of 1812. [Read more…] about Fair-Weather Patriot: General James Wilkinson

Enslaved in Rensselaer County: Slavery at Crailo

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SK-A-285On Saturday, February 22nd from 11:00am-4:00pm Crailo in Rensselaer, NY will explore the lesser-known world of those who were enslaved by the Van Rensselaers and the history of slavery in New Netherland and New York.

Crailo will be open for special open-house style tours, featuring new interpretation of the cellar kitchen focusing on the role that enslaved people played at Crailo.  [Read more…] about Enslaved in Rensselaer County: Slavery at Crailo

98th Annual NYS Archaeological Association Meeting

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NYS Archaeological AssociationThe New York State Archaeological Association (NYSAA) has issued a Call for Papers for its 98th Annual Meeting on April 11-13th, 2014. The deadline for submissions is March 1, 2014.

The Annual Meeting will be held in the Susquehanna Valley at the Holiday Inn Hotel and Conference Center in Oneonta, NY. The keynote speaker will be David Starbuck, Professor of Anthropology, Plymouth State University. [Read more…] about 98th Annual NYS Archaeological Association Meeting

Troy Labor History:
Kate Mullany 150th Anniversary History Walk

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kateimage-201x300The Rensselaer County Historical Society (RCHS) is hosting a special event this Saturday, February 22nd commemorating the 150th anniversary of Kate Mullany’s historic formation of the Collar Laundry Union in Troy. The event begins at 11am at RCHS and includes a walk from RCHS to the Troy Farmers Market at 12pm and concludes with speeches at the Farmers Market at 12:30. This event is free to the public.

At the age of 23 Kate Mullany organized 300 of her fellow laundry workers to strike for higher wages and improved working conditions in the collar laundries. This Saturday, February 22nd, RCHS will commemorate Mullany’s creation of the 1st sustained female labor union in America’s history. The event begins at 11am at RCHS (57 Second St., Troy, NY) where the public will be invited to create strike signs in keeping with the historic celebration of the strike. [Read more…] about Troy Labor History:
Kate Mullany 150th Anniversary History Walk

Historic Punch Recipes Featured At Albany Institute

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Albany Punch BowlOn Wednesday, February 26 from 6PM-8PM, the Albany Institute of History & Art will host Potent Potables, which will highlight historic punch recipes and showcase punch bowls from the museum’s collection. The event, which is hosted by the Albany Institute’s Special Events Committee, costs $25 per person to attend and participants must be 21 and over (ID required). Featured punches include Champagne Punch, Cherry Bounce, Lime Rub Shrub, Pumpelly Punch, and Regents Punch.

Punch, an Eastern drink, is from the Hindi word panch, meaning “five,” for its five basic ingredients of rum, water, sugar, juice, and spice. Punch was introduced to the West in the late seventeenth century. By the eighteenth century it had become the drink of choice in England and the American colonies where punch making was considered a social accomplishment. [Read more…] about Historic Punch Recipes Featured At Albany Institute

2014 Public Historians Conference in Saratoga Springs

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AphlogoThe 2014 Association of Public Historians in New York State annual conference will be held from March 16-19, 2014 at the Gideon Putnam Hotel in Saratoga Springs.

A tentative conference schedule and registration information has been posted online here.

The purpose of the Association is to promote and encourage a greater understanding of the history of New York State and its local jurisdictions; to promote and encourage the work of the officially appointed local government historians in New York State and its legal jurisdictions; to support and encourage the Office of the State Historian; to foster a spirit of cooperation and collegiality among all public historians in New York State.

Martha Washington Woman of History Awardees Named

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washingtons headquartersWashington’s Headquarters State Historic Site will present two Martha Washington Woman of History Awards. The 2014 Martha Washington Woman of History Award recipient is author/historian Mary Sudman Donovan.

This award is given each year in honor of Martha Washington, a perennially outstanding woman in history who resided in the Hudson Valley with her husband, General George Washington, during the last days of the Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about Martha Washington Woman of History Awardees Named

A New Warrensburgh History Published

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Book cover frontFollowing five years of planning, research, writing and design, the Warrensburgh Historical Society has released Warrensburg, New York: 200 Years of People, Places and Events (2014) in honor of the town’s Bicentennial Celebration.

Spearheaded by Town Historian Sandi Parisi, the effort involved more than 20 volunteers. The 184-page soft-cover book, laid out as an encyclopedia of Warrensburg history, contains more than 300 photographs and a 19-page index with over 2,300 listings. [Read more…] about A New Warrensburgh History Published

Museums in Action Annual Conference Announced

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Albany PhotoThe Museums in Action conference is planned for Albany, March 30 through April 1, 2014. Museums in Action is the annual professional conference of the Museum Association of New York. This year’s conference theme is “STEM to STEAM” as well as “Museum ‘Must-Haves'”. Keynote speakers will include Susan Hildreth, Director, Institute of Museum and Library Services and Roger Tilles, Board of Regents, New York State Education Department.

A new addition to the conference will be Coffee Talks that will allow for directors, curators, development staff and independent museum professionals to gather with colleagues and discuss what’s important to them, bounce ideas around the room and network. [Read more…] about Museums in Action Annual Conference Announced

Lecture: Early Mohawk and Hudson Valley Life

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313556_10150319313123348_471487521_nBeginning February 25th, Marilyn Sassi will present four lectures in a series entitled Early Mohawk and Hudson Valley Life: How Clothes, Arts and Architecture Changed, 1750-1814 on the evolving material culture of the Mohawk and Hudson Valley area.

Each week will focus on a different area of history and the changes seen during that period. Sassi is a teacher and historian specializing in material culture, architecture and area history. [Read more…] about Lecture: Early Mohawk and Hudson Valley Life