New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Food

Revolutionary Thanks: America’s First National Thanksgiving Holiday

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Thanksgiving Holiday PostcardAmerica’s first national Thanksgiving holiday was declared by the Continental Congress to commemorate the victory of the American army of General Horatio Gates over British forces commanded by General John Burgoyne in Saratoga, New York on October 17, 1777.

The triumph at Saratoga, America’s turning point in the eight-year War of Independence was the first time in world history an entire British army had been captured. What’s more, the victory reversed a long string of humiliating defeats for the 13 rebellious colonies, including the loss of the revolutionary capital in Philadelphia. [Read more…] about Revolutionary Thanks: America’s First National Thanksgiving Holiday

The Pilgrims of Plimoth & The First Thanksgiving

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The mayflower Rebecca FraserIn 1621, the Pilgrims of Plimoth (or Plymouth) Colony and their Wampanoag neighbors came together to celebrate their first harvest. Today we remember this event as the first Thanksgiving.

But what do we really know about this holiday and the people who celebrated it? [Read more…] about The Pilgrims of Plimoth & The First Thanksgiving

Abraham Lincoln’s First Thanksgivings

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Norman Rockwell's "Freedom From Want" from his 1943 Four Freedoms series (detail)The fabled 1621 “First Thanksgiving” celebrated in elementary school plays across the country was reported on by Edward Winslow in Mourt’s Relation (A Relation or Journal of the Beginning and Proceedings of the English Plantation Settled at Plimoth in New England, 1622) and William Bradford in Of Plymouth Plantation. [Read more…] about Abraham Lincoln’s First Thanksgivings

Striped Bass Public Hearings in New York

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courtesy of Atlantic States Marine Fisheries CommissionThe Atlantic States Marine Fisheries Commission (ASMFC) released the Draft Addendum II to Amendment 7 to the Fishery Management Plan for Atlantic Striped Bass (PDF) for public comment.

This Draft Addendum presents background on ASMFC’s management of striped bass commercial fisheries. the addendum process and timeline, and a statement of the problem. This document also provides management options for public consideration. [Read more…] about Striped Bass Public Hearings in New York

Muscling Through Migration: A Thanksgiving Story

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TOS_Bird MigrationDuring the autumn months, many birds migrate from their summer breeding grounds in the Northeast to warmer wintering areas south of our region. Migratory birds include many species of raptors and waterfowl, which we often notice because of the birds’ large size and their tendency to travel in groups.

Sometimes, as is the case with geese, these migratory groups are also quite vocal. Variations in their physiology relate directly to how different bird species migrate. [Read more…] about Muscling Through Migration: A Thanksgiving Story

Saratoga’s Classic Bars in the 1970s and1980s

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D'Andrea's Tavern in Saratoga Springs in ca 1970sThe Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation will host “Classic Bars of Yesterday” at 7 pm on Tuesday, November 28, with Carol Godette.

This virtual program will highlight popular Saratoga Springs establishments D’Andrea’s, The Hub, and The Rafters. [Read more…] about Saratoga’s Classic Bars in the 1970s and1980s

The Culture of Teeth in the 18th Century

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George Washington portrait by Christian Gullager, 1789 (detail)The latest episode of the Massachusetts Historical Society’s “The Object of History” podcast features a story about the cultural significance of teeth in the 18th century. In this episode, experts examine a portrait of George Washington in which he does not resemble the familiar face on the one-dollar bill. [Read more…] about The Culture of Teeth in the 18th Century

Big Cheese Politics: Federalist Cows Need Not Apply

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Illustration of Thomas Jefferson making mac and cheese with a wheel of cheddar (created by AI in 2003)A huge cheese is said to have sealed the election of Thomas Jefferson, who occupied the White House on January 1, 1802, after a bitter contest with his rival, the incumbent president and Federalist leader John Adams. It is an oft-told tale.

Upset by Puritan denunciations of Jefferson, Elder John Leland of the Baptist Church of Cheshire, Massachusetts, organized a communal effort to demonstrate support for Jeffersonian Democracy. [Read more…] about Big Cheese Politics: Federalist Cows Need Not Apply

Violent Appetites: Hunger in the Early Northeast

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Violent Appetites: Hunger in the Early NortheastHunger shaped the early Northeast. As Native peoples fought back against the invasion of British and French colonizers, everyone experienced, used, succumbed to, and survived hunger.

Haudenosaunee and Wabanaki peoples had spent generations honing their subsistence strategies to their environments. Colonizers, by contrast, struggled to adapt to North America and found themselves deeply dependent upon Native American foods.

In response, colonists constructed myths of starving Native people to justify colonialism and spent centuries attacking Native food sovereignty. [Read more…] about Violent Appetites: Hunger in the Early Northeast