History, Natural History & the Arts
In the days before mechanical refrigeration, ice harvesting was an essential wintertime activity. The ice harvested in the winter would be used to keep food and agricultural products cold in the warmer months.
Hanford Mills Museum in the Catskills’ East Meredith will hold the 31st annual Ice Harvest Festival on Saturday, February 1st. [Read more…] about Ice Harvest Festival at Hanford Mills Museum
When you enter the hamlet of Wallkill, you are greeted by the happy face of the Borden Company’s mascot, Elsie the Cow. The company’s website states that this mascot dates to the 1930s.
Underneath Elsie is a sign stating that the Hamlet of Wallkill was the location the “Home Farm” of John G. Borden. Thus, many commonly believe that Borden Condensed Milk was in fact invented in the Hamlet of Wallkill; however, its origins can be traced to Burrville, Connecticut and Gail Borden, Jr. Actually, the business was not originally called Borden at all – that title would come later. [Read more…] about Everyone Knows Elsie: A Short Borden Company History
In the late summer of 1664, four English frigates arrived off shore New Amsterdam. Rather than resisting, the Director-General of New Netherland, Peter Stuyvesant, surrendered the city and colony to the English.
Although the Dutch briefly regained control of the colony in 1673, it was restored to English rule in the Treaty of Westminster the following year, marking the end of Dutch New York.
Despite the English conquest, the Dutch language continued to thrive in New York and northern New Jersey for generations, persisting into the twentieth century in certain areas. [Read more…] about When Did New York Stop Speaking Dutch?
The Farmers’ Museum, located at 5775 State Hwy. 80, Lake Road, in Cooperstown has announced their sixth annual “Celebration of Our Agricultural Community: Annual Conference on Food & Farming” has been set for Saturday, November 2nd, from 9 am to 2 pm. The topic this year is Opportunities in Agriculture. [Read more…] about Food & Farming Conference at Farmers’ Museum Saturday
Uncle Sam, an American icon and a national symbol for the United States of America, is believed to have originated during the War of 1812.
Samuel Wilson was a meat packer and inspector of beef and pork at the E&S Wilson Company, owned by Samuel and his brother Ebenezer. After the United States declared war against Great Britain on June 18, 1812, the E&S Wilson Company was chosen to supply meat for the northern army of the United States. [Read more…] about Uncle Sam: Progenitor of America’s National Symbol
Fort Ticonderoga is set to host a Heritage, Harvest & Horse Festival on October 5th. The full day of autumn fun will be set in the midst of the King’s Garden heirloom apple trees and a landscape of mountains and Lake Champlain.
Guests are invited to discover the historical importance of horses and other working animals during demonstrations; meet friendly farm animals; stroll through Fort Ticonderoga’s farmers’ market featuring local food, beverages, and crafts; participate in family fun activities; and tackle the six-acre Heroic Corn Maze. [Read more…] about History Harvest and Horse Festival Planned for Fort Ti
The history of the Rogers Mansion in Southampton starts in 1648 when it was a one room farm house built by the pioneering William Rogers family.
Hundreds of Rodger family descendants were born, raised and died on the property. [Read more…] about Spooky Spirits at Rogers Mansion, Southampton, LI
Jesse Williams, a successful farmer and cheese maker in Rome, believed that farmers could maximize their profits by working together as cooperative dairies. He started a cheese factory in the n 1851 just north of Rome, NY and helped revolutionize the modern cheese industry locally and across the nation. [Read more…] about Jesse Williams’ Early Cheese Factory in Rome, NY
The 2019 Madison County Hop Fest Tour on Sunday, September 15th, will feature exemplary architectural structures that demonstrate the four components of 19th century hop processing, as well as provide new sites of the county’s hop heritage.
Visitors will get to enter the hop houses, see the elements and tools, smell the hop aroma saved in the timbers, and hear the explanations of the processes. The tour will include many “windshield viewings” of other sites included in the 2006 Bicentennial Hop Heritage Trail and in the Cultural Resources Survey supported by a grant from the Preservation League of New York State in 2006. [Read more…] about A Tour of Madison County’s Hop Heritage
The 24th Annual Madison County Hop Fest has been set for Saturday, September 14, at the Madison County Historical Society, 435 Main Street, Oneida.
The Madison County Hop Fest was created to raise awareness of the history and influence of hop culture, as well as for a fund-raiser for the county museum. [Read more…] about Madison County’s Annual Hop Fest Celebrate Hops History