New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

History

Body Snatching at New Rochelle: Cobbett & Paine

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Woodcut of anatomical dissectionThe teaching of anatomy at European medical schools had become standard practice by the middle of the sixteenth century. Instruction included the dissection of a human corpse. Initially, bodies at hand were those of (male) criminals or heretics.

The occasional dissection of a woman, it being a public event, attracted large numbers of spectators by the prospect of the exposure of female organs. A dissection at the time was both education and spectacle. It was attended by professionals, painters, and the curious alike. The cutting up of a body was a celebration of scientific progress. [Read more…] about Body Snatching at New Rochelle: Cobbett & Paine

Buffalo Riverline: A Unique Urban Nature Trail Design Unveiled

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Riverline Double BridgeThe Western New York Land Conservancy and its design partners W Architecture, Hood Design Studio, and Green Shield Ecology presented their final concept designs for The Riverline at a press conference at the Tewksbury Lodge Pavilion in Buffalo last week.

The Riverline is the Conservancy’s proposed urban nature trail and greenway that stretches along an unused railroad corridor from Canalside at the Delaware, Lackawanna and Western Railroad Terminal Terminal in downtown Buffalo to the Buffalo River across from Riverbend and Tesla. [Read more…] about Buffalo Riverline: A Unique Urban Nature Trail Design Unveiled

Newburgh’s Historic Weigand Tavern Getting A New Life

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Weigand's_Tavern-AuthorThe Martin Weigand Tavern in the City of Newburgh was a historic property allowed to deteriorate to a point where it was almost beyond repair. It’s now getting a new life.

Located on Liberty Street, it’s a relic of the American Revolution where many Revolutionary notables spent time. The tavern was also the center of political life in early Newburgh. It stands today at the Northwest corner of the Old Town Cemetery as it has for over two centuries. [Read more…] about Newburgh’s Historic Weigand Tavern Getting A New Life

Shoemaking to Sewing Machines: One Central NY Cobbler’s Path to Prosperity

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Russel Crego & Son Business Card, c.1885Shoemaking was a common trade for centuries, but quickly became a casualty of the industrial revolution in the 19th century. The development of the sewing machine in the 1840s, by Elias Howe, Isaac Singer (from Pittstown, Rensselaer County, NY) and others revolutionized the textile industry.

Machines that could stitch leather for shoes soon also appeared and events like the Civil War spurred the technology on. The U.S. Army ordered thousands of machine-made boots for its soldiers. During this time, Russel Crego (1820-1892) was one New York shoemaker who made a very successful leap from making shoes by hand to selling sewing machines, not only to factories but to the home market. [Read more…] about Shoemaking to Sewing Machines: One Central NY Cobbler’s Path to Prosperity

History of Early Lighting Exhibit in Canton

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Copper and brass table lamp commemorative from the Spanish American War eraThe St. Lawrence County Historical Association (SLCHA) has announced “History of Early Lighting,” a new exhibit curated by Carlton Stickney, featuring 250 objects dating from the 1700s to the 1900s.

The earliest portion of the exhibit covers candle sticks (1650s–1880s); grease lamps (1600s), whale oil lamps (late 1700s–mid-1800s), plus burning fluid and lard lamps. Along with three display cases of lamps, there are two cases of accessories which include an early tinderbox, strike-anywhere-matches, spill plane, candle snuffers, match holders, miniature lamps, wick trimmers, lamp chimneys, lamp burners, containers for filling lamps with fuel, lamp doilies, and a photographer’s lantern used to retouch glass negatives. [Read more…] about History of Early Lighting Exhibit in Canton

StoryTown, Gaslight Village, Land of Make Believe, Santa’s Workshop Artifacts Sought

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Buildings at the former Gaslight Village Property in Lake George Village by John WarrenThe Clinton County Historical Association (CCHA) has announced they are seeking small artifacts from Land of Make Believe, Santa’s Workshop, StoryTown or Gaslight Village to be part of a new exhibit showcasing the many talents of designer Arto Monaco. [Read more…] about StoryTown, Gaslight Village, Land of Make Believe, Santa’s Workshop Artifacts Sought

Sailors’ Snug Harbor on Staten Island (Author Interview)

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Bosom FriendsThe most recent episode of Empire State Engagements features a conversation with Dr. Thomas J. Balcerski of Eastern Connecticut State University about his New York History journal article “‘The Little Spark of Manhood I Have Left’: Governor Thomas Melville and the Aged Seamen of Sailors’ Snug Harbor,” and his recent monograph Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019). [Read more…] about Sailors’ Snug Harbor on Staten Island (Author Interview)

The Great Intercollegiate Regatta of 1874

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The Great Intercollegiate Regatta of 1874 on Saratoga LakeNothing is quite as exciting as being part of the crowd at a Super Bowl or at the Olympic Games. That type of excitement must have been experienced by Saratoga Lake dwellers in July, 1874 when the “Great Intercollegiate Regatta” came to our community.

Nine colleges – Harvard, Yale, Columbia, Wesleyan, Dartmouth, Williams, Cornell, Trinity and Princeton all entered six man shells. While each school brought their own fans to the area, most interest (especially betting interest) centered on the fierce Harvard – Yale rivalry. In a race five years earlier, Yale had beaten the boys from Harvard but were charged with unsportsmanlike conduct and disqualified. Bad blood existed between these two prestigious members of the Ivy League. [Read more…] about The Great Intercollegiate Regatta of 1874