The Landmark Society of Western New York has announced its 2022-23 Five to Revive – a list that identifies opportunities for targeted, strategic revitalization. The announcement was made at a news conference last week at the Landmark Society headquarters in the Warner Castle in Rochester. [Read more…] about Historic Preservation: Landmark Society Names Five to Revive
This page includes all our stories about New York State history.
Great American Rail-Trail Historical Marker Program
The William G. Pomeroy Foundation has announced a partnership with the Rails-to-Trails Conservancy (RTC) to launch the Great American Rail-Trail Historical Marker Program, helping to bring greater attention to the history that is embedded along the 3,700-mile coast-to-coast route.
Markers will be installed along the developing trail, one of RTC’s signature programs, between Washington, D.C. and Washington State. [Read more…] about Great American Rail-Trail Historical Marker Program
State Library Local History and Genealogy Tours
The New York State Library in Albany has announced two local history and genealogy tours, set for Friday, February 3rd, and Friday, February 17th. [Read more…] about State Library Local History and Genealogy Tours
Bacon Hill Hamlet is Focus of Saratoga History Center Video
The Bacon Hill community in Saratoga County is the subject of an upcoming local history documentary, which will premiere in special screenings in March.
The documentary is part of the Forgotten Crossroads series of videos which tells the history and stories of people living in still-existing communities that started in the early days of the county. [Read more…] about Bacon Hill Hamlet is Focus of Saratoga History Center Video
Russell Shorto: The Dutch-American Perspective
The work that historians do influences their lives, especially if they spend a considerable time in a foreign land that they write about. Slowly, their topic of choice becomes an essential part of their identity. Russell Shorto, a renowned writer of narrative history, writes about his own evolution at the intersection of Dutch-American history.
This essay concerns itself with the intersection of Dutch and American history. Previous posts have explored slavery in New Amsterdam, the naming – and renaming – of that city, and John Adams’ role as unofficial ambassador to the Netherlands during the American war of independence. As I pondered the task of contributing to that lineup, and scrolled through a mental list of possible topics, it occurred to me that, as I have lived at the intersection of Dutch and American history for more than twenty years, my own identity, and its evolution over that time, might be a relevant topic. [Read more…] about Russell Shorto: The Dutch-American Perspective
Restless Roamer: James Smithson’s Final Journey
A descendant of Dutch settlers, Jacob Aaron Westervelt began his career in 1814 as an apprentice in Christian Bergh’s shipyard at the point of land on the East River known as Corlears Hook. He left his employer in 1835 to start his own operation along the river. Over a period of three decades, the yard produced 234 vessels.
One of Jacob’s first commissions in 1836 was to build the packet boat Mediator for John Griswold’s Black X Line. Founded in 1823, its ships ran between New York and London displaying a house flag with a black X on a red background. [Read more…] about Restless Roamer: James Smithson’s Final Journey
Cornwall-on-Hudson Historian Colette Fulton Being Honored
Former Cornwall-on-Hudson Village Historian Colette C. Fulton has been named the 2023 Martha Washington Woman of History.
This award is given annually by Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site to a woman who has made a contribution to the history of the Hudson Valley through education, promotion, or preservation. The honor was inspired by Martha Washington, who resided in the Hudson Valley with her husband, General George Washington, during the last days of the Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about Cornwall-on-Hudson Historian Colette Fulton Being Honored
Neversink Chronicles Virtual Author Talk
The Neversink Chronicles by John Dwaine McKenna links together seventeen fictional stories (set from 1937 to 2003) tied together by real life events of residents in the Rondout and Neversink Valleys who were displaced by New York City for the building of the Delaware water system, needed to bring fresh drinking water from the Catskills to the city of New York.
Building on the Rondout and Neversink Reservoirs, the tunnels that connect them and the Catskill Aqueduct (which transports the water to NYC) began in the 1930s and finished in the 1950s. The five communities of Montela, Eureka, Lackawack, Neversink and Bittersweet were removed to create the reservoirs, permanently altering the lives of over 1,500 people. [Read more…] about Neversink Chronicles Virtual Author Talk
Owl Moon Event At Genesee Country Village & Museum
Genesee Country Village & Museum in the hamlet of Mumford, about 20 miles from Rochester, is partnering with Wild Wings Inc. to host the popular Owl Moon night-hike and owl meet and greet experience on Fridays and Saturdays, February 3rd, 4th, 10th, and 11th. [Read more…] about Owl Moon Event At Genesee Country Village & Museum
Woodsman Willard Howland and his Amazing Critters
“
Lotsa Screes in here tonight,” Willard spoke low. “Puts me in mind of a he-scree I see up in Hawk’s Nest one fall when I was trappin’.”
And so began a story that would enliven the trailside or campsite for those who had the privilege to spend time with Willard Howland. Little has been written about the life of this woodsman beyond bits and pieces of the stories he told. It could even be said that his tales, everything from experiences in the woods, to amazing fantasy creatures that inhabited his wilderness, tell more of who Willard was than anything a written history could reveal. [Read more…] about Woodsman Willard Howland and his Amazing Critters