History, Natural History & the Arts
When he died in 1848 Cornelius Heeney, an Irish emigrant of the late 18th century to the USA, was among the wealthiest and most influential men in the country, yet his story goes far beyond wealth or influence.
Over the course of his life, Heeney contributed land and money to many churches and orphan asylums in New York and Brooklyn, including New York’s first Catholic Church, St Peters. [Read more…] about Cornelius Heeney: Irish Immigrant, Philanthropist
The Saratoga County History Center has announce the publication of Off the Northway (Saratoga County History Center, 2022), a compilation of 83 articles written by longtime local journalist Stephen Williams, who retired after a 42-year career at the Daily Gazette in Schenectady, NY. [Read more…] about Off the Northway: A New Book by Journalist Stephen Williams
Imagine the Mohawk River flowing with more force than Niagara Falls. Around 22,000 years ago, that’s exactly how it was. During the last ice age, the Laurentide Glacier began to melt, forming a large lake atop the glacier. As the glacier receded north, it opened access to the Mohawk River, which for thousands of years had been buried beneath the two-mile thick block of ice. Suddenly, all that lake water had somewhere to go.
The deluge of water that was released was so great that it carved an entirely new riverbed. It was so great in fact, that geologists gave the river a new name; the Iromohawk. Water rushed down the valley, carving away the cliffs of Clifton Park, the gorge at Cohoes, and the channel at Rexford. The river also curved back onto itself, creating the bend around Schenectady that the Mohawk follows today. [Read more…] about A Brief History of the Mohawk River
The Sembrich, in Bolton Landing on Lake George, will host “The Fascinating Life of Katrina Trask,” a presentation on one of the regions most noted philanthropists by Betty Spinelli, set for Wednesday, June 22nd.
Best known as the founder of Yaddo in Saratoga Springs, American author and philanthropist Katrina Trask led an accomplished and intriguing life with many Lake George connections. [Read more…] about The Fascinating Life of Katrina Trask
New York State has been selected by Inland Waterways International as the host of the 2025 World Canals Conference, an event that brings together hundreds of canal and inland waterway enthusiasts, professionals and scholars from around the world to learn about a variety of topics related to canals.
The 2025 conference will be held in Buffalo as the State commemorates the 200th anniversary of the Erie Canal‘s opening there in 1825. [Read more…] about World Canals Conference Coming to Buffalo in 2025
The natural environment as well as year-round and summer residents shaped architectural expressions in the Route 20 villages of Cherry Valley, Sharon Springs, and Richfield Springs, all in Otsego County, NY.
In all three villages building form and style combined tradition and innovation to create structures that were functional and fashionable. Builders added classical columns, decorative cornices, and colored glass windows to connect with larger architectural styles. At the same time, local materials and distinctive landscapes shaped architectural expressions that marked these places as unique. [Read more…] about Otsego County Architecture Walking Tours Planned
Willard State Hospital in Romulus, Seneca County, NY has defined the physical landscape and cultural environment of its rural corner of the Finger Lakes region for nearly 175 years. The hospital complex was the largest of its kind in the 1870s, with dozens of buildings, open space, and working farms.
Once comprising over 1,000 acres, its current size is about 400 acres including a mile of Seneca Lake shoreline and an institutional cemetery containing approximately 6,000 burials. Despite the loss of several architecturally important buildings, about 70 buildings still stand today. [Read more…] about Under Threat: Willard State Hospital at Seneca Lake
The Rockefeller Institute of Government will host “Highways & Health: Reimagining Our Roadways,” a webinar featuring four panelists from across academia, policy, and practice on the impacts of highways and highway construction projects on community health, set for Wednesday, June 22nd. [Read more…] about Highways & Health: Reimagining Our Roadways
The Preservation League of New York State will host “Preservation Roundtable: Accidental Preservationists,” a virtual program about how to fix up a historic house, set for Tuesday, June 21st. [Read more…] about Accidental Preservationists: Preservation Roundtable
The Oneida County History Center will host a screening and discussion of “Utica: An Olmsted City,” a series of six short videos discussing the origins, significance, and evolution of five neighborhoods, the parks and parkway system designed for Utica by Frederick Law Olmsted, Jr., the preeminent landscape American architect, set for June 22nd.
This program will include a brief introduction and a question-and-answer session with the film’s creators, local historian and Olmsted City Chair Phil Bean, and videographer Dennis Dewey. [Read more…] about ‘Utica: An Olmsted City’ Doc Screening & Discussion