History

$200,000 in Preserve New York Grants Awarded

October 18, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Preservation League of NYS and their program partners at the New York State Council on the Arts (NYSCA) have announced the most recent recipients of their Preserve New York grants.

At its 2020 meeting, the Preserve New York grant panel selected 19 applicants in 15 counties to receive support totaling $193,390. Many of these grants will lead to historic district designation or expansion, allowing property owners to take advantage of the New York State and Federal Historic Tax Credits. [Read more…] about $200,000 in Preserve New York Grants Awarded

Bowling, Beers and Opera: Closson’s Cafe in Troy

October 17, 2020 by John Warren 2 Comments

Closson’s Cafe at 64 Congress Street in Troy (corner of Third and Congress) closed February 2, 1966 when bartender Mike Gallagher drew the last glass of beer and then abruptly, and without notice to the public, closed the doors.
[Read more…] about Bowling, Beers and Opera: Closson’s Cafe in Troy

Secrets, Poison Gas and Chemotherapy (Podcast)

October 16, 2020 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

This week on The Historians Podcast, Jennet Conant discusses her book The Great Secret: The Classified World War II Disaster That Launched the War on Cancer. Also heard is film maker Nick Spark who lobbied for U.S. government recognition of medical doctor Stewart Alexander whose work chronicling the Bari disaster in southern Italy was the impetus to developing chemotherapy. [Read more…] about Secrets, Poison Gas and Chemotherapy (Podcast)

Women of Schuyler Mansion Topic of Online Program

October 16, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is set to host Jessica Serfilippi from the Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site on Tuesday, October 20th at 6:30 pm as part of the sixth annual Tuesday Talk series to recognize New York State History Month this October. [Read more…] about Women of Schuyler Mansion Topic of Online Program

Confronting Slavery: Hudson Valley Family History

October 16, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Albany Institute of History & Art is set to host “Confronting Slavery: Discovering Family History in the Hudson Valley,” an online program with genealogists Eleanor Mire and Debra Bruno on Sunday, October 18th. [Read more…] about Confronting Slavery: Hudson Valley Family History

Scandal on Plum Island: A Commander Accused

October 15, 2020 by Chris Kretz Leave a Comment

In 1914, Major Benjamin Koehler faced a court martial on Plum Island, off the eastern end of the North Fork coast of Long Island. A number of men under his command at the island’s Fort Terry had accused this career officer of immoral conduct. The resulting trial and verdict, after an initial flurry of notice in the press, is largely forgotten now.

Marian Lindberg, a lawyer with the Nature Conservancy and a former journalist, has gone to great lengths to retrieve Major Koehler’s ordeal from obscurity. Her book, Scandal on Plum Island: A Commander Becomes the Accused (East End Press), uncovers the possible motives for the court martial as well as the social and political climate surrounding it. [Read more…] about Scandal on Plum Island: A Commander Accused

Memories of Voter Suppression

October 14, 2020 by Lawrence Wittner 2 Comments

Back in July 1962 I was in the Deep South, working to register Black voters. It was a near-hopeless project, given the mass disenfranchisement of the region’s Black population that was enforced by Southern law and an occasional dose of white terrorism. [Read more…] about Memories of Voter Suppression

Albany Celebrated Grover Cleveland’s 1884 Nomination for President

October 14, 2020 by Maury Thompson Leave a Comment

After the 1884 Democratic National Convention closed at Chicago, the nation’s attention turned to Albany, where nominee-in-waiting Grover Cleveland was doing his best not to make news prematurely. [Read more…] about Albany Celebrated Grover Cleveland’s 1884 Nomination for President

Elections in Early America: Democracy & Voting in British North America

October 14, 2020 by Liz Covart Leave a Comment

The British North American colonies formed some of the most democratic governments in the world. But that doesn’t mean that all early Americans were treated equally or allowed to participate in representative government.

So who could vote in Early America? Who could participate in representative government?

A New Book About Schoharie’s Old Stone Fort

October 13, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The new book Old Stone Fort – Guardian of Schoharie County History Since 1772 by Jeff O’Connor features over 79 maps, illustrations, and photographs that help narrate the history of one of upstate New York’s oldest and most beloved museums. [Read more…] about A New Book About Schoharie’s Old Stone Fort