History, Natural History & the Arts
Looking to the Adirondacks from Albany, we can learn much about members of the Pruyn family and many other notable figures who influenced the Adirondack region as well.
In the mid-19th-century, garden cemeteries like the Albany Rural Cemetery borrowed designs that took a picturesque form, with tree-lined, meandering paths, stonework, and curated plantings. [Read more…] about Finding the Adirondacks in Albany: A History Tour & Special Museum Event
New York State Parks and Westchester County Parks have approved the renewal of the Jay Heritage Center’s (JHC) stewardship of the 21.5-acre Jay Property for another 10-year period. Westchester County Executive George Latimer personally sponsored Westchester County’s ACT 2023-312 in July to reaffirm the public-private partnership among the County, New York State Parks, and JHC. [Read more…] about Jay Heritage Center Property Management Agreement Renewed
During King George’s War (1744-1748), the primary military encounters in the Saratoga area were focused on the Schuyler estate and associated settlements and Fort Saratoga/Fort Clinton.
The most significant event was the November 1745 First Battle of Saratoga in which a force of French and Indian allies from Fort St. Frederic (at Crown Point) attacked the village, burning 30 houses, several mills, and the fort as well as killing, scalping, and capturing soldiers and residents. (You can read about that here.) [Read more…] about French Attacks On Old Saratoga During King George’s War (1744-1748)
Historical painter Ernest Haas has donated a collection of his original artworks, prints, and materials to the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont. Haas has been a longtime supporter of the museum, which already holds a few of his works.
This donation brings the total number of Haas’ original paintings held by the museum to 29. [Read more…] about Lake Champlain Maritime Museum Acquires Historical Paintings by Ernest Haas
Daniel Folger Bigelow, the nationally known landscape painter, was born on a farm in Peru, Clinton County, NY, on July 20 1823. As a child, Daniel stood on a chair and studied a wall painting. Between farm chores, he would sit on a fence and look across Lake Champlain, watching the magnificent change of colors on Mount Mansfield.
His pencil sketches pleased his parents, but they did not take his talent seriously, believing it was an impractical way to make a living. [Read more…] about Northern New York Landscape Artist Daniel Folger Bigelow
The Adirondacks were originally inhabited by a variety of Indigenous Peoples, many of whom still live here, including the Haudenosaunee (Iroquois Confederacy) and the Abenaki. [Read more…] about Indigenous Peoples of the Adirondacks
First promoted during World War One, War Gardens or Victory Gardens provided American citizens an opportunity to assist with the war effort. Americans were encouraged to produce their own food by planting vegetable gardens in their backyards, churchyards, city parks, and playgrounds.
According to the 1919 pamphlet War Gardening and Home Storage of Vegetables, the War Gardens of America produced food “which helped establish the balance of power between starvation and abundance” in Europe during the final two years of the war. [Read more…] about 4-H Clubs & Victory Gardens During World War Two
This week on the Historians Podcast, Gridiron Legacy: Pro Football’s Missing Origin Story (The Story Plant, 2023) author Gregg Ficery traces what became the National Football League back to teams which played in Ohio and Pennsylvania starting in 1892. [Read more…] about The Origins of the National Football League
Friends of the Old Croton Aqueduct will host a free, easy four-mile loop tour of historic Irvington, Tarrytown and the Old Croton Aqueduct beginning and ending at Main Street School at 101 Main Street, Irvington, in the town of Greenburgh in Westchester County, NY.
The mostly level, shaded walk will take place on one of the most storied sections of the Old Croton Aqueduct. [Read more…] about Historic Irvington and Tarrytown Old Croton Aqueduct Tour
The Private Land Use and Development Plan for the Adirondack Park – which prescribes where, and how much, development is appropriate across the Adirondack Park’s 3.4 million acres of privately-owned lands – was signed into law by Governor Nelson Rockefeller in May, 1973. [Read more…] about Panel to Discuss 50 Years of Adirondack Park’s Private Land Use Plan