New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

This page includes all our stories about New York State history.

Collection Storage Tours at Adirondack Museum

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Visitors can now get a glimpse of more than 7,000 historic artifacts not currently on exhibit at the Adirondack Museum in a state-of-the-art facility in the hamlet of Blue Mountain Lake by touring the Collections Storage and Study Center each Monday in July and August from 2:00 p.m. until 3:00 p.m.

The tours are free for museum members; $10 for non-members. Visitors can sign up for a tour on Mondays at the Membership Desk in the Visitor Center. Each tour is limited to thirty people.

The Collections Storage and Study Center holds an amazing array of objects from the Adirondack past. Collections consist of: boats, including power boats, canoes, kayaks, guideboats, and unusual boats; traditional and rustic furniture; hand tools and machinery; large vehicles, including horse-drawn carriages and sleighs, snowmobiles, fire trucks, and a Jitterbug; maple sugaring equipment; ice harvesting tools; as well as agricultural artifacts.

Adirondack Museum Conservator and Collections Manager Doreen Alessi will lead the tours. Alessi cares for more than 100,000 two and three-dimensional artifacts in the collection of the Adirondack Museum. She is a Professional Associate of the American Institute for Conservation of Historic and Artistic Works (AIC).

Photo: Collections Storage and Study Center, Adirondack Museum.

Archives Partnership Trust to Honor Richard Dreyfuss

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The New York State Archives Partnership Trust and the History channel will host a conversation with Academy Award-winning actor and passionate advocate for strengthening history education in our schools Richard Dreyfuss and nationally prominent Lincoln Scholar Harold Holzer to be held on Tuesday, September 28, 2010 at 7:30-8:30pm at The Egg, Center for the Performing Arts, Empire State Plaza, Albany, New York. Mr. Dreyfuss will then be presented with the Empire State Archives and History Award.

The cost for the program is $10 per person (plus handling fees). Tickets are available August 1st. Reservations are required. Tickets can be purchased by calling The Egg Box Office at (518) 473-1845 or online at www.theegg.org.

In advance of the program, a reception to meet Mr. Dreyfuss will be held at The Egg, Center for the Performing Arts, from 5:30-7:00 pm. Reservations will be accepted starting August 2, 2010 by calling the Trust office at (518) 473-7091. Please see the Trust website for reception ticket prices.

231st Anniversary of the Storming of Stony Point

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On the seemingly calm night of July 15, 1779, an unusual chill drifted through the summer air at Stony Point. The British garrison stationed there was confident in their position on the Hudson River and unaware of American plans to invade. Just before midnight, the stillness of the fort was broken as Brigadier General Anthony Wayne and his Light Infantry took the British by storm with a surprise attack. By 1 A.M., the garrison had surrendered, marking an important triumph for America and the last major battle in the north.

Visit Stony Point Battlefield State Historic Site on Friday, Saturday and Sunday, July 16th-18th, to celebrate the 231st anniversary of this bold victory as reenactors from British, American, and Loyal American regiments recreate soldier and family life during the Revolutionary War.

The Battlefield will come alive with demonstrations of 18th century warfare and performances of tactical demonstrations and mock skirmishes. Musket and artillery drills are planned throughout the weekend, showing visitors how weaponry was used in combat. Learn about the kinds of currency circulating through the colonies from our camp paymaster and witness a demonstration of the mail system by our colonial postmaster. Reserve a place on the Battlefield Lantern Tour Saturday evening and witness a recreation of the midnight assault while you take a guided walking tour through the battleground.

A range of activities are planned which will provide fun for the whole family. Children will love enlisting in Washington’s army at the camp recruitment table (where they will receive a certificate signed with a quill pen) and anyone can collect a reward for discovering the renegade hiding in the camp. Enjoy a Tea Party with staff dressed in colonial costume and learn about 18th century fashions and etiquette. Talk to our working blacksmiths to discover how tools were repaired or created to meet the needs of the army.

On Saturday and Sunday afternoons, Tom Hanford will present a family show of 18th century entertainment with music, stories and dramas from life “In the Good Old Colony Days.”

There will be a $5 parking fee. For more information and directions, please call the site office, 845-786-2521.

Illustration: Storming of Stony Point by J. Rogers (ca. 1770-ca. 1880).

Arto Monaco Historical Society Seeks Volunteers

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The board of the Arto Monaco Historical Society is seeking a small number of qualified volunteers to help coordinate two special projects. The first, will be organizing and documenting collections that will be transferred to the Adirondack Museum and other institutions. The society is seeking well-organized and responsible individuals with museum, library, or related experience who can help coordinate the work of additional volunteers.

The second is restoring and maintaining historic structures and grounds. Members of the society are looking for well-organized and responsible individuals with construction, maintenance, or related experience who can help coordinate the work of additional volunteers.

The work of Arto Monaco in designing the areas theme parks has become a central part of the history of tourism in the Adirondacks. Monaco was a local artist who designed sets for MGM and Warner Brothers, a fake German village in the Arizona desert to train World War II soldiers, and later his own Land of Makebelieve. Monaco died in 2005, but not before the Arto Monaco Historical Society (AMHS) was organized (in 2004) in order to preserve and perpetuate Monaco’s legacy, assemble a collection of his work, and stabilize and restore the Land of Makebelieve which was closed in 1979.

Since they first went into the woods with tools in 2006, volunteers of the AMHS have hacked the now overgrown Land of Makebelieve out of the encroaching forests in hopes of saving what’s left of Monaco’s legacy there from the ravages of nature.

If interested, please contact Anne Mackinnon at annemackinnon@earthlink.net.

Champlain Maritime Museum Small Boat Fest

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A celebration of small-boating will be held at the Lake Champlain Maritime Museum in Vergennes, Vermont on Saturday and Sunday, July 17th, and 18th. The event will include the Grand Opening of the new Hazelett Watercraft Center and the exhibit “Celebrating the Small Watercraft of Lake Champlain,” displays by contemporary boat builders, on-water boat trials, workshops, and illustrated talks. On Saturday there will be a Kids Duct Tape Regatta. On Sunday the Lake Champlain Challenge Race will be held during which participants with their own non-motorized boat, kayak, or canoe compete in a three-mile race from the museum’s North Harbor. [Read more…] about Champlain Maritime Museum Small Boat Fest

Historic Huguenot Street Elects New Board Members

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Historic Huguenot Street of New Paltz has elected three new members, including a key official from the Belgian Consulate, to the organization’s board of trustees. The elections occurred at the group’s annual meeting.

Christina Bark, Susan Ingalls Lewis and Edith Mayeux were welcomed to the board. Christina Bark is experienced as a corporate leader, attorney and entrepreneur. Most recently, Bark served as a Global Leader of Business Affairs and Chief Counsel for Oliver Wyman, a leading international consulting firm . She holds degrees from Vassar College and Stanford Law School.

Susan Ingalls Lewis is an Associate Professor of History at the State University of New York at New Paltz, where she teaches courses in American history and women’s studies. Lewis is an accomplished author and has held several leadership positions in the Mid Hudson Valley, including terms on the Rosendale Library and the Century House Historical Society in Rosendale. She holds degrees from Wellesley College and the State University of New York at Binghamton.

The third new member of the board of trustees is Edith Mayeux. Mayeux is the Trade Commissioner for the Wallonia Region of Belgium at the Consulate of Belgium in New York. Mayeux was born in French-speaking Wallonia, which is the ancestral home of the founders of New Paltz. In her current role, Mayeux helps companies from Wallonia access the U.S. market. Mayeux holds a degree in Modern Languages from the Ecole d’Interprètes Internationaux and in Applied Economics from the University of Mons, Belgium. She lives in Manhattan.

Mary Etta Schneider, president of Historic Huguenot Street, says of these new members, “We are so fortunate to have these three incredible women join our board of trustees. Each brings very special skills and perspectives. We are especially thrilled to have Edith Mayeux join our board. Historic Huguenot Street’s connection to Wallonia is a distinctive part of our history and we hope this can be the beginning of a growing relationship with our ‘homeland.’”

Also, Stephen Pratt Lumb of Dutchess County, himself a descendant of eleven of the twelve founders of New Paltz, returned to the board after a short break. Thomas E. Nyquist and Stewart P. Glenn of New Paltz were re-elected, as were Mark A. Rosen of Stone Ridge and Eileen Crispell Ford of Norwalk, Connecticut, who is also a descendant of the community’s founders.

Historic Huguenot Street, located on the banks of the Wallkill River, is where small group of French-speaking Huguenots settled in 1678. Today, just steps from downtown New Paltz, the site features seven stone houses dating to 1705, a burying ground and a reconstructed 1717 stone church – all in their original village setting. HHS offers six acres of landscaped green space and public programming to the local community and visitors from around the world. For more information about Historic Huguenot Street, visit www.huguenotstreet.org or call (845) 255-1660.

Hyde Collection Presents Aaron Copland Lecture

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As part of The Hyde Collection’s Celebrating Wyeth’s America event series, the Museum will host a lecture by Dr. Suzanne Forsberg titled Another American Legend: The Music of Aaron Copland on Sunday, July 11, 2010.

Copland was the nation’s first to achieve international fame and produce compositions that sounded distinctly American. His music helped to identify the American landscape of Andrew Wyeth’s time. [Read more…] about Hyde Collection Presents Aaron Copland Lecture

NY Parks, Historic Site Attendance Soars

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The State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation Commissioner Carol Ash has announced an increase in park attendance. According to Ash, state parks attendance has increased by 1.3 million visitors, up 11 percent from last year, while July 4th holiday weekend camping reservations reflect 90 percent occupancy. Additionally, sales of the park system’s $65 annual pass, the Empire Passport, increased statewide 1.5 percent over 2009 numbers, with more than 40,000 passes sold this year.

Ash also introduced a new summer campaign to encourage New Yorkers to visit and support state parks and historic sites. The statewide Find Your Fun social network and web-based initiative will run through September and utilize the agency’s website (www.nysparks.com) as well as Facebook and Twitter.

Regular updates and highlights will be provided about summer-related Find Your Fun suggestions and activities going on at state parks and sites to engage visitors. Park staff will offer an insider’s look at popular spots, hidden gems and interesting facts, and visitors will be encouraged to share photos, recipes, and favorites, while programs, activities and trip suggestions will also be promoted.

Ash is also encouraging New Yorkers support parks and historic sites by joining Friends Groups, volunteering at parks or making financial donations to the park through the agency website.

Last year, the state park system recorded nearly 56 million visits. The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees 178 state parks and 35 historic sites. For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com.

Intern Wins McHenry Preservation Award

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The Open Space Institute has announced that this year’s Barnabas McHenry Award for Historic Preservation has been given to Matthew Colon of Newburgh for a project that will digitize and catalogue the entire slide collection of the nation’s first publicly-owned and operated historic site, Washington’s Headquarters.

The Friends of the State Historic Site of the Hudson Highlands, an ancillary group to Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site, nominated volunteer intern Matthew Colon in recognition of his outstanding performance this past year ensuring that the Washington’s Headquarters library and archives will be useful to the staff and the public. Matt honed his archivist skills while a student at SUNY Oswego, as well as from related professional development classes. The McHenry Award will support Matt’s next project: to properly accession important images previously available only through outdated equipment and make them accessible for a myriad of uses now and in the future.

In 2007, the Open Space Institute created the The Barnabas McHenry Hudson River Valley Awards to honor Barney McHenry’s extensive leadership, contributions, and accomplishments in the Hudson River Valley. For the past forty years, McHenry has worked to protect the Hudson River Valley’s landscapes, heritage, and culture. He demonstrates his commitment to the region as a Member and Secretary of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, Chair of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council, Co-Chair of the Hudson River Valley Natural Heritage Area, President of Boscobel, and Trustee of both Friends of the Hudson Valley and the Open Space Institute.

The McHenry Awards provide financial support to the “pairing” of young leaders and exemplary projects that make significant contributions in environmental conservation, historic preservation and the arts in the Hudson River Valley.