New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Hudson Valley - Catskills

Sojourner Truth Documents Going On View In Kingston

by 1 Comment

Decades before she took her fabled name, abolitionist and women’s rights activist Sojourner Truth was born enslaved in Ulster County, NY under the name Isabella. It was as Isabella that the young Truth took action to secure the return of her five-year son Peter, who had been illegally sold to in plantation in Alabama.

With the help of local attorneys, Isabella filed a Habeas Corpus Petition in the Ulster County Courthouse in March of 1828. And it was this Isabella that prevailed on that Petition for her son’s freedom, marking the first time in American history that a Black woman sued a white man – and won. (You can read about that here). [Read more…] about Sojourner Truth Documents Going On View In Kingston

Paintings Stolen 50 Years Ago Returned to Historic Huguenot Street

by Leave a Comment

Stolen paintings postcard from 1972 The New York Art Crime Team of the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI) recently returned two paintings by 19th-century portrait artist Ammi Phillips to Historic Huguenot Street (HHS).

The two portraits, depicting prominent New Paltz residents Dirck D. Wynkoop (1738-1827) and his wife Annatje Eltinge (1748-1827), were missing for fifty years, after they were stolen on February 16th, 1972 while on display at the 1799 Ezekiel Elting (aka LeFevre) House on Huguenot Street. [Read more…] about Paintings Stolen 50 Years Ago Returned to Historic Huguenot Street

Songs of the Irish Brigade Concert in Kingston

by Leave a Comment

The VeteransThe Irish Brigade, consisting of mostly Irish Americans, served in the Union Army in the American Civil War. This infantry brigade became known as the “Fighting 69th” and continued in later wars.

The Irish Brigade was known in part for its famous war cry, the “Faugh a Ballaugh,” meaning “clear the way.” Since 1907, the Fighting 69th has been a unit of the New York National Guard. [Read more…] about Songs of the Irish Brigade Concert in Kingston

Alton B. Parker: New York’s Neglected Statesman

by 2 Comments

Alton B Parker and Henry G Davis 1904 Democratic Party candidates for President and Vice President of the United States campaign posterThe History Channel’s new special on Theodore Roosevelt describes his victory in the 1904 presidential election but doesn’t even mention his Democratic opponent.

That was New York Court of Appeals’ former Chief Judge Alton B. Parker (1852-1926), probably the most neglected major party presidential candidate in U.S. history. Yet at the time of the election Parker was the leader of one of the nation’s two major political parties and one of the nation’s foremost judicial statesmen. [Read more…] about Alton B. Parker: New York’s Neglected Statesman

Museum Study Act Passes State Legislature, Awaits Governor’s Signature

by 1 Comment

New York State Legislature A.9710/S.8934The New York State Legislature passed A.9710/S.8934 “An act in relation to conducting a study of public and private museums in New York state,” unanimously in the Assembly on May 24th and in the Senate on June 2nd.

“This bill will make a difference to every museum in the state regardless of budget size, discipline, or location,” said Erika Sanger, Executive Director of the Museum Association of New York (MANY). The bill is headed to Governor Kathy Hochul’s desk and her signature would enable the act to take effect immediately. [Read more…] about Museum Study Act Passes State Legislature, Awaits Governor’s Signature

Rangers Recover Body in Adks; Conduct Numerous Rescues

by Leave a Comment

forest ranger logoNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State. Working with other state agencies, local emergency response organizations and volunteer search and rescue groups, Forest Rangers locate and extract lost, injured or distressed people.

What follows is a report, prepared by DEC, of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers. [Read more…] about Rangers Recover Body in Adks; Conduct Numerous Rescues

1798 Quitman Parsonage Historic Sign Installed in Rhinebeck

by Leave a Comment

Museum of Rhinebeck HistoryThe Town of Rhinebeck in Dutchess County, NY celebrated the installation of a historical marker at Quitman House on May 28th.

The building served as the Parsonage for the minister serving St. Peter’s Evangelical Lutheran Church, better known as the Stone Church, located next door. The parsonage is known today as Quitman House and was built in 1798 to house the minister, Reverend Frederick H. Quitman, D. D.

[Read more…] about 1798 Quitman Parsonage Historic Sign Installed in Rhinebeck

Coxsackie Boat Launch, Riverside Park Renovations Complete

by Leave a Comment

Coxsackie State Boat LaunchGovernor Kathy Hochul recently announced the completion of a $3.2 million project to revitalize the Coxsackie State Boat Launch and Riverside Park on the Hudson River in Greene County. [Read more…] about Coxsackie Boat Launch, Riverside Park Renovations Complete

D-Day Presentation Set For Kingston Saturday

by Leave a Comment

Men of the 16th Infantry Regiment, US 1st Infantry Division wading ashore on Omaha Beach on the morning of 6 June 1944On D-Day — June 6th, 1944 — over 156,000 Allied forces landed on five beaches along a 50-mile stretch of the heavily fortified coast of France’s Normandy region. Codenamed “Operation Neptune” it was the largest seaborne invasion in history.

The operation began the liberation of France (and later western Europe) and laid the foundations of the Allied victory on the Western Front of the Second World War. [Read more…] about D-Day Presentation Set For Kingston Saturday