The Farmers’ Museum in Cooperstown, NY has announced five live performances of Charles Dickens’ classic A Christmas Carol, set for Thursday, December 16th through Sunday, December 19th. [Read more…] about ‘A Christmas Carol’ Performances at Farmers Museum
Mohawk Valley
Upper Susquehanna Watershed Dashboard Launched
DEC has launched an ArcGIS Dashboard to provide stakeholders with a simple and direct platform to access data and information relevant to the Upper Susquehanna Basin and Chesapeake Bay TMDL in New York State. [Read more…] about Upper Susquehanna Watershed Dashboard Launched
Rensselaerswyck, Beverwyck & Schenectady: The Stuyvesant, Van Rensselaer and Van Slichtenhorst Conflict
In spite of his involvement and investment, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer never visited his new patroonship Rensselaerswyck; it was managed by his agent, and cousin, Arendt van Curler, commissioner general of the colony of New Netherland.
The second patroon, Johannes Van Rensselaer (1625–1662) succeeded his father after his father’s death in 1643 but also never came to America. He governed through an agent, Brant van Slichtenhorst. [Read more…] about Rensselaerswyck, Beverwyck & Schenectady: The Stuyvesant, Van Rensselaer and Van Slichtenhorst Conflict
New York Lunatic Asylum at Utica: A History of Old Main
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
The book The New York Lunatic Asylum at Utica: A History of Old Main (North Country Books, 2015) by Dennis Webster looks at the New York State Lunatic Asylum at Utica, also known as “Old Main,” which opened in 1843 as the first institution of its kind to treat “madness” as a medical illness, not a curse.
Although closed in 1978, the building was placed in the National Register of Historic Places, and its iconic columns still fascinate the public today. [Read more…] about New York Lunatic Asylum at Utica: A History of Old Main
Empire State Trail Printed Map Now Available
The newly designed printed map of the Empire State Trail is now available. This printed map showcases the 750-mile Empire State Trail and many of New York’s special places, diverse history, and iconic landscapes along the route. [Read more…] about Empire State Trail Printed Map Now Available
New York, New France: French Ambitions at Oneida Lake in 1634
When a Dutchman, Harmen Meyndertsz van den Bogaert, traveled from Albany (then Fort Orange) to the main village of the Oneidas in the dead of winter 1634, he was on a mission to thwart the French, who had found their way to Oneida Lake.
In the struggle for influence in Iroquoia, there was no time to lose. The Dutch had a firm hold on the Hudson Valley at this point and a profitable relationship with the Mohawk, but New Netherland’s trade was threatened by New France, which controlled the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario to the Atlantic. [Read more…] about New York, New France: French Ambitions at Oneida Lake in 1634
Fort Plain Museum: Author Book Fair, Christmas at the Fort Dec 4th, Dueling Pistols on Display
The Fort Plain Museum will be open 10 am to 4 pm on Saturdays and Sundays through December. The gift shop will also be open for holiday shopping.The Christmas at the Fort even will be held Saturday, December 4, 2021, from 10 am to 4 pm. The event features an Author Book Fair (12 pm to 3 pm) with over 20 authors selling and signiong their books. There will also be 15% off all bookstore and gift shop purchases and refreshments served.
Marinus Willet, Tammany Hall & The Treaty of New York
Every year in October the Lower Manhattan Historical Society holds its Saratoga/Yorktown celebration in Trinity Churchyard to celebrate the American victories at the Battles of Saratoga and Yorktown.
At that ceremony wreaths are lain on the graves of Revolutionary War figures associated with those battles — Horatio Gates, Alexander Hamilton and Marinus Willett. [Read more…] about Marinus Willet, Tammany Hall & The Treaty of New York
The Wild Turkey in Winter
There are only a few dozen species of birds capable of surviving the rigors of an Adirondack winter, and of these, the wild turkey is one that is more closely associated with the warmer and less snowy regions of New York than those to the north. [Read more…] about The Wild Turkey in Winter
Utica Marsh Wildlife Area Comments Sought
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has released a draft Access and Public Use Plan (APUP) for the Utica Marsh Wildlife Management Area (WMA). The draft plan is available for public comment until December 22nd. [Read more…] about Utica Marsh Wildlife Area Comments Sought