History, Natural History & the Arts
The New York State Museum will open the second and final phase of it’s exhibition Enterprising Waters: New York’s Erie Canal on Saturday, September 22.
The first phase of the exhibition opened in September 2017 and focused on the circumstances leading up to building the canal and the canal’s construction. The second phase of the exhibition focuses on the Erie Canal’s growth, politics, industries and legacy.
[Read more…] about State Museum Opening Second Erie Canal Exhibit
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has announced they are now accepting grant applications from not-for-profits, municipalities, and federally recognized Native American tribes that have a project or idea aimed at inspiring people to learn more about New York’s canals, celebrate the Erie Canal Bicentennial, or that encourages further exploration of the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Grants Now Available
The Rome Historical Society is set to host a live podcast recording of “Iroquois History & Legends” with Andrew and Caleb Cotter on Thursday, September 20th at 7 pm.
The Cotter brothers, from Canandaigua, New York, grew up with a fondness for Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) stories and fables. After researching early American and Canadian history they found the Haudenosaunee were at the center of it all, yet most textbooks had left their contributions out. For that reason, Andrew and Caleb began a podcast to tell the story of the Iroquois people and share how they influenced events throughout the 17th and 18th centuries. [Read more…] about Iroquois History and Legends in Rome Sept 20
Museum Educator Patrick Reynolds is set to discuss a variety of maps from the region using modern geo-spatial technology to overlay older maps onto current maps of the Rome area, on Wednesday, September 12th at the Oneida County History Center.
County atlas’s and Sanborn fire insurance maps will be discussed as a tool for researchers as well as some recently uncovered maps found at the Rome Historical Society. This program takes place in the History Center’s main gallery. Doors open at 5 pm, presentation begins at 5:30 pm. [Read more…] about Rome, NY Map History Talk Sept 12th
Amateur and professional photographers have been invited submit images for the 13th annual Erie Canalway Photo Contest. Images should convey the wealth of things to do and see along the waterway and express the unique character of the canal and canal communities. Winning photos will be featured in the 2019 Erie Canalway calendar.
Images will be judged in four contest categories: On the Water, Along the Trail, Canal Communities, and Classic Canal. Judges will select first, second, and third place winning images in each category, as well as 12 honorable mentions. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Photo Contest Call for Entries
The Rome Historical Society is set to host “Chenango Canal: The Million Dollar Ditch” a presentation and book signing with Wade A. Lallier on Thursday, August 15th at 7 pm.
With the completion of the Erie Canal across New York State, the construction of other canals then began to be proposed all along the Erie’s route. One of these lateral canals would connect the Susquehanna River at Binghamton to the Erie Canal in Utica. [Read more…] about Chenango Canal Presentation Planned For Rome, NY
The Summer Lecture Series at the Old Stone Fort Museum is set to continue on Thursday, August 9 at 7 pm with “A New Look at the Battle of Cobleskill”, with Schoharie County Historian Ted Shuart.
Historians and local residents may be familiar with the Battle of Cobleskill on May 30, 1778. The events of that day were later recorded by at least four prominent historians of the nineteenth century: Brown, Simms, Roscoe, and Warner. Their stories, all based on the accounts of local militia, are one-sided. [Read more…] about Battle of Cobleskill: A New Look
An environmental educator is set to lead a woodpecker walk at the Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site on Wednesday, August 8th at 5:30 pm. Attendees can learn about the different woodpeckers that call the area home and some of their special characteristics.
Attendees will meet at the Visitor Center and take an hour-long walk around the site. This program is open to all ages, but has been designed for families with children ages 5 and up. The hike is a less than two mile round-trip and is weather dependent (will be cancelled in the event of heavy rain or thunderstorms). [Read more…] about Woodpecker Walk at Schoharie Crossing
This week on The Historians Podcast, Bob Cudmore and Dave Greene discuss a factory building in Fort Plain that was the 20th century home of Luxuray, makers of women’s underwear. They also talk about the Mohawk Carpet Mills in Amsterdam as described in a 1950 mill publication. [Read more…] about Luxuray: Fort Plain’s Underwear Factory History
The Rome Historical Society has invited the public to take a tour of historic Rome and Westernville during its inaugural Tour of Homes community celebration on Sunday, July 29th from noon to 5 pm.
Eight noteworthy properties and their unique histories will be showcased as the Society re-activates a community tradition during Honor America Days weekend. This year’s Tour of Homes includes both residential and commercial buildings, ranging from an 1856 former church to a newly-built historic home reproduction, to the 1894 mansion of a significant Rome leader. Patrons may visit each property at their leisure and in the order they choose. [Read more…] about Rome Historical Society’s 2018 Home Tour Set