New York City

Restless Roamer: James Smithson’s Final Journey

January 29, 2023 by Jaap Harskamp Leave a Comment

A descendant of Dutch settlers, Jacob Aaron Westervelt began his career in 1814 as an apprentice in Christian Bergh’s shipyard at the point of land on the East River known as Corlears Hook. He left his employer in 1835 to start his own operation along the river. Over a period of three decades, the yard produced 234 vessels.

One of Jacob’s first commissions in 1836 was to build the packet boat Mediator for John Griswold’s Black X Line. Founded in 1823, its ships ran between New York and London displaying a house flag with a black X on a red background. [Read more…] about Restless Roamer: James Smithson’s Final Journey

Work Begins On Bayard Cutting Arboretum Visitors Center

January 28, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A $9.3 million construction project has begun on a new Visitor Center, improved parking, and enhanced exhibits at Bayard Cutting Arboretum State Park in Suffolk County on Long Island. [Read more…] about Work Begins On Bayard Cutting Arboretum Visitors Center

Fireplace Neck Tidal Wetland Area Restoration Begins

January 28, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Construction has begun on a marsh restoration project at Fireplace Neck Tidal Wetlands in the town of Brookhaven, Suffolk County on Long Island. In coordination with New York State Office of General Services (OGS), DEC will complete the nearly $1.7-million restoration project to help stabilize the marsh system, improve ecological functions, and create a more resilient marsh prepared for the effects of climate change and global sea level rise. [Read more…] about Fireplace Neck Tidal Wetland Area Restoration Begins

$26M Renovation Underway At Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park

January 27, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The most-visited state park in New York City is getting a much-needed update. This project will include the renovation of all locker rooms, resurfacing the outdoor track and replacing the turf field, and upgrading the heating and ventilation system in the performing arts center at Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park in West Harlem . [Read more…] about $26M Renovation Underway At Denny Farrell Riverbank State Park

An 1896 ‘Old Timers’ Boxing Event in New York City

January 26, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The following essay was published in the “The World Of Sport” column in The [Troy] Daily Times on December 15, 1896.

Pugilistic champions of other days and of the present time passed in rapid review before a crowd of 2,500 sports in the Broadway Athletic Club last night. There was a rare galaxy of them. [Read more…] about An 1896 ‘Old Timers’ Boxing Event in New York City

David Lowe Dodge: The Merchant Peacemaker

January 24, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

While carrying a large sum of money on a business trip in 1805, the well-to-do city of New York merchant, David Low Dodge, who had been fast asleep in a tavern, was suddenly awakened by the noise of someone jiggling the lock to his bedroom door. Startled by the rattling doorknob and as the door slowly opened, Dodge, not taking any chances, quietly turned and reached for the pistol he always carried for protection.

And then, just before he was about to discharge his pistol, he recognized the suspected intruder as the innkeeper who had come to prepare the room for other guests. [Read more…] about David Lowe Dodge: The Merchant Peacemaker

Raymond Buckland and Wicca in America

January 24, 2023 by Chris Kretz Leave a Comment

If you lived in Brentwood, Long Island in the late 1960s and 70s, you may have encountered a charming, transplanted Englishman named Raymond Buckland. You many not have realized it at the time, but Buckland was in the process of establishing Wicca as a religion in America.

A private practitioner at first, introduced to Wicca by Gerald Gardner, Buckland was soon thrust into the public eye by the press. He then helped popularize Gardnerian Wicca through television appearances, newspaper interviews, and his own numerous writings on the subject. He went on to found his own museum and his own tradition of Seax Wicca. [Read more…] about Raymond Buckland and Wicca in America

Forest Rangers Spend Time Policing; Rescue Man From Newburgh

January 24, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New 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 Forest Rangers Spend Time Policing; Rescue Man From Newburgh

The Battle of Harlem Heights, 1776

January 22, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The engagement on upper Manhattan Island on September 16th, 1776, was the first successful battle for George Washington’s troops in the quest for independence from Great Britain and presaged the emergence of an effective fighting force among the citizen-soldiers who made up the Continental Army.

The cooperative effort of regiments from New England, Maryland, and Virginia — whose men lacked any sense of national identity before the American Revolution — indicated the potential for this fledgling army to cohere around a common national purpose and affiliation and become the primary instrument for securing America’s right to self-rule. [Read more…] about The Battle of Harlem Heights, 1776

Trees, Knees, and Other Deep-Freeze Creaks

January 20, 2023 by Paul Hetzler 1 Comment

In winter, when temperatures dip well below zero Fahrenheit, especially if they fall precipitously, things go bump in the night. Frozen lakes and ponds emit ominous groans, snaps and booms that reverberate through the ice. Wood siding and old knee joints might creak. And if soil moisture is high and snow cover sparse, the soil can freeze deeply, causing the earth to shift in a harmless, localized cryoseism, or “frost quake” that produces a nerve-rattling bang. [Read more…] about Trees, Knees, and Other Deep-Freeze Creaks