On August 11th, 1779, at the height of America’s war for independence, General John Sullivan arrived at Tioga Point on the Susquehanna River at the Pennsylvania-New York border with a large force of men and began construction of what would become known as Fort Sullivan. [Read more…] about Lt. John Jenkins: Guiding The Clinton-Sullivan Campaign
Western NY
1779 Sullivan-Clinton Campaign Against the Iroquois: Retribution or Genocide?
The 1779 Sullivan-Clinton campaign against the Iroquois has been described as implementing a “scorched earth” policy for no useful purpose other than eradicating Indigenous People, a failed attempt to capture Fort Niagara, or a wild success that denied the enemies of American Revolution free access to Western New York.
Few campaigns of the American War for Independence have been more controversial than the Continental Army’s invasion of the Iroquois Confederacy in 1779. [Read more…] about 1779 Sullivan-Clinton Campaign Against the Iroquois: Retribution or Genocide?
Calvin Fairbank: Imprisoned 17 Years For Helping Enslaved People to Freedom
Rev. Calvin Cornelius Fairbank was born November 3, 1816 in Pike, Wyoming County, NY. He began his academic studies at a seminary in Lima, Livingston County, NY, and became a licensed preacher in 1840. In 1842 he was ordained an elder in the Methodist Episcopal Church, and he graduated Oberlin College in Ohio two years later. At Oberlin he met John Mifflin Brown (1817-1893), a bishop in the African Methodist Episcopal (AME) Church and an Underground Railroad activist.
Fairbank was a radical abolitionist who not only spoke out against slavery, but actively worked to free as many enslaved people as he could. [Read more…] about Calvin Fairbank: Imprisoned 17 Years For Helping Enslaved People to Freedom
Erie Canalway Photo Contest Call for Entries
The Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor has announced a call for entries for its 17th annual Erie Canalway Photo Contest. Images should convey people enjoying activities on the waterway and Canalway Trail or show the unique character of New York’s canals and canal communities. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Photo Contest Call for Entries
6th Annual Paddle Keuka 5K Set for Saturday
The Finger Lakes Museum has announced the 6th Annual Paddle Keuka 5K is set for Saturday, August 6th. This year’s theme is Peace Love Paddle Keuka 5K. [Read more…] about 6th Annual Paddle Keuka 5K Set for Saturday
Kayaker Alan Jay Paddles From Buffalo to Manhattan in 31 Days
In June, the Hudson River Valley Greenway fielded a call from Alan Jay, who just completed paddling the Erie Canal from Buffalo to Waterford with his brother-in-law Michael.
The next day Jay would start his solo adventure paddling the Hudson River toward New York City – he needed a Hudson River Water Trail Guide. [Read more…] about Kayaker Alan Jay Paddles From Buffalo to Manhattan in 31 Days
A Photographer Visits Utica, Saratoga & Albany in 1878
This essay by John Nicol, PhD, first appeared on July 12, 1878 in The British Journal of Photography.
Utica, intersected by the Erie and Hudson Canal, is really a beautiful place. Free from the geometric regularity of most of the American cities, its tree-lined streets impart to it the truly American sylvan character, while the size and elegance of its suburban residences show that its people are prosperous to a degree unknown in similar cities in the old country.
But their commercial prosperity is not the only, or even principal, quality on which the Uticans pride themselves, as they rank only second to Boston in their opinion of their culture and appreciation of science and art; and, so far as I have been able to judge, with quite as much, if not more, reason. [Read more…] about A Photographer Visits Utica, Saratoga & Albany in 1878
Edmonia Lewis Featured at Peterboro Emancipation Day
The 12th Annual Peterboro Emancipation Day, replicating the Peterboro Emancipation Days of the 1920s and 1930s, is set for Saturday, August 6th, at 10 am. [Read more…] about Edmonia Lewis Featured at Peterboro Emancipation Day
Oneida Co History Center Historical Selfie Scavenger Hunt
The Oneida County History Center has announced its sixth annual Historical Selfie Scavenger Hunt is set to kick off on Friday, August 5th. Participants will venture on a county or city-wide scavenger hunt to explore the people, places, and events that shaped Oneida County. [Read more…] about Oneida Co History Center Historical Selfie Scavenger Hunt
Battle of Oriskany Commemoration On Saturday
A significant turning point in the American Revolution, the Battle of Oriskany was fought on August 6th, 1777, and is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war.
During the battle Continental forces led by General Nicholas Herkimer defeated the British army under Barrimore Matthew “Barry” St. Leger in the heart of New York’s Mohawk Valley. It was a hard-won victory, but Herkimer’s troops and their Oneida allies prevented the British from splitting the colonies in two. [Read more…] about Battle of Oriskany Commemoration On Saturday