The 2022 New York State History and Education Conference, set for October 28th through 30th at SUNY Oneonta, has announced a call for proposals. This years theme is “History Fights Back.” [Read more…] about NYS History and Education Conference Call for Proposals
Western NY
Jock Wright & Dut Barber: Honondaga Lake History
One of the earliest written accounts of Jock’s Lake in the Adirondacks (about twenty-five miles east of Boonville) was given by Jeptha Simms in his 1850 book Trappers of New York: A Biography of Nicholas Stoner & Nathaniel Foster:
“Jock’s Lake, so-called after Jock (Jonathan) Wright, an early trapper upon its shores, is a very pretty lake, five or six miles long, though not very wide; and is situated in the north-eastern or wilderness portion of Herkimer County, some ten miles from a place called Noblesborough. Its outlet is one of the sources of the west branch of West Canada Creek.” [Read more…] about Jock Wright & Dut Barber: Honondaga Lake History
Civil War Battlefield Where New Yorkers Died Being Preserved
The 154th New York Infantry Regiment was organized at Albion, Orleans County, NY beginning August 19, 1862 and mustered in for three years service on September 24, 1862 under the command of Colonel Addison G. Rice.
Known as the “Hardtack Regiment,” they were first involved in battle on May 2, 1863, in a clearing west of a crossroads called Chancellorsville, in a largely forested region of Virginia remembered as “The Wilderness.”
The regiment was posted near the home of the minister of a small nearby church. His house was a former barroom, Dowdall’s Tavern. [Read more…] about Civil War Battlefield Where New Yorkers Died Being Preserved
A Walking Tour of Utica’s Historic Shoe District
Utica, New York once had a thriving shoe manufacturing industry, producing as many as two thousand pairs of shoes a day. The factories were located within a few blocks of each other near the current train station.
The first shoe factory in Utica is believed to have been started in 1837 by John Cantwell. He had a shop at 3 Catharine Street, where he employed over a dozen employees making “the finest shoes and boots in Central New York.”
Shoe manufacturing became mechanized when steam engines began to be used in factories and large-scale operations flourished in the 1870s and 80s when Utica made 1,500 – 2,000 pairs of shoes each day. [Read more…] about A Walking Tour of Utica’s Historic Shoe District
King’s Birthday Event at Old Fort Niagara June 4th
A British soldier serving at Fort Niagara during the 18th century got one holiday a year: the King’s Birthday.
To celebrate, the fort’s garrison was turned out in new uniforms and powdered hair. At noon, the artillery fired a “Royal Salute” followed by three volleys of musketry. [Read more…] about King’s Birthday Event at Old Fort Niagara June 4th
Anti-Slavery, Abolition Heritage Sites Opening for Season
The Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark (GSENHL) and the National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum (NAHOF) in Peterboro, Madison County, NY will open for the season on Saturday June 4th. [Read more…] about Anti-Slavery, Abolition Heritage Sites Opening for Season
An Adirondack Lumber Camp at Twitchell Lake, 1860-80
My uncle Frank Sherry taught my brother Tom and I orienteering, using a map and compass to navigate through the woods and find a remote pond or other location. We were teenagers and it was an exciting way to spend a Saturday.
On one of these adventures we were in search of Silver Dollar Pond to the east of Twitchell Lake in Northern Herkimer County,when we stumbled on our first lumber camp. The telltale signs were pieces of metal hanging from a tree and protruding from the ground, with old bottles half-buried in the forest floor. We made note of the location on our map, a half-mile from Twitchell, and returned to explore it. It wasn’t long before we located the camp dump, from which we dug up the items pictured here.
These and other objects triggered an active discussion on the date of this old camp, with an imaginative re-creation of what life might have been like for a lumberjacks living and working there. [Read more…] about An Adirondack Lumber Camp at Twitchell Lake, 1860-80
NYS Summer Camps Celebrating 75th Anniversary
Summer 2022 marks 75 years of New York State’s Environmental Education Summer Camps and current and former campers, staff, sponsors, families, and partners are being invited to join in on an upcoming celebration.
Each camp will host an anniversary event, on a Saturday in June or July. Attendees will enjoy camp activities, games, and crafts, along with a chance to share memories and be a part of this historical year. [Read more…] about NYS Summer Camps Celebrating 75th Anniversary
NYS Forest Rangers Recover Three Bodies, Make Several Rescues
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 NYS Forest Rangers Recover Three Bodies, Make Several Rescues
DEC Announces Aerial Spraying of Six State Forest Areas
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced that DEC will be conducting aerial treatments for the invasive pest spongy moth (formerly known as gypsy moth) in six state forests areas in New York.
Treatment is taking place between May 20th and May 31st, weather permitting. The priority areas chosen already suffered spongy moth defoliation for multiple years and are expected to have another high level of infestation this year according to survey efforts conducted by DEC regional staff. [Read more…] about DEC Announces Aerial Spraying of Six State Forest Areas