New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

New York State Archives Launches RSS Feed

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The New York State Archives has launched a news feed using RSS (Really Simple Syndication) technology. Subscribers will be among the first to find out about Archives events, new records brought into the Archives, press releases, resources for state agencies and local governments, and any major changes to the website – such as new guides to records, new educational sites for teachers and students, and award and grant opportunities.

RSS technology enables users to view updates from organizations through an RSS Reader such as an Internet Browser, e-mail, or a third-party reader. RSS Readers provide a brief summary of news updates from an organization and then link to the full article on the organization’s website. Users will be able to stay up-to-date with news from the State Archives once they have subscribed to the RSS feed. To sign up for the
RSS feed, go to http://www.archives.nysed.gov/rss/news.xml.

The New York State Archives, a part of the State Education Department, preserves and makes accessible the essential recorded evidence – past and present – of New York’s governments, organizations, peoples, and events. At its Albany facility, the State Archives cares for more than 200 million archival records of New York State government dating from the 1630s to the present. The State Archives also offers technical assistance, financial support, and other services to local governments and community organizations in every region of the state.

Saratoga County Celebrates Historical Week

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The Town of Saratoga and Villages of Schuylerville and Victory are planning an exciting “historical week” celebration starting August 1 and ending August 9 as part of the “Explore! Saratoga County” efforts. Historical Week is an over 100-year tradition which commemorates the rich history of the villages of Schuylerville, Victory and the Town of Saratoga.

“We plan a whole week of events to commemorate America’s Most Historic Village,” Schuylerville Village Historian Kristina Saddlemire said, “We have a great partnership made up of the various levels of government including the Town of Saratoga, Villages of Schuylerville and Victory, Saratoga County, Hudson River Valley Greenway, Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission, Saratoga National Historical Park and non-governmental partners including the Turning Point Parade, Old Saratoga Historical Association, Hudson Crossing Park, Schuylerville Area Chamber of Commerce, Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club, and the Schuylerville Public Library.”

The schedule includes:

Quadricentennial Bike Tour of the Hudson
Saturday, August 1, (10 am)
As part of the celebration of the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson’s sail, join us for a casually-paced 30-mile tour of the historic roads from the Village of Victory to Stillwater and back, with occasional stops at points of historical significance. There will be lots of fine views of the river. The terrain is mostly rolling with two steep hills (one up, one down). Park along Cemetery Avenue just south of the Saratoga Monument, near the intersection of Burgoyne Road. Bike Helmets Are Required! For information, contact 587-7801 or kathy@jjctech.com. Gather along Cemetery Avenue just south of the Saratoga Monument, near the intersection of Burgoyne Road, Victory Mills

TURNING POINT PARADE FESTIVAL – “Echoes on the Hudson”
Saturday, August 1, (Noon)
Kid’s rides, food, bonfire, and block dance on Saturday. Fort Hardy Park.

TURNING POINT PARADE – “Echoes on the Hudson”
Sunday, August 2 (1 – 2:30 pm)
Over 100 separate units including marching bands/musical units, fire and rescue, law enforcement, re-enactors and military units past and present. It is a parade with a “small town flavor”. Broad Street.

TURNING POINT PARADE FESTIVAL – “Echoes on the Hudson”
Sunday, August 2, (3 pm)
Kid’s rides, food, music including the Open Bar Band and fireworks (9:30pm) on Sunday. Fort Hardy Park. For more information http://www.turningpointparade.com/

For more information on Turning Point events see http://www.turningpointparade.com/

GREAT CHAMPLAIN-HUDSON SOJOURN
Monday, August 3 (4pm – 8pm)
The Great Champlain-Hudson Sojourn will be stopping at Fort Hardy Park as part of twenty-six day, 325 mile kayaking and camping trip from the Canadian border to Manhattan along beautiful Lakes Champlain and George, the Champlain Canal and the Hudson River. A group of Thru-Paddlers will be camping out at Fort Hardy and visiting heritage and cultural sites in the community. Please join us at 10am to welcome this group of paddlers to Fort Hardy Park. There will be a local kayaking outfitter providing free kayaking lessons, exhibitors, and plenty of activities for the kids! A community dinner, sponsored by the Saratoga County Board of Supervisors will held at Fort Hardy at 6pm.

RESEARCHING YOUR SCHUYLERVILLE AREA ANCESTORS
Tuesday, August 4 (10 am)
Get help with research strategy for finding Schuylerville ancestors from Deputy Town Historian and Genealogist Patricia Peck. Schuylerville Public Library.

MAKING A CARDBOARD BOAT
Tuesday, August 4, 2009 (7 pm)
This is an opportunity to make a boat to compete in the Hudson Crossing cardboard boat race on Saturday, August 8. Bring cardboard and enjoy the creative process. Schuylerville Public Library, Ferry Street, Schuylerville

WALKING TOUR of VICTORY
Wednesday, August 5 (7 pm)
Join Sean Kelleher, Village of Victory Historian, for a walking tour of Victory. Meet at the Village Hall/Community Center

STORY HOUR – 400th anniversary themed
Thursday, August 6 (10 am)
Pre-school age children are welcome (with an adult) to attend the Schuylerville Public Library’s Story Hour for a story and activity with Town Historian, Sean Kelleher. Schuylerville Public Library. 23 Pine Street, Victory Mills

VILLAGE OF SCHUYLERVILLE WALKING TOUR
Friday, August 7 (7 pm)
Join Village of Schuylerville Historian, Kristina Saddlemire, for a walking tour of the North Broad Street Cemetery. Learn about former Schuylerville residents. Meet on Broad Street in front of the cemetery.

HUDSON CROSSING CARDBOARD BOAT RACE
Saturday, August 8 (starts at 8 am races at 1 pm)
Construct a “human-powered” boat made of corrugated cardboard (or 100% recyclable materials) or watch the races and enjoy the day on the Hudson River in Schuylerville. Registration and boat construction begin at the gazebo at 8:00 am. Racing begins at 1:00 pm. For more information contact (518) 859-1462 or www.hudsoncrossingpark.org Fort Hardy Park Beach.

SPIN TIL YOU DYE
Saturday, August 8 (11 am – 3 pm)
Rock Day Spinners demonstrate fiber spinning and natural dyeing over an open fire. Schuyler House, Route 4, Schuylerville.

18th CENTURY DAY
Sunday, August 9 (12 – 5 pm)
Step back in time at the historic Schuyler House! The grounds abound with 18th century activities, including puppet shows, music, oxen cart rides, basket weaving, chair caning, tinsmithing, and more. Schuyler House, Route 4, Schuylerville. For more information, call (518) 664-9821 ext. 224 or www.nps.gov/sara.

Historical Week is sponsored by the Town of Saratoga, Village of Schuylerville, Village of Victory, Schuylerville Public Library, Turning Point Parade Committee, Schuylerville Visitors Center, Schuylerville Area Chamber of Commerce, Old Saratoga Historical Association, Hudson Crossing – A Bi-County Educational Park, Hudson River Valley Greenway, Hudson-Fulton-Champlain Quadricentennial Commission, Mohawk Hudson Cycling Club, Saratoga County, and the Saratoga National Historical Park. The purpose of Historical Week is to commemorate the important role that the Town of Saratoga and Villages of Schuylerville and Victory played in regional, national and international history. For more information call 695-4159 or visit http://www.villageofschuylerville.org/

Photo: The Saratoga Monument in Victory, NY.

North Creek Depot Museum Lectures, Events

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One of the great gems of the Adirondack region is the North Creek Railroad Station at North Creek in the Town of Johnsburg, Warren County. Listed on the State and National Historic Registers the railroad line hugs the western shore of the Hudson River and includes the restored station, freight, and engine houses currently occupied by the Upper Hudson River Railroad, a sand tower, and a ninety foot turntable.

Throughout the summer they offer an unique series of lectures called “Platform Talks” about the history of the area and its relationship to the railroad. There are an number of other events as well:

July 30 Platform Talk, “The Adirondack Peddler.” Milda Burns and Ray Flanigan amuse with tales of the Adirondack peddler.

August 13 Platform Talk “Getting Started in Model Railroading.” Bill Bibby educates us on scenery, scale, and material sources for building your own model train.

August 14 The Depot Museum Hoe Down! Fun-raiser event of dinner and square dancing. Ticket information to be announced.

August 15 10-12pm Spring Chidlren’s Workshop – Allie Rose leads a hands-on demonstration about wind energy and participants will build a wind turbine model. This workshop is free and open to children age 7 and older. Adults are encouraged to attend with their children.

August 20 Platform Talk, “Stories from the field.” Steve Engelhart of Adirondack Architectural Heritage offers his expertise on the architecture of the area.

The North Creek Depot Museum is open Wednesday 1-3pm Thursday & Friday 12-5pm Saturday & Sunday 12-4pm. Call for information about private tours at (518) 251-5842 www.northcreekdepotmuseum.com.

Weekly New York History Blogging Round-Up

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Welcome Our New Sponsor, The Jay Heritage Center

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Please join me in welcoming The Jay Heritage Center (JHC) as our new sponsor for New York History. Support from advertisers like JHC helps make this site possible. If you are interested in supporting us and extending your brand through advertising targeting those interested in New York history, let us know.

The Jay Heritage Center (JHC) in the lower Hudson valley in Rye, New York was chartered in 1993 to oversee restoration of John Jay’s boyhood property in Rye, including the 1838 Peter Augustus Jay House. The site has been closed for a time due to extensive restoration but has recently re-opened. The JHC was recently named to the Hudson River Valley Heritage Area. The grounds and pastoral landscape of the 23 acre scenic 1745 Jay Property are a must see for visitors interested in American History, Social Justice, Landscape Preservation and Environmental Stewardship as well as lively place for concerts, interactive theatre and art shows. The site also has a a great Quadricentennial Exhibit. “A Legacy of Sailing-Residents of the Jay Estate and Yachting New York 1843-1966.”

Begun in the spring of 2008, New York History has already grown to be the state’s most popular online journal about New York State history. The site has become a go-to state news resource for those interested in New York history from the academic to the lay traveler and resident and for those outside the state who want to stay current on history news happening in the state, the latest books, and events and exhibits.

Mad Ones: Media Darling Crazy Joe Gallo

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Tom Folsom’s new book, The Mad Ones: Crazy Joe Gallo and the Revolution at the Edge of the Underworld, takes readers back to a time when Red Hook, Brooklyn called to mind a bloody guerrilla war with the mafia, and not a new IKEA store. Because he writes about the history and cultural fabric of the city in a fresh and inventive way Folsom recently appeared on Jon Stewart’s The Daily Show. You can also find a YouTube video of Folsom discussing what the neighborhood at the junction of Columbia and Union Streets in Red Hook was like before waterfront crime and the construction of the BQE and Brooklyn-Battery Tunnel.

Joe Gallo’s short life as gangster, gunman, and racketeer of the Profaci crime family (later known as the Colombo crime family) drew much media attention. Joey and his two brothers initiated one of the bloodiest mob conflicts since the Castellammarese War of 1931. He was an inspiration for Jimmy Breslin and Mario Puzo, considered a threat by both Jimmy Hoffa and Bobby Kennedy, and was teh subject of spreads in Life magazine and Women’s Wear Daily. His gangster chic was the popularized by Harvey Keitel in Reservoir Dogs. His death would be the subject of Bob Dylan’s 1976 song “Joey”.

The Mad Ones tells the story of the Gallo brothers, a trio of reckless young gangsters from Red Hook who staged a coup against the Mafia. In the book, author Tom Folsom recreates the New York City Joey Gallo and the Gallo brothers inhabited. To do this, Folsom—who went inside the FBI Witness Protection Program to research the critically acclaimed “>Mr Untouchable: The Rise and Fall of the Black Godfather written with its subject Nicky Barnes, immersed himself in the strange, brutal, and sometimes poetic world of the Gallo brothers. He waded through almost 1,500 pages of unpublished FBI files, spent hours in the tabloid archives at the New York Public Library, interviewed the Federal agents and NYPD detectives who had staked out the Gallo headquarters almost a half a century ago, and culled what made sense from wiretaps of underworld conversations and leads from informants.

Enhanced Preservation Tax Credits Approved by Legislature

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New Yorkers could find it more affordable to make repairs on older homes after the New York State Senate unanimously approved a bill that would improve the existing but underutilized New York State Rehabilitation Tax Credit programs. The same bill passed the Assembly in June, and now awaits the signature of Governor David Patterson.

An economic impact study recently conducted by HR&A Advisors of New York projects that the rehabilitation tax credit will spur over $500 million dollars of economic activity in New York State and create some 2,000 jobs over its five-year lifespan. The measure (S.6056-Valesky/A.9023-Hoyt) provides incentives and program features for developers and municipalities seeking to rehabilitate historic buildings, and is hoped to serve as a ‘Smart Growth’ initiative.

“We feel this program will prove one of the most effective economic and community development programs in the state, directing significant private investment to the State’s economically distressed municipalities and neighborhoods” said Jay DiLorenzo, President of the Preservation League of New York State. Similar programs in other states have served to provide critical gap financing for rehabilitation projects.

The Preservation League has been leading a partnership of developers, architects, economic development officials, tax credit professionals, preservationists and others to renew the push for stronger state-level rehabilitation tax credits. Last year, both houses of the legislature passed enhanced preservation tax credits, but the measure was vetoed by Governor David Paterson, citing the state budget crisis. In 2009, bill sponsors Assemblymember Sam Hoyt (D-Buffalo, Grand Island) and Senator David Valesky (D-Oneida) revised the legislation to address these concerns.

New York’s first-ever rehabilitation tax credit was adopted as Chapter 547 of the Laws of 2006, but limitations of both the commercial and residential programs failed to provide sufficient incentives to deliver economic and community revitalization to municipalities in need.

“An expanded rehabilitation stimulus program is needed to encourage re-use of existing infrastructure, address affordable housing needs, and stimulate new private investment in the redevelopment of urban cores,” said DiLorenzo. “Because this bill is fiscally sound while promoting economic stimulus, we urge Governor Paterson to sign this revised legislation and to deliver a program that can fuel the revitalization of New York’s downtowns and neighborhoods.”

Greater Hudson Heritage Network Award Nominations

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The Greater Hudson Heritage Network’s Awards Towards Excellence program seeks to recognize and commend exceptional efforts among GHHN members. Awards are made to projects that exemplify creativity and professional vision resulting in a contribution to the preservation and interpretation of the historic scene, material culture and diversity of the region. Awards will be presented at Greater Hudson’s Annual Meeting, October 2, 2009. Nominations must be made by July 28, 2009.

Any GHHN member organization or individual can be nominated for projects completed by September 30th of the current year. Projects not yet completed must have reached a point sufficient to permit judgment of merit. Self-nominations are encourged.

Awards may be made to organizations or individuals in any or all of the following areas of achievement:

* public programs (including education, exhibition, interpretation),
* publications
* historic preservation
* community documentation and collaboration
* new technology (e.g. website development, blogs, audio tours)
* Board Vision
* advancement of regional history

Nominations reflecting work in 20th century documentation, or re-interpretation of collections are strongly encouraged; nominations of collaborative or regionally-focused projects are especially welcome.

Nominations will be judged on the evidence of quality, creative use of resources, and long-term significance, by a peer jury of professionals, representing the history, museum, archives and/or academic fields.

Late entries will not be eligible for consideration. Details can be found at www.greaterhudson.org/awards. Contact 914.592-6726 or e-mail either director@greaterhudson.org or info@greaterhudson.org with questions.