History, Natural History & the Arts
An ongoing New York State Museum project is returning nearly 500,000 rescued freshwater mussels to the restored ALCOA Superfund Site in the Lower Grasse River near Massena, NY.
The State Museum was awarded an $713,000 cooperative agreement from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA) to lead the five-year effort, which is also expected to advance research informing future freshwater restoration efforts. [Read more…] about Rescued Mussels Being Returned to Lower Grasse River
The most recent New York State Forest Rangers Report includes efforts to rescue more than a half dozen hikers lost or with knee or lower leg injuries in the Adirondacks and Catskills. [Read more…] about Rangers Report Multiple Rescues of Lost, Injured Hikers
Craig K. Streeter, a 73-year-old resident of Mahopac, NY, is currently the subject of an active multi-agency search after going missing while camping in the Moose River Plains in Hamilton County in the Adirondack Park. [Read more…] about Search Continues For Moose River Plains Missing Man
Last week, Donald Trump claimed to have renamed Lake Ontario to Lake America. He didn’t. What he did do – in an effort to troll our biggest trading partner – was sign an executive order (14420) directing federal agencies and the U.S. Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) to use the new name: [Read more…] about Trump Changes Lake Ontario’s Federal Name; New Yorkers Are Not Amused
The New York State Museum has announced a new photography exhibition, a new display of rarely seen artifacts, and a series of public programs to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Opening September 5, 2026, “Witness to 9/11” is a new photography exhibition that explores the immediate response and aftermath of the attacks, told primarily through the work of two New York Daily News photographers, Todd Maisel and David Handschuh. [Read more…] about State Museum Marking September 11th Attacks 25th Anniversary
Though often associated with African American soldiers, the 1st Rhode Island Regiment was an integrated unit composed of African, Indigenous, and white soldiers, commanded by white officers, who all served together from 1778 through the end of the war in 1783. Rhode Island offered freedom to enslaved men in exchange for military service, making the 1st Rhode Island Regiment one of the most diverse in the Continental Army. [Read more…] about The 1st Rhode Island Regiment at New Windsor Cantonment
In the spring of 1613, a sailor named Jan Rodrigues arrived at the shore of the Hudson River from a Dutch trading ship, likely the Jonge Tobias. Identifying himself as a free individual, he became the earliest documented Black man in New Netherland. Jan Rodrigues is the subject of one of 25 new, peer-reviewed biographical sketches published by the New York Genealogical & Biographical Society in August, part of the NYG&B’s New Netherland Settlers initiative. [Read more…] about 25 New Netherland Biographies Published
The Academy of Natural Sciences of Drexel University will permanently close its Philadelphia museum to the public on Sunday, September 27, 2026. “For nearly 200 years, the museum has been a welcoming space, creating memories for generations of families, schoolchildren, nature lovers and scientists,” an announcement made to the public says. “The Academy is more, however, than the galleries and display areas. Our collections containing more than 19 million specimens and our critical scientific research must be prioritized.” [Read more…] about One of America’s Oldest Natural History Museums Closing
The New York Provincial Congress was one of the first revolutionary bodies to outline a new inter-colonial program to finance the Revolutionary War.
On May 26, 1775, only two weeks after the Second Continental Congress met at Philadelphia, the Provincial Congress wrote to New York’s delegates that it was “clearly impossible” to raise by taxes a sum “adequate to the public service” and that it was equally certain that the existing paper money of the various states could not obtain ‘”universal circulation.” [Read more…] about Financing the Revolution: National, State & Local Currencies
Lake George’s network of navigation buoys represents one of the lake’s most important safety systems, guiding thousands of boaters around hidden hazards every boating season.
From the main lake to the Narrows, buoys mark underwater rocks, shoals, channels and speed zones, helping boaters safely navigate one of New York’s most beautiful — and deceptively challenging — lakes. [Read more…] about Silent Sentinels: Lake George Navigation Buoys
On Saturday, September 12, the main street of North Creek in Northern Warren County will be transformed by a celebratory parade commemorating the 125th anniversary of Vice President Theodore Roosevelt’s dramatic ascent to the presidency. [Read more…] about Parade & Festival Celebrating Theodore Roosevelt’s ‘Night Ride”
The Little Falls Cheese Festival has announced Saturday, October 3 as the date for this year’s Cheese Festival. The festival takes place along Main Street from 10 am to 5 pm, featuring New York State cheese-makers, gourmet foods, craft beverages, live music, and plenty of delicious reasons to bring friends and family along. [Read more…] about Little Falls Cheese Festival Planned for October 3rd
St. Francis Woodlands, a former Franciscan Friars property in the Staten Island Greenbelt, is full of hidden ecological treasures.
The 25-acre property features a 0.4-mile elevated boardwalk and viewing platform that make the forested environment and upland swamp habitats accessible to all visitors. [Read more…] about A Natural Sanctuary: Staten Island’s St. Francis Woodlands
The Jonathan Sheppard Memorial Stakes race is scheduled to be run at Saratoga Race Course on September 2, this season. This Grade 1 steeplechase race, with a purse of $150,000 will kick off the final week of this year’s track season.
The featured jump race at Saratoga was renamed in 2021, and had formerly been the New York Turf Writers Cup, which had been run previously at other racetrack locations in the Empire State. [Read more…] about Saratoga Race Course’s Featured Jump Race: Some History
On Sunday, September 6th, Linda Harvey will lead Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation’s Sunday Summer Stroll tour “The Spa Complex” in Saratoga Spa State Park, a National Historic Landmark. In partnership with the Friends of Saratoga Spa State Park, Harvey will share the history of the complex, which was developed with the goal of increasing both therapeutic and recreational use of the park. [Read more…] about Tour Saratoga Spa State Park’s ‘Spa Complex’
Three groups filed amicus briefs in the US Court of Appeals for the DC Circuit backing the American Historical Association (AHA), American Oversight, Freedom of the Press Foundation, and Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW) in their fight to stop the Trump administration from evading the Presidential Records Act (PRA). [Read more…] about New Amicus Briefs Back Fight to Protect Presidential Records
This September and October mark the 249th anniversaries of the Battles of Saratoga and the surrender of British forces that followed. Saratoga National Historical Park preserves, protects and interprets the sites associated with the battles, siege and surrender. The park includes 3,579 acres over five sites: the Saratoga Battlefield, General Philip Schuyler’s House, Victory Woods, the Saratoga Monument and the Sword Surrender Site. [Read more…] about 249th Anniversary of Battles of Saratoga Events Planned
During the summer of 1776, General George Washington knew that the city of New York had to be held. He also knew that the city could not be held. “Whoever commands the sea must command the town,” General Charles Lee wrote from New York earlier. By the end of June, the British commanded the sea.
From a vast fleet anchored off Staten Island, the largest expeditionary force in British history began landing thousands of regular troops and German mercenaries. Only days later, the Second Continental Congress formally declared independence. “The fate of unborn millions,” Washington wrote to his men, “will now depend on the courage and conduct of this army.” [Read more…] about Sudden and Violent: The Battle of Brooklyn
Alice Mabel Allen (1886-1976) grew up in the village of Adams in Jefferson County, NY. In 1908, while attending Syracuse University, Mabel, as she was known, kept a diary which New York Almanack is publishing each week. In these entries, her family leaves the summer cottage on Henderson Harbor and returns to Adams.
Monday, August 31
Sarah came over before we had finished breakfast. Mother went home, taking some of the camp truck with her. Wrote up receipts, read White Fang. Mr. Waite and father pitched quoits, father winning. Mr. Waite won in the P.M., however. All but Della went in bathing. [Read more…] about Mabel Allen’s 1908 Diary: Leaving Henderson Harbor
Early British colonists brought English common law to the colonies and adapted it to frontier conditions. Formally known as Lawes Divine, Morall and Martiall, “Dale’s Code” was a legal system enacted in 1610 (published in 1612) by the Deputy-Governor of colonial Virginia, Thomas Dale.
It mandated the death penalty for a range of misdeeds, from stealing grapes to trading with Indigenous populations. Arson too was a capital crime. [Read more…] about Manhattan in Flames: Arson, Rebellion, Conspiracy, & Sabotage
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