New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Agricultural History

Jay Heritage Center Building New Garden Pavilion

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Jay Estate proposed pavilionIn 1849 the Jay Family built a Gothic Revival cottage on Cherry Hill, beside the Jay Mansion in Rye, NY, based on a design by renowned architect Alexander Jackson Davis, who also designed Whitby Castle and Lyndhurst. The cottage closely resembled Station No. 10, an A.J. Davis-designed structure at New York Yacht Club

Time, rotting wood, and carpenter bees eventually took their toll on the 19th-century cottage. With the help of donations from the public and the Gerry Charitable Trust, the Center is making plans to construct a new outdoor classroom on Cherry Hill — a functional learning space that will make visual reference to the historic cottage that preceded it. [Read more…] about Jay Heritage Center Building New Garden Pavilion

Everyone Knows Elsie: A Short Borden Company History

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WelcomeBackElsieWhen you enter the hamlet of Wallkill, you are greeted by the happy face of the Borden Company’s mascot, Elsie the Cow. The company’s website states that this mascot dates to the 1930s.

Underneath Elsie is a sign stating that the Hamlet of Wallkill was the location the “Home Farm” of John G. Borden. Thus, many commonly believe that Borden Condensed Milk was in fact invented in the Hamlet of Wallkill; however, its origins can be traced to Burrville, Connecticut and Gail Borden, Jr. Actually, the business was not originally called Borden at all – that title would come later. [Read more…] about Everyone Knows Elsie: A Short Borden Company History

Jesse Williams’ Early Cheese Factory in Rome, NY

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williams origional factory

Jesse Williams, a successful farmer and cheese maker in Rome, believed that farmers could maximize their profits by working together as cooperative dairies. He started a cheese factory in the n 1851 just north of Rome, NY and helped revolutionize the modern cheese industry locally and across the nation. [Read more…] about Jesse Williams’ Early Cheese Factory in Rome, NY

Catskill Farm Museum Hoedown Set for July

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1930s hoedownThe Time and the Valleys Museum is set to host a 1930s Catskill Farm Hoedown on Saturday, July 27th from 5 to 9 pm.

Held outdoors behind the Museum, the hoedown will include both round and square dancing with music by the Country Travelers with Paul Lounsbury, Bob Hunt, Dave Trestyn, Bill Engle and dance caller Patty Legg, food catered by the Neversink General Store, an entertaining Pie Auction, a silent auction and visit to the 1930s Catskill Farm. [Read more…] about Catskill Farm Museum Hoedown Set for July

Farms & Farm Families in Early America

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ben_franklins_worldIf we want to understand everyday life in early America we need to understand the everyday life of early American farms and farmers.

Roughly three-quarters of Americans in British North America and the early United States considered themselves to be farmers. So how did early Americans establish farms and what were the rhythms of their daily lives?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Richard Bushman, the Gouverneur Morris Professor Emeritus of History at Columbia University, joins us to investigate farms and farm life in early America with details from his book, The American Farmer in the Eighteenth Century: A Social and Cultural History. [Read more…] about Farms & Farm Families in Early America

Local Food & History Weekend At Southampton History Museum

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Greens by Amagansett Food InstituteThe Southampton History Museum has announced THAWfest, a local food and history weekend, set or Saturday and Sunday, March 23-24, 2019.

As part of THAWfest, Amagansett Food Institute and the Southampton History Museum will co-host a hands-on workshop with Chef Jack Formica, who will focus on foods regionally available, with a particular emphasis on living/raw foods. [Read more…] about Local Food & History Weekend At Southampton History Museum

Heritage Gardening Program at Sullivan Co Museum

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local gardening in the 1930sHeritage vs. Heirloom Gardening, a talk by horticulturist Diana K. Weiner has been set for Sunday, March 10th at 2 pm, at the Time and the Valleys Museum on St. Rt. 55 in Grahamsville, Sullivan County. [Read more…] about Heritage Gardening Program at Sullivan Co Museum

18th Century Winter Preparations at Johnson Hall

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harvesting cropsA new program, Hunting and Harvesting: Preparing for Winter in the 18th Century has been set for Saturday, October 6th from 11 am to 4 pm at Johnson Hall State Historic Site.

At 11 am and again at 2:30 pm, historian Paul Supley will display and discuss staple Mohawk Valley crops and harvesting methods used in the 18th century to reap wheat, barley and corn. He will demonstrate the use of such tools as the sickle and flail and discuss the methods used to harvest, process, store and ship these important products. [Read more…] about 18th Century Winter Preparations at Johnson Hall

Preservation Long Island Apple Festival September 30th

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long island apple festivalThe 29th annual Apple Festival at Sherwood–Jayne Farm has been set for Sunday, September 30th. From freshly pressed cider and homemade pies, this year’s festival brings apples and much more.

While two of the highlights of the festival are the Apple Pie Baking Contest and Live Apple Pie Auction, there are continuous activities, special programs and apple-related demonstrations throughout the day including: Live Music, Old Fashioned Games and Relay Races, Apple Crafts, Face Painting, Pony and Hay Rides, Apple Pressing with Johnny Appleseed, Apple Cider Tasting, Colonial Cooking Demonstrations, Historic House and Barn Tours, Local Artisans and Vendors for Crafts, Food and Beverages. [Read more…] about Preservation Long Island Apple Festival September 30th

Antique Engines Festival at Hanford Mills Saturday

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Hatt Parr tractor and Ahrens Fox fire pumperThe 35th annual Dan Rion Memorial Antique Engine Jamboree and Powerfest has been set for Saturday, September 8th from 10 am to 4 pm at the Hanford Mills Museum. The Museum grounds will be filled with the rumbles and whirs of antique tractors, cars, trucks, motorcycles, outboard motors, hit and miss engines, water-cooled and air-cooled gas engines.

The Museum’s Steam Team will be operating the wood-fired steam boiler plant and horizontal and vertical steam engines. Hanford Mills is one of the few historic sites in the country where visitors can see a wood-fired steam boiler and steam engines in operation. [Read more…] about Antique Engines Festival at Hanford Mills Saturday