• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar

New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

  • Email
  • Facebook
  • RSS
  • Twitter
  • Adirondacks & NNY
  • Capital-Saratoga
  • Mohawk Valley
  • Hudson Valley & Catskills
  • NYC & Long Island
  • Western NY
  • History
  • Nature & Environment
  • Arts & Culture
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Food & Farms
  • Subscribe
  • Support
  • Submit
  • About
  • New Books
  • Events
  • Podcasts

AJ Schenkman

Old Town Cemetery: Preserving A Newburgh Treasure

January 9, 2013 by A. J. Schenkman 3 Comments

The Old Town Cemetery is situated between Grand, Liberty, and South Streets, where it has sat for over two hundred years. It has borne witness to an ever-changing Newburgh, from a sleepy village to a bustling city. Many people are unaware of this gem in the heart of Newburgh and how close they came to losing it forever, but thanks to concerned citizens in Newburgh, its future is looking brighter. [Read more…] about Old Town Cemetery: Preserving A Newburgh Treasure

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: AJ Schenkman, American Revolution, Historic Preservation, Newburgh, Orange County, Washington's Headquarters

Ulster County Desperado: Big Bad Bill Monroe

November 26, 2012 by A. J. Schenkman 2 Comments

Americans are captivated with outlaws. Our history is filled with those colorful characters who bent the law to fit their own ends, from Jesse James to Al Capone.

Newspapers fed this fascination by following every move of many of these individuals. They were given curious names such as “The Kid,” “Gyp the Blood,” or in the case of Capone, “Scarface.” Many people do not know that a small hamlet in Ulster County had its own outlaw, known as “Big Bad” Bill Monroe. He was also identified as the “Gardiner Desperado.” [Read more…] about Ulster County Desperado: Big Bad Bill Monroe

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, History Tagged With: AJ Schenkman, Clinton County, Crime and Justice, Pop Culture History, Ulster County

Wicked Ulster County: Tales of Desperadoes

October 14, 2012 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Situated in the scenic Hudson Valley, Ulster County is a lovely location to make a home and raise a family, but it wasn’t always so pleasant. Unsavory characters and immoral events have sullied its name.

In the 1870s, the Shawangunk Mountains inspired fear rather than awe, as groups like the Lyman Freer and Shawangunk gangs robbed and terrorized locals, descending from the protection of the wooded peaks. Kingston was torched, arson blazed in Kerhonkson and even the Mohonk Mountain House was threatened by flames. In 1909, the Ashokan Slasher’s bloody crimes and sensational trial captured headlines across the country. A.J. Schenkman’s Wicked Ulster County: Tales of Desperadoes, Gangs and More features these and other salacious stories buried in Ulster County’s history. [Read more…] about Wicked Ulster County: Tales of Desperadoes

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: AJ Schenkman, Crime and Justice, Hudson River, Shawangunk Ridge, Ulster County

AJ Schenkman: The Hasbrouck Ledger

October 10, 2012 by A. J. Schenkman Leave a Comment

One of the problems in researching the life of Colonel Jonathan Hasbrouck is that there are so few primary sources written by him left to us. We are fortunate that at least one of the treasures that give us a peek into his life, one of his account ledgers, has been preserved. It is a rich source for a researcher of not only Hasbrouck, but of others from his time period as well. [Read more…] about AJ Schenkman: The Hasbrouck Ledger

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: AJ Schenkman, American Revolution, Culinary History, Fort Clinton, Fort Montgomery, Hasbrouck House, Hudson River, Kingston, Military History, New Paltz, New York State Archives, Newburgh, Ulster County, Washington's Headquarters

Touring Old Mine Road: The Esopus-Minisink Trail

September 12, 2012 by A. J. Schenkman 2 Comments

The other day, driving home from Kingston, I could not help but notice the sea of New York State Education Department signs (NYSED) that lined the roadside. The blue and yellow plaques are designed to alert those passing by of significant historic events that had occurred somewhere in the vicinity of the signs. These signs made me think about when I lived in Boston and followed that city’s Freedom Trail. [Read more…] about Touring Old Mine Road: The Esopus-Minisink Trail

Filed Under: History Tagged With: AJ Schenkman, American Revolution, bicycling, Esopus River, French And Indian War, Indigenous History, Native American History, New Netherland, Orange County, Sullivan County, Sullivan_Clinton Expedition, Transportation, Ulster County

John Lennon’s Travels in Ulster County, New York

August 6, 2012 by A. J. Schenkman 5 Comments

The Depuy Canal House has sat in High Falls since the 1790s when it was constructed by Simeon Depuy, “one of the most prominent citizens of High Falls, New York.” It opened, according to the Depuy Canal House’s website, as the Stone House Tavern. The tavern entered its heyday when work commenced on the Delaware & Hudson (D&H) canal to link the coal fields of Pennsylvania to the Hudson River in Kingston. This tavern sat on Lock 16, convenient to the canal men until the canal closed in 1899. [Read more…] about John Lennon’s Travels in Ulster County, New York

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Agricultural History, AJ Schenkman, Culinary History, Cultural History, Delaware County, Pop Culture History, Ulster County

A.J. Schenkman: Old Graveyards in Ulster County

July 19, 2012 by A. J. Schenkman Leave a Comment

Many years ago, I was fortunate enough to meet the late historian Kenneth E. Hasbrouck, Sr., who at that time was the Executive Director of Historic Huguenot Street located in New Paltz, New York. I requested a meeting with him to inquire about a house that my aunt owned at that time. [Read more…] about A.J. Schenkman: Old Graveyards in Ulster County

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AJ Schenkman, Cultural History, Historic Preservation, New Paltz, Ulster County, Ulster County Historical Society

AJ Schenkman: Ulster County Jail Breaks

June 7, 2012 by A. J. Schenkman Leave a Comment

The court house in Kingston is one of the many historic buildings in an area commonly referred to as the Stockade District or Uptown Kingston. This court house has stood at the present location in some form for centuries. It is not only linked to the founding of New York State in 1777, but also to Sojourner Truth. It was in this court house that she successfully sued for the return of her son Peter. [Read more…] about AJ Schenkman: Ulster County Jail Breaks

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: AJ Schenkman, Architecture, Crime and Justice, Ulster County

Minnewaska State Park Preserve: Some History

May 3, 2012 by A. J. Schenkman 2 Comments

Minnewaska State Park Preserve has become a popular destination for hikers, bikers, and nature lovers. It is crisscrossed with acres of pristine views, carriage trails, and hiking trails. Many people visiting there do not realize that it once was the site of two spectacular mountain houses that sat perched on the cliffs overlooking Lake Minnewaska. They were named Wildmere and Cliff House. [Read more…] about Minnewaska State Park Preserve: Some History

Filed Under: Hudson Valley - Catskills, History, Nature, Recreation Tagged With: AJ Schenkman, Hudson River, Lake Minnewaska, Minnewaska State Park, Ulster County

Saunderskill: One of the Oldest Farms in America

April 12, 2012 by A. J. Schenkman 7 Comments

Those readers who follow my writing realize quickly that I have a special affinity for the Hasbrouck House in Newburgh more commonly known as Washington’s Headquarters, State Historic Site. Many of those visiting the site do not realize that a part of that site’s history can be traced back to Western Ulster County, New York where Jonathan Hasbrouck’s mother Elsie Schoonmaker was born and raised. [Read more…] about Saunderskill: One of the Oldest Farms in America

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: Agricultural History, AJ Schenkman, Historic Preservation, Ulster County, Washington's Headquarters

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Help Support The Almanack

Subscribe to New York Almanack

Subscribe! Follow the New York Almanack each day via E-mail, RSS, Twitter or Facebook updates.

Recent Comments

  • Arlene Steinberg on Study: Climate Change Has Altered Human-Raptor Relationships
  • Richard Daly on The Decline of the New York State Museum
  • Deb on The Decline of the New York State Museum
  • Don Rittner on The Decline of the New York State Museum
  • Pat Boomhower on The Decline of the New York State Museum
  • Carol Kammen on The Decline of the New York State Museum
  • Judith A Berdy on The Decline of the New York State Museum
  • Bob Meyer on The Decline of the New York State Museum
  • Amber on The Decline of the New York State Museum
  • John Collier on Dr. John Swinburne’s Life in Crime, War & Politics

Recent New York Books

The Transcendentalist and their world
“The Amazing Iroquois” and the Invention of the Empire State
american inheritance
Norman Rockwell's Models
The 1947 Utica Blue Sox Book Cover
vanishing point
From the Battlefield to the Stage
field of corpses
Madison's Militia

Secondary Sidebar

Mohawk Valley Trading Company Honey, Honey Comb, Buckwheat Honey, Beeswax Candles, Maple Syrup, Maple Sugar
preservation league