Albany County

America’s First Christmas Card & An Early Albany Department Store

December 10, 2020 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Before F. W. Woolworths’, Whitney’s, or even Myer’s department store, there was Pease’s Great Variety Store, located in the Temple of Fancy at 516 and 518 Broadway in Albany, NY.

As with other fancy goods stores, Pease’s catered to the middle and upper middle class selling highly decorated goods like ceramics, prints, furniture and other decorative household items that progressively thinking people might have wanted to purchase. [Read more…] about America’s First Christmas Card & An Early Albany Department Store

A Town of New Scotland, NY, History Podcast

July 17, 2020 by Bob Cudmore Leave a Comment

This week on The Historians Podcast, a look at the history of the Albany County town of New Scotland. Alan Kowlowitz, president of the New Scotland Historical Association and longtime Town Historian Bob Parmenter discuss New Scotland’s Onesquethaw Valley Historic District and more. [Read more…] about A Town of New Scotland, NY, History Podcast

Albany Co Historical Honoring Norman Rice at Gala

September 11, 2018 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Albany County Historical Association (ACHA) is set to host its 4th Annual Gala at Cornerstone at the Plaza on Thursday, September 13th at 6 pm. The fundraiser, which will include a cocktail hour, dinner, and silent auction, also serves as a celebration of history education and preservation in Albany.

In addition to honoring the ACHA’s Trustees, staff members, and volunteers, the organization will extend its appreciation to Norman Rice, Executive Director Emeritus of the Albany Institute of History and Art. [Read more…] about Albany Co Historical Honoring Norman Rice at Gala

Caesar of Albany County: New York’s Last Living Slave

May 31, 2016 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

In the spring of 1811, the Albany Common Council banned Pinkster Day celebrations because of “rioting and drunkenness.” Two centuries later, in an effort to revive a tradition from Albany’s past, members of the University Club petitioned the Common Council to repeal the prohibition. The Pinkster ban was lifted on May 16, 2011.

On Friday, June 3, the Club will welcome award-winning author Scott Christianson to its 6th Annual Pinkster Celebration at the National Register-listed University Club of Albany. Scott Christianson, Ph.D. is an award-winning author of several distinguished non-fiction books, as well as a journalist, criminologist, historian, filmmaker, teacher and human rights activist. [Read more…] about Caesar of Albany County: New York’s Last Living Slave

Bruce Dearstyne: Highlighting Albany’s Heritage

September 3, 2015 by Bruce Dearstyne 2 Comments

Albany is a historic city! Its website includes a history of the city. Kathy Sheehan, campaigning for Mayor in 2012, cited its “deep and palpable history” as one of its assets and one of the bases for its potential development in the future. As Mayor, she initiated the Albany Heritage Tourism Initiative and gave a very impressive talk on “Albany: Our History, Our Future,” emphasizing its potential for heritage tourism at the kick-off luncheon for New York History Month organized by the University Club in November 2014.

One of her key themes was connections — among Albany’s historical buildings, its history organizations such as the Albany Institute of History and Art, and state sites such as the State Museum and Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site. [Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne: Highlighting Albany’s Heritage

Albany County’s Military Service In The Civil War

July 9, 2015 by Peter Hess 4 Comments

During the four years of the Civil War, New York would send 474,000 men, 1/8 of New York’s entire population, to comprise 1/5 of the Union Army. Ten regiments and one artillery battery would be raised in Albany County and Albany troops would play major roles and take casualties at almost every major battle of the Civil War. [Read more…] about Albany County’s Military Service In The Civil War

Civil War Albany Rises To Action

July 1, 2015 by Peter Hess 1 Comment

As had happened during the French and Indian War and later the Revolutionary War, from the first days of the Civil War Albany was converted into a military camp. Lincoln’s original request for troops designated Albany, New York City and Elmira as military marshaling points. Troops from the entire northeast, including upstate New York as far west as Buffalo, east to Vermont, New Hampshire and western Massachusetts reported to Albany. [Read more…] about Civil War Albany Rises To Action

The First Days of the Civil War in Albany

June 23, 2015 by Peter Hess 1 Comment

Early Sunday morning on April 14, 1861, barely two months after Lincoln left Albany, news arrived there that Fort Sumter had been fired on and surrendered. Fort Sumter was not far from Washington, and this news hit Albany like a shock wave.

New York State Governor Edwin D. Morgan called an emergency meeting of his staff and leaders of the Senate and Assembly that afternoon in the Executive Chamber in Albany. A bill was drafted calling for New York to appropriate $3 million to provision and provide 30,000 New York Militia to support the preservation of the Union. [Read more…] about The First Days of the Civil War in Albany

Shaker Exhibition Opening At NYS Museum

November 12, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The New York State Museum will open a new major exhibition about the history and culture of the Shakers on November 15, 2014. The Shakers: America’s Quiet Revolutionaries will feature over 150 historic images and nearly 200 Shaker artifacts, including artifacts from three Shaker historical sites: the Shaker Heritage Society, Hancock Shaker Village and the Shaker Museum | Mount Lebanon.

In the late 1700s, the Shakers sought religious freedom in America, but their unique culture and spiritual practices set them apart from society. Their devotional routines as well as their product innovations and views towards gender equality seemed revolutionary. [Read more…] about Shaker Exhibition Opening At NYS Museum

Dramatic Tours Recapture Harrowing Night at Cherry Hill

October 7, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On Friday, October 24 and Saturday, October 25, Historic Cherry Hill will present a dramatic tour reliving the infamous 1827 murder that occurred at the Cherry Hill mansion, one-time home of the Van Rensselaer family.

The public is invited to step into the experiences of the Cherry Hill household on the evening of May 7, 1827, when a hired hand murdered a household member. The dramatic tour will investigate the scene of the crime and the differing perspectives of those who were there on that fateful evening. Actor James Keil will appear as Jesse Strang, bringing to life the murderer whose violent act was motivated by romantic attachment to his victim’s wife. The murder resulted in two sensational trials and Albany’s last public hanging. [Read more…] about Dramatic Tours Recapture Harrowing Night at Cherry Hill