New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

American Revolution

Battles of Stone Arabia, Klock’s Field Archeological Study Complete

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painting of Klock’s FieldOn October 19, 1780, Loyalists, Native Allies and British soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Johnson and Captain Joseph Brant began destroying farms in Stone Arabia, a village about a mile north of Fort Keyser, in what was then Tryon County (today, Palatine Township in Montgomery County).

Colonel John Brown, leading a force of New York and Massachusetts revolutionaries left Fort Paris in Stone Arabia in an attempt to attack what he believed was a smaller, isolated enemy force. [Read more…] about Battles of Stone Arabia, Klock’s Field Archeological Study Complete

Landmarks of the American Revolution

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In the Founders' FootstepsThe book In the Founders’ Footsteps: Landmarks of the American Revolution (David R. Godine, 2022) by Adam Van Doren takes a look at the original thirteen colonies in search of historical sites and their stories in America’s founding. [Read more…] about Landmarks of the American Revolution

Records Reveal an Overlooked Hero of the Culper Spy Ring

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Selah StrongIn late 1777, Patriot and Long Island-native Selah Strong was arrested for what in present-day terms would be regarded as spying. While Selah’s spouse, Anna “Nancy” Strong, and his close friends would be considered part of George Washington’s Culper Spy Ring, only a few historians have included Selah as a member.

This network of spies operated during the Revolutionary War and smuggled information out of the British headquarters in New York City via British-occupied Long Island and across the Long Island Sound, eventually to the Commander-in-Chief himself. By re-examining primary sources for the first time in hundreds of years, Selah’s heroic role in the Culper Spy Ring finally comes to light. [Read more…] about Records Reveal an Overlooked Hero of the Culper Spy Ring

Culper Spy Ring At Drowned Meadow, Long Island

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long island history project logoToday we dive back into a discussion of the Culper Spy Ring, turning our attention to the area of Port Jefferson, Long Island or, more appropriately, its original incarnation of Drowned Meadow. The village of Port Jefferson is opening the Drowned Meadow Cottage Museum inside the 18th century home of Culper ring member Phillips Roe. [Read more…] about Culper Spy Ring At Drowned Meadow, Long Island

Why Not? The Return of Lafayette’s Hermoine in 2024

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hermoine leaving franceIn 1992, the shipyard at Rochefort France where the Hermione – the ship that brought Lafayette to America – had been constructed in 1780 was apparently in decline.

Several local entrepreneurs conceived of the idea that a replica of the Hermione should be built and sailed to the United States as a goodwill gesture. It was hoped that the project would perhaps improve the local economy and also remind Americans of the important historical ties between the United States and France. [Read more…] about Why Not? The Return of Lafayette’s Hermoine in 2024

Women Waging War in the American Revolution

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women waging warThe new book Women Waging War in the American Revolution (University of Virginia Press, 2022) edited by Holly A. Mayer is a collection examining the impact of Revolutionary-era women on the outcomes of the war and its subsequent narrative tradition, from popular perception to academic treatment. [Read more…] about Women Waging War in the American Revolution

Historic Marker Program to Commemorate Revolutionary America

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historic people places things markerIn celebration of the 250th anniversary of the United States, the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) and William G. Pomeroy Foundation have announced a collaboration to establish a new historic marker program to commemorate points of interest significant to Revolutionary America. [Read more…] about Historic Marker Program to Commemorate Revolutionary America

American Origin Myth: Remembering the American Revolution

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political buttonsSince the end of the War for Independence, the memory of the American Revolution has played a unique role in American politics because it serves as the nation’s “origin myth.” Americans have continually fought over the meaning of the Revolution, and those fights have played an ever-present role in American history. [Read more…] about American Origin Myth: Remembering the American Revolution

The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

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The Revolutionary: Samuel AdamsThomas Jefferson asserted that if there was any leader of the American Revolution, “Samuel Adams was the man.” With high-minded ideals and bare-knuckle tactics, Adams led what could be called the greatest campaign of civil resistance in American history.  Adams amplified the Boston Massacre and helped to mastermind the Boston Tea Party.

He employed every tool available to rally a town, a colony, and eventually a band of colonies behind him, creating the cause that created a country. For his efforts he became the most wanted man in America: When Paul Revere rode to Lexington in 1775, it was to warn Samuel Adams that he was about to be arrested for treason. Despite his celebrated status among America’s founding fathers as a revolutionary leader however, Samuel Adams’ life and achievements have been largely overshadowed in history books. [Read more…] about The Revolutionary: Samuel Adams

Hulda of Bohemia: The Accused Witch of Sleepy Hollow

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Hulda GravestoneEach fall, tens of thousands of people from around the world flock to Sleepy Hollow in Westchester County, New York to visit the burial ground made famous in Washington Irving’s 1819 tale, The Legend of Sleepy Hollow. In Irving’s tale of “the Headless Horseman,” a German soldier is said to return to the grave-site, in search of his head that was lost during America’s Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about Hulda of Bohemia: The Accused Witch of Sleepy Hollow