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
Archives
Mapping NYC’s Historic Waterfront Development
Most people have seen surveyors at work — marking boundaries, determining distances, angles and positions. It’s the kind of essential data necessary for all types of construction projects, and is an ongoing endeavor for all cities.
The New York City Municipal Archives holds a variety of records from government agencies responsible for surveying what now are the five boroughs, ranging from Brooklyn maps documenting 19th century road placement to aerial photographic maps from the 20th century. One notable collection of maps and notebooks depicts waterfront development. [Read more…] about Mapping NYC’s Historic Waterfront Development
An Online ‘Oral History’ Archive Documents America Today
In its first year, OurStoryBridge Listens: Present in the Moment has recorded more than 150 oral histories from residents of 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Organizers believe it is the nation’s only digital short-form oral history project dedicated to preserving personal perspectives during the current period of rapid social, political and economic change. [Read more…] about An Online ‘Oral History’ Archive Documents America Today
The NYS Cultural Education Center Turns 50
Half a century ago, New York State opened the doors to the Cultural Education Center in Albany, creating a landmark public home where generations of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world could explore the history, culture, scholarship, and heritage that define the Empire State.
Opened on July 1, 1976, the Cultural Education Center has served for 50 years as the home of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education, which includes the New York State Museum, New York State Library, and New York State Archives. [Read more…] about The NYS Cultural Education Center Turns 50
Historian Carol Kammen: Smut & The Human Condition
Everyone laughed when I said I was writing a book called Smut. “You,” they would say, pointing fingers at me, “you writing about obscenity?” Nonetheless, I did write about an obscenity trial in Ithaca, NY in 1883 and laughed as I transcribed the trial testimony to the page.
I found writing Smut fun, and I hope that readers might also find it informative, and interesting, curious, and fun too. [Read more…] about Historian Carol Kammen: Smut & The Human Condition
The Christopher Yates Papers Reveal Revolutionary Details
Christopher Yates (1737-1785) of Schenectady was a surveyor by trade, a job that brought him into the frequent employ of Sir William Johnson. When the French and Indian War began in 1755, Yates joined the Second Albany Militia, serving under Johnson at some of the most crucial battles.
He was among the British troops defeated at Ticonderoga early in the contest during the July 8, 1758 Battle of Carillon, the bloodiest event of the war, with over 3,000 causalities. He later participated in the successful siege of Fort Niagara in July 1759. [Read more…] about The Christopher Yates Papers Reveal Revolutionary Details
Play Streets & New York City Recreation History
In summer thoughts turn to fun at the beach, pool and in parks. The vertical files of the New York City Municipal Library include a trove of publications describing City government’s role in providing recreational opportunities between 1919 and 1979.
A good portion of the contents are news clippings that track, decade by decade, City residents’ recreational choices. “Eel Season Ending For City Anglers” the New York Times reported in 1967; “People Pushing Horses Out Of Park” the Daily News decried as the Claremont Riding Academy was poised to close in 1970; and the perennial “New York on Next to Nothing” from the New York Post are just a few of the titles. [Read more…] about Play Streets & New York City Recreation History
New York State History Educational Resource Center Launched
The Archives Partnership Trust will launch the Educational Resource Center for New York State History, made possible through a $1 million donation from the Robert David Lion Gardiner Foundation. [Read more…] about New York State History Educational Resource Center Launched
Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Disregarding Presidential Records Act
On Wednesday, May 20, 2026, the US District Court for the District of Columbia granted emergency relief in the American Historical Association and American Oversight’s lawsuit challenging the Trump administration’s effort to evade the Presidential Records Act (PRA).
The injunction, which takes effect at 9 am on Tuesday, May 26, enjoins the White House Office, the National Security Council, the US DOGE Service, and all advisors to the president to comply in full with the PRA. [Read more…] about Judge Blocks Trump Administration from Disregarding Presidential Records Act
UAlbany Puts More Than A Century of Yearbooks Online
The University at Albany (UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) has digitized and put online over 120 yearbooks spanning more than a century of campus history.
This collection, managed by the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, offers a look back at student life, sports, and major events on campus and off from 1900 to 2014, including also one student produced edition from 2022. [Read more…] about UAlbany Puts More Than A Century of Yearbooks Online
Watchdog, Historians Sue to Block Trump Effort to Evade Presidential Records Law
American Oversight and the American Historical Association have filed suit challenging a sweeping memorandum from the Department of Justice’s Office of Legal Counsel that declared the Presidential Records Act is unconstitutional and that President Donald Trump “need not further comply” with its requirements, effectively encouraging the president to violate federal law.
The lawsuit argues that the memo relies on virtually no judicial authority and defies binding U.S. Supreme Court precedent outright, representing what they say is “a radical attempt to nullify a law that has governed presidential records for nearly half a century.” [Read more…] about Watchdog, Historians Sue to Block Trump Effort to Evade Presidential Records Law
DAR Intern To Support Great Camp Santanoni Digital Preservation
The Saranac Chapter of the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution (DAR) has announced that the organizational recipient of their 2026 Internship Program Award is Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) based in Keeseville, NY.
AARCH will use the $5,000 grant award to sponsor a digital preservation internship through the first half of 2026. The selected intern, Sam Lasher of Lake George, will assist AARCH with the digital preservation of historical files and photographs associated with AARCH’s involvement at Great Camp Santanoni in Newcomb, NY. [Read more…] about DAR Intern To Support Great Camp Santanoni Digital Preservation
Revolutionary War Audits (1775-1785) Being Digitized
A new digitization project funded by the New York State’s Daughters of the American Revolution has begun on recently rediscovered records.
The project involves digitization and development of educational materials for the New York State Archives’ earliest (1775-1785) of the Journals of the Auditor General, 1775-1794. [Read more…] about Revolutionary War Audits (1775-1785) Being Digitized
New York City Location Scout Photo Collections
Location scouting is a part of the pre-production process of making a film or television show. Before digital files and location-scouting apps transformed the business of film location scouting, New York’s production world ran on hard copies — real photographs, taped into real folders, stored in real boxes. [Read more…] about New York City Location Scout Photo Collections
Official New York City List is Missing Term of Early Mayor
Mayor-elect Zohran Mamdani will be the 112th mayor of the New York City, not the 111th. The city’s official list is missing the term of an early mayor.
The list neglects the second term of Mayor Matthias Nicolls in 1674-1675, when he served as the eighth mayor of New York City. [Read more…] about Official New York City List is Missing Term of Early Mayor
Anatomy of an Infographic: BRI’s Visual Information Artists
Before humans had spoken language, they had infographics. The earliest humans communicated information through drawings on cave walls. Over the course of history, people understood that visual representations were invaluable to teach (best hunting practices), create a writing system (hieroglyphs), provide directions (maps), and explain intricate relationships (graphs and charts).
Visual data exploded with the use of social media and the Biodiversity Research Institute (BRI) in Portland, Maine, has jumped on that bandwagon big time. [Read more…] about Anatomy of an Infographic: BRI’s Visual Information Artists
How Northern Manufacturing Fueled Slavery
When we talk about slavery in Early America, we often focus on plantations: their large, fertile fields, their cash crops, and the people who labored on those fields to produce those cash crops under conditions of enslavement.
But what about the ordinary objects that made slavery work? The shoes, axes, cloth, and hoes? What can these everyday objects reveal about the economic and social systems that sustained slavery in the early United States? [Read more…] about How Northern Manufacturing Fueled Slavery
Long Island’s Three Village Oral Histories
Christian Avenue sits at the heart of the Three Village area on the North Shore of Long Island.
Surrounded by Old Field, Setauket, and Stony Brook it has long been home to a community of Black and Native American families. [Read more…] about Long Island’s Three Village Oral Histories
Where to Find Photos of NYC Historic Buildings
Photographs of historic buildings can be very valuable resources. They help inform historically accurate building restorations and modifications, they show the building’s and neighborhood’s changes over time, and they are a window into the past.
When proposing changes to a landmarked building in New York City, especially changes that will alter the appearance of the landmark, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will require historic photos as part of the application. [Read more…] about Where to Find Photos of NYC Historic Buildings
State Humanities Councils Win First Round In Court
On August 6, a federal judge in Oregon ruled that the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) acted unlawfully when it ended operating grants to state humanities councils.
The case, brought by Oregon Humanities and the Federation of State Humanities Councils affirmed that these grants — established by Congress more than 50 years ago — are essential to the public humanities and their lawsuit against the Trump regime can proceed. [Read more…] about State Humanities Councils Win First Round In Court