The site of the present Sampson State Park in Romulus, Seneca County, NY was formerly the site of the Sampson Navy Base. As the United States found itself at war following the attack on Pearl Harbor in late 1941, the U.S. Navy had an immediate need for sailors. Basic training bases, or boot camps, were constructed across the country to meet this emergency requirement. [Read more…] about Sampson State Park’s Remarkable Military, Education & Public Health History
Aviation History
Trailblazing Women: Amelia Earhart
In 1922, Amelia Earhart set a record for reaching the highest altitude for a woman pilot, flying to 14,000 feet. Six years later, Earhart became the first woman to fly across the Atlantic Ocean.
In the following 10 years, Earhart continued to set aviation records for speed and distance. She also helped create a women’s aviation club, the Ninety-Nines, and was elected the first president. The organization still exists today and works to promote female pilots. [Read more…] about Trailblazing Women: Amelia Earhart
Small Plane Crash On Long Island
Environmental Conservation Officer DeRose and K9 Cramer reported they were training in a wooded area of Farmingdale State College on Long Island on January 10th when a family approached claiming a plane appeared to crash just north of the woods. [Read more…] about Small Plane Crash On Long Island
1974 Plane Crash Hike In Harriman State Park
Northwest Airlines Flight 6231 crashed in Harriman State Park, located in Rockland and Orange counties, on December 1, 1974, just minutes after taking off from Kennedy Airport, on its way to Buffalo.
The Historical Society of Rockland County has invited the public to a Hike through History event, focusing on the crash site and memorial in Harriman State Park, set for Saturday, August 15th. [Read more…] about 1974 Plane Crash Hike In Harriman State Park
Young Aviator Classes At Aerosciences Museum
The Empire State Aerosciences Museum and Schenectady County Community College have joined together to host a Young Aviators Class. [Read more…] about Young Aviator Classes At Aerosciences Museum
Floyd Bennett’s Last Visit To Ticonderoga
Aviator Floyd Bennett was back in Ticonderoga on March 13, 1928 after a 12-year absence. Since his last visit, Bennett had been to the North Pole and back, as co-pilot and mechanic with explorer Richard Byrd, and had received the National Geographic Society medal from President Calvin Coolidge.
But the one who had “risen to the top of his chosen profession” was still “the same old Floyd” that once worked at People’s Garage with Ticonderoga motorcycle policeman Carl O’Dell. [Read more…] about Floyd Bennett’s Last Visit To Ticonderoga
Aviation and Airport History On Long Island
The skies above Long Island have always called to the adventurous, the innovative, and the ambitious. So it’s no surprise that Walt Winnicki, born in 1928 in the shadow of the biplanes above Roosevelt Field, grew up with a love for aviation. He got his pilot’s license soon after World War II, learning from many of the flyers who were invovled in the golden age of flight themselves.
On this episode of the Long Island History Project, we talk with Walter about life between the air and the myriad of small airports that used to dot the Island. And we also talk with Bob Mott, historian of the Bayport Aerodrome Society, about the preservation and promotion of the last public grass airfield on Long Island. [Read more…] about Aviation and Airport History On Long Island
Glenn Curtiss’ Place in History
New York’s aviation pioneer Glenn Curtiss (1878-1930) warrants a more prominent place in history. He is often sidelined or slighted by historians who focus on the Wright brothers.
Last year, David McCullough’s book The Wright Brothers was a good example.
William Hazelgrove’s new book Wright Brothers, Wrong Story: How Wilbur Wright Solved the Problem of Manned Flight, is another example. It demonstrates convincingly that Wilbur Wright was much more important in the development of a “flying machine” than his brother Orville. It has a good deal of information on the Wright family. It is an interesting book. [Read more…] about Glenn Curtiss’ Place in History
Bruce Dearstyne: Dave McCullough and the Uses of History
Pulitzer-prize winning author David McCullough has published a new book, The American Spirit: Who We Are and What We Stand For (New York: Simon and Schuster, 2017).
It is a bit of a disappointment in some ways — there is no overarching essay on the American spirit, and the book itself is actually a collection of commencement talks and other speeches by the author over the years rather than new work.
But like all of McCullough’s works, the book is stimulating and worth reading for its perspectives and insights, its eloquent writing, and particularly for the way it makes the case for the values of history. [Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne: Dave McCullough and the Uses of History
Making Aviation History on Independence Day, 1908
History was made on July 4, 1908, the date of the first pre-announced, publicly-witnessed, officially certified flight of an airplane in the United States.
Who made the historic flight? Hint: it was not the Wright brothers! [Read more…] about Making Aviation History on Independence Day, 1908