“A self-made man is the description which best fits Karl Peterson, a manufacturer of Jamestown. He has a natural gift for mechanics and is of an inventive turn of mind, quick to grasp the possibilities in any circumstance which may arise, and equally quick to develop the new idea presented to him,” wrote John P. Downs and Frederick Y. Hedley in their 1921 History of Chautauqua County. [Read more…] about Karl Peterson: New York’s Crescent Wrench King
Chautauqua County
After NY Wetlands Rules Struck Down, DEC Plans Webinar Tuesday
In April, Albany County Supreme Court issued a decision in Chautauqua Lake Prop. Owners Assn., Inc. v State of New York annulling the recently revised 6 NYCRR Part 664 freshwater wetlands regulations in their entirety.
The court said the Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) failed to comply with the State Environmental Quality Review Act (SEQRA) during the adoption process. [Read more…] about After NY Wetlands Rules Struck Down, DEC Plans Webinar Tuesday
19 NY Places Recommended for State and National Registers
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 19 properties and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The nominations include a nineteenth-century church in Jefferson County that developed and promoted Universalism in Upstate New York, a pre-Revolutionary War house owned by seven generations of the Hulse family on Long Island’s North Shore, and additional documentation for New York City’s Hotel Chelsea recognizing its significance as a center of LGBTQ cultural and creative life. [Read more…] about 19 NY Places Recommended for State and National Registers
The 1922 ‘Shifters’ Moral Panic
With the 19th Amendment offering greater rights for women, and the nation’s economy recovering from the First World War, the Roaring Twenties opened the door for young and old alike to shake off the Victorian Era restraints of the previous century. This was the era when women were “flappers,” and their men “sheiks.” It also gave rise to the speakeasy and to jazz. It was a time when numerous crazes, such as flagpole sitting and a dance called the Charleston, swept the country.
Another of these crazes was a secret society whose members went by the name of Shifters. The origin of this movement has never been discovered, with theories ranging from a prank by New York City high school girls to a marketing scheme by a novelty jewelry company. [Read more…] about The 1922 ‘Shifters’ Moral Panic
Rare and Fragile Floating Bogs and Fens
New York State is home to several rare and fragile floating bogs and fens. These unique ecosystems feature mats of sphagnum moss and vegetation that actually float over water.
Bogs and fens are both peatlands (wetlands that build up deposits of dead plant matter called peat). The primary difference is their water source: bogs are largely by nutrient-poor rainwater, making them highly acidic. Fens are fed by mineral-rich groundwater, making them alkaline or neutral. [Read more…] about Rare and Fragile Floating Bogs and Fens
25 Properties Recommended to State, National Registers
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) have announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 25 properties and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The nominations include an intact 1905 metal casting foundry complex in Hudson, an 1873 house that reflects Syracuse’s layered history of immigration, urban renewal, and grassroots historic preservation, a cohesive group of Colonial Revival apartment buildings in Kenmore built during the 1920s and 1930s suburban housing boom, and an amendment to the 1971 nomination for Revolutionary-era Senate House in Kingston to include its 1920s commemorative museum annex. [Read more…] about 25 Properties Recommended to State, National Registers
Bear Lake Preserve in Western NY Wildway Being Protected
The Western New York Land Conservancy has announced that it has been awarded a $675,000 state grant toward the acquisition of the Bear Lake Preserve in the town of Stockton in Chautauqua County.
Bear Lake Preserve is part of a complex of wetlands and forested lands that make up the Western New York Wildway. It’s connected to the permanently protected College Lodge Forest and Floating Fen (owned by the Land Conservancy), as well as the Chautauqua Watershed Conservancy’s recently acquired Looney property. [Read more…] about Bear Lake Preserve in Western NY Wildway Being Protected
An 1805 Visitor to the Springs in Ballston and Saratoga
On Friday, August 30th in 1805, Matthew Prendergast set off on horseback from Sharon, Connecticut. Matthew was about 50 years old, a resident of Amenia in Dutchess County, NY, just across the state line from Sharon. He was comfortably well off, but definitely not super rich, and he suffered from rheumatism.
He had a few errands to do on the way, but he was planning on heading north and taking the waters at Ballston Springs, where he had visited in the past. He took his time, stopping several times, including at Kinderhook, Albany and Troy. [Read more…] about An 1805 Visitor to the Springs in Ballston and Saratoga
Beginner Stargazing at New York’s ‘Dark Sky Destinations’
Winter is the perfect time of year for stargazing due to longer hours of darkness and typically crisper, clearer air — what astronomer’s call “good seeing.”
From sighting twinkling stars and constellations to roving planets, distant galaxies, and countless astronomical wonders, stargazing not only allows us to embrace the night sky but also unlock our perspectives on the universe. Ideal stargazing locations exist far from light pollution, with unobstructed views of the skyline. [Read more…] about Beginner Stargazing at New York’s ‘Dark Sky Destinations’
19 Nominations to State and National Registers of Historic Places
Nineteen properties and districts have been recommended for inclusion in the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The nominations include an office building with a pioneering design in energy efficiency in Buffalo, an Arts and Crafts church on Staten Island, a new historic district in Essex County, and the Cortland home of a leader in New York’s Women’s Club Movement.
The nominations were reviewed on December 3, 2025, at a meeting of the New York State Board for Historic Preservation. [Read more…] about 19 Nominations to State and National Registers of Historic Places
NY Severe Weather Events Increasing, Costs Soaring
A new report from State Comptroller Thomas P. DiNapoli found the frequency of severe weather in the state is growing, taking a toll on New York’s residents, property and economy.
“Extreme weather events are happening more and more often and inflicting financial and emotional stress on New Yorkers from loss of life to property destruction,” DiNapoli said. [Read more…] about NY Severe Weather Events Increasing, Costs Soaring
New York State & The Origins of America’s Oil Industry
The first written record of oil in North America is believed to have been made at Seneca Oil Spring in Allegany County in 1627 when a French Jesuit missionary was led to spring by local Seneca people.
The Senecas prized the oil for medicinal proposes; the spring is located in what is now Cuba, NY. [Read more…] about New York State & The Origins of America’s Oil Industry
Floating Fen Preserve Opens in Chautauqua County
The Western New York Land Conservancy has announced the opening of its newest preserve, the Floating Fen Preserve in Chautauqua County. This 225-acre forest is home to a unique wetland that includes a floating peat mat, “the floating fen,” from which the preserve derives its name.
The fen was formed during the last Ice Age; when the glaciers retreated, they scored deep cuts in the earth that have filled in over millennia. [Read more…] about Floating Fen Preserve Opens in Chautauqua County
New Yorkers Exiled to Tasmania for the 1837-38 Canadian Patriot Rebellion
On September 30, 1970, in a simple ceremony, a monument was unveiled at Sandy Bay Beach Reserve in Hobart, Tasmania, by the Honorable Douglas Harkness, the former Canadian defense minister. It was in honor to the ninety-two Patriot exiles, transported to what was then called Van Diemen’s Land who had been captured in the 1837-38 Patriot War insurrection in Upper Canada against British domination.
Listed as Canadian rebels, a majority were in fact from the state of New York. Although imprisoned US citizens captured in the various conflicts with England – from the American Revolution to the War of 1812– was not a novelty, it was to be the first time that American prisoners were shipped to a penal colony in Australia due to a confrontation with the Empire. [Read more…] about New Yorkers Exiled to Tasmania for the 1837-38 Canadian Patriot Rebellion
Drought Watch Issued for 20 New York Counties
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a Drought Watch for 20 New York counties because of a shortage of rainfall and declining levels of stream-flow and ground water. [Read more…] about Drought Watch Issued for 20 New York Counties
Rangers Make A Dozen Rescues, Respond to Whiteface Mt Twice, Battle Camp Fire
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers had a very busy Fourth of July holiday week and weekend, responding to at least a dozen search and rescue incidents around the state, including two separate incidents on Whiteface Mountain on the same day.
This report of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers was prepared by DEC: [Read more…] about Rangers Make A Dozen Rescues, Respond to Whiteface Mt Twice, Battle Camp Fire
Hiker Dies at Kaaterskill Falls; Several Injured Hikers Rescued Around NYS
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Rangers respond to search and rescue incidents throughout New York State locating and extracting lost, injured or distressed people and policing state lands.
This report of recent missions carried out by Forest Rangers was prepared by DEC: [Read more…] about Hiker Dies at Kaaterskill Falls; Several Injured Hikers Rescued Around NYS
Last Seen in 1929: Have Silver Chub Returned?
The Silver Chub (Macrhybopsis storeriana) is a medium-sized, relatively nondescript minnow that, in New York, has only been collected from the watersheds of Lake Erie and Lake Ontario.
This species was last seen during surveys of the Lake Erie watershed in 1929 and has long been thought to be extirpated from the state, largely due to extensive pollution in the lake and its tributaries. Silver chubs are mainly restricted to large, often silty rivers and are sometimes found near the mouths of small streams. [Read more…] about Last Seen in 1929: Have Silver Chub Returned?
Eastern Box Turtles: Life in a Shell
As a budding naturalist growing up in the concrete-heavy environs of Boston, I would regularly thumb through my family’s collection of nature books and daydream about the creatures within. One species I was particularly drawn to was the eastern box turtle.
These charismatic terrestrial turtles have high-domed shells festooned with colorful yellow or orange markings, and stout legs built for walking. Notwithstanding their similarities to tortoises, box turtles are part of the “water turtle” family Emydidae, which includes species like the eastern painted turtle and spotted turtle [Read more…] about Eastern Box Turtles: Life in a Shell
Justice Robert Jackson & The American Legal Tradition
During the United States Supreme Court’s 1944-1945 term, the Justices heard three final days of oral arguments in the week that began on Monday, April 30, 1945. Justice Robert H. Jackson (1892 – 1954) missed some of these arguments. He might not have been fully prepared for those that he did attend. In that week, the Supreme Court work was not his primary concern.
Beginning on April 25, 1945, President Harry S. Truman had recruited Justice Jackson to represent the U.S. as its chief prosecutor, with allies, of the Nazi German leaders who were on the brink of being defeated militarily and captured. [Read more…] about Justice Robert Jackson & The American Legal Tradition