New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Finger Lakes

Grants Support Cayuga County History Curator, Exhibit

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Cayuga MuseumThe Cayuga Museum of History and Art in Auburn, NY was awarded a $50,000 Inspire! Grant for Small Museums from the Institute of Museum and Library Services (IMLS). The grant will be matched 1:1 by a donation from Brad Schwartz, to fully support a Curator position for two years.

This Curator will have the task during this time period of developing an interpretive plan for a major new project: a comprehensive exhibit exploring the entire history of Cayuga County. [Read more…] about Grants Support Cayuga County History Curator, Exhibit

144 Acres Protected Near Skaneateles Lake

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O'neill Parcel courtesy Central New York Land TrustThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and The Central New York Land Trust (CNYLT) have announced the acquisition of 144 acres of land near Skaneateles Lake, a  drinking water source for 190,000 Central New Yorkers.

The  John O’Neill property is located on the east side of County Line Road in the town of Skaneateles, Onondaga County. [Read more…] about 144 Acres Protected Near Skaneateles Lake

The American Revolution in the Finger Lakes

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Early illustration of the Iroquois Confederacy, by a EuropeanInitially, the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (Iroquois) claimed neutrality during the conflict between Britain and the colonists, seeing the disagreement as a civil war and valuing loyalty to their families and to their lands above all else. When the political discontent erupted into the American Revolutionary War, the member nations of the Haudenosaunee Confederacy split their support between the British and newly formed American forces. [Read more…] about The American Revolution in the Finger Lakes

New Digital Resources for Underground Railroad History Research

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voices on the underground railroadRecently retired Cornell University Professor Gerard Aching will present on his research and coordination of the Underground Railroad Research Project, which highlights the extensive roots of the network in Central New York, Western New York, and the Finger Lakes Region. [Read more…] about New Digital Resources for Underground Railroad History Research

Schumer: $1.6 Million Secured for New Finger Lakes Museum Building

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Finger Lakes Museum New Building Rendering (August 2023)U.S. Senate Majority Leader Charles Schumer has announced a $3.6 million boost in federal funding in pending legislation for two Yates County, NY, organizations: the Finger Lakes Museum and Keuka College. [Read more…] about Schumer: $1.6 Million Secured for New Finger Lakes Museum Building

Euro-American Expansion Into The Finger Lakes Region

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Map of the State of New York (1802) by Simeon DeWitt, (Library of Congress, Geography & Map Division)The Treaty of Paris of 1783 officially ended hostilities between the British and Americans; however, the treaty did not include the allied Indian Nations, leaving their legacy treaties with the Europeans unresolved and their future to be resolved through separate treaties with the new American government. [Read more…] about Euro-American Expansion Into The Finger Lakes Region

Early Inhabitants of the Finger Lakes Region

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Lamoka Site diorama at the New York State MuseumAccording to archeological records, groups of nomadic Paleo-Indians traveled through the Finger Lakes region approximately 8,000 to 9,000 years ago. Small bands of these hunters and gatherers followed large game during the last stages of the Ice Age when the glaciers that formed the area’s notable lakes were receding.

Somewhat more recent early archaic archeological sites scattered across Western New York reflect a culture that was highly mobile and left little in terms of an archeological record. [Read more…] about Early Inhabitants of the Finger Lakes Region

43 Acres Protected Along Cayuga Lake Inlet

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Cayuga Lake Inlet photo courtesy of Finger Lakes Land TrustThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), the Finger Lakes Land Trust (FLLT), and The Wetland Trust (TWT) have announced the permanent protection of 43 acres along the Cayuga Lake inlet, just south of Ithaca in the Finger Lakes town of Newfield, Tompkins County. [Read more…] about 43 Acres Protected Along Cayuga Lake Inlet

The ‘Tree’ of Us: Richford Boys Who Changed The World

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The 'Tree' of Us: Richford Boys Who Changed The World And What They Left BehindCharles Yaple’s latest book, The ‘Tree’ of Us: Richford Boys Who Changed The World And What They Left Behind (2023) is a deeply personal narrative mixing biography, history, and memoir to encourage the furtherance of a land ethic as envisioned by famed ecologist Aldo Leopold.  The story follows the lives of three men, from the steeply forested hills of Richford, in Tioga County, NY, who changed the world. [Read more…] about The ‘Tree’ of Us: Richford Boys Who Changed The World

Geologic Formation of the Finger Lakes

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A late fall snowstorm frosted the hills of the Finger Lakes region of central New York in early December 2004Approximately 600 million years ago, during the Neoproterozoic Era, the Earth’s supercontinent began to break apart, and an ocean formed between land masses that roughly correlate to Europe and North America today. For the next 100 million years, this ocean continued to widen until the continents changed course and began to move back towards each other.

The eventual collision of these land masses formed a tall mountain range now known as North America’s Appalachians. [Read more…] about Geologic Formation of the Finger Lakes