Peter Gansevoort Jr. was born into the Dutch aristocracy of Albany to Harman Gansevoort (1712–1801) and Magdalena Douw (1718–1796). His younger brother Leonard Gansevoort, was politically active, serving in the state assembly and senate, as well as the Continental Congress. [Read more…] about Albany’s Peter Gansevoort, “The Hero of Stanwix”
Fort Stanwix
The Battle of Oriskany, One Of The Bloodiest of the Revolution
A significant turning point in the American Revolution, the Battle of Oriskany was fought on August 6th, 1777, and is considered one of the bloodiest battles of the war. [Read more…] about The Battle of Oriskany, One Of The Bloodiest of the Revolution
The Downstate-Upstate Life of Marinus Willett
This week on The Historians Podcast, New York City correspondent Jim Kaplan discusses the life of Marinus Willett. Willett is well known to Upstate New York historians because of the work he did during the American Revolution in the Mohawk Valley. [Read more…] about The Downstate-Upstate Life of Marinus Willett
Marinus Willet, Tammany Hall & The Treaty of New York
Every year in October the Lower Manhattan Historical Society holds its Saratoga/Yorktown celebration in Trinity Churchyard to celebrate the American victories at the Battles of Saratoga and Yorktown.
At that ceremony wreaths are lain on the graves of Revolutionary War figures associated with those battles — Horatio Gates, Alexander Hamilton and Marinus Willett. [Read more…] about Marinus Willet, Tammany Hall & The Treaty of New York
Video Tour Tracks British Troops at Fort Stanwix in 1777
The Rome Historical Society (RHS) has released The British Lines, a digital tour reviewing the movement of British troops during the Siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777. [Read more…] about Video Tour Tracks British Troops at Fort Stanwix in 1777
General Peter Gansevoort’s Map
A sculpture of Brigadier General Peter Gansevoort stands in a city park named in his honor at Rome, Oneida County, NY. This bronze, dedicated November 8, 1906, was created by Emilio F. Piatti. It presents the General in dress uniform grasping his sword and holding what is perhaps one of the most impactful tools (or weapons) ever devised – an accurate map. [Read more…] about General Peter Gansevoort’s Map
Fort Bull Archaeological Survey Interim Results Presentation
The Rome Historical Society’s auditorium Archaeologists from Binghamton University’s Public Archaeology Facility (PAF) are set to present the interim results of their archaeological investigations of Fort Bull on Saturday, September 28 at 11 am.
As part of Archaeology Day at Fort Stanwix National Monument, PAF archaeologist Brian Grills, will give a 20-minute PowerPoint presentation on the ongoing archaeological research at the Society’s Fort Bull site. Following the presentation, the audience will be invited to see some of the latest archaeological finds which have been recently recovered from the battlefield. [Read more…] about Fort Bull Archaeological Survey Interim Results Presentation
Fort Stanwix National Monument Shut Down
Fort Stanwix National Monument in Rome, NY is closed and its employees furloughed as a result of the Government Shutdown.
“We hope that Washington D.C. will quickly come to a consensus on the Federal budget,” a statement sent to the press by the Rome Historical Society – Friends of the Fort said.
The original Fort Stanwix was built by the British between 1758 and about 1762. The fort was located to guard the Oneida Carry between the Mohawk River and Wood Creek, an important portage during the French and Indian War. The Fort was the site of the Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1768) between Britain and Native American tribes, and the Treaty of Fort Stanwix (1784) between the tribes and the American government. [Read more…] about Fort Stanwix National Monument Shut Down
New York History and the Birth of the Nation
Scholars divide time into periods in an effort to make history comprehensible, but when to draw the diving line can be problematical and historians often disagree where one period ends and another begins.
For the birth of the nation, I am using the end of the colonial period, roughly from the French and Indian War to the end of the War of 1812. The colonial era for me was the time of the settlement of the 13 colonies which would become the United States. That process began in Jamestown and ended approximately 130 years later in Georgia. Up until then individual colonies, notably New York, Massachusetts / New England, and Virginia, dominate the curriculum, scholarship, and tourism, with only passing references to the Quakers in Pennsylvania and the Dutch in New York. [Read more…] about New York History and the Birth of the Nation