History, Natural History & the Arts
The New York State Office of General Services (OGS) has revealed a newly conserved 1813 portrait of George Washington by Albany artist Ezra Ames (1768 – 1836).
The painting, a significant piece of New York’s artistic and historical legacy, has undergone extensive conservation and has returned to its prominent location in the State Capitol‘s State Street Lobby. [Read more…] about Newly Conserved George Washington Portrait On View
On August 21, 1790, President George Washington composed a letter to the Hebrew Congregation of Newport, Rhode Island, and to its leader, Moses Seixas (1744–1809). Seixas had written a letter to Washington four days earlier.
Washington responded with the brief letter below, expressing America’s enduring commitment to the principle of tolerance and the freedom of conscience. [Read more…] about George Washington’s Letter to the Hebrew Congregation in Newport, 1790
Conscious of the new political status which the Province of New York had attained by the adoption of the text of the Declaration of Independence by the Second Continental Congress on July 4th, the deputies of the New York Provincial Congress voted unanimously on July 10th:
“That the style or title of this House be changed from that of the Provincial Congress of the Colony of New York to that of the Convention of the Representatives of the State of New York.” [Read more…] about New York’s Response to the Declaration of Independence
America’s first President George Washington owned 316 acres of land in today’s Town of Kirkland, Oneida County, NY, in partnership with New York State’s first Governor George Clinton.
The Oneida Indian Nation lived in what is now Oneida County, even after the area’s settlement by Europeans, which started in the 1600s. The French traveled through the area in the 1500s. [Read more…] about George Washington’s Lands in Oneida County
Live Free or Die: The Life and Times Of John Stark (Page Publishing, 2025) by William Baker Jr. is the story of how one of the American Revolution’s best battlefield commanders triumphed over the self-interest of others to play a major role in securing victory for the new republic.
Most often referred to as the “Hero of the Battle of Bennington,” John Stark also played pivotal roles in the Battle of Bunker Hill and the Battle of Trenton. [Read more…] about The Life and Times of John Stark
It’s easy to focus on the American Revolution‘s famous battles, like Saratoga and Yorktown, its iconic leaders, like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, or its foundational documents, like the Declaration of Independence.
But International alliances — especially with France and Spain — played a critical role in securing the United States’ independence. [Read more…] about How France and Spain Helped Win the American Revolution
The Revolutionary War Culper Spy Ring has been the subject of numerous books and the television series, Turn!: Washington’s Spies. Using cipher, codes, and invisible ink, the Culper Spy Ring exposed the British plans to attack the Patriots’ French allies at Newport, Rhode Island, and their plot to counterfeit colonial currency. Many of the Culper Spy Ring sites can be visited today.
Bill Bleyer, former Newsday reporter, and the author of George Washington’s Long Island Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide, (History Press, 2023) will speak in person and online on Sunday, February 1st at 2 pm. [Read more…] about Culper Spy Ring: A History and Tour Guide
When we think about the founding of the United States, we often focus on the Constitution, the Founding Fathers, and those first landmark elections.
But how did the United States actually build its federal government, the entire apparatus of state that could collect revenue, manage international diplomacy, provide law and order, and extend its reach across a rapidly expanding nation? [Read more…] about Creating the U.S. Federal Government
In 1778, George Washington, Philip Schuyler, army officers, and New York officials began planning invasions against Iroquoia, the homeland of the Haudenosaunee and several other allied Indigenous nations.
This invasion was one of the largest American offensives of the Revolutionary War, curated to punish the Haudenosaunee for raids against frontier settlements in New York and Pennsylvania. However, the resulting 1779 campaigns of Goose Van Schaick, Daniel Brodhead, and Generals John Sullivan and James Clinton were not simple retaliation. [Read more…] about Clearing Iroquoia: New York’s 1779 Land Grab
The year was 1901 when the steel barque Moshulu sailed into New York Harbor carrying many Sicilian immigrants for inspection at Ellis Island.
This is the gripping fictional opening scene of The Godfather II, although considerable artistic license was taken by its producer and director Francis Ford Coppola. [Read more…] about Vito Corleone, Alonzo Blauvelt & Smallpox in Italian Harlem
As the American Revolution broke out in New England in the spring of 1775, dramatic events unfolded in Virginia that proved every bit as decisive as the battles of Lexington and Concord and Bunker Hill in uniting the colonies against Britain.
A Perfect Frenzy: A Royal Governor, His Black Allies, and the Crisis That Spurred the American Revolution (Atlantic Monthly Press, 2025) relates the largely untold story of rebellion in Virginia that should forever change our understanding of the American Revolution. [Read more…] about The British, Enslaved People & The American Revolution
In April 1850, the 1750 Hasbrouck House in Newburgh was transformed into New York State’s first state historic site: Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site.
Since then, New York State has collected objects, archival materials, and other items related to New York’s history. 2025 marks the 175th anniversary of New York’s state historic sites – which now number over 35 locations, over a million historic objects, and over three million archaeological objects. [Read more…] about Objects Collected at New York’s First State Historic Site
This episode of the Lake George Battlefield Moments podcast features Dr. Richard Leach discussing the lifelong health struggles of George Washington.
During Leach’s earlier appearance on the program he mentioned Washington’s farsightedness in instituting a variolation policy (a kind of vaccination) for the Continental Army as perhaps being a result of a personal exposure to sickness throughout his life. [Read more…] about George Washington’s Life-long Health Struggles
Patrick Henry is one of the most famous voices of the American Revolution. A Virginian, his first trip to the north was for business to the city of New York in 1770.
Henry was known in his own time for his powerful speeches and his unwavering commitment to liberty. But did you know that later in life he opposed the United States Constitution? Did you know that during the political crisis of 1798/99, George Washington wrote to Patrick Henry and asked him to save the nation? [Read more…] about Patrick Henry: From “Give Me Liberty” to Saving the Union
The latest episode of the Lake George Battlefield Moments podcast features infectious disease specialist Dr. Richard Leach discussing the nature of the smallpox virus, its impacts on 18th Century military conflicts in North America, and General George Washington’s strategy during the American Revolution to lessen its effects on Continental soldiers. [Read more…] about The 1700s Military Impacts of Smallpox
Did you know that John Adams, not George Washington, solidified the what were, before the election of Donald Trump, precedents of the executive branch and the presidency? [Read more…] about Crisis to Peace: Re-Evaluating John Adams as President
Richard Varick (1753-1831) served as New York’s second Attorney General from 1788 to 1790 and is often regarded as a “forgotten founding father” due to his significant yet overlooked contributions during the American Revolution.
Born in Hackensack, New Jersey, he studied law in the offices of John Morin Scott during the years 1771 to 1774 and was admitted to the bar in the city of New York on October 22, 1774. [Read more…] about Richard Varick: AG, Recorder of NYC, Assembly Speaker and NYC Mayor
On January 15, 1777, in Saratoga along the “Fish Kill” in the cold of winter, General Philip Schuyler wrote a heartfelt letter to his friend General George Washington. “The pleasure I felt on Learning your Success At Trentown Occassioned Feelings… I very Sincerely congratulate you on that Event and the Succeding ones.” [Read more…] about A Candlelight Resolve: General Schuyler’s Faith in Washington and America’s Future
According to Article II, Sec. 3, of the United States Constitution, “The President shall from time to time give to Congress information of the State of the Union and recommend to their Consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.”
George Washington was inaugurated as the first President of the United Sta6es on April 30, 1789. He delivered the first State of the Union Address to Congress on January 8, 1790. At the time, the United States capital was in the city of New York. [Read more…] about The First State of the Union Address
The United States Constitution of 1787 gave many Americans pause about the powers the new federal government could exercise and how the government’s leadership would rest with one person, the President.
The fact that George Washington would likely serve as the new nation’s first president calmed many Americans’ fears that the new nation was creating an opportunity for a hereditary monarch. [Read more…] about George Washington’s Heirs & The American Presidency
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