New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Hudson River

Racing Steamboats On The Hudson River

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American Steamboats on the Hudson - Passing the Highlands (Library of Congress)The following texts are excerpts from various descriptions of racing steamboats on the Hudson River in 1830s, during the heyday of such speed trials.

“Racing On The Hudson,” Cortland Standard, September 25, 1909: “When steamboating was successfully established on the Hudson River it was natural that the owners and skippers of the various crafts that plied between New York and Albany should turn their attention to speed. Racing between boats of rival lines soon became a matter of almost daily occurrence. [Read more…] about Racing Steamboats On The Hudson River

Archibald McIntyre’s Life In Lotteries, Politics & Adirondack Mines

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Archibald McIntyre courtesy Project GutenbergArchibald McIntyre was born in Kenmore, Perthshire, Scotland on the June 1, 1772. His parents were Daniel and Anne Walker McIntyre. Daniel McIntyre taught school in Scotland.

In 1774, Daniel and his family immigrated to the colony of New York and settled with four or five other Scottish families in what is now Broadalbin in Fulton County, NY. [Read more…] about Archibald McIntyre’s Life In Lotteries, Politics & Adirondack Mines

Piermont Marsh Shoreline Stabilization Project

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The 1,017-acre Piermont Marsh courtesy DECPiermont Marsh at the southern edge of the village of Piermont, four miles south of Nyack in Rockland County, is one of four sites within the Hudson River National Estuarine Research Reserve (HRNERR).

It is the largest brackish tidal marsh in the estuary, providing an ecologically significant habitat that is uncommon in the region.

[Read more…] about Piermont Marsh Shoreline Stabilization Project

Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)

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Twin Bridges I-87 NorthwaySince it opened to traffic on April 11, 1960, millions of vehicles traveling the I-87 Northway have passed over the Mohawk River on what they think are called on “The Twin Bridges.” That bridge however, is really named for a Polish-American hero of the American Revolution – Taddeus Kosciusko. [Read more…] about Taddeus Kosciusko: A Hero of Two Worlds (& The Name On That Bridge)

Hudson River Steamboat Images Go Online

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Steamboat City of HudsonThe newest collection of Hudson River Maritime Museum material on the New York Heritage website are steamboat images from the Tracey Irving Brooks photograph collection.

Tracey Irving Brooks was a professional quality photographer based in the Capitol Region of New York State. Born in 1888, Brooks photographed Hudson River steamboats during the first half of the 1900s. The collection covers an extensive variety of steamboats on the upper portion of the Hudson River. [Read more…] about Hudson River Steamboat Images Go Online

Expanded New Edition Adirondack History Published

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Expanded Second Edition of Echoes in These MountainsEchoes in These Mountains was author-historian Glenn Pearsall’s first award-winning book. Published in 2008, it tells the stories behind 55 historic sites in the Adirondack township of Johnsburg, in Warren County, NY.

The book was well received and the original run of 1,500 copies sold out years ago, so Pearsall decided it was time for a second edition. The second edition features additional historic photographs, an index and added new research and analysis, totaling 512 pages. [Read more…] about Expanded New Edition Adirondack History Published

Former Saratoga and North Creek Railway Purchased

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Tahawus Railway Map Dec 2022Revolution Rail Company (RevRail) has announced its purchase of the Saratoga and North Creek Railway, which stretches from the hamlet of North Creek in Johnsburg, Warren County, north to the Tahawus mining works in the Town of Newcomb, Essex County. [Read more…] about Former Saratoga and North Creek Railway Purchased

The Hudson River Steamboat Poughkeepsie; Later Known As The Westchester

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Steamboat Poughkeepsie at dock (courtesy Richard V. Elliott Collection, Hudson River Maritime Museum)This essay was written for the Kingston Daily Freeman in the 1930s, transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer Adam Kaplan and reproduced here in a slightly edited form.

The tale of the steamboat Poughkeepsie is the story of a vessel that is still in service [in the 1930s] – although today the name Westchester has replaced Poughkeepsie and she is no longer a familiar figure on the Hudson River. [Read more…] about The Hudson River Steamboat Poughkeepsie; Later Known As The Westchester

A Proposed Memorial at Newburgh’s Downing Park

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1942 map of Downing Park and its Observatory (drawing) superimposed over the City of Newburgh's proposed reinterment areaIn light of The Cultural Landscape Foundation’s advocacy for Downing Park in Newburgh, NY, and the proposed reinterment at the historic designed landscape of remains from a former African American burial site, I thought I would weigh in with some thoughts of my own on the subject. [Read more…] about A Proposed Memorial at Newburgh’s Downing Park