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Hudson River

Moving Bricks on the Hudson Gallery Tour

January 25, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

On the closing day of the exhibit, Sunday, Jan. 31, 2010, at 2 pm and at 3 pm curator T. Robins Brown will lead a gallery tour of Moving Bricks on the Hudson, the Haverstraw Brick Museum’s Hudson Fulton Champlain Quadricentennial exhibit. The show highlights the sloops, schooners, towboats, tugs and barges that transported bricks on the Hudson in the 19th and early 20th centuries.

Visitors will discover the stories of the captains, crew, and boat builders that were part of the maritime enterprise that carried up to 1,000,000,000 (yes, billion) bricks annually. The exhibit brings together for the first fascinating illustrations and items donated or loaned to the museum by descendants of brick boatmen and from other individuals and museums including the Mariners’ Museum in Newport News, Virginia, the Peabody Essex Institute in Salem, Massachusetts, the Hudson River Maritime Museum in Kingston, and the Historical Society of Rockland County.

A slide show documents the dangers of transporting brick by water. A short film of 1903 gives viewers a speedy trip on the Hudson River from Haverstraw to Newburgh. A unique three-foot model of a barge with cutouts on loan from the Reynolds Shipyard Corp. allows visitors to inspect the structural system used to carry the very heavy brick cargo.

Through Jan. 31 the exhibit is open during the museum’s regular hours, Wed., Sat., and Sun, 1-4 pm. Children are welcome. A gallery guide for children encourages them to find fascinating items in the exhibit and they can also build a “tow” with model boats.

Photo: On Minisceongo Creek, a “bricker,” a brick-carrying schooner, awaits its cargo of bricks from the Shankey brickyard. On board are brickyard workers as well as the brick boat’s crew. The two women, the wives of the captain and first mate, were likely part of the boat’s crew. They lived aboard and cooked, watched tides, pumped bilge water, and performed other tasks that required less strength. Photograph from de Noyelles, Within These Gates.

Filed Under: New Exhibits Tagged With: Haverstraw Brick Museum, Hudson River, Maritime History

Hudson Valley History Day This Saturday

January 15, 2010 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Representatives from 15 historic sites and cultural institutions will engage visitors in fun, educational activities January 16 during Hudson Valley History Day at the New York State Museum. The free event will be held from 11 a.m. to 4 p.m. and is the highlight of Family Fun Weekend, January 16-17. The snow date will be Saturday, January 23. Activities will be held throughout the Museum’s first floor.

Participants include the State Museum, New York State Library, Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum, Home of Franklin D. Roosevelt-Springwood, Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site, Olana State Historic Site, Hudson River Heritage Organization/Montgomery Place, Albany Heritage Area Visitor Center and Henry Hudson Planetarium, Thomas Cole National Historic Site/Cedar Grove, Clermont State Historic Site, Shaker Heritage Society, Albany County Historical Society/Ten Broeck Mansion, Albany Institute of History and Art, Historic Cherry Hill and Crailo State Historic Site.

Visitors will be able to play the Hudson River Valley Trading Game on a 32-foot long game board at the Historic Cherry Hill table; sketch, write poetry and add to a community landscape at the Thomas Cole table; try weaving and grinding peppermint at the Shaker Society table; design their own stained glass at the Museum table; meet the life-sized Henry Hudson puppet at the Albany Heritage Area Visitor Center table and see historic documents, photographs and other objects at the other locations.

Jeffrey Urbin from the Roosevelt site will offer a lecture at 1:30 p.m. in the Huxley Theater on “How to Prepare Family Archives and a Time Capsule.” At 11 a.m. and noon, he also will provide tours of the This Great Nation Will Endure, an exhibition designed and curated by staff from the FDR site. The exhibition showcases the works of a legendary group of photographers who documented the lives and struggles of Americans enduring the Great Depression.

Tours will also be offered at 1 and 2:30 p.m. of the 1609 exhibition. Michelle Stefanik, a senior exhibition planner at the State Museum, will share information about Henry Hudson and his crew’s exploration of the Hudson River 400 years ago. She also will discuss the Mohican and Native Peoples who were living along the shores, as well as their relationships with the Dutch settlers.

From 11 a.m. to 1 p.m. and 2:30 to 4 p.m., visitors will also be able to touch bear fur, try on a cradleboard and learn more about the Haudenosaunee at the hands-on Native Peoples cart, presented by Nancy Berns, a member of the State Museum’s Visitors Services staff.

On Sunday from 1-4 p.m., as part of Family Fun Weekend, the Museum will offer the same stained glass activity as the one on Saturday.

Family Fun Weekends offer theme-based family activities on the third weekend of the month.

The New York State Museum is a cultural program of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education. Started in 1836, the Museum has the longest continuously operating state natural history research and collection survey in the United States. Located on Madison Avenue in Albany, the Museum is open daily from 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. except on Thanksgiving, Christmas and New Year’s Day. Admission is free. Further information can be obtained by calling (518) 474-5877 or visiting the Museum website at .

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Albany County, Hudson River, New York State Museum, Office of Cultural Education, Public History

US Fish Commission Annual Reports Available Online

December 9, 2009 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration has placed online the annual reports of the United States Fish Commission, also known as the United States Fish and Fisheries Commission, from 1871-1940 and 1947-1979 in PDF format. The Commission was also part of the United States Fish and Wildlife Service and these annual reports present comprehensive overview of the U.S. Fish Commission’s activities for each year. The reports are helpful for historians of commercial fishing areas in New York State including Long Island, the lower Hudson River, the St. Lawrence River, and Lake Erie. The entire collection can be found here.

The U. S. Fish Commission was established in 1871. By 1881 the Commission was known as the U.S. Fish and Fisheries Commission. The Bureau of Biological Survey was established in 1885. In 1903 the name was changed to Bureau of Fisheries. The Bureau of Fisheries was transferred on July 1, 1939, from the Department of Commerce to the Department of the Interior. In 1940 the Bureau of Fisheries and the Bureau of Biological Survey were consolidated to form the Fish and Wildlife Service.

Beginning in July 1946, during the transition from war to peace, the Annual Report became a series of Quarterly Reports which presented a summary of bilogical investigations conducted by the Division of Fishery Biology and a general resume of progress of investigations during the entire year. 1957 was the last issue of Annaul Reports of the Fishery Biology, Department of Interior.

The Fish and Wildlife Act of 1956 created the Bureau of Commercial Fisheries and the Bureau of Sport Fisheries and Wildlife within the Fish and Wildlife Service, Department of Interior. The Report of the Bureau of Commerical Fisheries for the Calendar Year 1958… (published in 1962) was the first report for calender year 1957 and reviewed, in detail, the organization of the Bureau, the history of fishery administration and the operation of the Bureau’s predecessor organizations, U.S. Fish Commission and the U.S. Bureau of Fisheries.

The Report of the National Marine Fisheries Service for Calendar Year 1970-1971 covers the period of transition of the Federal fisheries agency from the Deparment of Interior to the newly formed National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce.

Photo: A diagram of a gill net used for Salmon on the St. Lawrence River from the 1871 U. S. Fish Commission annual report.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Great Lakes, Hudson River, Labor History, Long Island, Natural History, Online Resources, St. Lawrence River

Folk Art: New Joseph Hidley Painting Comes to Light?

December 8, 2009 by Editorial Staff 5 Comments

A newly discovered piece of folk art appears to be the early work of Rensselaer County artist Joseph H. Hidley. The work, a small graphite drawing signed “Drawn by Joseph Hidley, 1841, age 11,” was purchased at a Massachusetts auction by Halsey Munson, a Decatur, Illinois a dealer in early American furniture, accessories and folk art. Although the authenticity of the piece has not yet been definitely established, it is an early townscape of the Hudson River village of Saugerties, similar in style and composition to Hidley’s other work.

Joseph Hidley’s short career is well represented in regional, state, and national museum collections. If authenticated, “Saugerties” would be the earliest known work of Hidley who painted genre scenes, religious allegories, and land and townscapes while also working as a taxidermist and house, sign, and wagon painter.

The work is remarkably similar to a portion of William Wade and William Croome’s Panorama of the Hudson River from New York To Albany, which was published in 1846. The finding suggests that Hidley may have known William Croome, and copied his work before it was published.

The first step, according to Munson, is authenticating the work. “In all of this, I’ve spent a considerable amount of time studying the published Hidley works and comparing them with the piece I have,” Munson told me via e-mail. “Even allowing for my understandable desire for this piece to be right, I’ve found enough solid points of similarity to give me quite a bit of confidence that this could easily be by Joseph Hidley.”

The image shows the first lighthouse at the mouth of the Esopus Creek at Saugerties, built in 1838 with funds appropriated from Congress, to guide ships away from nearby shallows and into the Esopus Creek when Saugerties was a major port. The light used five whale oil lamps with parabolic reflectors and was replaced in 1869, by a lighthouse that still stands. The foundation for the original lighthouse can still be seen adjacent to the existing lighthouse.

Photo provided by Halsey Munson.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Art History, Hudson River, Maritime History, Rensselaer County, Saugerties, Ulster County

Food Historian To Speak on Hudson Valley Traditions

November 14, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

As we near the end of the Quadricentennial Year, culinary historian Peter G. Rose will give be giving lectures on “Joyful Traditions: How the Dutch Brought us Santa, Presents and Treats” around the Hudson River valley in November and December. Rose was the recipient of the 2002 Alice P. Kenney Award for research and writing on the food customs and diet of the Dutch settlers in New Netherland. Her books and articles on the region’s foodways are rich in agricultural, culinary and ethnic history.

November 15 at 2 o’clock at the Kiersted House for the Saugerties Historical Soc. in Saugerties, NY.

November 16 at 7:30 o’clock at the Haverstraw King’s Daughters Public Library in Haverstraw, NY. In this case the topic will be “The Forgotten Holidays.”

November 21 at 2 o’clock at the Schenectady Historical Soc. in Schenectady, NY

December 2 at 7:30 at the Katonah Village Library, in Katonah, NY. For reservations, call: 232 5735.

December 3 at 6:30 o’clock for the Culinary Historians of NY, at the Mount Vernon Hotel Museum, 421 East 61st St, NYC, For reservations, call: 212 838 6878.

December 5 at 1 o’clock at the TenBroeck Mansion in Albany, NY.

December 13 at 4:30 at the Kinderhook Library in Kinderhook, NY.

All talks will be followed by a book signing including her latest two books: Food, Drink and Celebrations of the Hudson Valley Dutch and Summer Pleasures, Winter Pleasures: a Hudson Valley Cookbook.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Culinary History, Hudson River, New Netherland

Hudson Valley Edith Wharton Lecture Tonight

November 3, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Alan Price, Professor of English at the Pennsylvania State University will offer a lecture entitled “The Hudson Valley Through Edith Wharton’s French Lens” tonight (Tuesday, November 3rd) at Poughkeepsie’s Marist College. The event will begin at 7 pm in the Hudson River Valley Institute‘s Henry Hudson Room. A reception with light refreshments will follow.

Dr. Price is the author of The End of the Age of Innocence: Edith Wharton and the First World War (St. Martins, 1996) and co-editor of Wretched Exotic: Essays on Edith Wharton in Europe. He has published numerous essays situating Wharton in literary Naturalism and exploring the cultural-historical context of her fiction, e.g., “International Responses to Edith Wharton,” “Edith Wharton’s War Story,” “Dreiser’s Cowperwood and Wharton’s Undine,” “Lily Bart and Carrie Meeber: Cultural Sisters,” “The Composition of Edith Wharton’s The Age of Innocence,” “Edith Wharton at War with the American Red Cross.”

The event is sponsored by the Marist College Honors Program, the School of Liberal Arts, and the Hudson River Valley Institute.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: Hudson River, Hudson River Valley Institute, Literature, Marist College

Shirley Dunn To Speak On Mohicans And Dutch

October 11, 2009 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Shirley W. Dunn, who has published two books about the Mohicans (The Mohicans and Their Land 1609-1730 and The Mohican World, 1680-1750) and has one in press, will speak on October 22nd at the Smithsonian Institution’s Heye Museum in Manhattan (a branch of the Museum of the American Indian) beginning at 6:00 pm. Her topic will be the Mohicans and the Dutch, and the she will deal with contributions of the Mohican Indians to Dutch settlement and to the Colony of Rensselaerswijck. The talk is free and open to the public.

Filed Under: Books Tagged With: Albany County, Hudson River, Indigenous History, Mohican, Native American History, Rensselaer County, Rensselaerswijck

Call For Proposals For ‘Maritime Environments’ Conference

October 4, 2009 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Continued concerns over depleted fish stocks, piracy, changing climate, global shipping policies, and the safety of merchant mariners and port communities have all recently converged to remind scholars, policy makers, and citizens alike that we ignore our relationships to the marine world at our peril. More than just recent phenomena, however, each of these ties between human society and the marine environment has deep historical roots. The event will be held May 12-16, 2010 at the University of Connecticut, Avery Point and Mystic Seaport.

Under the theme “Maritime Environments,” the 2010 annual meeting of the North American Society for Oceanic History (NASOH), the Council of American Maritime Museums (CAMM), the National Maritime History Society (NMHS), and The Steamship Historical Society of America (SSHSA) seeks papers exploring the scholarly contexts of these contemporary crises in the world’s oceans.

All interested scholars, especially historians, marine environmental historians, museum professionals, archaeologists, historical ecologists, and graduate students are invited to submit proposals for papers examining the “maritime” environment.

The Conference Call defines the terms “Maritime” and “Environments” broadly to include the widest range of human relationships to the sea. How have human labor practices affected ties between human communities and natural resources? How and where did humans experience the oceanic realm and how did those sites frame experiences? What economic, defense, commercial, and foreign policy initiatives drive human efforts
in the maritime environment? And, of particular interest, how have human actions affected the world’s oceans, and what can historical records tell us about the changing health of the fisheries, climate, or other natural forces? Finally, how do scholars convey these lessons to a larger public?

Individual papers are welcome, but full sessions with three papers and a chair are preferred. Proposals should include a brief abstract of 500 words for each paper, plus a one-page abstract for proposed panels, and a brief bio of 200 words for each participant, including chairs. Graduate students are strongly encouraged to submit
proposals for presentations. Accommodations for PowerPoint presentations
will be provided; however, any other requirements, including audio-visual equipment, special outlets, or accommodations for disabilities should be included in the proposal. Scholars interested in chairing sessions are welcome to send a brief bio to the Program Committee Co-chairs. Please note that all participants must register for
the conference.

Specific questions may be directed to Program Committee Co-Chairs, Matthew McKenzie (matthew.mckenzie@uconn.edu), Brian Payne (bjpayne@odu.edu), or Vic Mastone (victor.mastone@state.ma.us).

The deadline for submissions is January 31, 2010.

Photo: 1904. Erie Canal at Salina Street, Syracuse, New York.” Detroit Publishing Company glass negative, Library of Congress.

Filed Under: Events Tagged With: Calls for Papers, Conferences, Great Lakes, Hudson River, Maritime History, New York Harbor, St. Lawrence River, Transportation

Suny Albany’s Hudson 400 Schedule Details

September 26, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Throughout the fall semester SUNY Albany will be marking the 400th anniversary of Henry Hudson and Samuel de Champlain’s voyages of exploration with a series of events. The events are all free and located at four venues – UAlbany (a few locations), Albany Institute of History & Art, New York State Museum, and WAMC Performing Arts Center–The Linda.

SEPTEMBER

Wed. Sept. 30, 7:30 p.m. at the UAlbany Performing Arts Center, Recital Hall
Reception and Book Signing to Follow
The Hudson: A History

Tom Lewis, Professor of English, Skidmore College Lewis will speak on his 2005 book, The Hudson: A History, a grand retelling of the river’s past featuring well-known and little-known stories of explorers, traders, soldiers, artists, politicians, writers,
Industrialists and environmental crusaders. Filmmaker Ken Burns said, “What Tom Lewis has so wonder-fully done here is willed to life one of the greatest rivers in our history, insisting that it offer up deep secrets and best stories.” In addition to authoring The Hudson and other books, Lewis has consulted on, written, and produced a number of documentary films for public television. Co-Sponsors: Archives Partnership Trust, New York State Writers Institute, and UAlbany offices of the President and Provost.

OCTOBER (State Humanities Month)

Tues. Oct. 6, 7:30 – 8:45 p.m. at the UAlbany Main Campus, University Hall
Women’s Work: Building the 19th-Century Hudson Valley Economy
Susan Ingalls Lewis, Associate Professor of History, SUNY New Paltz

Ranging from cooks, collar-workers, and canawlers to farm wives, factory operatives, and female entrepreneurs, 19th-century working women were vital to the economy of the Hudson Valley and Empire State. Lewis will discuss numerous women who might once have been labeled “exceptional” because of their occupations, but can now be recognized as typical members of 19th-century communities. Lewis teaches courses in New York State history, American women’s history, and American social and cultural history. Her publications include Unexceptional Women: Female Proprietors in Mid-Nineteenth-Century Albany, New York, 1830-1885.

Sat. Oct. 10, 12 p.m. at UAlbany Main Campus, Earth Sciences 241
Saratoga, a Battle on the Hudson that Changed the World
Warren Roberts, Distinguished Teaching Professor, Department of History, UAlbany

This battle fought 25 miles above Albany has been called the most important battle of the last 1,000 years. Persuaded by the victory at Saratoga that the Americans might prevail against Britain, France joined the American Revolution. The staggering cost to France in doing so contributed to a fiscal crisis that led to the French Revolution. Thus these first two great modern revolutions were connected by the Battle of Saratoga. Roberts will consider its historical importance, discuss key players, and reflect on some of its absurd, even comic aspects. Roberts’ forthcoming book is Early Albany Stories, 1775-1825. For more on UAlbany – Community Day visit: http://www.albany.edu/ualbanyday/

Sat. Oct. 17, 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. at the Albany Institute of History & Art
The Hudson-Mohawk Region: Silicon Valley of the Nineteenth Century
P. Thomas Carroll, Executive Director, Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway

Almost two centuries before the apricot orchards of Santa Clara County turned into the fabled Silicon Valley, a network of self-conscious regional developers in the Upper Hudson made the Greater Troy area a similar mecca for technological entrepreneurs. This lecture will illustrate what they did and explain why it happened so similarly to
what occurred much later in California. Carroll is an American cultural historian who specializes in the history of science and technology. Beyond his role at the Gateway, Carroll is also Executive Director of RiverSpark, New York State’s first Heritage Area. Free admission to lecture; charge to tour galleries.

Tues. Oct. 20, 7:30 – 8:45 p.m. at the UAlbany Main Campus, University Hall
The Hudson River and America’s Transportation Revolution
David Hochfelder, Assistant Professor of History, UAlbany

This presentation will focus on the pivotal role of the Hudson River as a transportation corridor from the days of Britain and France vying for power in Colonial America to the new nation’s expansion as a commercial powerhouse through the building of the interstate highway system after World War II. Hochfelder will discuss the Hudson during the French and Indian and Revolutionary Wars, the Erie Canal era, and Albany’s days as a rail center. He will also cover the importance of the Northway.
Hochfelder specializes in the history of American technology and public history.

Thurs. Oct. 22, 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. at the Albany Institute of History & Art
Albany, the River and the World
The Honorable John J. McEneny, NYS Assemblymember ( 104th Assembly District)

From fur trading to nanotechnology, Albany is a player on the world stage. Its strategic location on the upper Hudson made it a safe place for a state capital and a major gateway for commerce. McEneny will tell the story of Albany, the river, and the world through the people and power brokers who define its place in history. A fifth generation Albanian, McEneny has had a distinguished career in public service including over 16 years in the Assembly. He is a well-known teacher, speaker, and author regarding local history-related fields. His book, Albany, Capital City on the Hudson, is in its 27th year.

Tues. Oct. 27, 7:30 – 8:45 p.m. at the UAlbany Main Campus, University Hall
Dangerous Waters: Pirates and Piracy on the Hudson, 1600-1928
Gerald Zahavi, Professor of History, UAlbany

Zahavi will survey the history of piracy on the river since Henry Hudson’s exploration led to the river’s growth as a major commercial conduit for Euro-American trade. Like all such corridors, the Hudson drew its share of plunderers. As local 17th-century Albany records noted, “pirates in great numbers infest the Hudson River at its mouth
and waylay vessels on their way to Albany. . . .” Zahavi will offer glimpses into the many colorful and sometimes violent individuals who transformed the river into “dangerous waters,” even into the 20th century. Zahavi directs UAlbany’s Documentary Studies Program.

NOVEMBER

Sun. Nov. 1, 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. at the New York State Museum’s Huxley Theater
Picturing History: The Artwork of Len Tantillo
Len Tantillo, Artist

The artist’s paintings capture the dynamic life and look of the Hudson River Valley from pre-Colonial days and Dutch settlement through the era of steamboat travel and commerce. Tantillo will discuss his interpretation of the past through research and the creative process as well as his exhibition of 60 works in Hoorn, Holland for the Hudson Quadricentennial. Tantillo has been a full-time artist for 25 years, creating numerous historical and marine paintings, many focusing on the Hudson River. In 2004 he was the subject of a national public television documentary, “Hudson River Journeys.” Tantillo was commissioned in 2005 by the Metropolitan Museum of Art to paint “Dutch House, 1751 (Bethlehem, NY).”

Fri. Nov. 6, 7:30 p.m. at WAMC’s Performing Arts Studio, The Linda
Once Upon The Hudson: A Quadricentennial Concert
The Hudson River Ramblers and The Barefoot Boys

Come along on a journey of words and music to discover the majestic beauty and rich history of “America’s First River.” Guided by skilled storytellers and musicians, you’ll encounter Henry Hudson and Robert Fulton, sloop skippers, canawlers, and jamcrackers. You’ll hear Native legends, colonial tunes, folk songs, sea shanties, and stories of river imps and revolutionary war battles-spanning 400 years and 300 miles of
life. The Hudson River Ramblers are master storyteller Jonathan Kruk and folk singer Rich Bala. Performing together since 1990, they transform historic material into interactive, family-friendly shows throughout NYS. Pete Seeger called their CD, Revolution on the River “a great way to learn about those bloody times!” The Barefoot Boys–Rich Bala, Tom White, and Rick White–are a folk trio specializing in traditional songs of the Hudson/Catskill region. Taconic Weekend commented on the
“timeless songs played with expertise, feeling, and a sense of humor.”

Sun. Nov. 8, 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. at the New York State Museum’s Huxley Theater
The Hudson River on Film: Commerce, Nature, and the American Horizon
William Husson, Lecturer, Dept. of Communication, UAlbany

The Hudson River is well known as both a commercial waterway and an environmental treasure. Perhaps less well recognized but no less important is the river as a symbol of American values, dreams and aspirations. Husson will focus on the way in which documentary and fiction films have explored these three features of the Hudson – the
commercial, the environmental, and the symbolic. Husson’s teaching and research interests relate to visual communication, mass media effects and communication theory.

Thurs. Nov. 12, 6:00 – 7:15 p.m. at the AIbany Institute of History & Art
Ancient Peoples along the Mohicanituk
Christopher Lindner, Archaeologist in Residence, Bard College

This survey of twelve thousand years, long before Europeans arrived in the Hudson Valley, will concentrate on fishing practices as well as evidence of both hunting and the gathering of wild plants. Lindner will introduce a new outdoor exhibit on ancient use of the estuary, located on the Greenway Trail at Bard. He recently excavated large
5,000-year-old campsites at the college and the Rhinebeck town park. As Director of Bard’s Archaeology Field School, he has conducted several summer digs researching the Guinea community, an early 19th-century settlement of African-American freed and fugitive slaves in Hyde Park.

Sun. Nov. 15, 2:00 – 3:15 p.m. at the New York State Museum’s Huxley Theater
Beauty, the Boss, and the River: Planning Albany’s Riverfront, 1900-1920
John Pipkin, Distinguished Service Professor, Dept. of Geography and Planning, UAlbany

The Delaware & Hudson Building is the most visible reminder of a political struggle over Albany’s riverfront in the early 20th century. Civic pride was affronted by the visual squalor of the river basin and Boss Barnes began a modest beautification program. Engaging a wide range of stakeholders, the project grew in scope and moved from a brief flirtation with City Beautiful ideology to a recognizably modern style
of urban policy and planning. Pipkin’s research interests include American urbanism, 19th-century landscapes, geographic thought, and planning history.

Thurs. Nov. 19, 8:00 p.m. at the UAlbany Main Campus, Assembly Hall, Campus Center
Reading and Talk
Fred LeBrun, Journalist

One of the defining voices of the Times Union for more than forty years, LeBrun has served the newspaper as suburban beat reporter, city editor, arts editor, restaurant critic and metro columnist. LeBrun will talk about his “Hudson River Chronicles,” recounting an 18-day adventure downriver from Mount Marcy to New York Harbor in 1998 – an event that is still commemorated by a richly documented website
(www.timesunion.com/SPECIALREPORTS/hudsonriver/main.asp). Sponsored by the New York State Writers Institute.

DECEMBER

Tues. Dec. 1, 7:30 – 8:45 p.m. at the UAlbany Main Campus, University Hall
Walker Evans and the Cultural Landscape of the Hudson Valley
Ray Sapirstein, Assistant Professor of History and Documentary Studies, UAlbany

The most influential art photographer of the 20th century, Evans has been identified primarily as a photographer of the U.S. South working for the Farm Security Administration during the Depression era. However, Evans made many of his earliest images as an artist in the Hudson Valley, developing a distinctive panoramic vision. Sapirstein teaches 19th- and 20th-century cultural history, visual studies, and documentary video production. He conducted the research for his talk as a fellow in
the Walker Evans Archive at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Filed Under: Uncategorized Tagged With: 400th, Albany County, Hudson River, SUNY Albany

Barnabas McHenry’s Greater Hudson Heritage Award

September 21, 2009 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Board of Trustees of Greater Hudson Heritage Network (GHHN) will confer special regional recognition to Barnabas (Barney) McHenry through presentation of the Greater Hudson Cultural Heritage Award on October 2, preceding a Historic Site Futures Forum at Bear Mountain, New York.

For 40 years Barney McHenry has worked to protect the Hudson River Valley, its heritage, culture and landscapes. As counsel to DeWitt and Lila Acheson Wallace, founders of Reader’s Digest, he was the principal architect of the Wallace Funds, which have contributed to the arts, education, humanities and the environment throughout the Hudson River Valley.

Barney McHenry demonstrates his commitment to the region as Chair of the Hudson River Valley Greenway Communities Council, Co-Chair of the Hudson River Valley National Heritage Area, and Member of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, while offering valued trustee-leadership to regional historic sites through his service on the boards of Friends of the Hudson Valley and the Open Space Institute, and as Chairman of Boscobel.

A long time patron of museums throughout the Greater Hudson Heritage Network, Mr. McHenry has served on the boards of the Metropolitan Museum of Art, the American Museum of Natural History, The New York Commission on the Restoration of the Capital and the Empire State Plaza Art Commission.

“Greater Hudson’s vision of ‘communities that value the exploration and preservation of their heritage and cultures, and are empowered to save and interpret them to future generations,’ has been furthered by the work of Barney McHenry,” affirmed Dr. Jacquetta Haley, President of the GHHN Board.

Greater Hudson Heritage Network (formerly Lower Hudson Conference of Historical Agencies & Museums), is a museum service organization that has grown over 30 years to encompass an area and cultural constituency from the Battery to Albany- engaging and informing staff, consultants and trustees of cultural heritage organizations as a catalyst to strengthen professional capacity, define and meet mission, and connect them through best practices in stewardship.

Greater Hudson’s Annual Meeting and Historic Site Futures Forum will take place on Friday, October 2, 2009 at Overlook Lodge, Bear Mountain, NY from 10am – 3pm.

The Hon. Richard Brodsky, NYS Assemblyman, 92nd District (Westchester) will address an audience of museum and historic site professionals on issues of “Smart Stewardship,” as he introduces the morning Historic Site Futures Forum and panel speakers.

The Cultural Heritage Award presentation and Futures Forum will be followed by a buffet luncheon, election of GHHN trustees, and the afternoon presentation of 14 Awards Towards Excellence for organizations and projects selected from submitted nominations by a peer jury, chaired by Greater Hudson trustee Jennifer Plick.

The Greater Hudson Heritage Network’s Awards Towards Excellence program seeks to recognize and commend exceptional efforts among GHHN members. Awards are made to projects and organizations that exemplify creativity and professional vision resulting in a contribution to the preservation and interpretation of the historic scene, material culture and diversity of the Greater Hudson region- from the Battery to Albany.

2009 Awards Towards Excellence are presented to:

BOSCOBEL HOUSE & GARDENS, Garrison, NY (Putnam) for the exhibition, Home on the Hudson: Women and Men Painting Landscapes, 1825-1875. This award is in recognition of the continued effort to explore the works of Hudson River School painters particularly those done by women artists and for incorporating the research of doctoral students in the exhibit catalog.

CLARKSTOWN TOWN CLERK, DAVID CARLUCCI, New City, NY (Rockland) for the preservation of the Town of Clarkstown’s historical records. This award is in recognition of the Town Clerk’s program to preserve, digitize and make accessible over 250 years of town records that, in many cases, are too fragile to be handled.

CONSTITUTION ISLAND ASSOCIATION, INC., West Point, NY (Orange) for the film, “Constitution Island: American Landmark.” This award is in recognition of the endeavor to raise awareness of the historic and cultural significance of the site and its use as an educational tool.

SAMUEL DORSKY MUSEUM OF ART, New Paltz, NY (Ulster) and NEW-YORK HISTORICAL SOCIETY, New York (NY) for the exhibition and publication, The Hudson River to Niagara Falls: 19th Century American Landscape Paintings from the New-York Historical Society. This award is in recognition of a collaboration that re-interprets the landscape collections of the New-York Historical Society by exploring the importance of the region as a cultural site in the 19th century through the works of Hudson River School artists.

HISTORIC HUGUENOT STREET, New Paltz, NY (Ulster) for the exhibition Before Hudson: 8,000 Years of Native American History and Culture. This award is in recognition of the exhibit and public programming that advances regional history by exploring the history of the native inhabitants of the area using archaeological findings.

KATHLEEN EAGAN JOHNSON, Historic Hudson Valley, Tarrytown, NY (Westchester) for the publication, The Hudson-Fulton Celebration: New York’s River Festival and the Making of a Metropolis, co-published by Fordham University Press and Historic Hudson Valley. This award is in recognition of the extensive research and in-depth study of the Hudson-Fulton Celebration of 1909 and its impact on New York City.

LYNDHURST and WESTCHESTER COUNTY, Tarrytown, NY (Westchester) for the public program and community collaboration, Hudson River Fest: A Search for the Past, Present, and Future. This award is in recognition of a collaborative program that celebrated Westchester’s historic ties to the river and land, and explored the respectful stewardship of these important but fragile resources.

MUSEUM OF JEWISH HERITAGE – A LIVING MEMORIAL TO THE HOLOCAUST, New York (NY) for the creation of an on-line collection resource. This award is in recognition of an innovative program that invites the public to browse artifacts in a dynamic and user-friendly environment. The online Collection offers information unavailable in the Museum.

NEVERSINK VALLEY AREA MUSUEM, Cuddebackville, NY (Orange) for the exhibit, “The Star is Born: A History of the Movie Star in America from Florence Lawrence and Valentino to Heath Ledger” and a program on women in early films. This award is in recognition of new audience-driven local history programming.

NEW CASTLE HISTORICAL SOCIETY and EAGLE SCOUT MICHAEL MARTINEZ, New Castle, NY (Westchester) for documentation of the Chappaqua Friends’ Graveyard. This award is in recognition of the extensive research, detailed documentation and creation of a searchable database for over 1,000 markers in the local graveyard dating back to 1745.

THE OLANA PARTNERSHIP and NEW YORK STATE OFFICE OF PARKS, RECREATION, AND HISTORIC PRESERVATION, Hudson, NY (Columbia) for a new gallery, inaugural exhibit, “Glories of the Hudson: Frederic Edwin Church’s Views from Olana” and its exhibition catalog. This award is in recognition of a public-private effort to broaden the scope of the historic house museum, and a valuable collaborative marketing concept.

THE KNICKERBOCKER ICE FESTIVAL OF 2009: TIMOTHY ENGLERT, CO-FOUNDER & PROJECT DIRECTOR, ROBERT PATALANO, CO-FOUNDER & ICE SCULPTOR, CHRISTIAN NIELSEN, ROCKLAND LAKE STATE PARK SUPERINTENDENT, MARIA RODD, 2009 EVENT PLANNER, ROSEMARIE MONACO, 2009 PR/MARKETING DIRECTOR, GRETCHEN WEERHEIM, 2009 HISTORIC EDUCATION DIRECTOR & HISTORICAL SOCIETY OF ROCKLAND COUNTY DIRECTOR OF EDUCATION, HEATHER DUKE, ROCKLAND COUNTY DIRECTOR OF TOURISM This award recognizes the collaborative efforts of a dedicated group of professionals to create and excite the public about local history.

LAKEVILLE-IRONWORKS EDUCATIONAL TRAIL and MATTHEW SHOOK, Sterling Forest, Tuxedo, NY (Orange) This award is in recognition Matthew Shook’s dedication, leadership and collaborative skills in bringing together the PIPC, State Historic Preservation Office, NY/NJ Trail Conference, and Rutgers University to preserve, interpret and make accessible to the public a neglected historical resource.

PUTNAM COUNTY HISTORICAL SOCIETY & FOUNDRY SCHOOL MUSEUM, DR. TRUDIE GRACE and DAVID DEARINGER, Cold Spring, NY (Putnam) for the exhibition catalog accompanying the exhibition, George Pope Morris: Defining American Culture. This award is in recognition of the extensive, scholarly research undertaken into the life of George Pope Morris of Cold Spring, and his contribution to 19th century American publishing, music and poetry.

For registration information about Greater Hudson Heritage Network’s October 2, 2009
Annual Meeting, Futures Forum, and Awards presentations at Overlook Lodge, Bear Mountain, please see: www.greaterhudson.org, or contact GHHN: 914.592.6726; info@greaterhudson.org.

Filed Under: History Tagged With: Columbia County, Greater Hudson Heritage Network, Hudson River, Office of Cultural Education, Orange County, Public History, Putnam County, Rockland County, Ulster County, Westchester County

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