New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Jay Heritage Center

Jay Heritage Center Recognized for Excellence in Historic Preservation

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The Jay Heritage Center (JHC) was honored with a New York State Historic Preservation Award for Excellence in Non-Profit Achievement last week in recognition of its rehabilitation and stewardship of the Jay Estate Gardens.

The award was one of only ten conferred this year for excellence in the preservation and revitalization of New York State’s historic and cultural resources. It was the only award made to a Westchester County non-profit. [Read more…] about Jay Heritage Center Recognized for Excellence in Historic Preservation

Jay Heritage Center Receives $1.5 Million Gift

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School group at 1907 carriage house with author Jonah Winter and illustrator Barry BlittThe Jay Heritage Center (JHC) has announced the receipt of a transformative gift of $1.5 million to open the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Exhibit and Performance Center at the Jay Estate in Rye, Westchester County, New York. [Read more…] about Jay Heritage Center Receives $1.5 Million Gift

Our First Civil War: Patriots and Loyalists (Virtual Program)

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Our First Civil WarThe Jay Heritage Center (JHC) will welcome best-selling historian and two-time Pulitzer finalist H.W. Brands on Thursday, March 24th, for a free virtual conversation about his new book, Our First Civil War: Patriots and Loyalists in the American Revolution(Doubleday, 2021). [Read more…] about Our First Civil War: Patriots and Loyalists (Virtual Program)

Police Violence & Black Rebellion Since the 1960s (Virtual Program)

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America on FireIn America on Fire: The Untold History of Police Violence and Black Rebellion Since the 1960s (Liveright, 2021)  Dr. Elizabeth Hinton puts the protests over the killing of George Floyd in the summer of 2020 into historical context.

Hinton argues that “the events of 2020 had clear precursors and any attempt to understand our current crisis requires a reckoning with the recent past.” The book makes the case that Black rebellion “was born in response to poverty and exclusion, but most immediately in reaction to police violence.” [Read more…] about Police Violence & Black Rebellion Since the 1960s (Virtual Program)

TV Show “Dickinson” Films at Jay Heritage Center

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DickinsonThis past winter, an Apple TV+ film crew from the historical comedy “Dickinson” turned the Jay Meadow at the Jay Heritage Center in Rye, NY, into a Civil War battlefield.

The show, which stars Academy Award nominee Hailee Steinfeld as poet Emily Dickinson, spent more than two months filming around the Jay Estate for its third and final season, which is streaming now on Apple TV+. [Read more…] about TV Show “Dickinson” Films at Jay Heritage Center

Jay Heritage Gifted Portrait of Peter Augustus Jay

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Peter Augustus Jay portrait courtesy Jay Heritage CenterThe Jay Heritage Center has announced the donation of a painting of Peter Augustus Jay, the eldest son of jurist John Jay.

Executed by leading 19th century American portraitist John Wesley Jarvis, the artwork was given by the children of Jay “Peter” Pierrepont Moffat, Jr., in honor of their father and their mother Pamela Dawson Moffat. The painting was passed down through the Jay family over the generations. [Read more…] about Jay Heritage Gifted Portrait of Peter Augustus Jay

Jay Heritage Center Hosting Clean Water Forum

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clean water ryeThe Jay Heritage Center will host Save the Sound’s Water Quality and Ecological Restoration teams for an in-person forum on water quality, stormwater management, and river, marsh, and coastal restoration opportunities in Rye, New York, on Wednesday, June 30, from 3 to 6 pm. [Read more…] about Jay Heritage Center Hosting Clean Water Forum