New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Kingston

Celebrating Independence at Senate House, Kingston

by Leave a Comment

senate houseThe Senate House State Historic Site is set to celebrate Independence Day on Saturday June 29, 2019 from 11 am to 3 pm.

There will be a ceremony with dramatic readings and songs. The Third Ulster Militia will be encamped on the grounds demonstrating 18th century camp life including hearthside cooking and colonial medicine. In addition, Ben Franklin will perform science experiments and hands-on activities. Musician Mark Rust will be performing patriotic songs. 18th century games and toys will be on hand to try out. [Read more…] about Celebrating Independence at Senate House, Kingston

Kingston Senate House Opening Day April 24th

by Leave a Comment

senate houseThe Senate House State Historic Site in Kingston, NY, is set to open for the 2019 season on Wednesday April 24. The site will be open to the public Wednesdays thru Saturdays 10 am to 5 pm and Sundays 1 to 5 pm. The site is located at 296 Fair Street in historic uptown Kingston. [Read more…] about Kingston Senate House Opening Day April 24th

Slavery and Freedom in New Netherland Talk In Kingston

by Leave a Comment

peter gansevoort lecture seriesThe New Netherland Institute has announced the talk “To Serve in a Free Country: Slavery and Freedom in New Netherland” by Sam Huntington, educator at Crailo State Historic Site, has been set for Saturday, April 27th at the Senate House State Historic Site in Kingston. [Read more…] about Slavery and Freedom in New Netherland Talk In Kingston

Hudson River Slavery Focus of Historic Kingston Event

by Leave a Comment

in defianceThe Friends of Historic Kingston is set to hold its annual meeting on Sunday, April 28th at 2 pm in the Bethany Hall, Old Dutch Church, 272 Wall Street, Kingston. Use side entrance on Wall Street.

President of the Board, Jack Braunlein, will give the annual report of the organization, followed by the keynote address. The featured guest speaker is Susan Stessin-Cohn, Town Historian of New Paltz who will be speaking on her newest research and publication, In Defiance: Runaways from Slavery in New York’s Hudson River Valley: 1735-1831. [Read more…] about Hudson River Slavery Focus of Historic Kingston Event

Sugaring Off: 18th Century Style In Historic Kingston

by Leave a Comment

senate house

The Senate House State Historic Site has announced a celebration of maple season, set for Saturday, April 6th, 2019, from 11 am to 3 pm. Activities include boiling maple sap to syrup, making jack wax candy, baking molasses cornbread and waffles over an open fire, hewing a log into a trough and making wooden buckets and spiles which were used to collect the sap. [Read more…] about Sugaring Off: 18th Century Style In Historic Kingston

New Audio Tour for Kingston’s Stockade District

by Leave a Comment

dutch heritage world toursFriends of Historic Kingston, in cooperation with Dutch Heritage World Tours, have released the audio tour “How Dutch Is New York? – The Kingston Stockade Tour”.

You can use a smart phone or tablet to walk the National Historic District of the Kingston Stockade. Download the free audio tour using the free app called izi.TRAVEL. When you walk into a GPS zone near a site, images and text will appear. You have your choice of Dutch or English language. [Read more…] about New Audio Tour for Kingston’s Stockade District

18th Century Autumn Festival Set For Senate House, Kingston

by Leave a Comment

Kingston Senate HouseThe Senate House State Historic Site will host their Century Autumn Festival on Saturday, October 13th, 2018, from 11 am to 3 pm.

Demonstrations at Senate House include meat smoking, pressing apples into cider, blacksmithing, and hearthside cooking. Hands-on activities include dipping candles, making cornhusk dolls, and playing 18th century toys and games. The Third Ulster Militia will be demonstrating 18th century camp life. [Read more…] about 18th Century Autumn Festival Set For Senate House, Kingston

Terror on the Hudson: The Burning of Kingston

by 5 Comments

General John BurgoyneTerrorism has been a grim feature of our time, but the tactic is far from new. The Revolutionary War, like every war, was marked by wanton violence. One of the cruelest incidents came in October 1777 when the British attacked the city of Kingston, then the capital of New York State.

A massive enemy invasion in 1776 had driven patriot forces from the city of New York. The delegates who were in the process of writing a state constitution moved away from the fighting, first to White Plains, then to Fishkill. [Read more…] about Terror on the Hudson: The Burning of Kingston

Catskill Railroad’s Great Train Robbery Premiers May 26th

by Leave a Comment

great train robberyThe Catskill Mountain Railroad is set to celebrate classic 1903 silent movie “Great Train Robery” on May 26th with interactive train rides at the Westbrook Station in Kingston.

Trains will leave the Westbrook Station at Kingston Plaza and travel up the Hurley Flats. Excursions includes a stop at a local festival with live music and local vendors. [Read more…] about Catskill Railroad’s Great Train Robbery Premiers May 26th

Friends of Historic Kingston 2018 Season Events

by Leave a Comment

Fred J. Johnston HouseFriends of Historic Kingston (FHK) is set to reopen its doors for the 2018 season beginning Friday and Saturday, May 4 and 5.

This season celebrates Kingston’s landmarks and local history with an exhibit in the FHK Gallery entitled, “Charles Keefe, Colonial Revival Architect, Kingston and New York,” the Fred J. Johnston House Tour, and monthly guided walking tours of the Stockade and Rondout National Historic Districts. [Read more…] about Friends of Historic Kingston 2018 Season Events