Maritime History

Francis Mallaby: Witness to Sackets Harbor History

January 20, 2022 by Constance Barone Leave a Comment

The name Francis Mallaby may not be familiar in New York history but sailing master Mallaby served at the Sackets Harbor navy yard in a prosperous time of lake shipping and community growth. He helped make a difference by initiating purchase of land which is cherished today as the Sackets Harbor Battlefield State Historic Site.

This War of 1812 veteran received high compliments from Lake Ontario navy commander Isaac Chauncey and Captain Woolsey that helped influence Mallaby’s 1817 appointment as master of the first steamboat on Lake Ontario, based in Sackets Harbor in Jefferson County, NY. [Read more…] about Francis Mallaby: Witness to Sackets Harbor History

Oyster Slurpers: A Tale of Two Rivers

January 19, 2022 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

For thousands of years the Thames provided London’s inhabitants with a plentiful supply and variety of fish. Until the 1820s locally caught fish was the city’s staple diet. Subsequent pollution of the river drove many professional fishermen and their families into financial ruin because of the collapse of fish populations.

Up until the twentieth century New York Harbor oysters reigned as the quintessential New York food long before pizza, pretzels, bagels, or hot dogs took their place. The metropolis once was a Big Oyster. There too, reckless management of the marine environment led to the obliteration of a huge natural resource. [Read more…] about Oyster Slurpers: A Tale of Two Rivers

Fulton’s Steamboat, The Black Ball Line & The Erie Canal

January 17, 2022 by James S. Kaplan 3 Comments

For thousands of years prior to the early 1800s maritime transportation was dependent on sailing ships. In the first few decades of the 19th century however, entrepreneurs in New York helped revolutionize the industry so that one hundred years later sailing ships were an anachronism that hardly existed, except for show.

In the latter part of the 1700s the development of the Boulton & Watt steam engine in England made it theoretically possible to power a boat. Before 1800 a number of inventors, including New Yorkers such as Nicholas Roosevelt, John Fitch, Robert R. Livingston, John Stevens III and others, experimented with boats that used such steam engines. Before Robert Fulton made his first run in the North River steamboat (later renamed Clermont) in 1807 more than a dozen steamboats had been constructed in the United States with varying degrees of success. There were difficulties in making such craft commercially viable. [Read more…] about Fulton’s Steamboat, The Black Ball Line & The Erie Canal

Hudson-Athens Lighthouse’s Once-in-a Century Renovation

January 13, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Hudson-Athens Lighthouse Preservation Society (HALPS) has announced the award of a $500,000 grant by the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (OPRHP). The grant will support work to restore and protect the infrastructure of the 147-year-old Hudson-Athens Lighthouse’s primary building.

Work includes replacing its flat roof, mansard slate side roofs, gutters, and downspouts, all designed to eliminate damaging, ongoing water intrusion. In addition, a new staircase from the dock up to the building’s deck will increase and expand access and safety. Installation of an upgraded marine toilet and cistern repairs are also part of plan. [Read more…] about Hudson-Athens Lighthouse’s Once-in-a Century Renovation

Arto Monaco’s Valcour, Plattsburgh Battle Dioramas Being Conserved

January 9, 2022 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

The Clinton County Historical Association has announce it has received a Conservation Treatment Grant from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network for the conservation of a diorama created by Adirondack artist and theme park creator Arto Monaco (1913-2003).

The diorama was a gift from the Plattsburgh Rotary who commissioned the work for the 1976 United States Bicentennial celebration. It’s been moved to several locations over the years, resting finally within the CCHA Museum at 98 Ohio Avenue on the Old Base Museum Campus in Plattsburgh, NY. [Read more…] about Arto Monaco’s Valcour, Plattsburgh Battle Dioramas Being Conserved

NY Man Who Affected The Outcome at Pearl Harbor

December 11, 2021 by Sean Kelleher Leave a Comment

On December 7, 1941, the Japanese forces launched a devastating surprise attack on Pearl Harbor, and a New York man played a big role in defending against that attack. Furthermore, his actions have been credited with shortening the war in the Pacific. [Read more…] about NY Man Who Affected The Outcome at Pearl Harbor

New Book On Boat Building, Boatyards of Long Island

December 3, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.

For centuries, residents of New York have built watercraft and waterfront facilities to transport people and goods locally, nationally and internationally. For residents of the area, boating was a way of life, providing employment, recreation, and transportation. [Read more…] about New Book On Boat Building, Boatyards of Long Island

Henry Hudson & The Founding of Albany

November 22, 2021 by Peter Hess 3 Comments

In 1565, the Spanish settled 600 soldiers and civilians at St. Augustine, Florida. In 1607, the English established their first settlement in North America at Jamestown, Virginia, but after a series of floods, Jamestown was abandoned in 1699. Today Jamestown is a national park and archaeological site.

In 1602, the States General of The Netherlands granted a charter to a powerful group of Dutch merchants creating the Dutch East India Company and giving them the exclusive right to develop and conduct trade with the markets in the Far East which included the Spice Islands and China. Soon, these merchants began bringing exotic silk, clothing, ceramics, teas and spices back to the Netherlands. In their travels, the Dutch ship captains discovered the continent of Australia and named it “New Holland.” [Read more…] about Henry Hudson & The Founding of Albany

A New Survey of Whales in the New York Bight

November 10, 2021 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Researchers have published the results of their multi-year aerial study investigating six large whale species in the New York Bight, a triangular area of coastal ocean waters between Long Island and New Jersey.

These results provide data on the year-round occurrence of large whales and is expected to help guide conservation efforts to mitigate impacts from anthropogenic threats. [Read more…] about A New Survey of Whales in the New York Bight

The Sinking of the Ford Freighter Green Island

November 3, 2021 by Bill Orzell Leave a Comment

When hostilities in 1939 created a combat situation between allied European nations and Germany, initiating the Second World War, the United States was officially neutral. However, the construction of ships began in America, to aid Great Britain and her allies.

When the events of 1941 pulled the U.S. into the conflict, the Navy and the Wartime Shipping Administration had a very serious need for vessels to transport war materials. This task was the duty of the country’s Merchant Marine, and all possible craft were requisitioned, including those on the Great Lakes and inland waterways. [Read more…] about The Sinking of the Ford Freighter Green Island