Governor Kathy Hochul, the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers New York District, Montauk Historical Society, and other partners have announced the reopening of the newly restored Montauk Point Lighthouse and completion of a major coastal resiliency project to protect the historic lighthouse and associated cultural resources. [Read more…] about Montauk Point Lighthouse Reopens After Major Renovation
Maritime History
August 1807: Robert Fulton’s Steamboat Makes History
Robert Fulton did not invent the steamboat. There were perhaps 20 others who worked toward the same goal before the North River Steamboat, later known as Clermont, left the dock in the city of New York for Albany on August 17, 1807. [Read more…] about August 1807: Robert Fulton’s Steamboat Makes History
Hudson River Tugboat Views: The West Shore Railroad, Track Walkers & Hoboes
Railroads have been operating along the east shore of the Hudson River for virtually its entire length between New York and Albany since 1851 and along the west shore of the river from Haverstraw [in Rockland County, NY] to a point below West Park [in the Town of Esopus, Ulster County] since 1883, Hudson River boatmen have had plenty of opportunity to observe the changes that have taken place over the years in railroading. [Read more…] about Hudson River Tugboat Views: The West Shore Railroad, Track Walkers & Hoboes
McKean Fireboat Added To National Register of Historic Places
Following his advocacy and a personal meeting with the Fireboat McKean Preservation Project’s David Rocco, U.S Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer recently announced that the National Park Service (NPS) has approved the nomination of the historic John D. McKean fireboat, a retired New York City Fire Department (FDNY) vessel, to be listed on the National Register of Historic Places (NRHP). [Read more…] about McKean Fireboat Added To National Register of Historic Places
Long Island Revolutionary History: A Suffolk County Tour
As we celebrated another birthday for America this July 4th I was reminded of the rich history and vital role that New York played in the founding of this nation. This is no less true within the sandy shores and glacial uplands of Long Island.
Drive south on William Floyd Parkway today, through the Suffolk County communities of Yaphank, Mastic, Shirley, and Mastic Beach, and it might be hard to imagine that this area was once the site of a great struggle between a world power and the early American settlers who came to yearn for independence. [Read more…] about Long Island Revolutionary History: A Suffolk County Tour
A True Tempest: American Passion for Shakespeare & The Fate of a First Folio
This year marks the 400th anniversary of the printing of William Shakespeare’s First Folio, one of the key books in the English speaking world.
Published seven years after the playwright’s death, many plays that were never printed in his lifetime, including Macbeth, Twelfth Night and Julius Caesar, might otherwise not have survived. [Read more…] about A True Tempest: American Passion for Shakespeare & The Fate of a First Folio
A Saratoga Man’s Role in Evacuating Americans from Europe in 1939 & 1940
Over 100,000 Americans were traveling or residing in Europe in 1939. As the threat of war became ever more ominous, in August the United States Department of State created a new office to facilitate the evacuation of these Americans.
The war began with Germany’s invasion of Poland on September 1. By the end of the year 75% of the Americans in Europe were either home or on their way home. Many American ships and men were involved in this evacuation. One of those sailors was my uncle. [Read more…] about A Saratoga Man’s Role in Evacuating Americans from Europe in 1939 & 1940
Female Husbands: Transgender People in Early American History
In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Jen Manion, a Professor of History and of Sexuality and Women’s and Gender Studies at Amherst College and author of the book, Female Husbands: A Trans History (Cambridge Univ. Press, 2021), joins host Liz Covart to investigate the early American world of female husbands, people who were assigned female gender at birth and then changed their gender at some point in their lives to live as men. [Read more…] about Female Husbands: Transgender People in Early American History
The Battle of Valcour Island Memorial: A Short History
Each year since 1895, the Saranac Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution commemorate the October 11th, 1776, Battle of Valcour. Each year’s event features a speaker and a ceremonial reverence given to honor the patriots who fought in the first naval battle of the American Revolution at Valcour Island on Lake Champlain. [Read more…] about The Battle of Valcour Island Memorial: A Short History
Washington’s Marines: Origins of the Corps, 1775-1777
The book Washington’s Marines: The Origins of the Corps and the American Revolution, 1775-1777 (Savas Beatie, 2023) by Major General Jason Q. Bohm USMC takes a look at the United States Marines Corps’ beginnings and what it achieved during the early years of the American Revolution. [Read more…] about Washington’s Marines: Origins of the Corps, 1775-1777