New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Martin Van Buren NHS

Martin Van Buren’s Birthday Being Commemorated in Kinderhook

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Color Guard at Martin Van Buren’s birthday CeremonyOn December 5th, 1782, Martin Van Buren was born in a modest family tavern in Kinderhook, Columbia County, NY and returned to the town following his one term as president from 1837 to 1841.

He spent the next twenty years as a political candidate, an innovative farmer, and an engaged community member. Van Buren died on July 24, 1862 and was buried in the Kinderhook Reformed Dutch Church Cemetery, where his wife Hannah, his parents, and his son Martin Van Buren Jr. are also buried. [Read more…] about Martin Van Buren’s Birthday Being Commemorated in Kinderhook

Phenology At Martin Van Buren’s Lindenwald Estate

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Red Maple LeavesMartin Van Buren National Historic Site will host “Phenology Past and Present at Lindenwald,” a program looking at how the changing climate is affecting the timing of trees and shrubs at Lindenwald, President Martin Van Buren‘s estate in Kinderhook, Columbia County, NY, on Saturday, October 22nd. [Read more…] about Phenology At Martin Van Buren’s Lindenwald Estate

Washington Irving and Martin Van Buren at Lindenwald

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Full Circle: Washington Irving at LindenwaldWashington Irving, the celebrated author of Sleepy Hollow and Rip Van Winkle, wrote much of his first book, Knickerbocker’s History of New York, at the historic house now known as Lindenwald, the former home of Martin Van Buren.

The home was previously owned by the Van Ness family. Irving and Van Buren later grew close when they both served in the American Legation in London and remained so until a falling out in 1840. [Read more…] about Washington Irving and Martin Van Buren at Lindenwald

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Opening Friday

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Martin Van Buren National Historic Site courtesy National Park ServiceA founder of the Democratic Party, Martin Van Buren served as the 9th governor of New York, the 10th U.S. Secretary of State, and the 8th Vice President and 8th President of the United States (1837 to 1841).

Born in Kinderhook in Columbia County, NY, he was the first President born after the American Revolution, and the only President to speak English as a second language. [Read more…] about Martin Van Buren National Historic Site Opening Friday

Martin Van Buren: A Commemoration in Kinderhook

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portrait of Martin Van Buren by Mathew BradyMartin Van Buren was born on December 5, 1782, in a modest family tavern in Kinderhook and returned to the town following his one term as president in 1841. He spent the next twenty years as a political candidate, an innovative farmer, and an engaged community member.

Martin Van Buren National Historic Site, the Friends of Lindenwald, and the Village of Kinderhook have invited the public to participate in the annual observance of Martin Van Buren’s birthday on Sunday, December 5th. [Read more…] about Martin Van Buren: A Commemoration in Kinderhook

‘Day of History’ Funded Columbia County 4th Graders

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4th Grade Students Tour the Luykas Van Alen House in a Day of HistoryThe Martin Van Buren homestead, Lindenwald, a National Park Service Historic Site, and the Columbia County Historical Society have announced an all-expenses paid ‘Day of History’ partnership during Spring and Fall 2019 for all the students of Columbia County to the CCHS Rural Properties: 1737 Luykas Van Alen House and c.1850 Ichabod Crane Schoolhouse; and to the residence of the 8th U.S. President, Lindenwald, the Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. [Read more…] about ‘Day of History’ Funded Columbia County 4th Graders

New Contributor: Drew Alberti of Lakes to Locks

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Please join us in welcoming our newest contributor, Andrew (Drew) Alberti of Lakes to Locks Passage. Drew is a graduate of the University at Albany with a BA in European History, and a MA in Public History. His previous experience includes Collections Management at the New York State Museum, and Park Ranger at Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. Drew has been Program Manager for Lakes to Locks Passage since 2008 where he focuses on 21st century technology applications and local and regional interpretation and planning. Drew is co-author of From Forest to Fields: A History of Agriculture in New York’s Champlain Valley, and is editor for the Lakes to Locks Passage and National Geographic Geotourism website.