On Sunday, September 6th, Linda Harvey will lead Saratoga Springs Preservation Foundation’s Sunday Summer Stroll tour “The Spa Complex” in Saratoga Spa State Park, a National Historic Landmark. In partnership with the Friends of Saratoga Spa State Park, Harvey will share the history of the complex, which was developed with the goal of increasing both therapeutic and recreational use of the park. [Read more…] about Tour Saratoga Spa State Park’s ‘Spa Complex’
Medical History
Rapping with the Dead: New York’s Spiritualist Fox Sisters
The first indication that the Fox Sisters had spiritualist talents occurred on the evening of March 31, 1848 when 11-year-old Kate and 14-year-old Maggie Fox claimed they heard knocking sounds coming from the east bedroom of their parents’ rented farmhouse in Hydesville, Wayne County, NY, about 30 miles east of Rochester.
The next night, the young ladies revealed this strange knocking spirit to their mother and older sister, Leah. The family’s excitement about communicating beyond the grave took no note that the inaugural demonstration had been staged on April first. [Read more…] about Rapping with the Dead: New York’s Spiritualist Fox Sisters
Dr Helen Hosmer’s Rural Healthcare in the US & Canada
In 1934, Doctor Helen Hosmer opened a physician’s office on West Street in the Village of Galway, in Saratoga County, NY. Originally from Billerica, Massachusetts, when Hosmer arrived in Galway, she was 50 years old, and though an experienced chemist and scientist, she was just beginning her career as a physician. [Read more…] about Dr Helen Hosmer’s Rural Healthcare in the US & Canada
Equine Eyes: A New Way of Looking at Things
In late July the National Museum of Racing in Saratoga Springs debuted a new one-of-a-kind exhibition, “Equine Eyes,” during an open house.
The exhibit is an interactive, research-driven presentation designed to simulate how horses perceive the world. [Read more…] about Equine Eyes: A New Way of Looking at Things
Historic Saranac Lake Opens Expanded Museum Campus
Members of Historic Saranac Lake (HSL) and contributors to the museum’s recent expansion project were at a ribbon cutting on August 15 at the newly refurbished the Trudeau Building.
Honorary Chair of the campaign, Doonesbury cartoonist Garry Trudeau was the guest of honor. Trudeau’s great-grandfather, grandfather, and father all practiced medicine in the new museum building at 118 Main Street in Saranac Lake. [Read more…] about Historic Saranac Lake Opens Expanded Museum Campus
Medical History: Vaccination Science & The Transatlantic Bridge
Second President of the United States John Adams held the post of envoy to the Netherlands from 1780 to 1782. He secured the States General’s recognition of American independence in April 1782, the second country in the world to do so, after France; obtained a five million guilders loan (carrying an interest rate of five percent) from a consortium of Amsterdam bankers; and signed a “Treaty of Amity and Commerce” between the two nations. While his wife Abigail remained in America, he had brought his sons John Quincy and Charles with him, living in the heart of Amsterdam at Keizersgracht 529. [Read more…] about Medical History: Vaccination Science & The Transatlantic Bridge
The Stench of Old New York: Pollution and Public Health
Between 1748 and 1751, Swedish botanist Pehr (Peter) Kalm (1716-1779) made a journey through Pennsylvania, Delaware, New Jersey, New York, and Canada. The Swedish Royal Academy of Sciences had selected him to explore the territory and collect plants that would thrive in Scandinavia’s cold climate.
On his return, Kalm published a three-volume journal of his experiences, translated into English in 1770/1 as Travels into North America. By 1772, there were renderings in German and Dutch, as well as a second English edition. The book provided a reasonably reliable account of America’s natural history and social structure in the eighteenth century. [Read more…] about The Stench of Old New York: Pollution and Public Health
Sauerkraut Boulevard & NYC’s German-American Enclave
New York’s vibrant immigrant history created a diversity of ethnic enclaves in the city. When over time demographics changed or newcomers assimilated deeper into metropolitan culture, the identity of such areas diminished. Little Poland, Little Syria, Little Africa, Little Vienna, and the French Quarter (Little Paris) were once lively parts of Lower Manhattan but have long since disappeared (Little Italy and Chinatown being notable exceptions).
They contributed to the city’s rich tapestry of food. Many dishes that are considered today as quintessentially American have an immigrant origin. [Read more…] about Sauerkraut Boulevard & NYC’s German-American Enclave
Manhattan’s St. Vincent’s Hospital: A Deeper Dive
A Monument of Charity: St. Vincent’s Hospital and Catholic Health Care in New York City (NYU Press, 2026) by Thomas F. Rzeznik provides the first comprehensive history of this remarkable institution, from its humble beginnings to its abrupt closure. What follows is a Q & A with the author: [Read more…] about Manhattan’s St. Vincent’s Hospital: A Deeper Dive
Hamlet in Manhattan: Relics, Bones & Skulls
Having been central to Catholic devotion for centuries, relics are physical remains of saints or holy figures, believed to be conduits of divine power. Displayed in cathedrals, monasteries, and convents, they invited the worship of churchgoers and pilgrims.
To them, relics connected the material with the immaterial, linked heaven and earth, and forged contacts between past and present. [Read more…] about Hamlet in Manhattan: Relics, Bones & Skulls
St. Vincent’s Hospital: New York City’s Other ‘Ground Zero’
St. Vincent’s Hospital in Greenwich Village began in 1849 with a simple, but radical mission: to care for all those in need regardless of race, creed, or financial means. For more than 160 years, the hospital carried out that work, serving notables and the nameless alike, from impoverished immigrants and those stricken by devastating nineteenth-century epidemics to AIDS patients and the victims of the attacks of 9/11.
Part of the former Saint Vincent’s Catholic Medical Centers healthcare system in New York City, St. Vincent’s closed on April 30, 2010, was demolished two years later and has become luxury condos. [Read more…] about St. Vincent’s Hospital: New York City’s Other ‘Ground Zero’
Facial Reconstruction Brings Revolutionary War Soldier to Life
The New York State Museum has unveiled a facial reconstruction of a Revolutionary War soldier whose remains were recovered from the Courtland Street Burying Ground in Lake George, NY.
Created by forensic artist Jenny Kenyon, the reconstruction depicts a young soldier believed to have been in his teens, offering a powerful new glimpse into the lives of the individuals who died while serving during the American Revolution. [Read more…] about Facial Reconstruction Brings Revolutionary War Soldier to Life
Lesbian History: Eve Adams, Monocles, Tearooms & Deportations
Launched in July 1900, the transatlantic liner S.S. Vaderland (Flemish for fatherland) sailed the route between Antwerp and Hoboken on behalf of the Red Star Line. Catering for 340 first-class, 200 second-class, and over 600 third-class (formerly steerage) passengers, the liner was one of “mid tier” elegance rather than opulence and designed to compete with its rivals of the Cunard and White Star lines. She played a key role in the early history of mass emigration from Europe to the United States.
On May 25, 1912, the liner left Antwerp, arriving at Ellis Island for immigrant inspection on June 4th. On board was a talented twenty-year-old Polish woman keen to break free from traditional Jewish domestic constraints and find intellectual and sexual freedom in Manhattan. [Read more…] about Lesbian History: Eve Adams, Monocles, Tearooms & Deportations
The Water Cure, Bottled Water & New York’s Local Bottling Industry
The emergence of the bottling industry in New York State occurred due to the rise of the leisure economy and the fashion for the kind of mineral waters available at natural spas.
Prior to the availability of chlorinated water, inhabitants of many highly populated areas of the world avoided unmixed water from most sources for fear of contamination. [Read more…] about The Water Cure, Bottled Water & New York’s Local Bottling Industry
Edward Livingston Trudeau and the Saranac Laboratory
In the late 19th century, when tuberculosis was the deadliest disease in America, a gravely ill physician arrived in the Adirondacks seeking relief — and helped change medical history.
This episode of the ADK Talks podcast features Amy Catania, Executive Director of Historic Saranac Lake, discussing Dr. Edward Livingston Trudeau and the founding of the Saranac Laboratory, the first U.S. lab devoted exclusively to tuberculosis research. [Read more…] about Edward Livingston Trudeau and the Saranac Laboratory
An 1805 Visitor to the Springs in Ballston and Saratoga
On Friday, August 30th in 1805, Matthew Prendergast set off on horseback from Sharon, Connecticut. Matthew was about 50 years old, a resident of Amenia in Dutchess County, NY, just across the state line from Sharon. He was comfortably well off, but definitely not super rich, and he suffered from rheumatism.
He had a few errands to do on the way, but he was planning on heading north and taking the waters at Ballston Springs, where he had visited in the past. He took his time, stopping several times, including at Kinderhook, Albany and Troy. [Read more…] about An 1805 Visitor to the Springs in Ballston and Saratoga
Strike! 13 Strikes Every New Yorker Should Know About
Today the state of Minnesota is engaged in the first General Strike in nearly 80 years. There have been thousands of strikes in American history, but only about a dozen General Strikes. One of the first strikes took place in the city of New York in 1677. Afterward a dozen cart-men (one-horse cart operators) were criminally prosecuted “for not obeying the Command and Doing their Dutyes as becomes them in their Places” and fined.
About 80 strikes in the U.S. have involved over 100,000 workers. Here are 13 strikes every New Yorker should know about: [Read more…] about Strike! 13 Strikes Every New Yorker Should Know About
New Documentary on Utica’s ‘Old Main’ Asylum
A new documentary film unveils a rare and haunting glimpse into “Old Main,” one of America’s oldest asylums, located in Utica, NY. Established in 1843, this facility was the first in New York State devoted to the care of the mentally ill during a time when understanding mental health was still in its infancy.
The imposing structure still stands as a silent witness to the countless inhabitants who lived there until its doors closed for good in 1978. [Read more…] about New Documentary on Utica’s ‘Old Main’ Asylum
New York City Location Scout Photo Collections
Location scouting is a part of the pre-production process of making a film or television show. Before digital files and location-scouting apps transformed the business of film location scouting, New York’s production world ran on hard copies — real photographs, taped into real folders, stored in real boxes. [Read more…] about New York City Location Scout Photo Collections
Almanacs: Remarkable Historical Resources
An almanac (often spelled in the old days “almanack”), in its simplest form, is a book containing a calendar that includes notations for holidays and holy days, as well as astronomical information such as the rising and setting of the sun and moon, the phases of the moon, high and low tides. They also often include weather forecasts and agricultural tips.
The history of almanacs spans from ancient Babylonian cuneiform tablets to modern publications (including digital apps). The Oxford Dictionary of English says that the word comes “via Old French and medieval Latin from Spanish Arabic al-manāk (the calendar),” but there remains much discussion of its origins. The word itself, which has roots in the Middle East, seems to have been used in the West with something like its present meaning in the 1200s. [Read more…] about Almanacs: Remarkable Historical Resources