New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Military History

Winter Welcome Week at Washington’s HQ

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Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site will offer a special focus on what was happening the final winter of the American Revolution. The Hasbrouck House, will be decorated with holiday ornaments. Outside in the park enlisted men will be near their campfire so visitors can learn what soldiers lives were like.

The program starts Monday, December 27th and continues until Thursday, December 30th. Tours begin at 10:00 AM and run throughout the day until 3:00 PM. Admission is $4.00 for adults, $3.00 for seniors and students and children 12 and under are free. Call 845-562-1195 for further details or directions.

Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site is a registered national historic landmark. It is located at the corner of Liberty and Washington Streets within the city of Newburgh’s East End Historic District.

Washington’s Headquarters is part of the Palisades Interstate Park Commission, which administers 28 parks, parkways, and historic sites for the Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation in New York as well as the Palisades Interstate Park and parkway in New Jersey. For more information about New York State parks and historic sites, please visit www.nysparks.com and for more information about the Palisades Interstate Park parks and historic sites, please visit www.palisadesparksconservancy.org

Fort Ticonderoga Receives Program Grant

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Fort Ticonderoga has been awarded a grant in the amount of $15,000 by the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust of Saratoga Springs, NY. The funds will support an expanded interpretive program entitled “These Worthy Fellows are Second to None in Courage” highlighting the daily lives of the soldiers garrisoned at Fort Ticonderoga.

The funding support from the Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust will help support interpretive staff and the purchase of interpretive clothing, weapons, accoutrement and tools. The Fort’s expanded programming will further bring to life the Fort’s social and military history as well as the material culture of the 18th century soldiers who served at Fort Ticonderoga.

Beth Hill, Executive Director, said the generous grant provided by Alfred Z. Solomon Charitable Trust will “support a significant initiative at Fort Ticonderoga that invests in the visitor’s experience, serves the heart of our mission and meets a national need.” As part of an institutional-wide assessment, Fort Ticonderoga has identified the need for more interpretive opportunities that engage visitors through expanded living history programs.

According to a recent national study, 83% of U.S. adults failed when tested on the beliefs, freedoms and liberties established during the American Revolution. A goal of the Fort’s interpretive initiative is to address in part the historical amnesia identified in the report. Fort Ticonderoga, often called “America’s Fort,” tells the story of how the blood spilled in the name of empire during the French and Indian War became part of the same story of the blood spilled in the name of liberty during the American Revolution.

Photo: Interpreters portray Loyalist militia at Fort Ticonderoga.

New Online Collection Focuses on 9/11

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Beginning on September 11, 2001, Michael Ragsdale started collecting items focusing on the aftermath of 9/11, including materials relating to the security, recovery, war, health, peace, civil liberties, Iraq, war costs, war dead, remembrance, prisoner abuse and more. His project ended in September 2008, but this documentary paper history of what happened in New York City after the attacks of 9/11 now includes over 400 images.

Ragsdale says he has been receiving high praise from historians, authors, professors, filmmakers, activists, librarians, museum curators, and others. You can find the collection online here.

Ragsdale hopes to raise money to take the collection on the road, especially next year during the 10th anniversary of 9/11 and the opening of the National September 11 Memorial Museum in New York City.

Photo: Flyer announcing a peace rally after 9/11 from Ragsdale’s collection.


Saratoga Battlefield Holiday Open House

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Visitors to the Saratoga Battlefield will ring in the holiday season with live guitar music, book-signings, free refreshments and unique holiday gift ideas in the bookstore at Saratoga National Historical Park’s Holiday Open House on Sunday, December 5th from 1pm – 4pm.

Local authors Dr. Warren Roberts, who recently released, A Place in History, Albany in the Age of Revolution 1775 – 1825 and co-authors Tom Barker, PhD and Paul Huey, who just wrote The 1776-1777 Northern Campaigns of the American War for Independence will be available to sign copies of their books and talk to visitors about their findings. Musician Linda Russell will also perform and copies of her CD will be available.

Except for inclement weather, Sunday December 5 will also be the last day that the scenic 10-mile tour road will remain open for vehicle traffic. During the winter, the tour road and park trails remain open daily dawn to dusk for pedestrian use, such as walking, bicycling, and winter activities, but it will close to vehicular traffic on Monday, December 6.

The park Visitor Center – open daily throughout the year from 9am to 5pm, except for Thanksgiving, Christmas and News Year’s holidays – offers a 20-minute orientation film, photography exhibit, fiber optic map, bookstore and National Park Service rangers to tell stories about the events here, that changed world history.

Saratoga Battlefield is located on Route 32 and 4 in Stillwater, NY. For more information about program and events at Saratoga National Historical Park, please call (518) 664-9821 ext. 224 or visit our website at www.nps.gov/sara.

State Museum Adds to ‘Citizen Soldier’ Exhibit

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In honor of Veteran’s Day, the New York State Museum has installed two new cases in its Citizen Soldier exhibition, including personal items of the late Sgt. David Fisher, formerly of Watervliet, who was killed in Iraq in December 2004.

Vicki DiMura, the mother of Sgt. Fisher, has loaned the items to the Museum for display in the section of the exhibition documenting the role of Task Force Wolfhound in Iraq. The 21-year-old graduate of Watervliet High School was one of the Task Force Wolfhound soldiers and served with the 1st Battalion 101st Cavalry based at the Glenmore Road Armory in Troy. He was working as a humvee gunner during a patrol in Baghdad when his vehicle rolled over during a high-speed maneuver intended to avoid improvised explosive devices.

The items installed in the exhibition include a print of a portrait of Sgt. Fisher painted by artist Phil Taylor of the American Fallen Soldiers Project that provides, at no cost to family members, an original portrait of their loved one. Also on display are a memorial bracelet, a copy of Sgt. Fisher’s dog tags, a photo of him taken on the day he was killed, an unfinished lego tank, a stuffed Elmo doll given to Fisher by his unit on his 21st birthday, a frog ornament honoring Fisher’s nickname of “Squeak Frog” and a Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtle toy.

The other new addition to the exhibition is in the Spanish-American War section. It includes a cartridge belt with .45-70 cartridges worn by Sgt. James S. Martin of Brooklyn. This was loaned to the Museum by Martin’s grandson, Marty Pickands of Delmar. Martin enlisted in Company L, the 71st regiment. He and his regiment marched to San Juan Hill with the Rough Riders. Following the battle, Sgt. Martin was stricken with yellow fever and was so ill that he was mistaken for dead and placed alongside other American dead. A passing soldier noticed Martin “twitch” and promptly sought medical help for him. He later attended Yale Medical School and became a doctor.

The “Citizen Soldier: New York’s National Guard in the American Century” exhibition recounts the history of the New York National Guard and those who carried out its mission through wars and battles, natural disasters and national emergencies. The exhibition features personal stories of soldiers from across New York State, as well as mementos, uniforms, and artillery pieces from the State Museum, New York State Military Museum, members of New York’s National Guard, and local collectors.

Open in Exhibition Hall through March 2011, the exhibition can also be found on the Museum’s website. The exhibition focuses on the 20th century, which witnessed the transformation of the United States from an isolationist nation into a dominant power with the ability to shape world events. It was dubbed the American Century in 1941 by Time Magazine Publisher Henry Luce. During that time the National Guard evolved from an ill-equipped and poorly trained militia into a modern-day force capable of protecting American interests around the world.

Encompassing nearly 7,000 square feet of gallery space, the exhibition covers the service of New Yorkers in the Spanish-American War, World Wars I and II, the first Persian Gulf War in 1991 and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq. Also included are the missions closer to home – the Capitol Fire (1911), blizzards in Buffalo (1944, 1977) and New York City (1996), the Woodstock concert (1969), the Attica riots (1971), the ice storm in northern New York (1998), the Mechanicville tornado (1998), the 2001 terrorist attacks and other smaller calamities around the state.

Visitors entering the exhibition will see the M8 Greyhound Light Armored Car that was first introduced into combat in 1943. The 16,000-pound vehicle was used in all theaters of World War II, including Europe, where it was issued to the men of the 101st Cavalry Group of the New York National Guard. The car is now owned by Gregory Wolanin of Loudonville. Also on display are a flamethrower and bazooka, a 37 mm gun, as well as various other military equipment. Visitors will also have the opportunity to see the History Channel film, “Defending America,” which will be shown in the gallery.

There are many personal stories of courage and heroism throughout the exhibition. Medals of Honor were awarded to Col. William J. O’Brien and Sgt. Thomas A. Baker of Troy, both of the 105th Infantry Regiment, for their courage in the face of a horrifying enemy attack by the Japanese on Saipan in 1944. First Sgt. James Meltz of Cropseyville, a member of the 108th Infantry Regiment, received the Bronze Star for valor after rescuing fellow soldiers from a burning humvee in Afghanistan in 2008.

The exhibition also features profiles of other members of the 108th Infantry who served in Iraq, including Sgt. 1st Class John Ross of Latham, Sgt. 1st Class Luis Barsallo of Halfmoon and Private 1st Class Nathan Brown of Glens Falls. Brown was killed in Iraq in 2004 when an insurgent fired a rocket-propelled grenade into the back of the 5-ton truck he was riding in.

Russell Bellico: Empires in the Mountains

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Russell Bellico Empires in the MountainsMeeting Russell Bellico, you’d think you were in the presence of an old sea captain spending his retirement in the softer wind and spray of Lake George. You’d be surprised to know that he spent 35 years in the economics department at Westfield State College in Massachusetts.

You’d be glad to hear that Bellico spent his time away from Westfield at Lake George, where as a summer resident he invested himself in local history. He has spent over three decades photographing shipwrecks and historic sites on Lake George and Lake Champlain. He served as a consultant on the National Park Service’s Champlain Valley Heritage Corridor, a trustee of the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance, and a board member of Bateaux Below, the organization founded by the archaeological team (which included Bellico) that documented the 1758 radeau Land Tortoise which lies underwater at the southern end of Lake George. [Read more…] about Russell Bellico: Empires in the Mountains

Lecture: Red Jacket, Role of Six Nations in War of 1812

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Dr. Alan S. Taylor, a renowned and award-winning author and historian, will be at the Buffalo & Erie County Historical Society‘s history museum this Saturday, November 13, 2010, at 1:30 p.m., for a talk entitled “Red Jacket and the Role of the Six Nations in the War of 1812.”

Local interest is mounting for the 2012 bicentennial of the War of 1812. In addition, the museum currently has an exhibit exploring Red Jacket in the context of John Mix Stanley’s monumental painting “The Trial of Red Jacket.” [Read more…] about Lecture: Red Jacket, Role of Six Nations in War of 1812

Civil War Nurse Dedication Ceremony

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In 1911, Civil War nurse Lucy Blanchard died in Fenton, Michigan. Her remains were brought back to Syracuse and she was buried in Oakwood Cemetery. For ninety-nine years, her grave was unmarked and the memory of her service faded. Thanks to the efforts of Michigan historian Len Thomas, Lucy’s life story has been researched in depth. With the help of the Daughters of Union Veterans of the Civil War, a government headstone has been placed on Lucy’s grave.

On Saturday morning, November 13 at 11 o’clock, all are invited to pay tribute to this courageous lady, so long forgotten. For more information and a map to the gravesite, go to:

Freedom’s Treasures Exhibit Headed to Capitol

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Governor David A. Paterson has announced that the “Freedom’s Treasures” exhibit, a rare display of Revolutionary War-era and early nation period historical artifacts, including a handwritten draft of Washington’s Farewell Address, will be open to the public at the State Capitol’s ceremonial Red Room, from 10 AM to 4 PM on November 10-11.

The exhibition, entitled “Freedom’s Treasures,” features a collection from the New York State Library, Archives and Museum of some of New York’s most important Revolutionary Era artifacts that have rarely been seen by the public. Featured in the exhibition is an original draft of George Washington’s Farewell Address penned in his hand that was sent to Alexander Hamilton for comment and revision on May 15, 1796. The document is part of the George Washington Collection at the New York State Library and was rescued from the fire that ravaged the State Capitol in 1911.

“Freedom’s Treasures” also will give the public the chance to see a dress sword allegedly given to General Washington by Frederick the Great. The sword was purchased by the State of New York directly from Washington’s family in 1871 and is depicted in the Washington portrait that hangs in the United States House of Representatives. According to Washington family tradition, the sword was given to General Washington
with this verbal message from Frederick (the Great) II, King of Prussia: “From the oldest general of the world to the greatest.”

Among the other artifacts included in this exhibition are a portrait of New York State’s sixth Governor DeWitt Clinton and a writing desk he used. In office during two non-consecutive terms, Clinton was responsible for the building of the Erie Canal. The exhibit also includes the original engrossed copy of the U.S. Constitution sent to
New York State for ratification and the “spy papers” retrieved from British Major John Andre’s boot that implicated American General Benedict Arnold in the West Point conspiracy.

The full list of exhibited items includes, Washington’s Farewell Address, Bronze bust of George Washington, Leaves from Washington’s copy of “A Representation of the Cloathing of His Majesty’s Household and of all the Forces upon the Establishments
of Great Britain and Ireland” (the uniform book), Washington’s dress sword, Benedict Arnold / John Andre papers, A print of John Andre crossing the Hudson River (based upon his own drawing of the event), an engrossed copy of the original U.S. Constitution, a DeWitt Clinton portrait, and DeWitt Clinton’s writing desk and chair.

Reservations are required for those interested in visiting the Freedom’s Treasures exhibit on Wednesday, November 10. On Wednesday, those who are registered for the tour should meet at the Plaza Visitor Center, North Concourse, Empire State Plaza, Albany. For those interested in making reservations for Wednesday, November 10, should
visit: http://www.ogs.state.ny.us/.

Reservations are NOT required on Thursday, November 11. Those interested in viewing the exhibit should enter the Capitol directly and follow the signs that will be posted. Visitors can gain access to the Capitol either from State Street or through the Empire Plaza Concourse.

For those who can’t see the items in person, a website has also been established.


Photo: An estimate of items at West Point one of several documents that were found in Major Andre’s boot when he was captured trying to get to West Point in 1780.

Ogdensburg’s Lighthouse Point Makes Historic Register

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The Fort La Présentation Association’s historic Fort de la Présentation property on Lighthouse Point, already listed on the New York State Register of Historic Places, will soon join the seven Ogdensburg sites recognized by the National Register of Historic Places.

Senator Kirsten Gillibrand’s office has helped move the Fort Association’s application forward, and her office reports the Fort historic site on Lighthouse Point should be on the Federal Register soon.

“Fort de la Présentation, one of the historic jewels in New York State, once played a vital role in the formation of our nation. Once fully restored, the Fort has the potential to attract thousands of tourists, which will help stimulate the region’s economy through new development and job creation,” said Senator Kirsten Gillibrand. “As New York’s first Senator from Upstate in nearly 40 years, I am proud to support the restoration of this beautiful, historic site. Thanks to the work of the Fort La Présentation Association, New Yorkers will soon be able to enjoy this landmark restored to its former glory.”

“The Fort Association is grateful to Senator Gillibrand for her staunch backing of the Fort Project and the assistance of her office to have the Fort’s location listed on the National Register of Historic Places, along with Ogdensburg’s registered heritage sites,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “Becoming an acknowledged member of this distinguished group will positively impact our work toward building our Interpretive Center. The recognized historical importance of our property gives us credibility among potential donors as we continue planning to build Fort de la Présentation.”

From the mid-18th century to the early 19th century the fort at the mouth of Oswegatchie River, under French, British and American flags, influenced the development of Ogdensburg and its role in the history of the United States.

“In addition to honoring the City’s place in American, Canadian, and Native histories, placement of these lands on the National Register of Historic Places positions the Fort La Présentation Association to use the site to continue to play an important role contributing to the development of historic tourism and local hospitality businesses, as well as the overall growth of our local economy,” said Ogdensburg City Manager Arthur J. Sciorra.

The Acker and Evans Law Office, New York State Armory, Ogdensburg Armory, Oswegatchie Pumping Station, U.S. Customs House, U.S. Post Office, and Library Park Historic District have met the criteria to be worthy of federal recognition and preservation because of their links to American history.

Until the building of the Interpretive Center and Fort de la Présentation, the interpreted site on Lighthouse Point will attract tourists who would not usually venture this way and indicate to residents the significance of their community’s history.