History, Natural History & the Arts
During the Revolutionary War the little community of Beaver Dam (sometimes spelled Beaverdam) in what is now Berne, Albany County, NY saw little action.
The British and their Indigenous allies repeatedly attacked the communities in the Schoharie Valley to the west however, despite the presence of a large militia and three forts to protect the people of Schoharie. [Read more…] about When History Is Wrong: The Albany County ‘Dietz Massacre’
You know “America’s favorite fighting Frenchman” is the Marquis de Lafayette. But what do you know about Lafayette and his life?
How and why did this French-born noble end up fighting in the American Revolution? [Read more…] about The Marquis de Lafayette (Podcast)
October 16th is the anniversary of the anti-slavery raid on Harpers Ferry that ended in the trial and execution of John Brown of North Elba. You can read the entire “Last Days of John Brown” series here.
In 1859, John Brown and the men he led from atop a wagon loaded with supplies went undiscovered on their march from the Kennedy Farm to Harpers Ferry. John Cook and Charles Tidd went forward to cut the telegraphs wires into the village from the east and west.
As Brown reached the Ferry Bridge, he sent his most experienced men, Aaron Stevens and John Kagi, to the front of the small column and onto the bridge. There they encountered William Williams and held him.
[Read more…] about John Brown at Harpers Ferry, Day One (The Last Days of John Brown Series)
Who are the 50 individuals most frequently represented by a public monument in the US? What percentage of those 50 are white and male? How many are women? And what are the dynamics that helped shape who is — and who is not — on that list?
Answers to those questions are among the findings of the National Monument Audit, a first-of-its-kind report issued by Monument Lab, a Philadelphia-based nonprofit art and history studio. [Read more…] about List of America’s Public Monuments Reveals One-Sided History Obsessions
The Saratoga Surrender Site, where the British Army surrendered during the 1777 Battles of Saratoga, will now be managed by the National Park Service as part of the Saratoga National Park. [Read more…] about National Park Service to Manage Saratoga Surrender Site
This week on The Historians Podcast, Katie Turner Getty discusses the prison ships that the British used to hold prisoners of war during the American Revolution. Turner Getty, a Boston lawyer and independent historian, addressed this topic at a conference sponsored by the Fort Plain NY Museum. She writes articles that appear in the Journal of the American Revolution. [Read more…] about British Prison Ships in the American Revolution
Book purchases made through this link support New York Almanack’s mission to report new publications relevant to New York State.
The new book The Livingston Lion: Henry Beekman Livingston’s Revolution (Epigraph, 2021) by historian Geoff Benton is the first biography of Revolutionary War soldier Henry Beekman Livingston. [Read more…] about A New Biography of Henry Beekman Livingston
John Brown’s raid on the slaveholders of Virginia is often considered a hopeless fool’s errand, but it was far from it. Brown’s plan was simple enough: capture weapons and ammunition form the Harpers Ferry federal Armory, retire to the countryside and conduct nighttime border raids to free Southern slaves.
The principal goal of the actual raid was to free slaves, not attack and hold a Southern state. Brown, well-armed and experienced in the type of raid he was planning, was fairly confident in its success. [Read more…] about The Last Days of John Brown: Pikes, Rifles, and Revolvers
Many unusual craft have passed through New York’s several natural and man-made waterway systems through the years. A remarkable vessel that was certainly one of the most unique to travel the waters of the Empire State was the German submarine U-505, captured by the Unites States Navy during the Second World War. [Read more…] about The Submarine U-505: Predator, Prey, and Memorial
The Rome Historical Society (RHS) has released The British Lines, a digital tour reviewing the movement of British troops during the Siege of Fort Stanwix in 1777. [Read more…] about Video Tour Tracks British Troops at Fort Stanwix in 1777