New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Montgomery County

Battles of Stone Arabia, Klock’s Field Archeological Study Complete

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painting of Klock’s FieldOn October 19, 1780, Loyalists, Native Allies and British soldiers led by Lieutenant Colonel Sir John Johnson and Captain Joseph Brant began destroying farms in Stone Arabia, a village about a mile north of Fort Keyser, in what was then Tryon County (today, Palatine Township in Montgomery County).

Colonel John Brown, leading a force of New York and Massachusetts revolutionaries left Fort Paris in Stone Arabia in an attempt to attack what he believed was a smaller, isolated enemy force. [Read more…] about Battles of Stone Arabia, Klock’s Field Archeological Study Complete

Amsterdam’s Polish Cowboy and Other Tales

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, Bob Cudmore’s history columns from Daily Gazette and Amsterdam Recorder provide information for this chit chat podcast with producer Dave Greene.

Hear stories about Amsterdam’s connections with Ukraine, World War II, Amsterdam’s link with singer Jeff Buckley’s popular version of “Hallelujah” by songwriter Leonard Cohen and the story of Jack Patton, the Polish cowboy from Amsterdam. [Read more…] about Amsterdam’s Polish Cowboy and Other Tales

Laddie Sanford: Polo Star & Carpet Mill Owner (Podcast)

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, Bob Cudmore and Dave Greene discuss several stories from Bob’s newspaper columns in the Daily Gazette and Amsterdam Recorder including a look at the life of Laddie Sanford. Laddie Sanford was a polo star, race horse owner and on the board of directors of Bigelow Sanford in 1955 when the carpet company left Amsterdam, Montgomery County, NY. [Read more…] about Laddie Sanford: Polo Star & Carpet Mill Owner (Podcast)

Amsterdam’s Arts: Visual Artists, Actors & Singers

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, Jerry Snyder of Historic Amsterdam League has stories from a new booklet called Amsterdam’s Arts, focusing on visual artists, actors, singers and more with ties to Amsterdam, New York. [Read more…] about Amsterdam’s Arts: Visual Artists, Actors & Singers

Palatines in the Mohawk Valley: 300 Years of History

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Palatine settlementThe earliest European settlers in the Mohawk Valley came from what is now southwestern Germany. Under near constant threat of destruction, whether from multiple wars, invasions, or the plague, in the near hundred years leading up to the 18th century, the southwest German population experienced extreme hardship.

In some cases, entire towns and villages were wiped out. Commercial crops in the vineyards either failed or were destroyed. Invading French armies added to the hardship by burdening residents with housing and supporting soldiers, albeit with scant family resources, forcing many German homeowners to flee. [Read more…] about Palatines in the Mohawk Valley: 300 Years of History

Crossing Schoharie Creek: Erie Canal Stories from David Brooks (Podcast)

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, David Brooks of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter, NY, explains how Erie Canal boats were able to cross the fast-flowing Schoharie Creek. [Read more…] about Crossing Schoharie Creek: Erie Canal Stories from David Brooks (Podcast)

Albany’s Ira Harris: From Rights Advocate to Lincoln’s Assassination

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Ira HarrisIra Harris was born at Charleston, Montgomery County, NY on May 31st, 1802 to Fredrick Waterman Harris and Lucy Hamilton. When he was six years old, his family moved to Preble, NY where his father became one of the largest landowners in Cortland County.

Harris attended Homer Academy and graduated from Union College in 1824. He studied law for one year in Homer, New York and then moved to Albany where he assisted one of that city’s most highly regarded jurists, Ambrose Spencer. [Read more…] about Albany’s Ira Harris: From Rights Advocate to Lincoln’s Assassination

St. Johnsville’s Lion in Love Sculpture: A Piece of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Upstate

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George C. Boldt courtesy Library of CongressThe Margaret Reaney Memorial Library is a fixture in the Erie Canal-side community of St. Johnsville, Montgomery County, NY. The Library contains a museum which features a wide array of art in a very fine collection.

An outdoor sculpture display in the north garden is listed in the Library’s catalog as “Nude Female and Lion” by Roland Hinton Perry. The bronze was cast in 1898 by Jno. Williams, Inc. foundry which was located on West 26th Street in Manhattan. [Read more…] about St. Johnsville’s Lion in Love Sculpture: A Piece of the Waldorf-Astoria Hotel Upstate

Ann Maria Schram: Volunteer Civil War Nurse

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The Historians LogoAnn Maria Bullock Schram of Amsterdam, was a volunteer nurse in the American Civil War, treating patients at a makeshift hospital in Maryland. This week on The Historians Podcast, Montgomery County NY historian Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar discusses her research on Schram’s life. [Read more…] about Ann Maria Schram: Volunteer Civil War Nurse

Growing Up in Amsterdam, NY, in the 1950s

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, David Pietrusza discusses his memoir Too Long Ago: A Childhood Memory, A Vanished World about his Amsterdam, NY, roots. Pietrusza is a historian who has written books about presidential elections and other topics. He and podcast host Bob Cudmore were raised in the Reid Hill section of Amsterdam, a primarily Polish-American neighborhood in the 1950s. [Read more…] about Growing Up in Amsterdam, NY, in the 1950s