History, Natural History & the Arts
Amsterdam and New Amsterdam were two cities that have helped shape ideas about toleration, diversity, and freedom of conscience, while also examining the limits to and contradictions bound up with those ideals.
The New Netherland Institute will hold it’s annual symposium on Saturday, November 15, 2025. The topic will be “Tolerance and Tension: New York and Amsterdam in the 17th Century.” [Read more…] about Tolerance and Tension: 17th Century New York and Amsterdam
The 39th Annual Conference of the New Netherland Institute will take place for the first time in the state of New Jersey.
Located between the Hudson and Delaware Rivers, New Jersey has often been neglected in favor of more dramatic developments to the east and west. However, as the site of Pavonia, an early patroonship with major agricultural potential, and as the geographic connection between New Amsterdam and the Delaware River settlements, the Garden State’s seventeenth-century origins well deserve attention. [Read more…] about Annual New Netherland Conference Being Held In NJ
The New Netherland Institute will be hosting the Digging for our Dutch Roots event in Rochester on June 24-25.
The event hopes to answer questions such as, “what were the Dutch doing in America in the seventeenth century, and why didn’t we learn this piece of our history in school?” The New Netherland Institute will offer a fact-filled program for teachers, students, genealogists, academics and the general public. [Read more…] about Digging For Our Dutch Roots Event In Rochester, June 24-25
The 2016 Annual Meeting of the New Netherland Institute will be held this Saturday, May 21st at the First Presbyterian Church in Greenbush, 34 Broadway, Rensselaer, NY.
The day will begin at 10 am with the business meeting, which will be followed by the luncheon at noon. The meeting is free to members and nonmembers alike. The luncheon is offered at a price of $25 per person. [Read more…] about New Netherland Institute Annual Meeting Saturday
The New Netherland Institute is now producing a new podcast hosted by best-selling author Russell Shorto. ‘New Netherland Praatjes’ (Dutch for ‘chat’) is a series of chats with historians, archaeologists, and other experts on New Netherland and the world of the 17th-century Dutch. [Read more…] about New Netherland Praatjes Podcast Launched
The New York State Social Studies frameworks for grades K-8 place a greater emphasis than ever before on the history of the Dutch colonies in the Americas. Teachers and students are being asked to trace colonial history from New Netherland through to the English colonies and to recognize lasting Dutch contributions to American life and history.
But what is that history? And how can it best be taught? [Read more…] about New Netherland History Teacher Workshops Set
The annual Hendricks Award for 2015 will be given this year to the best book relating to any aspect of New Netherland and its legacy. The Award carries a prize of $5,000 as well as a framed print of a painting by L. F. Tantillo.
In 2015, the designated category for submission is recently published books. Three copies of a published book must be submitted on or before February 1, 2015, with a letter of intent to enter the contest. Copies cannot be returned. [Read more…] about New Netherland: Book Award Submissions Sought
The New Netherland Institute and New Netherland Research Center have announced “1614,” the 37th New Netherland Seminar, which will take place on September 20th at the Carole F. Huxley Theater in the Cultural Education Center in Albany.
The seminar will commemorate the 400th anniversary of the construction of Fort Nassau—the first documented European settlement in New York state—on present-day Castle Island in the port of Albany. The seminar speakers and topics are listed below. For registration and additional details, visit the website of the New Netherland Institute. [Read more…] about New Netherland Seminar Set For September 20th
The New Netherland Institute (NNI), which is currently commemorating the 1614 establishment of Fort Nassau in Albany, has announced their Annual General Meeting (featuring a tour of the Van Schaick Mansion and a short talk by Russell Shorto); the line-up for the 37th New Netherland Seminar; and an opportunity to win a commemorative quilt. [Read more…] about New Netherland Institute News And Events
The Guide to Dutch Manuscripts is now available as a searchable database on the New Netherland Institute‘s website.
The Guide is an online catalog of primary source material located in repositories throughout the United States. The purposes of the Guide are to 1) describe relevant documents and collections and 2) provide researchers with their location. [Read more…] about Guide To Dutch Manuscripts About New Netherland Online
The New Netherland Institute will offer an annual $1000 prize for the best published article relating to the Dutch colonial experience in the Atlantic world, with a special sensitivity to New Netherland or its legacy.
A committee of scholars will consider entries in the fields of history, archaeology, literature, language, geography, biography, and the arts. Entries must be based upon original research. Articles must be written in English and be published for the first time in 2013. Chapters from a monograph, works of fiction, and encyclopedia entries will not be considered. Only one submission per author will be accepted. Both academic and independent scholars are invited to participate. [Read more…] about New Netherland Article Prize Offered
The Annual Hendricks Award is given to the best book or book-length manuscript relating to any aspect of New Netherland and its legacy. The Award carries a prize of $5,000 as well as a framed print of a painting by L. F. Tantillo.
In 2014, recently completed dissertations and unpublished book-length manuscripts, will be considered. If there is no suitable winner in this category, submissions in the published book category will be considered. In addition, submissions from previous years will be reconsidered for the Award. [Read more…] about Submission For Annual Hendricks Award Sought
The presentation slides from all five presenters at the 36th New Netherland Seminar on October 5th are now available online. The seminar took on the question: What were the consequences of the 1568 revolt which began in the Low Countries against the Habsburg Empire and lasted 80 years? People were displaced – some fleeing the ravages of war; others were fleeing religious persecution. [Read more…] about New Netherland Seminar Presentations Online
Although the role of the Dutch in Early American history has been largely ignored, the facts are that New Netherland antedates New England, and religious toleration and ethnic diversity in the United States began with the Dutch.
Why isn’t this better known and taught in our schools? Because, until now an easy to read, short introduction to the history of New Netherland has been lacking. Firth Haring Fabend of Montclair, NJ, a recognized historian of the field, was commissioned by the New Netherland Institute to write New Netherland in a Nutshell (New Netherland Institute, 2012) to fill the gap. [Read more…] about New Book: New Netherland in a Nutshell
What were the consequences of the 1568 revolt which began in the Low Countries against the Habsburg Empire and lasted 80 years? People were displaced – some fleeing the ravages of war; others were fleeing religious persecution.
A disconnect from the Empire meant a disruption in normal commercial activity. Markets and waters once friendly turned hostile. Trading companies eventually replaced the former commercial routes and exploration for new routes and markets was undertaken. On October 5th in New York City five Dutch and Belgian speakers will give illustrated lectures about the effects of this revolt on the Low Countries and the settlement of North America. [Read more…] about 1568 Dutch Revolt Focus of 36th New Netherland Seminar
Award winning author Russell Shorto is the newest Senior Research Scholar in Residence at the New York State Library’s New Netherland Research Center. The Senior Research Scholar program is a result of a partnership between the State Education Department and the New Netherland Institute (NNI).
Shorto conducted research in the State Archives and Library for his earlier best selling book, The Island at the Center of the World: The Epic Story of Dutch Manhattan and the Forgotten Colony That Shaped America. [Read more…] about Russell Shorto New Netherland Research Senior Scholar
On November 10th at 2 pm historic artist Len F. Tantillo will speak about his new book, The Edge of New Netherland, at the Mabee Farm Historic Site’s George E. Franchere Education Center. The book, a uniquely illustrated history of New Netherland, New Sweden, early North American fortification design, and the construction of Fort Cashmir (New Castle, Delaware) has been published for the New Netherland Institute.
The book explores life in the Dutch colony and competition between European powers by focusing on the construction of regional forts, and the trade they engendered. Tantillo’s work has appeared in books, periodicals, and television documentaries in the US and abroad and exhibited in numerous galleries across the country. [Read more…] about Mabee Farm: Len Tantillo Lecture, Book Signing
A uniquely illustrated history of New Netherland, New Sweden, early North American fortification design, and the construction of Fort Cashmir (New Castle, Delaware) has been published for the New Netherland Institute. The Edge of New Netherland by L. F. Tantillo explores life in the Dutch colony and competition between European powers by focusing on the construction of regional forts, and the trade they engendered. [Read more…] about Len Tantillo: The Edge of New Netherland
The New Netherland Institute is the recipient of an annual grant from the Alice P. Kenney Memorial Trust Fund. This grant enables the Institute to award an annual prize of $1,000 to an individual or group which has made a significant contribution to colonial Dutch studies and/or has encouraged understanding of the significance of the Dutch colonial experience in North America by research, teaching, writing, speaking, or in other ways. Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed. Persons or groups to be considered for this award can be involved in any pursuit of any aspect of Dutch colonial life in North America. Emphasis is on those activities which reach a broad, popular audience in the same way that Alice P. Kenney’s activities did.
Criteria for Nominations:
* Candidates for the award can be nominated by members of the New Netherland Institute, by historical organizations, or by the general public.
* Nominations should be in the form of a nominating letter or statement (1-2 pages long)detailing how the nominator became aware of the nominee, which of the nominee’s activities led to the nomination, how those activities qualify for the award, and what the perceived impact is of the nominee’s activities.
* Nominations may also include illustrative materials which demonstrate the nominee’s activities such as maps, brochures, photographs of exhibits.
* Nominations may also include up to three one-page letters of support from other persons.
* Three copies of all material must be submitted.
Selection Criteria:
* The winner shall be selected by a four-person committee consisting of the Director of the New Netherland Project, two members of the New Netherland Institute and a representative of the Alice P. Kenney Memorial Trust Fund.
* The committee shall consider (1) if the nominee qualifies for the award, (2) how significant the nominee’s contributions are, (3) how large the audience is, (4) how great the chances are for continued influence, and (5) whether the materials are historically accurate and based on the most recent primary and secondary research.
Send nominations by April 4, 2012 to:
The Alice P. Kenney Award Selection Committee
New Netherland Institute
P.O.Box 2536, Empire State Plaza Station
Albany, NY 12220-0536
E-mail: nyslfnn@mail.nysed.gov
The Annual Hendricks Award is given to the best book or book-length manuscript relating to any aspect of the Dutch colonial experience in North America until the American Revolution. The Award carries a prize of $5,000 as well as a framed print of a painting by Len Tantillo entitled Fort Orange and the Patroon’s House. The prize-winner, chosen by a five-member panel of scholars, is selected in May or June. The Award is given at a ceremony in conjunction with the annual New Netherland Seminar, held in September. Reasonable travel expenses will be reimbursed.
Two categories of submissions will be considered in alternate years:
(1) recently completed dissertations and unpublished book-length manuscripts (2012), and (2) recently published books (2013). If there is no suitable winner in the designated category in any particular year, submissions from the alternate category will be considered. In addition, submissions from the previous year will be reconsidered for the Award.
Criteria: Entries must be based on research completed or published within two years prior to submission. Manuscripts may deal with any aspect of the Dutch colonial experience as defined above. Biographies of individuals whose careers illuminate aspects of the history of New Netherland and its aftermath are eligible, as are manuscripts dealing with literature and the arts, provided that the methodology is historical. Co-authored books are eligible, but edited collections of articles are not, nor are works of fiction or works of article length. An entry may be a self-nomination, an outside nomination, or in response to invitations to submit from Hendricks Award readers.
Submissions will be judged on their contribution to the scholarly understanding of the Dutch colonial experience in North America and the quality of their research and writing.
Three copies of a published book or three clear, readable photocopies of the manuscript must be submitted on or before March 15, with a letter of intent to enter the contest. Copies cannot be returned. Alternatively, submissions may be in pdf format.
Address entries to:
The Annual Hendricks Award Committee
New Netherland Institute
Cultural Education Center, Room 10D45
Albany, NY 12230
Send PDF submissions to nyslfnn@mail.nysed.gov; use ‘Hendricks award’ in the subject line.
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