New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

New Netherland

How the Dutch Brought Us Santa, Presents, and Treats

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ben_franklins_worldHave you ever wondered where the Christmas traditions of stockings, presents, and cookies come from?

What about jolly, old Saint Nicholas? Who was he and why do we often call him Santa Claus?

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World: A Podcast About Early American History Peter G. Rose, culinary historian of Dutch foodways in North America and author of Delicious December: How the Dutch Brought Us Santa, Presents, and Treats (SUNY Press, 2014) joins us to discuss the origins of Santa Claus and edible goodies such as cookies in the United States. You can listen to the podcast here: www.benfranklinsworld.com/218 [Read more…] about How the Dutch Brought Us Santa, Presents, and Treats

Social Historian Alice Morse Earle’s “Colonial Days in Old New York”

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Colonial Days in Old New YorkAlice Morse Earle’s book Colonial Days in Old New York: Before, During and After the American Revolution has been republished in a softcover edition by HVA Press, in Warwick, NY.

Born in 1851, at the time Colonial Days in Old New York was first published in 1896, many scholars dismissed Alice Morse Earle’s work. She was criticized as a woman too focused on the details of everyday life, derided as “pots and pans history.” Today, she is better understood as an important source for modern social historians.

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New Netherland Praatjes Podcast: Colonial Era ‘Dutchness’

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In the latest episode of the “New Netherland Praatjes” podcast, Joyce Goodfriend chats with New Netherland Institute’s Steve McErleane about Goodfriend’s career as a leading historian of New Netherland and early New York. [Read more…] about New Netherland Praatjes Podcast: Colonial Era ‘Dutchness’

Historic Huguenot St Named National Trust Distinctive Destination

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Historic Huguenot Street has been listed among sites nationwide as a Distinctive Destination by the National Trust for Historic Preservation. National Trust Distinctive Destinations are an ever-expanding group of diverse historic sites across the country that help illustrate the breadth and depth of the American story. [Read more…] about Historic Huguenot St Named National Trust Distinctive Destination

The Case Against Peter Stuyvesant

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Peter Stuyvesant statue in ManhattenThere is a Stuyvesant Square in Manhattan at 16th Street and 2nd Avenue with a statue of Peter Stuyvesant, the last Dutch governor of its New Amsterdam colony, a Stuyvesant High School, and a Stuyvesant Town residential development.

At least one group wants these places renamed and the statue removed. According to Nitsana Darshan-Leitner, the head of the Shurat HaDin-Israel Law Center “Peter Stuyvesant was an extreme racist who targeted Jews and other minorities including Catholics and energetically tried to prohibit them from settling in then New Amsterdam.” [Read more…] about The Case Against Peter Stuyvesant

Dutch-American Audio Tour Project Completed

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dutch heritage world toursDutch Heritage World Tours from Amsterdam, the Netherlands, in cooperation with many organizations connected In the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys, have released “How Dutch Is New York? – The Hudson Valley Tour”, and “How Dutch Is New York? – The Mohawk Valley Tour”.

With these two new tours the current project consisting of nine bilingual audio tours focused on shared, Dutch-American heritage and history in New York State is completed. [Read more…] about Dutch-American Audio Tour Project Completed

New Online Exhibit of 1700s Dutch-Style Cupboards

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Kasten from Mid-Hudson Valley Collections exhibitHistoric Huguenot Street (HHS) has announced the online exhibit Kasten from Mid-Hudson Valley Collections at hudsonvalleykasten.org featuring more than a dozen 18th-century Dutch-style cupboards made by American craftsmen.

Based on a furniture form popular in the Netherlands, kasten (kast singular) were adapted in the Hudson Valley for over a century and were central to many Dutch-American homes, signifying both the heritage of their owners, as well as their wealth and social status. The online exhibition highlights the enduring influence of Dutch culture in the Hudson Valley. Funding for the project was provided by a grant from the Peggy N. and Roger G. Gerry Charitable Trust and a private donation. [Read more…] about New Online Exhibit of 1700s Dutch-Style Cupboards

New Audio Tour for Kingston’s Stockade District

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dutch heritage world toursFriends of Historic Kingston, in cooperation with Dutch Heritage World Tours, have released the audio tour “How Dutch Is New York? – The Kingston Stockade Tour”.

You can use a smart phone or tablet to walk the National Historic District of the Kingston Stockade. Download the free audio tour using the free app called izi.TRAVEL. When you walk into a GPS zone near a site, images and text will appear. You have your choice of Dutch or English language. [Read more…] about New Audio Tour for Kingston’s Stockade District

New Amsterdam’s Reputation for Religious Tolerance

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new amsterdam history centerThe New Amsterdam History Center Lecture Series is set to continue with “Was New Amsterdam’s Reputation for Religious Tolerance Earned? An Atlantic Perspective,” presentations and discussion on New Amsterdam and religious toleration, featuring historians Noah Gelfand and Danny Noorlander, on Thursday, November 8th. The event will take place from 6:30 to 8 pm at the The Netherland Club of New York, Warwick Hotel NY – Warwick Room, 65 West 54th Street, New York. [Read more…] about New Amsterdam’s Reputation for Religious Tolerance

Colonial Dutch Lecture In Albany Sept 23rd

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Adriaen van der Donck, A Dutch Rebel in Seventeeth-Century AmericaThe Albany Institute of History & Art is set to host author Julie van den Hout on Sunday, September 23 at 2 pm for a lecture on her book Adriaen van der Donck, A Dutch Rebel in Seventeenth-Century America. This lecture is co-sponsored by the New Netherland Institute and is included with museum admission.

Adriaen van der Donck, A Dutch Rebel in Seventeenth-Century America focuses on Adriaen van der Donck, a young legal activist from the seventeenth-century Dutch colony of New Netherland. The book details his life from his childhood and education, but it focuses on his battle to bring his struggling colony’s complaints with the Dutch West India Company to the highest level of government in the Dutch Republic. It also delves into the changes he brought long after his death, as well as discussing his book, Description of New Netherland, which contains his vision for the country. [Read more…] about Colonial Dutch Lecture In Albany Sept 23rd