New York City

When Manhattan Spoke German: Lüchow’s, Würzburger & Little Germany

November 2, 2022 by Jaap Harskamp 6 Comments

Since it foundation, German settlers had been present in New Amsterdam (Peter Minuit was a native of Wesel am Rhein), but the significant arrival of German-speaking migrants took place towards the middle of the nineteenth century. By 1840 more than 24,000 of them had made New York their home.

In the next two decades, when large parts of the territory were plunged into deep socio-political and economic problems, another hundred thousand Germans crossed the Atlantic turning New York into the world’s third-largest German-speaking city, after Berlin and Vienna. [Read more…] about When Manhattan Spoke German: Lüchow’s, Würzburger & Little Germany

From New York To Albany By Hudson River Sloop In 1800

October 30, 2022 by Guest Contributor 2 Comments

The following travelogue, taken from “Visit to the Falls of Niagara in 1800,” was originally published in London in 1826 by John Maude. It was transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer researcher George A. Thompson and additionally edited and annotated by John Warren. [Read more…] about From New York To Albany By Hudson River Sloop In 1800

$1.4M For Hudson River Estuary Community Projects

October 22, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced grants totaling more than $1.4 million for 23 projects to help communities along the Hudson River Estuary improve water quality and enhance environmental education and stewardship.

The announcement coincides with the 20th Annual ‘Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor,’ where 5,000 student scientists are gathering along the Hudson River and New York Harbor to collect data on the Hudson’s fish and invertebrates, track the river’s tides and currents, and examine water chemistry and quality. [Read more…] about $1.4M For Hudson River Estuary Community Projects

100 Yrs of NYC Planning Exhibit at Grand Central

October 20, 2022 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

In celebration of its centennial, the civic group Regional Plan Association has opened a free public exhibition in Grand Central Terminal’s Vanderbilt Hall. Designed by James Sanders Studio and curated by RPA, “The Constant Future: A Century of the Regional Plan” explores 100 years of New York City’s development from 1922 to the present day. The two-story display will be on view through October 24th. [Read more…] about 100 Yrs of NYC Planning Exhibit at Grand Central

Albany’s Harmanus Bleecker, 19th Century Ambassador to The Netherlands

October 11, 2022 by Peter Hess 1 Comment

In 1658, 17-year-old Jan Janse Bleecker set sail from Mappel, Overyssel in the Netherlands for Nieuw Amsterdam (now New York City) in the Dutch colony of New Netherland. He knew that Dutch traders had established a trading post there about 45 years earlier.

In 1629, Kiliaen Van Rensselaer, a partner in the Dutch West India Company, had obtained rights to establish a settlement and control the fur trade at Fort Orange located about 150 miles north of New Amsterdam. [Read more…] about Albany’s Harmanus Bleecker, 19th Century Ambassador to The Netherlands

Statue of Liberty National Monument To Begin Improvement Project

October 3, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The National Park Service has awarded a $22 million construction contract to make repairs to the historic fort that serves as the foundation for the Statue of Liberty and its pedestal.

Funded by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA), the project is expected to make drainage and safety improvements that will help preserve the structure and enhance accessibility for visitors. [Read more…] about Statue of Liberty National Monument To Begin Improvement Project

Joe Gingras: A Major League Baseball Career Thwarted By War

October 2, 2022 by Dave Waite 4 Comments

In 1870 Francois Dieudonné Gingras left his native Canada for Manhattan where he met and married Mary Roohan. By 1896, now with three children and another on the way, this couple had settled in Saratoga Springs where they opened a grocery store.

Their oldest son, Frank, was soon brought into the family business and the store was renamed, F. D. Gingras & Son. Their youngest son, whom they had named Joseph Elzead John Gingras, was looking to pursue a far different life: baseball. [Read more…] about Joe Gingras: A Major League Baseball Career Thwarted By War

The First Slave Traders in New York

September 28, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The first direct shipment of enslaved Africans arrived in New Amsterdam (now New York City) in 1655. The voyage of the White Horse came in the wake of significant changes in the Dutch Atlantic. In this eessay, American historian Dennis Maika outlines how family and business connections shaped the development of a slave-trading center in Manhattan.

New Amsterdam’s residents would have immediately noticed something different about the arrival of the Witte Paert (White Horse) in the early summer of 1655. The stench of human excrement and illness emanating from the newly arrived “scheepgen” (small ship), left little doubt that a slaver had arrived after a long voyage. [Read more…] about The First Slave Traders in New York

Edgar Allan Poe’s European Legacy

September 26, 2022 by Jaap Harskamp 2 Comments

A hundred years ago the Edgar Allan Poe Museum was founded in Richmond, Virginia. To celebrate the anniversary author and preeminent Poe collector Susan Jaffe Tane donated the pocket watch that Poe carried on him whilst writing his short story The Tell-Tale Heart shortly before he moved to the city of New York where he spent his last years.

In this tale the murderous narrator compares the thumping of his victim’s heart to the ticking of a clock. [Read more…] about Edgar Allan Poe’s European Legacy

A Catskills Native & A Notorious NYPD Shootout

September 22, 2022 by John Conway 1 Comment

Sullivan County, NY native Edwin Vincent Churchill was 34 years old and a New York City motorcycle cop when he was killed in one of the most notorious shootouts in NYPD history.

Another policeman, a four-year old girl, and three perpetrators were also killed in the incident, and 12 others — mainly innocent bystanders — were wounded. [Read more…] about A Catskills Native & A Notorious NYPD Shootout