On Sunday, September 27, 2026 at 1 pm, Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site and New York Archives magazine will present “When Hamilton Called Albany Home.” Schuyler Mansion Site Manager Heidi Hill will highlight Albany’s role in Alexander Hamilton’s life – from his ties to the prominent Schuyler family to the broader political and social networks that helped define a young nation. [Read more…] about When Alexander Hamilton Called Albany Home
New York State Museum
The Miniature Mysteries of Lichen Moths
A stunning moth visits my deck in late summer. At an inch long, it doesn’t have the stature of a luna or cecropia moth, but the brilliant gradient of vermilion to gold across its wings and body, offset with contrasting black bars, is eye-catching.
It’s a painted lichen moth, a member of a group of small moths whose caterpillars are known for feeding on lichens. [Read more…] about The Miniature Mysteries of Lichen Moths
State Museum Marking September 11th Attacks 25th Anniversary
The New York State Museum has announced a new photography exhibition, a new display of rarely seen artifacts, and a series of public programs to mark the 25th anniversary of the September 11, 2001, terrorist attacks on the World Trade Center.
Opening September 5, 2026, “Witness to 9/11” is a new photography exhibition that explores the immediate response and aftermath of the attacks, told primarily through the work of two New York Daily News photographers, Todd Maisel and David Handschuh. [Read more…] about State Museum Marking September 11th Attacks 25th Anniversary
Fort Drum’s World War II Combat Con Artists
During the final year of World War II, more than 1,000 soldiers, including artists, engineers, radio operators, and sound technicians, used inflatable rubber tanks, fabricated radio transmissions, recorded sound effects, and carefully staged visual illusions to convince enemy forces that large American combat units were stationed where they were not. Many of the troops trained in Northern New York at Fort Drum in Jefferson County, then known as Pine Camp, before deploying to Europe. [Read more…] about Fort Drum’s World War II Combat Con Artists
Women’s Equality Day Events: 250 Years of Marching Toward Equality
Women’s Equality Day, celebrated on August 26th, commemorates the passage of the 19th amendment in 1920 which ensured that most white women were no longer barred from voting due to their gender. The day also honors ongoing efforts toward full gender equality.
First celebrated in 1971 following the 1970 nationwide Women’s Strike for Equality, it was established by Congress in 1973 after a resolution was introduced by New York Congresswoman Bella Abzug (1920-1998). [Read more…] about Women’s Equality Day Events: 250 Years of Marching Toward Equality
Cannonballs & Lake George’s Colonial Military History
In November 1940, Clayton Bly, a lumber company employee and a military veteran of World War I (1914–1918), unearthed two cannonballs from the Virgin Hollow neighborhood of Lake George.
At the time, Bly probably did not realize he stumbled upon a little understood chapter of Lake George’s colonial history. [Read more…] about Cannonballs & Lake George’s Colonial Military History
The NYS Cultural Education Center Turns 50
Half a century ago, New York State opened the doors to the Cultural Education Center in Albany, creating a landmark public home where generations of New Yorkers and visitors from around the world could explore the history, culture, scholarship, and heritage that define the Empire State.
Opened on July 1, 1976, the Cultural Education Center has served for 50 years as the home of the New York State Education Department’s Office of Cultural Education, which includes the New York State Museum, New York State Library, and New York State Archives. [Read more…] about The NYS Cultural Education Center Turns 50
A Delft Tile Mystery at Schuyler Flatts, Hudson River
Delft tiles are traditional, tin-glazed earthenware originating from the Netherlands as early as the 16th century. They are best known for their distinctive blue-and-white or polychrome hand-painted designs.
Developed in the Dutch city of Delft during the late 1500s as a local response to imported Chinese porcelain, these tiles were popular in New Netherland and New York, and were used on walls, hearths, and fireplace surrounds. [Read more…] about A Delft Tile Mystery at Schuyler Flatts, Hudson River
State Museum Opens Major ‘Revolutionary New York’ Exhibit
The New York State Museum has opened “Revolutionary New York,” a major new exhibition commemorating the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence and exploring New York’s central role in shaping American democracy.
Remaining on display for several years, the nearly 7,000-square-foot exhibition brings together more than 200 artifacts, rare documents, immersive displays, interactive elements, and stories that connect the American Revolution’s founding ideals to the continuing pursuit of freedom, equality, justice, and civic responsibility across generations. [Read more…] about State Museum Opens Major ‘Revolutionary New York’ Exhibit
State Museum Programs Explore Albany Pine Bush
The 3,400-acre Albany Pine Bush Preserve (APBP), located in New York’s Capital District, protects one of the best remaining inland pitch pine-scrub oak barrens in the world.
This extraordinary fire-dependent ecosystem provides habitat for many rare plants and animals, including more than 20 percent of New York State’s wildlife Species of Greatest Conservation Need, such as the endangered Karner blue butterfly. [Read more…] about State Museum Programs Explore Albany Pine Bush
Rev War Remains Being Brought to Lake George for Reinternment
The skeletal remains of 44 people believed to have been associated with the Continental Army effort to invade Quebec in 1775 will be transported in historic U.S. military vehicles on Wednesday, May 20 from the New York State Museum in Albany to Lake George.
Scientists there have spent seven years identifying and reconstructing the remains. They will be reinterred in a new memorial at Lake George Battlefield Park being dedicated Friday, May 22. [Read more…] about Rev War Remains Being Brought to Lake George for Reinternment
Revolutionary War Smallpox Hospital Reinterments on Schedule
Town of Lake George officials say construction continues on schedule for the “Repose of the Fallen” project involving the reinterment of the skeletal remains of 44 people who are believed to have been associated with a Continental Army smallpox hospital when they died during the American Revolution.
The remains will be interred in a new memorial located in Lake George Battlefield State Park that will be dedicated during a public ceremony on Friday, May 22. [Read more…] about Revolutionary War Smallpox Hospital Reinterments on Schedule
Lady Johnson, Angelica Schuyler, and the Politics of Revolutionary Loyalty
In the spring of 1776, a dramatic arrest and an uneasy imprisonment placed two prominent women, Lady Mary Watts Johnson and Angelica Schuyler, on opposite sides of the conflict and at the heart of a growing political storm.
On Saturday, March 28, 2026, at 2 pm, Johnson Hall and Schuyler Mansion State Historic Sites will offer a presentation on these Revolutionary Era women at the New York State Museum’s Huxley Theater. This event is free and open to the public. No registration required. [Read more…] about Lady Johnson, Angelica Schuyler, and the Politics of Revolutionary Loyalty
Unpacking John André’s Boot
The latest episode of the New York Minute in History podcast tells the harrowing story of the capture of British spymaster Major John André, who was caught attempting to bring vital information on the American garrison at West Point to the British army command during the American Revolution.
The documents hidden in André’s boot made it clear that American General Benedict Arnold was involved in the conspiracy and a traitor to the cause. [Read more…] about Unpacking John André’s Boot
New York State 250th Commemoration Summit Set for Feb 11th
The Office of Cultural Education will host another New York State 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution Commemoration Summit on February 11, 2026 at the New York State Museum’s Huxley Theater in Albany from 9:30 am to 11:30 am.
The event will include updates and presentations from a wide variety of state officials, cultural, history, and tourism entities and executives. [Read more…] about New York State 250th Commemoration Summit Set for Feb 11th
New Lichen Research Reveals How Habitat Loss Impacts Biodiversity
Lichens, the remarkable symbiotic partnerships between fungi and algae, are helping scientists unlock a new understanding of biodiversity in some of North America’s most sensitive forest ecosystems.
An ecological study spearheaded in part by the New York State Museum, spanning the southern Appalachian Mountains, has found that the diversity of native tree species is the strongest predictor of how many lichen species a forest can support. [Read more…] about New Lichen Research Reveals How Habitat Loss Impacts Biodiversity
State Museum Confirms Wild Gray Wolf in New York
Scientists from the New York State Museum, in collaboration with researchers from Princeton University and the Northeast Ecological Recovery Society, have confirmed the first documented case of a wild gray wolf south of the St. Lawrence River in decades.
The confirmation is based on analysis of a canid shot by a hunter outside Cooperstown in Cherry Valley, Otsego County in December 2021. The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) announced its confirmation the animal was a wolf in 2022. [Read more…] about State Museum Confirms Wild Gray Wolf in New York
Rare Clock Collection Exhibit at New York State Museum
The New York State Museum has announced the donation of a significant clock collection from historian and author G. Russell Oechsle.
Featuring more than 80 rare clocks made in Upstate New York between 1818 and 1927 — with a strong concentration from the 1820s and 1830s — the collection offers a vivid window into a once-thriving regional industry shaped by the opening of the Erie Canal. [Read more…] about Rare Clock Collection Exhibit at New York State Museum
From the Bicentennial to America 250: The New York Experience
New York’s America 250 Commission is finalizing its plans for the state’s commemoration next year. In the meantime, it might be useful to look back at what the New York State American Revolution Bicentennial Commission did a half century ago.
The commission carried out a number of activities. As it happens, I joined the Office of State History in 1973 and then moved to the State Archives from 1976 onward, so I recall much of this. The activities I recall best from my experience are summarized below. [Read more…] about From the Bicentennial to America 250: The New York Experience
MLB & NYC: An Evening with Major League Baseball’s Official Historian
On Monday, October 6, at 5 pm, the New York State Museum in Albany will present John Thorn, the Official Historian of Major League Baseball (MLB), for a special evening presentation on baseball’s deep connection with New York City.
Thorn will explore how the sport and the city have shaped one another over time while capturing the hearts of millions. This one-night-only program will highlight the pivotal role New York has played in the history of the national pastime and its enduring impact on American culture. [Read more…] about MLB & NYC: An Evening with Major League Baseball’s Official Historian