Just six weeks after Patriots at the Second Continental Congress in Philadelphia declared independence on July 4, 1776, tens of thousands of troops clashed in one of the largest engagements of the American Revolution, across now-unrecognizable areas of New York City. [Read more…] about Battle of Brooklyn 250th Anniversary Spawns Battlefield App
Online Resources
An Online ‘Oral History’ Archive Documents America Today
In its first year, OurStoryBridge Listens: Present in the Moment has recorded more than 150 oral histories from residents of 23 states and the District of Columbia.
Organizers believe it is the nation’s only digital short-form oral history project dedicated to preserving personal perspectives during the current period of rapid social, political and economic change. [Read more…] about An Online ‘Oral History’ Archive Documents America Today
‘Wall of Ghosts’ Memorializes Forgotten Free Black Community in Queens
In the early nineteenth century, resilient free Black community lived in Newtown, the rural village that would later become Elmhurst, Queens.
Census records, historical maps, manumission documents, 19th century newspaper articles, and correspondences show that Black families lived, worked, and raised children here decades before the Civil War. [Read more…] about ‘Wall of Ghosts’ Memorializes Forgotten Free Black Community in Queens
The 2026 New York State Family History Conference
The New York Genealogical & Biographical Society (NYG&B) will host genealogy experts for “New Perspectives, Best Practices,” the 2026 version of New York’s largest statewide family history conference.
The event is available online with on demand access September 9th through November 16, 2026 and being live-streamed September 18–19, 2026 from the NYG&B Headquarters in New York City. [Read more…] about The 2026 New York State Family History Conference
New York’s Revolutionary Committee Records: Correspondence, Safety & Conspiracies
For a century and a half prior to the American Revolution the people of New York had been accustomed to act through representative committees in order to win one concession after another for self-government.
During the Dutch period the Twelve Men (a committee chosen in 1641 by the residents to advise Willem Kieft on relations with Native Americans), the Eight Men (Remonstrance of the Eight Men, 1644), the Nine Men (Remonstrance of the Commonality, 1649, led by Adriaen van der Donck), and other groups, wrested rights for the people from autocratic New Netherland governors and the West India Company. [Read more…] about New York’s Revolutionary Committee Records: Correspondence, Safety & Conspiracies
New Adirondack Rail Trail App Launched
A new Adirondack Rail Trail App has been launched, a free mobile resource designed to enhance the visitor experience and encourage exploration of the region’s communities, businesses, and attractions.
Developed by the Regional Office of Sustainable Tourism (ROOST) in partnership with local technology company UpNCoding, the app features interactive maps, trip-planning tools, and important trail information. [Read more…] about New Adirondack Rail Trail App Launched
A New Native Species Selection Tool
Are you looking for recommendations of native plants and trees to plant on your specific site? DEC and the New York Natural Heritage Program recently released a Species Selection Tool that provides a list of recommended native tree, shrub, and herbaceous plant species, including flowering species, ferns and herbs, to improve habitats, increase biodiversity, and benefit wildlife across New York State. [Read more…] about A New Native Species Selection Tool
UAlbany Puts More Than A Century of Yearbooks Online
The University at Albany (UAlbany, or SUNY Albany) has digitized and put online over 120 yearbooks spanning more than a century of campus history.
This collection, managed by the M.E. Grenander Department of Special Collections and Archives, offers a look back at student life, sports, and major events on campus and off from 1900 to 2014, including also one student produced edition from 2022. [Read more…] about UAlbany Puts More Than A Century of Yearbooks Online
America’s 250th Anniversary Education Resources
America’s 250th Anniversary celebrations highlight and commemorate not just the roles of New York’s citizens during the American Revolution, but also the subsequent 250 years of action toward the ideals of our nation’s founding principles.
The New York State 250th Commemoration Field Guide and the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution Resource Guide for educators includes a variety of information, including classroom resources from the Office of Cultural Education at the New York State Education Department, in support of P-12 exploration related to this historic commemoration. [Read more…] about America’s 250th Anniversary Education Resources
Help Document New York Weather Impacts
MyCoast NY is a public web tool which offers an opportunity to contribute and access photos of flooding, shoreline change, and storm damage from anywhere in the state.
When you submit a photo, it is automatically linked to real-time weather, river, and tidal gauge data to help provide context for the photo. [Read more…] about Help Document New York Weather Impacts
1980s East Village Photographs Go Online
Peter Bennett is a photographer who grew up in Greenwich Village and lived in the East Village from 1979-1988, bartending by night and photographing the neighborhood around him by day.
In the latest addition to the Village Preservation historic image archive, he has shared some of his photographs of the East Village in the early 1980s. [Read more…] about 1980s East Village Photographs Go Online
New Interactive Map Celebrates Greenwich Village Jazz History
April is Jazz Appreciation Month, and Village Preservation in New York City is celebrating with a new way to explore the history of this art form in their neighborhoods: an interactive Jazz Map of Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo.
This map traces the legacy of jazz in these streets, where legendary musicians lived and groundbreaking performances and recording sessions took place. [Read more…] about New Interactive Map Celebrates Greenwich Village Jazz History
Spectral Database Planned for Museum of Natural History Mineral Collection
![Beryl (/ˈbɛrəl/ BERR-əl) is a mineral composed of beryllium aluminium silicate with the chemical formula Be3Al2(SiO3)6.[6] Well-known varieties of beryl include emerald and aquamarine.](https://www.newyorkalmanack.com/wp-content/uploads/2026/03/Mineral-Beryl-e1774449180809.jpg)
Wiley, which calls itself “a global leader in authoritative content and research intelligence for the advancement of scientific discovery, innovation and learning,” has announced a new collaborative project with the American Museum of Natural History to extend access to the Museum’s renowned mineral collection to scientists around the world.
This new project, a Raman spectral database, serves the museum’s mission to disseminate knowledge about the natural world “through scientific research and education.” [Read more…] about Spectral Database Planned for Museum of Natural History Mineral Collection
Village Preservation’s Women’s History Resources
New York City has been home to a remarkable breadth of transformative women, and the scene of innumerable movements for women’s equality and empowerment.
Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation has numerous ways to celebrate and explore women’s history in Greenwich Village, the East Village, and NoHo. Many of the women in these collections have had statewide and national impacts. [Read more…] about Village Preservation’s Women’s History Resources
Historic Saranac Lake Launches New Wiki Website
Historic Saranac Lake has moved their wiki website of local history to a new platform that is more reliable and easier to use.
Historic Saranac Lake Archivist/Curator Chessie Monks-Kelly led the project to move the wiki to a new host to ensure the over 8,000 pages of local history would continue to be available to the public. [Read more…] about Historic Saranac Lake Launches New Wiki Website
Forgotten Stories of People of Color in Northern New York
A new digital project is documenting the forgotten stories of people of color in Northern New York. Jacqueline Madison, President of the North Country Underground Railroad Historical Association has created a website to share stories she has uncovered of working-class people of color in the Adirondack and Lake Champlain regions.
The new website, jaqcalinfo.com, chronicles the history of individuals who lived, loved, and thrived in the North Country. [Read more…] about Forgotten Stories of People of Color in Northern New York
Road to Harlem: The Forgotten History of Black Manhattan
Long before Harlem, Black New Yorkers were shaping the city’s history, neighborhoods, culture, and institutions. A multi-part series of free virtual lectures organized by Save Harlem Now and its partners are currently exploring those stories, beginning in 17th century New Amsterdam and continuing through centuries of resilience, community-building, creativity, and struggle. [Read more…] about Road to Harlem: The Forgotten History of Black Manhattan
The Black History Matters Video Series for 2026
The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum, located in Peterboro, in Madison County, NY, has announced their 2026 Black History Matters video series, which this year focuses on Abolition.
Beginning February 1st, ten videos will address the Abolition movement in the United States and globally, including the role of women, the development of the Underground Railroad, the role of religion in Abolition, and the afterlives of slavery that exist today. [Read more…] about The Black History Matters Video Series for 2026
The New York State Historic Newspapers Project
This week Kaatscast features Chuck Henry, the Project Lead of New York State Historic Newspapers, a digital archive containing over 1,200 newspaper titles, 1.5 million editions, and more than 15 million searchable pages spanning from 1725 to 2025.
It’s one of the largest newspaper archives in the country and is completely free, with no paywalls or subscriptions needed. [Read more…] about The New York State Historic Newspapers Project
New LGBTQ Oral History: Assemblymember Deborah Glick
As Lower Manhattan’s elected representative for 35 years, Deborah Glick has been a leading advocate for civil rights, reproductive freedom, animals and environmental preservation, the arts, and tenants’ rights.
Glick was the first openly LGBTQ+ member of the State Legislature when elected in 1990 and a leader in the fight for marriage equality. [Read more…] about New LGBTQ Oral History: Assemblymember Deborah Glick