New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Plattsburgh

Adk Council: Manchin Harming Adirondacks, Local Green Jobs

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Adirondack CouncilWest Virginia Senator Joe Manchin’s refusal to negotiate legislation to curb climate change will harm New York’s Adirondack Park as well as the growing clean-manufacturing economy in nearby Plattsburgh, according to the Adirondack Council.

The Council called on New York State government to intensify its efforts to reduce carbon emissions, and called on the state’s voters to approve the Clean Water, Clean Air and Green Jobs Bond Act on the ballot November 8th. [Read more…] about Adk Council: Manchin Harming Adirondacks, Local Green Jobs

Arto Monaco’s Valcour, Plattsburgh Battle Dioramas Being Conserved

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Battle of Valcour diorama created by Arto Monaco The Clinton County Historical Association has announce it has received a Conservation Treatment Grant from the Greater Hudson Heritage Network for the conservation of a diorama created by Adirondack artist and theme park creator Arto Monaco (1913-2003).

The diorama was a gift from the Plattsburgh Rotary who commissioned the work for the 1976 United States Bicentennial celebration. It’s been moved to several locations over the years, resting finally within the CCHA Museum at 98 Ohio Avenue on the Old Base Museum Campus in Plattsburgh, NY. [Read more…] about Arto Monaco’s Valcour, Plattsburgh Battle Dioramas Being Conserved

Aaron Burr, Marcus Garvey, Lady Bird Johnson & More (Historians Podcast)

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The Historians LogoThis highlights edition of The Historians Podcast has excerpts from a dozen shows that were posted this year. Topics include the battle of Valcour, black separatist Marcus Garvey, Lady Bird Johnson, women’s suffrage, time travel, the history of deceit and more. [Read more…] about Aaron Burr, Marcus Garvey, Lady Bird Johnson & More (Historians Podcast)

Lake Champlain Bluff Point Lighthouse Tour August 8th

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Bluff Point Lighthouse courtesy Wikimedia user MwannerThe Clinton County Historical Association (CCHA) will host a tour of the historic Bluff Point Lighthouse on Valcour Island on Lake Champlain on Sunday, August 8th. [Read more…] about Lake Champlain Bluff Point Lighthouse Tour August 8th

Summer Sundays at Champlain’s Bluff Point Lighthouse

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Bluff Point Lighthouse courtesy Wikimedia user MwannerThe Clinton County Historical Association has announced “Sunday on Valcour Island,” an event featuring tours of the historic Bluff Point Lighthouse on Lake Champlain with additional historic island farm tours, set for Sunday, July 11th. [Read more…] about Summer Sundays at Champlain’s Bluff Point Lighthouse

Jack Kelly Talks About His New Book On Battle of Valcour Island

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, Jack Kelly discusses his new book Valcour: The 1776 Campaign That Saved the Cause of Liberty (St. Martins Press, 2021).  Rebel forces were led by Benedict Arnold in this key naval battle with Great Britain around Valcour Island on Lake Champlain in Northern New York. [Read more…] about Jack Kelly Talks About His New Book On Battle of Valcour Island

Saranac River Restoration Efforts Underway at Former Gas Plant

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river being protected while coal tar is being removed from sediment by Mary Jo CranceA former manufactured gas plant (MGP) was located on an approximately 11-acre area in Plattsburgh near the Saranac River from 1896 to 1960. The coal tar by-product of the manufacturing process was pumped into an on-site unlined lagoon for storage.

It was later discovered that the coal tar by-product seeped out of the unlined lagoon into bedrock and the nearby Saranac River. [Read more…] about Saranac River Restoration Efforts Underway at Former Gas Plant

Patriot Then Traitor: Saratoga County’s Joe Bettys

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The Capture of Joe Bettys from United States Magazine, 1857 page 569On April Fool’s Day, April 1st, 1782, Joe Bettys was hanged. It was, as was the custom, a public spectacle in Albany where the notorious traitor had been taken for his trial and sentencing.

On the scaffold, just after a noose was tied around his neck, he jumped to his death, thereby depriving his executioners from carrying out his sentence. [Read more…] about Patriot Then Traitor: Saratoga County’s Joe Bettys

Valcour Island: Keeping The Cause of Liberty Alive

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Valcour The 1776 Campaign That Saved the Cause of LibertyThe summer of 1776 was among the most perilous periods of the Revolutionary War, and almost all the action took place in New York. The young nation tottered on the edge of destruction that summer.

With an army of 20,000 men, George Washington could not hold New York City against an enemy force twice as large. The British drove him out of the city and across New Jersey into Pennsylvania. By December, he had 3,000 men left and was admitting to his brother, “I think the game is pretty near up.” [Read more…] about Valcour Island: Keeping The Cause of Liberty Alive

DEC Plans To Shore-Up Saranac River’s Imperial Mills Dam

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Imperial DamNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the release of final plans for the Imperial Mills Dam on the Saranac River in Plattsburgh.

The plan shores-up the dam to bring it into compliance with dam safety regulations and adds a carry for paddlers and a fish ladder to provide for passage of landlocked Atlantic salmon. There have been calls to remove the dam entirely, including by Lake Champlain Chapter of Trout Unlimited and the City of Plattsburgh and return the river to a more natural state and reduce the threat of flooding in the city.  DEC’s announcement said they met with Clinton County officials before finalizing the plan. [Read more…] about DEC Plans To Shore-Up Saranac River’s Imperial Mills Dam