The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) has announced the results of the first ever National Census of History Organizations, an effort to research the size and scope of the history community in the United States. [Read more…] about A First Ever National Census of History Organizations
Public History
Bruce Dearstyne On Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary
Planning has begun for commemoration of the nation’s 250th anniversary, to be officially called the “Semiquincentennial.” The federal government has established America 250. A number of states, including Virginia have established state commissions. In Massachusetts it is called Revolution 250. [Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne On Commemorating America’s 250th Anniversary
Bruce Dearstyne’s ‘Spirit of New York’ Reissued In Expanded Edition
Bruce W. Dearstyne’s expanded new edition of The Spirit of New York (SUNY Press, 2022; first published 2016) explores nineteen dramatic events from New York State’s history that altered the course of U.S. history.
From the launch of the state government in April 1777 thru the tragedy of September 11th and through the debut of the musical play Hamilton in 2015, Dearstyne’s chapters describe great political changes, historical turning points, and struggles for social, racial, and environmental reform.
[Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne’s ‘Spirit of New York’ Reissued In Expanded Edition
Firsting and Lasting: Writing Indians Out of Existence
The Vermont Historical Society will host “Firsting and Lasting: Writing Indians out of Existence in New England” with Jean M. O’Brien, a virtual program on Wednesday, January 19th.
Drawing on more than six hundred local histories from Massachusetts, Connecticut, and Rhode Island written between 1820 and 1880, O’Brien explores how these narratives inculcated the myth of Indian extinction, a myth that has stubbornly remained in the American consciousness.
O’Brien argues that local histories became a primary means by which European Americans asserted their own modernity while denying it to Indian peoples. [Read more…] about Firsting and Lasting: Writing Indians Out of Existence
Saratoga National Historical Park Getting $6.6M For Infrastructure
The primary visitor experience at Saratoga National Historical Park is about to benefit from $6.6 million in funding provided by the Great American Outdoors Act (GAOA).
Extensive work on the park’s self-guided battlefield Tour Road will begin in 2022 and is expected to result in increased accessibility and visible improvements to the parking areas, trailheads, walkways, seating, exhibits and viewing areas along the ten-mile-long route. [Read more…] about Saratoga National Historical Park Getting $6.6M For Infrastructure
2021 Municipal Historian Reports Due
As per § 57.09 of the NYS Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, all appointed Local Government Historians “shall make an annual report, in the month of January, to the local appointing officer or officers and to the state historian of the work which has been accomplished during the preceding year.”
In an attempt to make this process easier, the State Historian has created an online form. [Read more…] about 2021 Municipal Historian Reports Due
Bruce Dearstyne: Making Use of New York’s Usable Past
New York, the nation’s historically most important state, has a lot of history worth exploring and sharing more extensively. That history is particularly useful for perspective on current critical public issues.
Many of these are discussed in a historical vacuum, as if they have never been considered before. In fact they have, and history is a good place to start the discussion because it provides parallels, precedents, and perspectives. [Read more…] about Bruce Dearstyne: Making Use of New York’s Usable Past
Oneida History Center Names New Director, 1st Woman To Hold Position
The Oneida County History Center (OCHC) has named Rebecca M. McLain as the new Executive Director.
McLain is the first woman to hold the position of Executive Director of the Center, which was founded in 1876. [Read more…] about Oneida History Center Names New Director, 1st Woman To Hold Position
Kinderhook’s Ruth Piwonka Receives Woman of History Award
Historian and preservationist Ruth Piwonka has been named the 2020 Martha Washington Woman of History.
This award is given annually by Washington’s Headquarters State Historic Site to a woman who has made a contribution to the history of the Hudson Valley through education, promotion, or preservation. The honor was inspired by Martha Washington, an outstanding woman in history who resided in the Hudson Valley with her husband, General George Washington, during the last days of the Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about Kinderhook’s Ruth Piwonka Receives Woman of History Award
NNY Pandemic Documentation Project Launched
TAUNY (Traditional Arts In Upstate New York) has invited the Northern New York community to share their stories of and creative responses to the Coronavirus Pandemic for the new “Get the Folk Through It” Pandemic Documentation Project. [Read more…] about NNY Pandemic Documentation Project Launched