History, Natural History & the Arts
On September 8, I had the honor of boarding the Amistad docked in Yonkers, New York. The event was a last minute one, arranged in part through African American Westchester 400 (AAW400) and the City of Yonkers. I am a member of that committee. Although the 400th Anniversary is over, the work continues to tell the story of the African contributions to the our county, state, and country.
[Read more…] about The Amistad Commissions: New York and New Jersey
August 28, 2019, marked the seventh birthday of the Path through History project.
I was there on August 28, 2012, with hundreds of others for the opening fanfare. People were excited about this new initiative to revitalize cultural heritage tourism in the state. [Read more…] about Peter Feinman: After 7 Years ‘Path Through History’ Still Falls Short
Recently I wrote about some examples of activities which I feel deserve attention and emulation. I do not mean to suggest that I am aware of everything the history community is doing.
The New York History Blog is updated several times daily, so it provides a very frequent and widely read venue for notifications. I recommend that organizations use The New York History Blog to make announcements and promote themselves. You can write an essay about what you are doing and how it relates to history in New York State, or submit press releases about your news and events (learn how to submit here). [Read more…] about Some History Events That Are Outside The Ordinary
Between 1789 and 1825, five men would serve as President of the United States. Four of them hailed from Virginia.
Many of us know details about the lives and presidencies of Washington, Jefferson, and Madison. But what do we know about the life and presidency of the fourth Virginia president, James Monroe?
In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Sara Bon-Harper, Executive Director of James Monroe’s Highland, joins us to explore the public and private life of James Monroe. [Read more…] about BFW Road Trip: Charlottesville, VA, James Monroe’s Highland
The history community does not do a good job advocating for itself. I am not referring to the actions an individual history organization may take on behalf of its own organization. I’m referring to collective action on behalf of the entire history community within the state.
The major exception to this generalization is the historic preservation community. It sometimes has its own statewide organizations, conferences, and agenda items for lobbying state legislators. Unfortunately, the history community itself may be lacking such an organized and concerted effort. [Read more…] about History Advocacy: What Should New York Do?
Even history museums have a history – a museum history. Museums today are the repositories of historical artifacts available to scholars and the general public alike, but that was not always so.
The subject was the topic of two recent conference presentations: “Entertainments at Taverns and Long Rooms in New England, 1700-1900” at Historic Deerfield; and in the keynote address at the recent Massachusetts History Alliance conference. In addition, there is an article in the current issue of Near Eastern Archaeology about the Metropolitan Museum of Art in the 19th century. [Read more…] about NY History Museum History: Some Recent Articles
Not all historians publish their findings about history in books and articles. Some historians convey knowledge about history to the public in public spaces and in public ways.
In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Lonnie Bunch, the Founding Director of the Smithsonian’s National Museum of African American History & Culture takes us on a behind-the-scenes tour of how historians do history for the public. [Read more…] about BFW Road Trip: Washington, D.C., NMAAHC
A “little short of madness.” That is how Thomas Jefferson responded when two delegates from New York approached him with the idea to build the Erie Canal in January 1809.
Jefferson’s comment did not discourage New Yorkers. On January 4, 1817, New York State began building a 363-mile long canal to link the Hudson River and Atlantic Ocean with the Great Lakes and the Midwest. [Read more…] about A Visit To Schoharie Crossing (Liz Covart Podacst)
Did Canada almost join the American Revolution?
In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Bruno Paul Stenson, a historian and musicologist with the Château de Ramezay historic site in Montréal, joins us to discuss how the American Revolution played out in Canada. [Read more…] about Road Trip: Montréal, Château Ramezay
One hundred years ago, on April 11, 1919, New York Governor Al Smith signed the “Historians Law.” The first law of its kind in the United States, the Historians Law allowed for every village, town, and city in the state to have an official historian to gather and preserve historical records.
On the this episode of A New York Minute In History, host and New York State Historian Devin Lander is joined by Clifton Park Historian John Scherer, Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts, and former Broome County Historian and past president of the Association of Public Historians of New York State Gerald Smith to discuss the role of local historians and the integral part they play in their communities. [Read more…] about NYS Historians Law Celebrates 100th Birthday