North Country writer Sandra Weber recently joined the ADK Talks podcast to discuss John Brown Farm: From Abolitionist Vision to Memorial Site (Purple Mountain Press, 2026), is a book devoted entirely to the history and meaning of the John Brown Farm State Historic Site in North Elba, Essex County, NY. [Read more…] about John Brown Farm: Abolitionist Vision to Memorial Site
Purple Mountain Press
Founded in 1973 and a majority woman-owned business, Purple Mountain Press in New York’s Catskill Mountains specializes in local and regional books on the natural and cultural history of upstate New York.
Peter Pan in the Catskills and Other Historical Essays
Peter Pan in the Catskills and Other Historical Essays (Purple Mountain Press, 2026) is a collection that evokes the magic of the region, from Rip Van Winkle to Maude Adams, whose renowned portrayal of Peter Pan made her famous.
This illustrated volume celebrates all that is extraordinary about the Catskill Mountains. In 33 essays, 28 writers dig into Catskills culture and history, bringing to light fossils, flora, and fauna, as well as art, railroads, baseball, and more. [Read more…] about Peter Pan in the Catskills and Other Historical Essays
Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks
A new edition of Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks is now available from Purple Mountain Press. Since its initial publication in 2004, this book has become a classic of New York State history. In Breaking Trail, authors Peggy Lynn and Sandra Weber teamed up to tell the stories of remarkable and courageous women who blazed trails – in some cases literally – through the Adirondacks in the 19th and 20th centuries. [Read more…] about Breaking Trail: Remarkable Women of the Adirondacks
Catskills Publisher Purple Mountain Press Under New Ownership
Four locals, all with publishing experience, have teamed up to revitalize the 52-year-old independent Purple Mountain Press (PMP), a publisher of local and regional New York State history books located in the Catskills.
Brett Barry, Rebecca Rego Barry, Carolyn Bennett, and Lee Hudson took ownership of the press last month, they said in an announcement sent to the New York Almanack. [Read more…] about Catskills Publisher Purple Mountain Press Under New Ownership
1776 Gunboat Philadelphia: A Revolutionary War Roadside Attraction
In 2026, the US will celebrate the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence. That year, the Smithsonian Institution’s Museum of American History will unveil a new display interpreting the 54-foot 1776 gunboat Philadelphia, built for Benedict Arnold at Whitehall and the oldest surviving ship of the US Navy. [Read more…] about 1776 Gunboat Philadelphia: A Revolutionary War Roadside Attraction
The Lives of Cannalers: Lake Champlain’s Sailing Canal Boat Families
If you were walking in Lower Manhattan in the mid-1950s and happened upon a dead-end street of warehouses named Coenties Slip, you would have stumbled upon a “Canalboat Village” – a cluster of barges which had once hauled limestone from Vermont and oysters to Essex, NY, now permanently moored. [Read more…] about The Lives of Cannalers: Lake Champlain’s Sailing Canal Boat Families
Lake George Battlefield Park Archaeology Underway
For the first time since the summer of 2016, Lake George Battlefield Park will be the site of an archaeological survey, to be conducted under the auspices of the Skidmore College Anthropology Department and its Chair, Associate Professor Siobhan Hart. Professor Hart and her students will begin their work on Monday, June 3 and continue over a three-week period. [Read more…] about Lake George Battlefield Park Archaeology Underway
Hudson River Brick Making: Two Kingston Brick Yards, 1905
The following essay is excerpted from Charles Ellery Hall’s The Story of Brick (Building Trades and Employers’ Association Bulletin, July, 1905).
The brick which bears the highly popular brand, “Shultz,” is the product of the Shultz yards at East Kingston, near Rondout, NY. Henry H. Shultz, the present manager of the concern for the Shultz estate, represents the third generation of a family which has been in the brick making business since the earlier half of the last century. [Read more…] about Hudson River Brick Making: Two Kingston Brick Yards, 1905
Orra Phelps: With Us On Every Adirondack Trail
In the passages below, excerpted from a 1942 article appearing in a regional newspaper, there is a glaring error. Can you spot it?
“Dr. Orra A. Phelps, Fort Plain School Physician, was the principal speaker at the initial meeting of the Burroughs Nature Study Club…. He spoke on Guide to Adirondack Trails. In his talk, Dr. Phelps outlined various trails leading to the most picturesque spots in the upper Adirondacks from information gleaned first-hand by the speaker, who is an enthusiastic mountain climber. [Read more…] about Orra Phelps: With Us On Every Adirondack Trail
Paul Smith’s To Designate ‘Doc Kudish Natural Forest’ Saturday
The Doc Kudish Natural Forest at Paul Smith’s College will be formally inducted into the Old-Growth Forest Network on Saturday, October 23rd.
Joan Maloof, founder and Executive Director of the Old-Growth Forest Network, will present a plaque to Dr. Michael Kudish, to celebrate the dedication of this protected forest. [Read more…] about Paul Smith’s To Designate ‘Doc Kudish Natural Forest’ Saturday
Shirely Dunn’s History of the Mohican in the Capital District
Shirley W. Dunn’s The River Indians: Mohicans Making History (Purple Mountain Press, 2009) presents a stirring look at the historic events in which the Mohicans, living along both banks of the Hudson River, participated.
Leaders among the native nations on the Hudson, Mohicans welcomed Henry Hudson, who visited them for 13 days. They initiated the upriver fur trade and continued it for a century, especially from Dutchess County to Lake Champlain. [Read more…] about Shirely Dunn’s History of the Mohican in the Capital District
Russell Bellico: Empires in the Mountains
Meeting Russell Bellico, you’d think you were in the presence of an old sea captain spending his retirement in the softer wind and spray of Lake George. You’d be surprised to know that he spent 35 years in the economics department at Westfield State College in Massachusetts.
You’d be glad to hear that Bellico spent his time away from Westfield at Lake George, where as a summer resident he invested himself in local history. He has spent over three decades photographing shipwrecks and historic sites on Lake George and Lake Champlain. He served as a consultant on the National Park Service’s Champlain Valley Heritage Corridor, a trustee of the Lake George Battlefield Park Alliance, and a board member of Bateaux Below, the organization founded by the archaeological team (which included Bellico) that documented the 1758 radeau Land Tortoise which lies underwater at the southern end of Lake George. [Read more…] about Russell Bellico: Empires in the Mountains