History, Natural History & the Arts
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Scott D. Seligman’s new book The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902: Immigrant Housewives and the Riots That Shook New York City (Potomac Books, 2020) is a full account of the Great Kosher Meat War of 1902, a milestone in the history of Jewish-American women. [Read more…] about New Book: The Great Kosher Meat War of 1902
Brad Kolodny started with some curiosity and an Instagram account but wound up with a coffee table book full of his images documenting synagogues from every corner of Nassau and Suffolk Counties.
He tracked the evolution of the architecture, from simple buildings to post-modern masterpieces, as well as the growth of the Jewish community on Long Island itself. The post-Second World War boom led to a boom in synagogues as well.
On this episode of the Long Island History Project podcast, we discuss the history of Long Island synagogues, the role they play in their communities, and what drives a man to document their storied histories. [Read more…] about Synagogues of Long Island (Podcast)
The Rev. John G. Fitzgerald, or “Father Fitz,” as he was known to contemporaries, was the first resident Roman Catholic priest in Old Forge. He is fondly remembered as a missionary to the widely scattered working people of the region and as a prolific builder of churches. [Read more…] about Father Fitz: Missionary to the Adirondacks
Between 1500 and the 1860s, Europeans and Americans forcibly removed approximately 12 million African people from the African continent, transported them to the Americas, and enslaved them.
Why did Europeans and Americans enslave Africans? How did they justify their actions?
The Bloomingdale Neighborhood History group has announced “Upper West Side Catholics: the History of Ascension Church on West 107th Street,” a presentation by Monsignor Thomas J. Shelley, has been set for Tuesday, February 25, at 6:30 pm.
Monsignor Shelley, author of the recently published book Upper West Side Catholics: Liberal Catholicism in a Conservative Archdiocese and professor emeritus of Fordham, is set to tell the story of this well-known Upper West Side church. [Read more…] about Upper West Side Catholics Talk Set for NYC
Long before the fictional and shocking “Peyton Place” of TV and film fame came along in the late 1950s, and early 1960s there was an actual suburban community where its residents were roiled by rampant scandal, moral and religious hypocrisy and a sensational a murder in their midst. [Read more…] about The Prophet Matthias and Elijah the Tishbite
The Oneida County History Center has announced “Wicca & Witchcraft in Central New York,” a program set for Saturday, October 26th, at 11 am and 1 pm.
Two practicing Wiccans, known as Lady Awen and Lord Teiwaz, will explore concepts such as intuition, wives tales, superstitions, dowsing for water, and other long-held practices, celebrations, and beliefs through the centuries, and consider the tales and traditions handed down through the ages around the world. [Read more…] about Wicca and Witchcraft in Central NY Talk Saturday
The Second Continental Congress voted for independence on July 2, 1776 with 12 colonies and one abstention. The delegation from New York abstained from the vote. And Pennsylvania voted in favor of independence because two of its delegates were persuaded not to attend the vote given their opposition. [Read more…] about John Dickinson, Life, Religion, & Politics
What was it like to live as a woman of faith in early republic America? What was it like to live as a Catholic in the early United States?
In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Catherine O’Donnell, an Associate Professor of History at Arizona State University and author of Elizabeth Seton: American Saint (Cornell University Press, 2018), helps us investigate answers to these questions by taking us through the life of the United States’ first saint: Elizabeth Ann Seton [Read more…] about Elizabeth Seton, An Early American Life
Brad Kolodny’s new book Seeking Sanctuary: 125 Years of Synagogues on Long Island (Segula Publishing, 2019) provides an history, inventory, and photo archive of every synagogue, past and present, in Nassau and Suffolk Counties. [Read more…] about 125 Years of Synagogues on Long Island