August 6th marks the anniversary of the 1777 Battle of Oriskany. Fought as an American relief column marched to aid the besieged Fort Stanwix, about 800 Tryon County militiamen and 60 allied Oneida warriors under Brigadier General Nicholas Herkimer were ambushed by British, Loyalist, and Indigenous forces (including Mohawk and Seneca warriors). [Read more…] about August 6th Marks 1777 Battle of Oriskany Anniversary
Rome
George Washington’s Lands in Oneida County
America’s first President George Washington owned 316 acres of land in today’s Town of Kirkland, Oneida County, NY, in partnership with New York State’s first Governor George Clinton.
The Oneida Indian Nation lived in what is now Oneida County, even after the area’s settlement by Europeans, which started in the 1600s. The French traveled through the area in the 1500s. [Read more…] about George Washington’s Lands in Oneida County
New York’s Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells
Approximately 35,000 orphaned oil and gas wells are estimated to exist in New York State, many drilled and abandoned before the existence of modern environmental regulations.
The latest DEC Does What? podcast, produced by the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC), spotlights the work of their Division of Mineral Resources, which address the threats that unplugged oil and gas wells have on the environment and public safety across New York State. [Read more…] about New York’s Orphaned Oil and Gas Wells
The Early History of Glass Making in New York State
According to J. Leander Bishop’s A History of American Manufactures from 1608 to 1860 among the early settlers on Manhattan Island was a glass maker Jan Smeedes who is supposed to have been among the first to receive an allotment of land on the present [1880] South William Street between Wall and Pearl.
He probably carried on the business of glass making on the east side of the street just north of Hanover Square. This street formerly bore within the above limits the name of “the Glass maker’s street” and afterward Smee Street from its original occupant. [Read more…] about The Early History of Glass Making in New York State
Erie Canalway Launches “Revolutionary Experiences” Tours
As America marks its 250th anniversary, the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor is launching Revolutionary Experiences, road trips along New York’s historic waterways.
These self-guided itineraries invite participants to explore the people, places, and ideas that helped shape the nation. [Read more…] about Erie Canalway Launches “Revolutionary Experiences” Tours
March, 1756: The Destruction of Fort Bull
On March 27, 1756, the quiet snow-covered peace on the Oneida Carrying Place in what is now Rome, New York, was shattered with an attack on Fort Bull. The French and Indian War (1754-1763) had begun to invade the Mohawk Valley.
On the westerly side of the carry (now Rome) the small fort, garrisoned by 35 men of the British 51st Regiment of Foot, one of the two American Regiments raised in 1755, was over run and destroyed by a 346 man French-Canadian-Indian Force from Fort La Presentation (at modern day Ogdensburg, NY). The fort was destroyed in a violent explosion. [Read more…] about March, 1756: The Destruction of Fort Bull
Lafayette’s 1825 Visit to Oneida County
Oneida County, NY, was part of Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824-1825 visit to America. His interest in visiting the site of the Battle of Oriskany was partly responsible for bringing the aged general to the area.
Unlike George Washington’s comment about Oriskany – “In their hands rested the fate of a nation” – Lafayette’s sentiments are lost and can only be surmised from his well-known reverence for liberty. [Read more…] about Lafayette’s 1825 Visit to Oneida County
Pontiac’s Uprising: The American Indian War for Independence
In April 1763, the American Indian War for Independence (1763-1766) — also called Pontiac’s Rebellion or Pontiac’s Uprising for the Ottawa Nation leader who organized a coalition against European colonial powers — started with the siege of Fort Detroit.
In July 1764, an English colonial force that included 500 Native fighters departed from Oswego for operations against Pontiac’s forces to the west. Attacks by Native forces spread east and south as a result of continued European colonists’ trespassing and settlement on Native lands. [Read more…] about Pontiac’s Uprising: The American Indian War for Independence
Feeding the Erie Canal: Rome Summit Level Reservoirs
All canals are a series of ponds, at different water stages, or elevations. These elevation changes are transitioned by locks, with the area between the locks being of any length, and referred to as a level. Simply put, canal transport is similar to a set of stairs, with the levels being the tread, and the locks the riser. The highest level of any canal is known as the summit level.
As water flows with any lock movement, it is necessary to constantly re-supply the canal, and by feeding the replacement water to the summit level, the entire canal may be supplied. The original Erie Canal, statewide from Albany to Buffalo, had three summit levels; Lake Erie, Jordan and Rome. [Read more…] about Feeding the Erie Canal: Rome Summit Level Reservoirs
New York State’s Canal Heritage: An Engineering Family Tree
The canal system of New York State is a complex network of natural and man-made waterways that connect two of the Great Lakes that border the state with the Atlantic Ocean. The canals also incorporate Lake Champlain and the Finger Lakes. The development of this system bridges several generations and gives the canal system a genealogy of its own. [Read more…] about New York State’s Canal Heritage: An Engineering Family Tree
Dwight James Baum: The World’s Most Famous Architect from Little Falls
My grandfather Dwight James Baum (DJB) is Little Falls, Herkimer County, NY’s most-famous architect and one of its most-famous sons. While I may be partial to that view, it’s shared by many experts.
In the 2008 reissue of The Work of Dwight James Baum, edited by William Morrison in 1927, Ron McCarty, Curator and Keeper of Ca’ d’Zan (a Mediterranean revival residence on Sarasota Bay in Florida designed by DJB) noted that “in 1923, the Architectural League of New York awarded the Gold Medal to Dwight James Baum. Aged 37 and practicing independently for a mere eight years, Baum was the youngest architect ever to receive the coveted honor. [Read more…] about Dwight James Baum: The World’s Most Famous Architect from Little Falls
Preservation League Announces Award Winners
The Preservation League of New York State‘s annual Excellence in Historic Preservation Awards program shines a light on the people who are using historic preservation to create positive change — through exemplary restoration projects, indispensable publications, individual action, and organizational distinction.
Recipients of the Excellence Award represent the very best of what the League stands for and supports in historic preservation. [Read more…] about Preservation League Announces Award Winners
Fort Rickey: On The Edge of Empires at Oneida Carry
Fort Rickey was a small palisaded fortification that was initially constructed in ca. 1759 to support the British occupation of the Oneida Carry.
This strategic location at the confluence of the Mohawk River and Wood Creek was an important British military outpost that guarded the western end of the carry to Oneida Lake. It was the northern point of the Fort Stanwix Treaty Line of 1768. [Read more…] about Fort Rickey: On The Edge of Empires at Oneida Carry
Lafayette’s Visits to the Mohawk Valley
In 1824 and 1825 Marquis de Lafayette, the French nobleman who volunteered and became an invaluable leader during the American Revolution and was then the war’s last surviving major general, toured the United States in a celebrated “Farewell Tour.”
He visited several sites in the Mohawk Valley, his third time there. [Read more…] about Lafayette’s Visits to the Mohawk Valley
The Old Mohawk Turnpike: New York’s Road West
The old Mohawk Turnpike between what are now Albany and Rome, NY, was originally an Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) trail used frequently by Mohawk and Oneida people in particular, but many others as well.
For the first two hundred years of European settlement it was the only major link between the Hudson River and the Great Lakes. It became an important national transportation connection. [Read more…] about The Old Mohawk Turnpike: New York’s Road West
The Erie Canal Traveler’s Guide: Restaurants, Pubs, and Attractions on the Canal
Completed in 1825, the Erie Canal spans 363 miles across New York State to connect Albany and Buffalo, which made it an indispensable tract for commerce 200 years ago. While the canal’s use as a primary means of moving commercial goods across the state has been replaced by trucks and trains, its recreational usage has increased exponentially since then.
The path that parallels the waterway has become a mecca for hikers, bikers, and runners of all ages. In celebration of the Canals’ 200th anniversary, The Erie Canal Traveler’s Guide (North Country Books, 2025) features more than 200 restaurants, pubs, and attractions for the entire family and the curious traveler alike, all within ‘a stone’s throw’ – or, to be precise, 445 feet and ten inches – of the Canal Path. [Read more…] about The Erie Canal Traveler’s Guide: Restaurants, Pubs, and Attractions on the Canal
200 Years of Erie Canal History (1825-2025)
In 2025, New York State commemorates the 200th anniversary of the opening of the Erie Canal from Albany to Buffalo. This event was transformative for both the state and the nation, linking the Great Lakes with the Hudson River and the Atlantic Ocean in an unprecedentedly efficient waterway.
During the bicentennial, we are offered an opportunity to reflect on two centuries of rich and complex history and discover how that period’s impacts allow us to explore and enjoy the Canal today. Here is some history, and tips for enjoying the canal. [Read more…] about 200 Years of Erie Canal History (1825-2025)
Oneida County’s Migrant Laborers
Black and immigrant migrant laborers arrived each summer in the Town of Kirkland in Oneida County, NY, to pick the bean and pea crops and lived in crude shacks provided by farmers. [Read more…] about Oneida County’s Migrant Laborers
Early Settlers Near Rome, NY
Johannis Rueff (later anglicized as John Roof) was born in Durlach, a district in what is now Karlsruhe, in the German state of Baden-Württemberg, on January 9, 1730. He married Annie Mira Leonardo of Heildelberg on January 13, 1759. They migrated to the American colonies and landed in Philadelphia in October 1759 and moved north to Fort Stanwix on the New York frontier.
There he traded with Indigenous People, most likely the Oneida and other Haudenosaunee (Iroquois) he encountered, and the few traders moving over the portage known as the Great Carry or Carrying Place, which connected Wood Creek with Oneida Lake, at what is now Rome, NY. [Read more…] about Early Settlers Near Rome, NY
14 Properties Nominated to State and National Registers
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 14 properties to the State and National Registers of Historic Places and expand one existing listing. The nominations include a new historic district in Wellsville, a synagogue on Staten Island, an enslaved people’s burial ground in the Bronx, and an LGBTQ Commune in Newfield. [Read more…] about 14 Properties Nominated to State and National Registers