Schenectady County Historical Society

Electric City: General Electric in Schenectady Lecture

October 28, 2014 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

The Schenectady County Historical Society will present a talk, “Electric City: General Electric in Schenectady”, which explores the history of General Electric in Schenectady from the company’s creation in 1892 to the present.

Julia Kirk Blackwelder draws on company records as well as other archival and secondary sources and personal interviews to produce an engaging and multi-layered history of General Electric’s workplace culture and its effects on community life. Her research demonstrates how business and community histories intersect, and her nuanced look at race, gender, and class sets a standard for corporate history. [Read more…] about Electric City: General Electric in Schenectady Lecture

Hops And Hogsheads: Beer Exhibit In Rotterdam

October 13, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A new exhibit opening on Saturday, October 18th at the Mabee Farm Historic Site in Rotterdam, NY, “Hops & Hogsheads: Beer from Colonial to Craft Brew”, explores the impact of beer on the region’s early Dutch Settlers, winding through history to today’s two Schenectady County breweries.

From the moment beer first entered New York in 1609 aboard Henry Hudson’s Haelve Maen, it has shaped our history, our laws, and our culture. [Read more…] about Hops And Hogsheads: Beer Exhibit In Rotterdam

Immigration: Where Do You Come From Art Exhibit

September 9, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The 2014-2015 series Exploring Schenectady’s Immigrant Past at the Schenectady County Historical Society will celebrate the rich cultural heritage of Schenectady County and will explore the history and significance of immigration in the region.

As part of the series, SCHS is has announced a Call for Submissions for its upcoming community-curated art exhibit, Where Do You Come From. The exhibit, made possible in part by a grant from the Schenectady County Initiative Project, will explore the wide range of cultures that makes up Schenectady County today. Community members, local artists, and students are all invited to submit their artwork, including but not limited to paintings, collages, photography, sculpture, or whichever medium best answers the title question. [Read more…] about Immigration: Where Do You Come From Art Exhibit

The Transportation Revolution in New York State

September 5, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

SUNY Albany History Professor David Hochfelder will explore the 19th century economic and transportation innovations that positioned the U.S. as a power house on the world stage, with New York at the forefront in a talk presented this Saturday, September 6, 2014 at 2 pm at the Schenectady County Historical Society, 32 Washington Ave., Schenectady, NY. [Read more…] about The Transportation Revolution in New York State

Lecture: Perfectionism in Antebellum New York

July 22, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Robert W. Arnold III, a career public historian now retired from the New York State Archives, will give a talk entitled “Leaning into the Storm: Perfectionism in Antebellum New York” on Saturday, August 9, 2014 at the Schenectady County Historical Society.

New York State was a place of rapid change in the antebellum era, the epicenter of perfectionist religious and social reform movements, inspired largely by Yankee immigrants from New England and spread as those immigrants themselves settled along the routes of turnpikes and canals. Uncertainties associated with ongoing revolutions in transportation, finance, communications and industry were reflected in popular movements such as temperance, abolition, women’s rights, dress-, prison- and educational reform. [Read more…] about Lecture: Perfectionism in Antebellum New York

The Life of Anne Northup, Wife of Solomon Northup

April 14, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Solomon Northup of Saratoga was lured into slavery in 1841, and was a slave in Louisiana for 12 years before being rescued. What impact did Northup’s kidnapping have on his wife and family? In Solomon’s absence, the Northup family became a one-income household.

At 2:00 p.m. on Saturday, May 10, 2014, David Fiske will offer a presentation that describes how his wife Anne carried on and saw to the needs of their children. Information on her later life will also be provided. [Read more…] about The Life of Anne Northup, Wife of Solomon Northup

Professional Baseball in Schenectady, 1895-1904

March 17, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

At 2 pm on Saturday, April 12, 2014 the Schenectady County Historical Society will present a talk by Frank Keetz, “Professional Baseball in Schenectady, 1895-1904: A Fascinating Footnote in Local History”

Frank Keetz has written several publications about sports in the Schenectady area, including They, Too, Were ‘Boys of Summer:’ A Case Study of the Schenectady Blue Jays in the Eastern League 1951-1957, Class ‘C’ Baseball: A Case Study of the Schenectady Blue Jays in the Canadian-American League, 1946-1950, and The Mohawk Colored Giants of Schenectady. [Read more…] about Professional Baseball in Schenectady, 1895-1904

Civil Rights Film and Discussion Series in Schenectady

January 8, 2014 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

In celebration of African American History Month, and to introduce four documentaries with riveting new footage illustrating the history of civil rights in America, the Schenectady County Historical Society will offer a series of discussion forums centered around four documentary films during the month of February.

Created Equal: America’s Civil Rights Struggle is an initiative of the National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH), as part of its Bridging Cultures initiative, in partnership with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History. Created Equal uses the power of documentary films to encourage community discussion of America’s civil rights history. NEH has partnered with the Gilder Lehrman Institute of American History to develop programmatic and support materials. [Read more…] about Civil Rights Film and Discussion Series in Schenectady

ALCO WWII History Program Planned For Schenectady

December 11, 2013 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Sarah Jones will present and discuss her National History Day website, “‘The City that Kept a Secret’: How ALCO’s M7 Turned the Tide in North Africa” on Saturday, January 11, 2014 at 2:00 p.m.at the Schenectady County Historical Society in Schenectady.

ALCO was an important producer of locomotives and tanks for the war. During the first four years of the war, ALCO produced more product than it had in the first twenty-five years of the 20th century. In 1940, the Schenectady plant received a contract to build medium tanks and the company become the first to produce a satisfactory M3 “General Lee” for the army. [Read more…] about ALCO WWII History Program Planned For Schenectady

The Communist Party in Schenectady, 1930s-1950s

November 13, 2013 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Utilizing oral history excerpts, union and corporate archival documents, state police files, and newspapers, Dr. Gerald Zahavi will explore the beginning of aggressive communist organizing in Schenectady during the Great Depression and afterward.

Zahavi will focus on the men and women in the party as well as those who actively fought it — opponents in state and local government, unions and corporations (especially General Electric), religious organizations, and civil rights groups. [Read more…] about The Communist Party in Schenectady, 1930s-1950s