The Friends of Schoharie Crossing has announced “Palatine Germans in the Mohawk Valley,” a virtual program set for Thursday, March 16th. [Read more…] about Palatines in the Mohawk Valley
Schoharie Crossing SHS
Women at Seneca Knitting Mill in Seneca Falls
Since its construction in 1844 the Seneca Knitting Mill has always been a prominent landmark in the Seneca Falls community in Seneca County, New York. Throughout the history of the Mill, it has been a place of employment, advancement, and change, especially for the many women who worked there. [Read more…] about Women at Seneca Knitting Mill in Seneca Falls
A Schoharie Crossing Aqueduct Project Update
Workers are shoring up the remains of the aqueduct at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter, Montgomery County, NY.
With the water in the Erie Canal drawn down for the winter, the project is well into the construction phase. Workers are creating a large concrete wedge at the end of the piers and arches to act as a brace, so the arches won’t shift. Protections are being added around the base to prevent problems as the water rises in the spring. [Read more…] about A Schoharie Crossing Aqueduct Project Update
Annual Winter Lectures from Schoharie Crossing
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site has announced the return of Museum Monday programs this winter, featuring brief discussions on a relevant topic on select Mondays from 11 am to 1 pm. [Read more…] about Annual Winter Lectures from Schoharie Crossing
The Button Fire Engine Company of Waterford: Some History
For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, New York State was a leader in fire engine and apparatus manufacturing. One of the main players in that industry was Lysander Button of Waterford, NY.
Starting around 1831, Button worked his way up the ladder from mechanic turned inventor to owner of the firm that would eventually take his name, the Button Fire Engine Company. [Read more…] about The Button Fire Engine Company of Waterford: Some History
30th Annual ‘Not Just for Kids’ Storytelling Series at Schoharie Crossing
The Friends of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site have announced that the 30th Annual Not Just for Kids Storytelling series will occur at the Erie Canal historic site.
Award winning storytellers from the region will perform tales to intrigue, legends to compel, and stories that illustrate how we are all connected as human beings. The series is open to the public and is meant for all ages. It runs on Sunday evenings at 6 pm from July 31st to August 28th outside the Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center. [Read more…] about 30th Annual ‘Not Just for Kids’ Storytelling Series at Schoharie Crossing
Historic Fort Hunter: From Queen Anne’s War to the Erie Canal
The hamlet of Fort Hunter in Montgomery County, NY, while small, has been historically significant even since before the American Revolution. It was home to people of the Mohawk Nation and was known as the Lower Castle being downstream or below Canajoharie on the Mohawk River. Being at the confluence of the Schoharie Creek and river it was always an important trade post for goods, food, and cultures. [Read more…] about Historic Fort Hunter: From Queen Anne’s War to the Erie Canal
Tom Kilboy: Balladeer of the Erie Canal
This week on The Historians Podcast, David Brooks, education director at Schoharie Crossing State Historic site in Fort Hunter, takes a look at life on the wild side of the Erie Canal with tales about the Kilboys, including balladeer Tom Kilboy. [Read more…] about Tom Kilboy: Balladeer of the Erie Canal
Schoharie Crossing Great Outdoors Month Events
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will celebrate June as Great Outdoors Month by offering opportunities to enjoy the outdoor spaces at the Erie Canal site.
Great Outdoors Month is a month-long celebration of responsible, healthy outdoor recreation on local, state, and federal lands and waters. [Read more…] about Schoharie Crossing Great Outdoors Month Events
Child Labor on the D&H Canal (Virtual Program)
The Delaware & Hudson Canal Company was one of many 19th-century industrial enterprises that relied on the labor of marginalized peoples – immigrants, people of color, women, and children – to operate.
According to National Park Service, “Life on a canal boat was a ‘family business.’ Wives and children worked 15-to-20-hour days along-side boatmen, eking out a meager existence with ‘the company.’ The D&H Canal affected life throughout the region. New towns and industries (boat builders, glass works, foundries) sprang up along the canal. Previous industries — lumber mills, paper mills, tanneries, stone quarries — prospered with improved transportation. Others, like the Rosendale natural cement industry, took advantage of the proximity of the D & H Canal.” [Read more…] about Child Labor on the D&H Canal (Virtual Program)