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 SHS
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)
The Cheese Factory System (Virtual Program)
Just North of Rome, NY, the modern cheese industry was born in 1851. Jesse Williams was a successful farmer and cheese maker but believed by working together as cooperative dairies, farmers could maximize their profits. This led him to start the first cheese factory in the United States, a move that revolutionized agriculture not only locally, but across the nation.
Jesse Williams died in 1864 at age 67. At that time Oneida County was making over eight million pounds of cheese per year. Williams never patented his cheese-making inventions but gave them to the agricultural world. [Read more…] about The Cheese Factory System (Virtual Program)
Schoharie Crossing Winter Virtual Lectures Schedule
The Erie Canal historic site, Schoharie Crossing will host several online programs this winter on a variety of history related topics.
Presentations will be offered in two series: Lunchbox Lessons and the Third Thursday Lectures. Both series will be offered live online and most will be recorded for later viewing on YouTube. [Read more…] about Schoharie Crossing Winter Virtual Lectures Schedule
Wildlife Crossings (A Virtual Program)
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy’s Conservation Director Sarah Walsh on Wednesday, November 10th for a presentation on wildlife crossings. [Read more…] about Wildlife Crossings (A Virtual Program)
Crossing Schoharie Creek: Erie Canal Stories from David Brooks (Podcast)
This week on The Historians Podcast, David Brooks of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site in Fort Hunter, NY, explains how Erie Canal boats were able to cross the fast-flowing Schoharie Creek. [Read more…] about Crossing Schoharie Creek: Erie Canal Stories from David Brooks (Podcast)
1929 Anniversary of Sullivan Clinton Campaign Presentation Thursday
The Sullivan Clinton Campaign was a major Revolutionary War event in which thousands of troops were deployed with the express purpose of wiping out the villages, homes, and crops of the Haudenosaunee “Iroquois” Confederacy.
This scorched earth campaign wrought havoc on the land and people; complicating an already difficult set of circumstances in the region. [Read more…] about 1929 Anniversary of Sullivan Clinton Campaign Presentation Thursday
Schoharie Crossing History Month Program Series Set
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will be offering several programs during the month of October to recognize the diverse history of New York State. The historic site will provide online presentations as well as onsite tours and “virtual” field trips. [Read more…] about Schoharie Crossing History Month Program Series Set
Old Engine & Vintage Car Show At Schoharie Crossing
Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host the 44th Annual Tri-County Old Power Association Gas Engine and Tractor Show on Saturday, July 10th and Sunday, July 11th from 10 am to 4 pm. Tri-County Power club members will feature old gas engines, feed grinders, antique tractors, water pumps and more during the event. [Read more…] about Old Engine & Vintage Car Show At Schoharie Crossing