New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Seneca Falls

Women’s Rights NHP Issues Administrative History

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Seneca Falls HistoryWomen’s Rights National Historical Park in Seneca Falls, NY, has announced the release of its first ever administrative history. “All Men and Women are Created Equal”:  An Administrative History of Women’s Rights National Historical Park was researched and written by Dr. Rebecca Conard, Professor of History and Director of the Public History Program at Middle Tennessee State University.

Conard concluded that significant trends in historic preservation, interpretation and partnerships within the National Park Service affected park decisions and actions.  She also found that legislation creating the park provided limits and opportunities that shaped decision-makers development of sites in Seneca Falls and Waterloo, N.Y. related to the nation’s first women’s rights convention in 1848.  [Read more…] about Women’s Rights NHP Issues Administrative History

William Lloyd Garrison: Radical Friend to New York Women

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William Lloyd GarrisonThese days, no one likes a radical, especially one who makes unpopular statements or questions the government. The same can be said for our 19th-century counterparts. They, too, did not like a trouble-maker, particularly William Lloyd Garrison, who was born 208 years ago today, on December 12, 1805. A familiar figure to the women’s rights leaders and daughters I have studied, this Newburyport, Massachusetts native became the most outspoken abolitionist in America. At a time when North and South alike still tolerated the great evil of slavery, he called for immediate and complete abolition.

What is less known about Garrison is his staunch defense of women’s rights. He became the inspiration that led many New Yorkers to insist on women’s as well as slaves’ rights. We could view four periods of Garrison’s life through four New York women, each of whom saw him from a different vantage point. [Read more…] about William Lloyd Garrison: Radical Friend to New York Women

‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ in Seneca Falls, New York

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Christmas film classic: "It's a Wonderful Life"George Bailey: What is it you want, Mary? What do you want? You want the moon? Just say the word and I’ll throw a lasso around it and pull it down. Hey. That’s a pretty good idea. I’ll give you the moon, Mary.

Mary: I’ll take it. Then what?

George Bailey: Well, then you can swallow it, and it’ll all dissolve, see… and the moonbeams would shoot out of your fingers and your toes and the ends of your hair… am I talking too much?

What’s Christmas without putting your feet up and watching “It’s a Wonderful Life”? This much-loved holiday classic is an industry for Seneca Falls, New York at this time of the year. [Read more…] about ‘It’s a Wonderful Life’ in Seneca Falls, New York

The Politics of Harriet Tubman and Barack Obama

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Harriet Tubman Home in Auburn, NYIt’s the centennial year of abolitionist and suffragist Harriet Tubman’s death in 1913. Her Auburn, NY house, the home for the aged she founded on the property, and the museum attract considerable attention in upstate New York. We visited the Tubman historic site on the fifth day of our fall 2013 blogging tour of the “Cradle of the women’s rights movement in the US.” [Read more…] about The Politics of Harriet Tubman and Barack Obama

Can The Women’s Rights Trail Become Reality?

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2-HouseSignThe federal government shutdown in Washington, DC may have dimmed the lights at the Elizabeth Cady Stanton house in Seneca Falls, NY, at the visitors’ center, Wesleyan Chapel, and other park site locations. But it didn’t deter our determination to continue on the blogging tour of the “Cradle of the Women’s Rights Movement in the US” that has kept us busy.

Seneca Falls took up most of our fourth day on this blogging tour that also included Johnstown, Fayetteville, Auburn, Rochester, and Farmington. Identifying what constitutes the “cradle” is an informal process we devised that highlights key locations of activism located in a geographic area of the Finger Lakes region in upstate New York that suggests a cradle shape. [Read more…] about Can The Women’s Rights Trail Become Reality?

Seneca Falls Wesleyan Chapel Pews Updated

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Women’s Rights National Historical Park Superintendent Tammy Duchesne has announced that replacement cushions for the “recycled pews” in the Wesleyan Chapel have been installed. “We are pleased with the new cushions. When we installed the wooden pews in July, we had plans to finish them with cushions so they would resemble the originals,” said Duchesne. [Read more…] about Seneca Falls Wesleyan Chapel Pews Updated

Equality Weekend in Peterboro August 25-26

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Irene’s flooding in August 2011 prevented Penny Colman from getting to Peterboro to discuss her new book Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony: A Friendship That Changed the World. Colman has arranged with the Gerrit Smith Estate National Historic Landmark to discuss and sign her work at 2 p.m. on Saturday, August 25, 2012. [Read more…] about Equality Weekend in Peterboro August 25-26

‘Old Iron’ at Empire Farm Days August 7-9

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A passion and pride for old farm equipment will be on display daily at the August 7-9, 2012 Empire Farm Days as an “Old Iron” Parade takes place at 2 pm through the 300-acre showgrounds at the Rodman Lott and Son Farms in Seneca Falls, NY. [Read more…] about ‘Old Iron’ at Empire Farm Days August 7-9

Women’s Rights Anniversary Events Begin Today

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The Women’s Rights National Historical Park program for the 164th Anniversary of the First Women’s Rights Convention begins today and continue through July 22, 2012 in Seneca Falls, NY. All events will be free of
charge.

Several programs are being offered during the Anniversary events. Artist Carol Flueckiger will present a program and several art workshops as a part of Women’s Rights NHP’s ongoing ARTS AFIRE! programs. Melinda Grube will portray Elizabeth Cady Stanton in two different programs on Saturday, July 21, and Pamela L. Poulin will portray Matilda Joslyn Gage in two different programs on Saturday, July 21, and Sunday, July 22.Paul and Mary Kuhn will present phrenology demonstrations, and Bonnie Breed will present lace-making demonstrations as part of the Anniversary events. The Hutchinson Family Revival will perform abolitionist, temperance, and women’s rights songs. Also, Women’s Rights NHP Social Media Coordinator Stephanie Freese will live-blog during the Anniversary events. [Read more…] about Women’s Rights Anniversary Events Begin Today

Elizabeth Cady Stanton House Reopens After Storm

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Women’s Rights National Historical Park was affected by a storm cell which occurred during the afternoon of Tuesday, May 29th.  High winds, heavy rains, and hail affected the areas in and near the park, resulting in downed power lines, trees, and tree limbs.  A large chestnut tree located in front of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton House suffered severe damage. [Read more…] about Elizabeth Cady Stanton House Reopens After Storm