New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Spain

Hoboken: A Tale of Immigration & Frank Sinatra

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Hoboken, a district of Antwerp (Flanders)Located on the River Scheldt (Schelde), Hoboken is a southern district of the city of Antwerp in Flanders. The name originates in the medieval Dutch phrase Hooghe Buechen (Hoge Beuken, or tall beech trees). Today there is a geriatric hospital in Hoboken named Hoge Beuken. The first historical records of the place date from the year 1135.

The New Jersey area of Hoboken on the western shore of the Hudson River was inhabited by Lenape indigenous people who called it Hopoghan Hackingh (Land of the Tobacco Pipe) for its green-veined rock from which they carved their pipes. [Read more…] about Hoboken: A Tale of Immigration & Frank Sinatra

How France and Spain Helped Win the American Revolution

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Auguste Couder, Siege of Yorktown. General Rochambeau and General Washington give last orders before an attack, October 1781It’s easy to focus on the American Revolution‘s famous battles, like Saratoga and Yorktown, its iconic leaders, like George Washington and Thomas Jefferson, or its foundational documents, like the Declaration of Independence.

But International alliances — especially with France and Spain — played a critical role in securing the United States’ independence. [Read more…] about How France and Spain Helped Win the American Revolution

Catalonia in Manhattan: The Architectural Legacy of Rafael Guastavino

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Andalusian architecture at Bethesda Terrace in the heart of Central ParkAt the start of the 1880s, Barcelona was an expanding city of about 350,000 people. Its medieval walls had been knocked down only twenty-five years earlier. Capital of the autonomous community of Catalonia, city and region developed into Spain’s economic dynamo. Prosperity mushroomed. A self-confident territory strove to re-establish its identity by invigorating local traditions, culture and language. Barcelona became an engine of change and modernity. [Read more…] about Catalonia in Manhattan: The Architectural Legacy of Rafael Guastavino

The Spanish Civil War: A New York Story For Modern Times

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Robert Capa, Death of a militiaman, Córdoba front, September 1936. (International Centre of Photography) The Spanish Civil War has been called “The Last Great Cause” as the fight against Fascism involved a striking number of intellectuals, writers and journalists both from Europe and the United States. They fought in battalions, supported medical services, reported from the front lines or entertained the troops as non-combatant partisans. [Read more…] about The Spanish Civil War: A New York Story For Modern Times

Early Distilling History: Puritan Bibles, Gin & Schnapps

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nineteenth century English print of A Dutch Gin MerchantFor the first decade of its existence, New Amsterdam was a rough place. Located on the tip of Manhattan Island, it was a haven for pirates and smugglers. Many of the earliest rules and regulations were an attempt to control the unruly citizens of a backwater outpost, but officials proved unable to lay down the law. Intemperate drinking was one of the problems.

In 1640 permission was granted by Willem Kieft, Director of the New Netherland Colony, for liquor to be distilled on Staten Island – in contemporary Dutch: Staaten Eylandt – where what is believed to have been the first commercial distillery in North America was built (today Staten Island is home to the Booze History Museum). [Read more…] about Early Distilling History: Puritan Bibles, Gin & Schnapps

Missions and Mission Building in New Spain

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ben franklins world podcast

In this episode of Ben Franklin’s World, Brandon Bayne, an Associate Professor of Religious Studies at the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill and author of the book Missions Begin with Blood: Suffering and Salvation in the Borderlands of New Spain (Fordham, 2021) joins host Liz Covart to investigate the work of Spanish missionaries and why this missionary work was carried out by just a few religious orders, namely the Franciscans and Jesuits. [Read more…] about Missions and Mission Building in New Spain

Pearls and the Nature of the Spanish Empire

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ben_franklins_worldIn 1492, Christopher Columbus’ voyage across the Atlantic linked Europe, the Americas, and the Caribbean. As Columbus’ sponsor, Spain became the first European Power to use the peoples, resources, and lands of the Americas and the Caribbean as the basis for its Atlantic Empire.

How did this empire function and what wealth was Spain able to extract from these peoples and lands? [Read more…] about Pearls and the Nature of the Spanish Empire

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