News and Views from the Empire State
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the acquisition of several parcels totaling 662 acres in St. Lawrence, Oneida, and Lewis counties.
The parcels are expected to enhance public access to a variety of recreational opportunities, including hiking, fishing, snowmobiling, and hunting, as well as protect wetlands and forests in the region. [Read more…] about State Acquires Northern NY Lands
A North Country student, sophomore Cole Siebels from Gouverneur High School in Gouverneur, St. Lawrence County, NY, recently placed first at New York State History Day, earning the opportunity to represent New York State at the National History Day competition in June. [Read more…] about North Country Student Wins 1st at NYS History Day
Earlier this year, a group of project partners – including Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (TAUNY), the St. Lawrence County Chamber of Commerce, the St. Lawrence County Arts Council, the Hammond Barn Quilt Trail Committee, and the Town of Colton Tourism & Beautification Committee – received a New York State Council on the Arts Regional Economic Development (REDC) grant to work on a major project celebrating and promoting barn quilt activity in St. Lawrence County. [Read more…] about St. Lawrence Co Barn Quilt Mural Nears Completion
Bucking the odds is a common theme of Walter-Mitty-type fantasies — overcoming daunting obstacles to become a winner, or a hero at some level. Few of us actually live the dream, but sometimes it happens, and during Women’s History Month, an incredible North Country example comes to mind: Rhoda F. Graves of Gouverneur in St. Lawrence County.
The extreme unlikelihood of her becoming a historic figure in state politics makes her story all the more compelling. And the details are amazing. [Read more…] about Gouverneur’s Rhoda Fox Graves, NYS Political Trailblazer
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is set to continue their Brown Bag Lunch series on Thursday, March 21st. Philip Paige will speak on the Ogden family, of which Ogdensburg, NY, got its name.
While they’re obscure today, the Ogden family’s influence in early New York State can hardly be overstated, especially in St. Lawrence County. Two Ogdens negotiated the Treaty of New York (1796), which largely ended Native American title to North Country land; members of the family shortly thereafter bought up large tracts of land, and began settling it. [Read more…] about Ogdens of Ogdensburg Topic of Brown Bag Lunch
To mark the centennial of World War One the Historical Association in Canton is seeking to recognize St. Lawrence County contributions to the war effort as well as the war’s impact on local families.
In honor of the centennial of the United States’ entry into WWI in 1917, the Association has opened a new exhibition, “Come On!: Posters and Portraits of World War I.”
The exhibit shows posters for war bonds alongside photographic portraits of local soldiers. Most of the photos are unidentified, and the museum welcomes visitors who recognize a friend or family member to help identify them. [Read more…] about St Lawrence County World War One Centennial Exhibit
Our current flu season is a reminder that not so long ago the 1918 Influenza Pandemic – known then as the “Spanish Flu” or “La Grippe” – killed over 22 million people. It sickened thousands in Northern New York and killed hundreds.
The first documented case occurred on March 11, 1918 at Camp Funston, Kansas. By the end of that week more than 500 soldiers had been sickened. Influenza first spread through army bases, but by September 5th the Massachusetts State Department of Health warned that “unless precautions are taken, the disease in all probability will spread to the civilian population,” which it did. By October 22nd the city of Philadelphia’s death rate was 700 times higher than normal for a single week. [Read more…] about Ogdensburg and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic
St. Lawrence County’s Civil War Veterans is the topic for discussion at the next St. Lawrence County Historical Association (SLCHA) Civil War Roundtable this Sunday, March 30th, 2 p.m. at the Silas Wright House, 3 East Main St., Canton.
John Austin will tell about his project to document all of St. Lawrence County’s Civil War veterans. The North Country Civil War Roundtable is part of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association’s Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which was fought from 1861-1865. [Read more…] about Event: St. Lawrence County’s Civil War Veterans
“150 Years Ago – 1864″ is the next topic for the St. Lawrence County Historical Association (SLCHA) Civil War Roundtable, Sunday, January 26th, 2 p.m. at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association in Canton.
Stanley Maine will lead the program and will discuss the major battles and significant events of the Civil War and the North Country which occurred during 1864. Among the significant events of 1864 were the Atlanta Campaign, which resulted in the occupation of Atlanta, Sherman’s March to the Sea, and the reelection of President Abraham Lincoln. [Read more…] about Civil War Event in Canton: 150 Years Ago – 1864
An ad like the one in the January 21, 1869 issue of the Malone Palladium which announced the opening of a new writing school in Malone, NY, was not uncommon during the post-Civil War era.
According to the ad, Professor T.M. Tobin, a former teacher at the Vermont Business College in Burlington, was offering to teach “ladies and gentlemen the Spencerian system of penmanship.”
Students were expected to provide their own foolscap paper, “good” ink, and pens. Tobin’s ad stated that specimens of his penmanship could be seen at the post office and that he would award a gold pen to the student who showed the most improvement. His fee for twelve lessons in today’s money was about $35.00, payable in advance. [Read more…] about Should We Still Teach Cursive Handwriting?