New York is slowly preparing for the 250th anniversary of both the birth of the United States (July 2, 1776) and the birth of New York State (April 20, 1777, the day the first state constitution was approved). [Read more…] about America & New York’s 250th Birthdays
State Historian
The Decline of the New York State Museum
New York State Museum leadership is under fire again. This time from Albany Times Union columnist Chris Churchill. He points out that it’s been eight years since a $14 million overhaul of the museums exhibits was announced. [Read more…] about The Decline of the New York State Museum
NY State, Counties Still Not Fully Engaged With American 250th Anniversary
This week on The Historians Podcast, New York State Historian Devin Lander joins host Bob Cudmore. Lander previews the 250th anniversary of American independence which will be observed from 2025 through 2033.
The state has authorized a commission to oversee events, however some of the 13 appointees to a state commission have not yet been named, and the vast majority of counties in the state have taken no action to remember this important anniversary. [Read more…] about NY State, Counties Still Not Fully Engaged With American 250th Anniversary
Some History Of The Warren County Mammoth Tooth Going On View November 5th
The Warren County Historical Society is welcoming back to the county a giant mammoth tooth found in Queensbury before the Civil War.
The prehistoric elephant roamed Warren County some 13,000 years ago when the county was more tundra-like with sedges and lichens in a very cold environment left by the retreating ice sheet on its way back North. [Read more…] about Some History Of The Warren County Mammoth Tooth Going On View November 5th
The State Historian on the 250th Anniversary of the Revolution
This week on The Historians Podcast, New York State Historian Devin Lander discusses plans to observe the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution.
Prior to being named State Historian, Lander was executive director of the Museum Association of New York. [Read more…] about The State Historian on the 250th Anniversary of the Revolution
2019 Municipal Historian Reports Are Due
As per §57.09 of the NYS Arts and Cultural Affairs Law, all appointed local government historians “shall make an annual report, in the month of January, to the local appointing officer or officers and to the state historian of the work which has been accomplished during the preceding year.”
In an attempt to make this process easier, the New York State Historian has created an online form. The data produces a useful statistical abstract which are now shared annually. [Read more…] about 2019 Municipal Historian Reports Are Due
NYS Historians Law Celebrates 100th Birthday
One hundred years ago, on April 11, 1919, New York Governor Al Smith signed the “Historians Law.” The first law of its kind in the United States, the Historians Law allowed for every village, town, and city in the state to have an official historian to gather and preserve historical records.
On the this episode of A New York Minute In History, host and New York State Historian Devin Lander is joined by Clifton Park Historian John Scherer, Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts, and former Broome County Historian and past president of the Association of Public Historians of New York State Gerald Smith to discuss the role of local historians and the integral part they play in their communities. [Read more…] about NYS Historians Law Celebrates 100th Birthday
250th Anniv of American Revolution Plans Underway
The Office of State History, in partnership with the National Park Service, the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, and the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona College are set to facilitate three planning meetings to begin discussing plans for New York’s commemoration of the 250th Anniversary of the American Revolution. [Read more…] about 250th Anniv of American Revolution Plans Underway
Al Smith, FDR, and the Progressive Movement
On the most recent episode of the podcast A New York Minute In History, co-hosts Devin Lander and Don Wildman examine how two New Yorkers – Al Smith and Franklin Delano Roosevelt – influenced the Progressive Era of the early 20th Century. The episode also explores how the administrations of Smith and Roosevelt shaped modern day politics and the role of government. [Read more…] about Al Smith, FDR, and the Progressive Movement
New Directions for ‘New York History’ Journal
The journal New York History turns a century old in 2019 and this summer readers will find volume 100, issue number 1, in their mailboxes and see notices of the digital delivery of the journal in their email inboxes.
The most anticipated change at the journal, which is under new stewardship of Cornell University Press collaborating with the New York State Museum, is a welcome return to the past. The journal, after being a digital-only publication since 2012, will return to glorious print. Readers will be able to peruse bound paper issues and consult PDF and reflowable e-journals as their interests and reading needs determine. We know that paper and screens have their respective and complementary places in our reading lives, and the editors of the journal have ensured that all readers will have a choice of formats. [Read more…] about New Directions for ‘New York History’ Journal