History, Natural History & the Arts
With over 500 miles of shoreline, the fireboats of the FDNY have protected the city of New York for the last century and a half.
Utilizing historic images, David Rocco showcases their fascinating evolution from wooden-hull tugboats to modern-day specialized watercraft in Fireboats of the FDNY (Arcadia Press, 2026). [Read more…] about A NYC Fire Department Fireboats History
Revolutionary New York City: America at 250 (2026) is a five-borough collaborative multi-year effort by The Bronx County Historical Society, Historic Richmond Town, Center for Brooklyn History, and the Gotham Center, with contributions from Philipse Manor Hall, the Lott House, Queens County Farm, and others.
This book of essays moves beyond the iconic battles and founding fathers to reveal the complex, messy, and deeply human reality of the American Revolution in New York City. [Read more…] about Revolutionary New York City: America at 250
An angler caught in the act filleting his illegal catch, and a large group ticketed for poaching more than a dozen striped bass are just some of the cases NYS Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs) encountered in recent weeks.
The most surprising occurred on Sunday morning, May 10th, ECOs Brown, Dorrett, Heckler, and Hilton were using a robotic wild turkey decoy to catch people illegally road hunting in Williamstown, Oswego County, NY– it didn’t take long. [Read more…] about Fake Turkey Shot From Road; Poaching Canada Geese; Illegal Fishing
The Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) has announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 19 properties and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
The nominations include a nineteenth-century church in Jefferson County that developed and promoted Universalism in Upstate New York, a pre-Revolutionary War house owned by seven generations of the Hulse family on Long Island’s North Shore, and additional documentation for New York City’s Hotel Chelsea recognizing its significance as a center of LGBTQ cultural and creative life. [Read more…] about 19 NY Places Recommended for State and National Registers
Staten Island photographer Elizabeth Alice Austen (1866–1952) is best known for her street photography and intimate depictions of women’s lives and relationships in the Victorian era.
“New Eyes on Alice Austen,” a groundbreaking permanent exhibition at the Alice Austen House Museum finally puts her into an appropriate LGBTQ+ history context with respect denied her during her lifetime. [Read more…] about New Eyes on Alice Austen: Queering the Museum
On January 14, 1963, after being overwhelmingly elected by white Alabama voters, George Wallace (1919-1998), the infamous segregationist and white supremacist, delivered his inaugural address and called for “Segregation now! Segregation tomorrow! Segregation forever!” Throughout his speech he condemned integration and criticized federal intervention in state affairs.
Running for office almost a decade after Brown v. Board of Education, Wallace’s 1962 campaign used the slogan “Stand up for Alabama,” and he vowed to fight integration at the University of Alabama. [Read more…] about White Supremacist George Wallace & New York State
At the end of 2025, Greenwich Village Society for Historic Preservation released an updated version of its first-of-its-kind report, Analyzing New York City Landmark Designations, A Review of Mayoral Influence and Policies: 1965-2025, covering nine Mayoral administrations.
For the first time ever, the report catalogued every landmark designation in New York City since the law took effect in 1965, and analyzed how each Mayor performed with regards to historic preservation. The results were stark. [Read more…] about Eric Adams ‘Worst Mayor in History’ for Historic Preservation
Location scouting is a part of the pre-production process of making a film or television show. Before digital files and location-scouting apps transformed the business of film location scouting, New York’s production world ran on hard copies — real photographs, taped into real folders, stored in real boxes. [Read more…] about New York City Location Scout Photo Collections
As Rick Cotton retires as the latest in a long line of executive directors of the Port Authority of New York and New Jersey, it’s worth thinking about the original, lurching journey to create the agency a century ago.
The Port Authority, which last year recorded gross operating revenues of almost $7 billion on assets of more than $63 billion, oversees many of New York City’s bridges, tunnels, marine terminals, and airports and a 1,500-square-mile port district. It was created in 1921 via a two-state compact ratified by Congress. That launch had not been assured, nor was getting there smooth. [Read more…] about NYC Mayor John Hylan and the Fight to Create the Port Authority
There are few things considered more critical to New York City’s economy than the creative sector, the mix of industries that range from performing and visual arts to ad agencies and design firms.
But a new Creative New York report by The Center for an Urban Future (CUF) shows that the city’s creative sector is facing serious new threats, in large part due to an affordability crisis that is hitting artists and creative workers especially hard. [Read more…] about New Report: Affordability Threatens NYC’s Creative Sector
Nineteen properties and districts have been recommended for inclusion in the State and National Registers of Historic Places. The nominations include an office building with a pioneering design in energy efficiency in Buffalo, an Arts and Crafts church on Staten Island, a new historic district in Essex County, and the Cortland home of a leader in New York’s Women’s Club Movement.
The nominations were reviewed on December 3, 2025, at a meeting of the New York State Board for Historic Preservation. [Read more…] about 19 Nominations to State and National Registers of Historic Places
One of the most extreme examples highlighted in the New York State Comptroller’s recent report on the increase of severe weather, was the October 29, 2012 landfall of Hurricane Sandy.
Sandy is an example of how the impacts of climate change act as “threat magnifiers,” and in the case of Sandy produce unprecedented damage to infrastructure and economic disruption. [Read more…] about The Impacts of ‘Superstorm Sandy’
Staten Island Ferry
There’s no such thing
As a free ride
Until you take a free
Scenic trip across
The New York Harbor
Aboard the
Staten Island Ferry
Before they were suppressed in the late nineteenth century, some New Yorkers enjoyed cruel sports which would not be tolerated today. Among these were “baiting” which pitted specially trained dogs against various other species. This was a favorite of both city and country dwellers, and was sometimes even more popular than cockfighting.
Although baiting came from the Romams who matched every species of bird and beast they could, it continued in England where there is evidence that even before Tudor times (1485-1603) Britons practicing cockfighting as well as bull, badger and bear baiting. [Read more…] about The Baiting Ring: Bulls, Bears & Brutality in 19th Century New York
New York City’s fountains are more than just decorative features — they are historical landmarks, cultural icons, and dynamic works of art that shape the city’s landscape.
In Fabulous Fountains of New York (Fordham University Press, 2025) award-winning author and native New Yorker Stephanie Azzarone takes readers on a captivating journey through the artistry, history, and hidden stories behind these remarkable waterworks. [Read more…] about A New Guide to the Fabulous Fountains of New York
The New York State Board for Historic Preservation was established in 1972 and expanded by the New York State Historic Preservation Act of 1980. It works with the State Historic Preservation Office to review nominations to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.
In honor of the milestone 200th meeting of the Board for Historic Preservation (on September 10, 2025), below are some of New York’s most interesting resources in the National Register, either as individual sites or as parts of historic districts. [Read more…] about Some Unique National Historical Register Listings in New York
Whether you want to paddle for a few hours or the entire day, the New York City Water Trail provides abundant opportunities for doing both. The 160 square miles of interconnected bays, creeks, rivers, inlets, and ocean in the five boroughs of New York City are suitable for canoes, kayaks, and other open water rowing craft. [Read more…] about Kayaking and Canoeing on the New York City Water Trail
Photographs of historic buildings can be very valuable resources. They help inform historically accurate building restorations and modifications, they show the building’s and neighborhood’s changes over time, and they are a window into the past.
When proposing changes to a landmarked building in New York City, especially changes that will alter the appearance of the landmark, the Landmarks Preservation Commission will require historic photos as part of the application. [Read more…] about Where to Find Photos of NYC Historic Buildings
Shooters Island in Newark Bay, near Staten Island, is so-called because the Dutch supposedly went there to shoot wild geese. Its industrial use resulted in filling and expansion of the area of the island from its original six acres to upwards of 42 acres today, it lies on the border between New York and New Jersey. [Read more…] about Shooters Island: Hunter’s Haven to Bird Sanctuary
What follows is a description of the Staten Island celebration of American Independence from The Columbian (New York, NY) newspaper, published July 10, 1812:
In the very interesting situation of our country, it was expected that 4th of July, the 36th anniversary of our Independence, would be celebrated in a masterly manner. We are highly gratified to say, that the public expectation was not disappointed. We have never witnessed greater order, harmony, sobriety, patriotism, and becoming zeal. [Read more…] about Fourth of July: Celebrating Independence in 1812
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