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Staten Island

Italian Heroes In New York: What Purpose Did Statues Serve?

December 14, 2022 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

Bust of Italian Patriot Giuseppe MazziniNationalism of the nineteenth century represents very different values to those of our era. With the present rise of frenzied flag-waving and militant xenophobia, it is hard to understand the cult status achieved by foreign revolutionary figures such as Lafayette, who was honored as the “French Hero of the American Revolution.”

In 1878 a bust of Giuseppe Mazzini was unveiled in New York City‘s Central Park. A decade later, on the sixth anniversary of his death, Giuseppe Garibaldi was memorialized with a bronze statue in Washington Square Park. Why were these relatively unknown Italian insurgents given such a prestigious presence in New York? [Read more…] about Italian Heroes In New York: What Purpose Did Statues Serve?

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Art History, Central Park, French History, Greenwich Village, Immigration, Italian History, Manhattan, Monuments, New York City, Revolutions of 1848, sculpture, Staten Island

Remembering Historian & Historic Preservationist Billy McMillen

December 1, 2022 by Editorial Staff 1 Comment

Billy McMillen (courtesy Historic Richmond Town)On November 9th noted historian and historic preservationist William “Billy” McMillen of Glenmont, New York, passed away quietly at home at the age of 81. Born on Staten Island, McMillen lived there his entire life until retiring to Glenmont in 2003.

His work at Historic Richmond Town, a site his father helped to found, began in 1963 and he became Supervisor of Restoration in 1967, serving in that position until his retirement.  A master of many trades, he was best known as a tinsmith who helped train many tinsmiths across the country. [Read more…] about Remembering Historian & Historic Preservationist Billy McMillen

Filed Under: Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History, New York City Tagged With: Glenmont, HIstoric Eastfield Village, Historic Preservation, Historic Richmond, Nassau, New York City, Public History, Rensselaer County, Staten Island

$1.4M For Hudson River Estuary Community Projects

October 22, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Students catch fish with seine nets at 'Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor' event in AlbanyNew York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced grants totaling more than $1.4 million for 23 projects to help communities along the Hudson River Estuary improve water quality and enhance environmental education and stewardship.

The announcement coincides with the 20th Annual ‘Day in the Life of the Hudson and Harbor,’ where 5,000 student scientists are gathering along the Hudson River and New York Harbor to collect data on the Hudson’s fish and invertebrates, track the river’s tides and currents, and examine water chemistry and quality. [Read more…] about $1.4M For Hudson River Estuary Community Projects

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, New York City, Recreation Tagged With: Bronx County, clean water, Columbis University, CUNY, DEC, Dutchess County, Fisheries, Hudson River, Hudson River Estuary Program, Hudson River Park, Hudson River Watershed Alliance, Hudson Riverkeeper, nature, New York City, New York Harbor, Newburgh, Orange County, Ossining, Oysters, Pace University, Putnam County, Randall's Island, Rensselaer, Rensselaer County, Rensselaer Plateau Alliance, Richmond County, Rockland County, Sarah Lawrence College, Saugerties, Stanford, Staten Island, The Bronx, Ulster County, water quality, Waterfront Alliance, Westchester County, Yonkers

Early Distilling History: Puritan Bibles, Gin & Schnapps

September 12, 2022 by Jaap Harskamp Leave a Comment

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

Filed Under: Food, History, New York City Tagged With: Brooklyn, Culinary History, Dutch History, liquor, London, Medical History, Netherlands, New Amsterdam, New Netherland, New York City, Prohibition, Spain, Staten Island, Vice

Coastal Green Infrastructure: The Staten Island Living Breakwaters Project

March 29, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Living Breakwaters ProjectLiving Breakwaters is a coastal green infrastructure project consisting of 2,400 linear feet of near-shore breakwaters — partially submerged structures built of stone and ecologically-enhanced concrete – currently being constructed off the southern coast of Staten Island.

The breakwaters are designed to reduce the impact of climate-intensified weather events on the low-lying coastal community of Tottenville, which experienced some of the most damaging waves in the region and tragic loss of life during Superstorm Sandy in 2012. [Read more…] about Coastal Green Infrastructure: The Staten Island Living Breakwaters Project

Filed Under: Events, History, New York City Tagged With: Environmental History, Hurricane Sandy, National Lighthouse Museum, Staten Island

Sailors’ Snug Harbor on Staten Island (Author Interview)

July 25, 2021 by Robert Chiles Leave a Comment

Bosom FriendsThe most recent episode of Empire State Engagements features a conversation with Dr. Thomas J. Balcerski of Eastern Connecticut State University about his New York History journal article “‘The Little Spark of Manhood I Have Left’: Governor Thomas Melville and the Aged Seamen of Sailors’ Snug Harbor,” and his recent monograph Bosom Friends: The Intimate World of James Buchanan and William Rufus King (New York: Oxford University Press, 2019). [Read more…] about Sailors’ Snug Harbor on Staten Island (Author Interview)

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Cultural History, Labor History, Maritime History, Podcasts, Social History, Staten Island

Staten Island Boxer Bill Richmond Delivered the Punches

July 12, 2021 by Jaap Harskamp 4 Comments

Taste in High LifeArchaeologists in Central London are involved in a massive undertaking excavating St James’s Gardens, a graveyard close to Euston Station, before a terminus for the controversial High Speed 2 (HS2) railway project is built on the site. Among the 45,000 skeletons due to be dug up it is hoped that the remains of Bill Richmond will be identified.

By the end of the eighteenth century boxing was England’s dominant sport. Confirmation of its repute occurred at the coronation of George IV on 19 July 1821 when eighteen pugilists were invited to guard the entrance to Westminster Abbey. One of the ushers selected for the grand occasion was Bill Richmond, a formerly enslaved man who descended from Richmondtown, a colonial outpost on Staten Island, New York. [Read more…] about Staten Island Boxer Bill Richmond Delivered the Punches

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Abolition, Black History, boxing, Cultural History, New York City, Political History, Slavery, sports, Sports History, Staten Island

Lafayette’s 1824-25 Farewell Tour Commemoration

June 8, 2021 by Editorial Staff 2 Comments

Lafayette as a lieutenant general in 1791, by Joseph-Désiré Court (1834)In 1824, the French aristocrat Lafayette (Marie-Joseph Paul Yves Roch Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de La Fayette), who had played a key role in securing victory over the British during the American Revolution, was invited by President James Monroe to visit the United States, then about to celebrate its 50th anniversary.

Upon his arrival on Staten Island, the general was greeted with open arms. He had been a favorite of General Washington, who had acted as a surrogate father to the young Lafayette.

As an advocate for democracy in both the American colonies and in France, and a proponent of abolition, the Frenchman was warmly welcomed on a thirteen-month tour of the United States. His visit spanned a highly controversial 1824 presidential election season in which the House of Representatives selected John Quincy Adams over the highest vote-getter, Andrew Jackson. Lafayette has been seen by historians as a uniting force, whose presence served to remind Americans of their mutual bonds. [Read more…] about Lafayette’s 1824-25 Farewell Tour Commemoration

Filed Under: Events, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills Tagged With: American Revolution, Castle Garden, Cultural History, Daughters of the American Revolution, French History, Lafayette, Military History, New York City, Political History, Staten Island

Fresh Kills: A History of Consuming and Discarding

March 6, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

fresh kills bookMartin V. Melosi’s new book Fresh Kills: A History of Consuming and Discarding in New York City (Columbia University Press, 2020) tells the story of Fresh Kills ― a monumental 2,200-acre site on Staten Island ― that was once the world’s largest landfill.

From 1948 to 2001, it was the main receptacle for New York City’s refuse. [Read more…] about Fresh Kills: A History of Consuming and Discarding

Filed Under: Books, History, New York City Tagged With: Books, Environmental History, Material Culture, New York City, Staten Island

Great Atlantic Liners Talk in Staten Island

January 9, 2020 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Ocean Liners provided by National Lighthouse MuseumBill Miller, knwon as “Mr. Ocean Liner,” is set to give a talk, Floating Palaces: The Great Atlantic Liners, on Thursday, January 30th, from 6 to 8 pm, at the National Lighthouse Museum in Staten Island.

Ocean Liners were the mechanic marvels of their time, with their top deck suites and salons to lower-deck steerage, the race for speed, the lavish interiors and soldiers onboard during wartime. [Read more…] about Great Atlantic Liners Talk in Staten Island

Filed Under: Events, History Tagged With: Maritime History, National Lighthouse Museum, Staten Island

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