New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Theodore Roosevelt

Newcomb’s TR Weekend to Celebrate Edith Roosevelt

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TR Weekend logo Teddy Roosevelt Weekend will once again be celebrated in Newcomb, Essex County, NY on September 11th and 12th. This year the weekend event will host a multitude of events, and will for the first time focus on Edith Roosevelt, wife of TR.

Mrs. Roosevelt had been staying with her husband at the Tahawus Club in Newcomb when he was called away to deal with the assassination of President William McKinley.  In 1933, she spoke about her experience in an address to school children: [Read more…] about Newcomb’s TR Weekend to Celebrate Edith Roosevelt

Ballston’s Hawkwood Estate: Teddy Roosevelt, Guy Baker & The Countess

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Hawkwood circa 1900Theodore Roosevelt spent a bit of time in Saratoga County, particularly in the years leading up to and including his time as Governor of New York (1899-1900).

TR would often visit a friend, Guy Baker, who lived in Ballston. He hunted on Baker’s Hawkwood estate and sometimes brought members of his family for short visits with the Bakers. [Read more…] about Ballston’s Hawkwood Estate: Teddy Roosevelt, Guy Baker & The Countess

Teddy Roosevelt In The Catskills

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Former president Teddy Roosevelt spoke from the first-floor balcony of the Liberty House on October 23, 1914On October 23rd, 1914, several thousand people heard former president Teddy Roosevelt address separate gatherings in Liberty and Monticello, in Sullivan County, in the Catskills.

Just two years removed from his near assassination while campaigning for president in Milwaukee, and a scant few months after his ill-fated trip down the River of Doubt which had left him severely weakened, Roosevelt was touring on behalf of the Progressive Party candidate for governor of New York, Frederick M. Davenport. [Read more…] about Teddy Roosevelt In The Catskills

Teddy In Ticonderoga: Get Me From the Train On Time

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Theodore Roosevelt portrait courtesy United States Library of Congress Prints and Photographs divisionRepublican gubernatorial candidate Nathan Miller was on such a tight schedule on October 12th, 1920 that one of the keynote speakers in his entourage got left behind at the railroad depot south of Ticonderoga village, on Lake Champlain.

At least that’s the official explanation. [Read more…] about Teddy In Ticonderoga: Get Me From the Train On Time

Sagamore Hill Temporarily Closed

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sagamore hillThe National Park Service (NPS) has announced that Sagamore Hill National Historic Site will be closed to all visitors until further notice in response to concerns from the local community and public health officials. No entry will be allowed into the site, except to employees, residents, and other authorized persons. [Read more…] about Sagamore Hill Temporarily Closed

Mohawk Valley History Stories Podcast

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The Historians LogoThis week on The Historians Podcast, Bob Cudmore reads three stories from an audio tour compiled by Montgomery County historian Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar: the Palatine Church, Charleston’s forests and the St. Kateri Tekakwitha Shrine. Also the story of Amsterdam drama coach Bert DeRose and from the archives, historian David Pietrusza on the last years of Teddy Roosevelt. [Read more…] about Mohawk Valley History Stories Podcast

Sagamore Hill Fire Findings Released By Park Service

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sagamore hill fire (2018)The National Park Service (NPS) has released findings and a follow-up corrective action plan for the December 2018 visitor center fire at Sagamore Hill National Historic Site in Oyster Bay, NY. The loss of the visitor center impacted the staff and operations at the park, as the building housed many aspects of park operations including staff, historic house tour ticket sales and a bookstore.

The NPS investigation into the cause of the fire was inconclusive, however they concluded that there did not appear to be any indications that it was intentionally caused. Several accidental causes of the fire were considered, including furnace malfunction, original equipment installation issues and storage practices. The report says the building had a monitored fire detection and alarm system and portable fire extinguishers and Park leadership and staff followed applicable NPS structural fire policies. [Read more…] about Sagamore Hill Fire Findings Released By Park Service

Cove Neck: Oyster Bay’s Historic Enclave

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cove neckThe new book Cove Neck: Oyster Bay’s Historic Enclave (The History Press, 2019) by John E. Hammond and Elizabeth E. Roosevelt, looks at the village of Cove Neck in Long Island.

Looking out over the majestic waters of Oyster Bay, the village of Cove Neck has played an outsized role in the history of Long Island and the nation. [Read more…] about Cove Neck: Oyster Bay’s Historic Enclave

Roosevelt’s Life, Legacy Focus of Long Island Conference

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Theodore Roosevelt portrait courtesy United States Library of Congress Prints and Photographs divisionThe Theodore Roosevelt Institute’s Centenary Conference, where nationally recognized experts and scholars will discuss how Roosevelt’s diplomacy, foreign policy and reformism address current geopolitical issues, has been set for October 27th, through 30th, at the Long Island University.

The conference will be led by Tweed Roosevelt, Chairman of the Theodore Roosevelt Institute at Long Island University and great-grandson of Theodore Roosevelt. [Read more…] about Roosevelt’s Life, Legacy Focus of Long Island Conference

Spanish-American War Talk in the Catskills

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USS Maine in Havanna Harbor in 1898Charles Breiner of Claryville is set to give a talk on the Spanish-American War on Sunday, August 11 at 2 pm, at the Time and the Valleys Museum on St. Rt. 55 in Grahamsville, Sullivan County, NY.

Breiner will explain the role of Theodore Roosevelt before and during the war, why the battleship USS Oregon captured headlines for 67 days, and discuss some of the unintended consequences of the war that lasted well into the twentieth century. [Read more…] about Spanish-American War Talk in the Catskills