This week on The Historians Podcast, highlights from seven podcasts from 2021 – Jim Richmond on Saratoga County history, Mike Hauser on Fulton County sports, Sarah Patten on women spies, Thruway questions from Robert Burns, John Warren on motorization of the Adirondack Park, Jim Kaplan on New York City’s South Street Seaport and Roland Vinyard on West Virginia caver Pete Hauer. [Read more…] about Highlights From The Historians Podcast
Transportation History
Train Ferries: The Hudson River’s Most Unusual Steamers
Among the many hundreds of steamboats plying the Hudson River when that waterway served as a primary method of moving people and freight, a few stand out as unusual. The most remarkable of these is perhaps the railroad transports, used to ferry railroad cars.
Also known as train ferries, or car ferries (not to be confused with auto ferries), they were fitted with railway tracks and doors at each end to allow for loading and unloading. [Read more…] about Train Ferries: The Hudson River’s Most Unusual Steamers
Historic Canal Sign Grants Available
The newest grant round of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation’s Historic Transportation Canals Marker Grant Program is now open. This program commemorates the historical significance of transportation canals in the United States with roadside markers. [Read more…] about Historic Canal Sign Grants Available
John Warren Talks Adirondacks On The Historians Podcast
This week on The Historians Podcast, how the Adirondack forest preserve was motorized, snowmobiling, and more. The guest is John Warren, founder and editor of New York Almanack. [Read more…] about John Warren Talks Adirondacks On The Historians Podcast
NYS Thruway History Subject of Historians Podcast
This week on The Historians Podcast New York State Thruway user and Historians Podcast listener Robert Burns makes frequent trips between Rochester and Albany. He has questions on the history of the Thruway, built in the 1950s. For example, why was the Thruway built so far away from Rochester?
We get background on Thruway history from a 2015 interview with Bruce Dearstyne, author of the book Spirit of New York. [Read more…] about NYS Thruway History Subject of Historians Podcast
The Unpleasant Side of Life With Horses in Cities
Return with me to the thrilling days of yesteryear when the automobile was viewed as the solution to transportation noise, fumes and congestion.
The problem: Horses.
A lot of horses. [Read more…] about The Unpleasant Side of Life With Horses in Cities
Dancing On Logs: Pulp Wood At Sackets Harbor
Located at the eastern end of Lake Ontario, Sackets Harbor boasts a stellar history in the War of 1812, but this lake port holds a wealth of other fascinating stories.
After the War of 1812, Sackets Harbor nearly became a thriving lake port, but both the emerging railroads and canal systems quickly excluded the tiny village from ever becoming a Buffalo or Cleveland-size port. [Read more…] about Dancing On Logs: Pulp Wood At Sackets Harbor
New York Central Railroad Photo Archive Gets Update
The New York Central System Historical Society (NYCSHS) has announced the creation of a second-generation archive system as a resource for railroad historians and model railroaders of the New York Central System. With more than 58,000 images, the archive is the largest offering from the Society to date. [Read more…] about New York Central Railroad Photo Archive Gets Update
One Not-So-Benign Influence Of The D&H Canal
The positive impacts of the Delaware & Hudson Canal on Sullivan County were indisputable. With its opening in 1828, the 108-mile-long waterway made it possible for the first time to easily transport goods in and out of the area, and directly led to the growth of the tanning and bluestone industries. Entire communities, such as Barryville, Wurtsboro and Phillipsport, owe their very existence to the D & H, and while the canal was in operation, each was among the largest communities in the county in terms of commerce and population. [Read more…] about One Not-So-Benign Influence Of The D&H Canal
A Haven of Immigrant Creativity In Long Island
In fiction and research, the history of an estate is often used to throw light on the lives of former residents and the cultural environment in which they acted. The monumental white mansion now known as Bevin House, Long Island, hides an intriguing tale that offers a snapshot of New York’s cosmopolitan past. [Read more…] about A Haven of Immigrant Creativity In Long Island