News and Views from the Empire State
Oneida County History Center’s 2020 Historical Selfie Scavenger Hunt is now underway through August 31st.
This interactive event invites the public to explore local history and document their journey with a selfie at historic sites, monuments, and markers in Oneida County or Utica. [Read more…] about Oneida Co Historical Selfie Scavenger Hunt Underway
During the Great Depression of the 1930s the federal government started numerous programs to provide jobs. One, based on an earlier New York State program established by then Governor Franklin Delano Roosevelt, was the Civilian Conservation Corps (CCC).
The CCC employed about 3.5 million young men nationwide, with about 210,00 of them at 116 camps across New York State. The camps, for men only, were supervised by the U.S. Army and the Soil Conservation Commission. [Read more…] about A Visit To The Deansboro, Oneida Co, CCC Camp
Before the Civil War fugitive slave laws were passed (notably in 1787, 1793, and 1850) to encourage the capture and re-enslavement of people who had run away from slavery.
In New York, abolitionist sentiment was particularly strong, though not universal. Many New Yorkers believed that only the federal government could regulate slavery, and they had spoken on the matter to give wide support for the recapture of escaped enslaved people. [Read more…] about Utica Slave Rescues And Slavers
History shows that several pandemics have struck in New York State – one of the less remembered is known as the Second Cholera Pandemic of 1832.
New York was among the most thoroughly scourged among the states.
[Read more…] about The Cholera Pandemic of 1832 in New York State
A celebrity sports delegation attended the Saint Lawrence University commencement on June 12, 1933.
“It was the first occasion that a major league ball team had ever came here to see one of their number receive his degree,” the Ogdensburg Journal reported. “In fact, it was the first time that such a ball team ever came to the village.”
Twenty-two members of the New York Giants were at the university campus at Canton to see standout pitcher Harold Henry “Prince Hal” Schumacher graduate. [Read more…] about ‘Prince Hal’ Schumacher: A North Country Baseball Legend
The Oneida County History Center will be closed to the public until April 1, 2020. The Board and Staff are following recommendations from local government agencies, the CDC and health authorities with the intention of eliminating risk of exposure to volunteers, members and visitors. [Read more…] about Oneida Co History Center Closed Through April 1st
The Utica/Oneida County Branch NAACP is set to kick off Black History Month 2020 with its annual program at the Oneida County History Center. The program features guest speakers, including County Legislator Evon Ervin and Councilman Delvin Moody, poetry recitals, dance presentations, music, and more.
This local celebration follows the 2020 national theme, African Americans and the Vote, which addresses the ongoing struggle on the part of both black men and black women for the right to vote. [Read more…] about African American Voting Rights Talk in Utica
The Oneida County History Center has announced that Elizabeth Tantillo has been recruited to serve as their interim executive director. She brings years of management and non-profit experience that will aid the History Center during its transition to the next permanent executive director. [Read more…] about New Interim Director at Oneida Co History Center
Sometime around 1797, a baby boy of African descent was born in Oneida County. He didn’t live a very long life, yet his experiences reveal much about the institution of slavery in New York State.
All we know for certain about Frank Johnson’s birthdate is that it preceded the passage of the 1799 Gradual Emancipation Act, thereby making him a “slave for life,” as he was called by the man who owned him according to the law. That man, Alexander Bryan Johnson, born in England in 1786, followed his father to Utica, New York arriving in 1801. There he became an important man, involved with the merchandising business, banking, writing, and gaining recognition as a public intellectual. There is still a park named after him in Utica. [Read more…] about Frank Johnson’s Story: An Enslaved Man’s Experiences
History show & tell is set to return to the Oneida County History Center (OCHC) on Saturday, January 11, 2020, where attendees can share their story and the stage with special guest Frank Tomaino and host, Joe Kelly.
The public is invited to bring an old photograph, a personal artifact, or other memorabilia to ‘show & tell,’ or just listen. [Read more…] about History Show & Tell In Utica Jan 11th