The Nautical Gazette says: One of the oldest pilots actively engaged in steamboating today [in 1905] is Captain James P. Ackley, who daily steers the Hudson River ferryboat Brinkerhoff on her trips between Poughkeepsie and Highland [in Ulster County, NY]. [Read more…] about Poughkeepsie’s Captain James Ackley: A Boatman’s Life
Virgina
Binghamton Thoroughbred Owner and Breeder Willis Sharpe Kilmer
Willis Sharpe Kilmer was an influential businessman with a dynamic personality, who parlayed wealth derived from sales of patent medicines into his participation in horse racing. With his intense competitive spirit, he thought of thoroughbred horse racing and breeding as a perfect blend of business and competition.
Kilmer was active in the sport as an owner and breeder from 1915 until his death in 1940. His racing stock competed across North America and won major races such as the Kentucky Derby and Travers Stakes. [Read more…] about Binghamton Thoroughbred Owner and Breeder Willis Sharpe Kilmer
Black Americans in the Revolutionary War
Black Americans have a long and distinguished history of military service. They participated in every colonial war from 1690 through the French and Indian War (1754-1763) as soldiers, sailors, laborers, scouts, and spies.
Blacks generally served in integrated units and earned the same pay as whites. Even enslaved people served in the army and were paid although their enlistment compelled them to surrender some portion of this money to the people who held them enslaved. [Read more…] about Black Americans in the Revolutionary War