• Skip to secondary menu
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
  • Skip to secondary sidebar

New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

  • Email
  • RSS
  • Adirondacks & NNY
  • Capital-Saratoga
  • Mohawk Valley
  • Hudson Valley & Catskills
  • NYC & Long Island
  • Western NY
  • History
  • Nature & Environment
  • Arts & Culture
  • Outdoor Recreation
  • Food & Farms
  • Subscribe
  • Support
  • Submit
  • About
  • New Books
  • Events
  • Podcasts

Westchester County

An American Literary Giant Takes A Hudson River Excursion By Sloop In 1801

March 30, 2023 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

Lithograph by E. Whitefield of Tivoli, or Upper Red Hook, Landing, Hudson RiverThe following text about a sloop journey up the Hudson River in 1801 was originally published In The Life of Charles Brockden Brown by William Dunlap (Philadelphia 1815). It was transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer researcher George A. Thompson and additionally edited and annotated by John Warren.

Very suddenly conceived the design of voyaging up the Hudson River, as far as Albany. Had heard much of the grandeur of its shores, but never had gone above ten miles from New York. My friend C. having some leisure was willing to adventure for ten days or a fortnight, and I having still more, and being greatly in want of air and exercise, agreed to accompany him. We found a most spacious and well furnished vessel, captain R.—– in which we embarked at sunset this day. The wind propitious [favorable] and the air wonderfully bland [not foul, like the air in New York at this time]. [Read more…] about An American Literary Giant Takes A Hudson River Excursion By Sloop In 1801

Filed Under: Arts, Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, New York City, Recreation Tagged With: Catskills, Columbia County, Dutchess County, Hudson Highlands, Hudson River, Literature, Maritime History, New Windsor, Newburgh, Orange County, Peekskill, Red Hook, Rockland County, Stony Point, Transportation History, West Point, Westchester County

NYS Nominates 13 Places for State, National Registers of Historic Places

March 23, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

An information table set up by the Gay Liberation Front on the University of Rochester’s Eastman Quadrangle in 1970 (Photo by Anthony Boccaccio)The New York State Board for Historic Preservation has recommended adding 13 properties to the State and National Registers of Historic Places and submitting one request to the Columbia Turnpike East Toll House to the National Park Service.

The nominations include a key site associated with Rochester‘s LGBTQ+ history, a historic synagogue in Manhattan‘s Upper West Side, a public park in Ithaca, a church connected to Yonkers’s civil rights history, a re-built Lustron House in Erie County, the Oneida County History Center, and more. [Read more…] about NYS Nominates 13 Places for State, National Registers of Historic Places

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Mohawk Valley, New York City, Western NY Tagged With: Architecture, Beacon, Black History, Brooklyn, Columbia County, Dutchess County, Eden, Erie County, Fishkill, Hillsdale, Historic Preservation, Ithaca, LGBTQ, Long Island, Manhattan, Monroe County, National Park Service, National Register of Historic Places, New York City, New York State Register of Historic Places, Nissequogue River State Park, Oneida County, Oneida County Historical Society, Oneida County History Center, Pittsford, Prattsburgh, Religious History, Rochester, Rome, State Parks, Stueben County, Suffolk County, Tompkins County, University of Rochester, Upper West Side, Westchester County, Yonkers

Exotic Animals, The Van Amburgh Circus & The Lion King of Fishkill

March 22, 2023 by Jaap Harskamp Leave a Comment

Van Amburgh’s MenagerieThe term “exotic pet” refers to wild animals kept in captivity in a domestic setting for the purpose of personal interest or entertainment. With globalization the trade has increased dramatically, although its real scope is difficult to ascertain because for most species there is no registration requirement. Its scale may be a contemporary concern, but the practice itself has a long history. The public has always been obsessed with non-native animals. [Read more…] about Exotic Animals, The Van Amburgh Circus & The Lion King of Fishkill

Filed Under: Arts, History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, New York City Tagged With: Circus, Dutchess County, Fishkill, Manhattan, Museums, New York City, Newburgh, Orange County, Performing Arts, Religious History, The Bowery, Theatre, Westchester County, Wildlife, zoology

The African Burial Ground, Columbia University & Manhattan’s Grave-Robbers

March 13, 2023 by Jaap Harskamp 1 Comment

US Constitution for dissemination in New York StateOn July 26, 1788, the Convention of the State of New York, meeting in Poughkeepsie, ratified the Constitution of the United States and, in doing so, was admitted to the new union as the eleventh of the original thirteen colonies joining together as the United States of America.

For New Yorkers, it had been an eventful year. [Read more…] about The African Burial Ground, Columbia University & Manhattan’s Grave-Robbers

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: African Burial Ground National Monument, Black History, Cemeteries, Columbia University, Doctor's Riot, Irish History, Legal History, liquor, Manhattan, Medical History, New Netherland, New Rochelle, New York City, Science History, Slavery, Westchester County

Madam C. J. Walker: Black Hair Care Entrepreneur

March 3, 2023 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

History Twins PodcastThe latest History Twins podcast is about Madam C. J. Walker (1867 – 1919), who made a fortune by developing and marketing a line of cosmetics and hair care products for Black women, especially through the business she founded, the Madam C. J. Walker Manufacturing Company.

The first child of her large family born free. Sarah Breedlove was a child near Delta, Louisiana where her parents die and she was orphaned by the age of seven. She moved to Vicksburg, Mississippi, at the age of 10, working as a domestic servant. [Read more…] about Madam C. J. Walker: Black Hair Care Entrepreneur

Filed Under: History, New York City Tagged With: Black History, Financial History, Greenburgh, Harlem, Harlem Renaissance, Labor History, New York City, Podcasts, Pop Culture History, Westchester County, Women, womens history

Acquisition Helps Protect North Castle Public Wells, Croton Reservoir System

February 10, 2023 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Shadow Lake Property Courtesy of TeatownThe New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) and Westchester Land Trust (WLT) have announced the acquisition of a total of approximately 68 acres of land to protect the drinking water sources of the town of North Castle and New York City’s New Croton Reservoir system. [Read more…] about Acquisition Helps Protect North Castle Public Wells, Croton Reservoir System

Filed Under: Hudson Valley - Catskills, Nature, New York City Tagged With: DEC, North Castle, water quality, Westchester County, Westchester Land Trust, Yorktown

Documents Reveal More About Peter John Lee Kidnapping Case

January 12, 2023 by David Fiske Leave a Comment

Kidnapping sketch from American Anti-Slavery Almanac for 1839 Information about the 1836 kidnapping of Peter John Lee was related in a recent article on the New York Almanack, “NY-CT Border Disputes & The Kidnapping of Freedom-Seeker Peter John Lee.”

Lee, an African American, was lured out of Connecticut, where he resided, to Rye in Westchester County, New York. Additional aspects of this incident can be gleaned from historical documents. [Read more…] about Documents Reveal More About Peter John Lee Kidnapping Case

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, New York City Tagged With: Abolition, Bedford, Black History, Connecticut, Crime and Justice, John Jay, Legal History, Mamaroneck, Mount Pleasant, New York City, Slavery, Virginia, Westchester County, William Marcy

Jay Heritage Center Recognized for Excellence in Historic Preservation

December 19, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The Jay Heritage Center (JHC) was honored with a New York State Historic Preservation Award for Excellence in Non-Profit Achievement last week in recognition of its rehabilitation and stewardship of the Jay Estate Gardens.

The award was one of only ten conferred this year for excellence in the preservation and revitalization of New York State’s historic and cultural resources. It was the only award made to a Westchester County non-profit. [Read more…] about Jay Heritage Center Recognized for Excellence in Historic Preservation

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, New York City Tagged With: gardening, Historic Preservation, Jay Heritage Center, Landscape Architecture, OPRHP, Rye, Westchester County

The Hudson River Steamboat Poughkeepsie; Later Known As The Westchester

December 13, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

Steamboat Poughkeepsie at dock (courtesy Richard V. Elliott Collection, Hudson River Maritime Museum)This essay was written for the Kingston Daily Freeman in the 1930s, transcribed by Hudson River Maritime Museum volunteer Adam Kaplan and reproduced here in a slightly edited form.

The tale of the steamboat Poughkeepsie is the story of a vessel that is still in service [in the 1930s] – although today the name Westchester has replaced Poughkeepsie and she is no longer a familiar figure on the Hudson River. [Read more…] about The Hudson River Steamboat Poughkeepsie; Later Known As The Westchester

Filed Under: History, Hudson Valley - Catskills, New York City Tagged With: Dutchess County, Hudson Highlands, Hudson River, Kingston, Long Island, New Jersey, New York City, New York Harbor, Newburgh, Poughkeepsie, Rondout, Rye, Steamboating, Transportation History, Ulster County, Westchester County

Jay Heritage Center Receives $1.5 Million Gift

December 8, 2022 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

School group at 1907 carriage house with author Jonah Winter and illustrator Barry BlittThe Jay Heritage Center (JHC) has announced the receipt of a transformative gift of $1.5 million to open the Sue and Edgar Wachenheim III Exhibit and Performance Center at the Jay Estate in Rye, Westchester County, New York. [Read more…] about Jay Heritage Center Receives $1.5 Million Gift

Filed Under: Arts, History, New York City Tagged With: Architecture, Jay Heritage Center, Performing Arts, Rye, Westchester County

  • Go to page 1
  • Go to page 2
  • Go to page 3
  • Interim pages omitted …
  • Go to page 12
  • Go to Next Page »

Primary Sidebar

Help Support The Almanack

Subscribe to New York Almanack

Subscribe! Follow the New York Almanack each day via E-mail, RSS, Twitter or Facebook updates.

Recent Comments

  • Donna Jones on 1873 Rensselaer County Firehouse Threatened with Destruction
  • Mark Weinheimer on New York History Conference Returning in 2024
  • Olivia Twine on Woodstock Art Colony Works on Paper Exhibit
  • Olivia Twine on Students Presenting Drama of Fugitive Slave Law Protest
  • Elizabeth on Groups Oppose Proposed Easing Of Cell Tower Rules
  • Jean Perry on 1840s Troy: Blacksmith Dan, John Morrissey & Friends
  • Lena Fontaine on In Haverstraw, The House That Inspired Hitchcock
  • Michele Cogley on Albany’s Anneke Jans Bogardus, Indecent Exposure, Trinity Church & The Bowery
  • Bob Hest on Adirondack Railroad Passenger Train Originating in Tupper Lake
  • Beth on Adirondack Railroad Passenger Train Originating in Tupper Lake

Recent New York Books

Without Concealment, Without Compromise
Washington’s Marines
Major General Israel Putnam hero of the American Revolution
v is for victory
The Motorcycle Industry in New York State
Unfriendly to Liberty
weeds of the northeast
Putting Out the Planetary Fire: An Introduction to Climate Action and Advocacy
Seneca Ray Stoddard An Intimate Portrait of an Adirondack Legend
rebels at sea

Secondary Sidebar

Mohawk Valley Trading Company Honey, Honey Comb, Buckwheat Honey, Beeswax Candles, Maple Syrup, Maple Sugar
preservation league