History, Natural History & the Arts
New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has announced the grand opening of the Hudson Valley segment of the New York State Birding Trail to highlight the State’s world-class and wide-ranging birding opportunities.
The Hudson Valley segment includes 39 locations on public lands throughout six counties, providing a variety of quality birding experiences for New Yorkers and visitors to enjoy. [Read more…] about Hudson Valley Segment of Statewide Birding Trail Opens
Early April saw New York State lawmakers adopt the 2022 budget and approve a plan to accelerate the siting of three new full casinos in the metropolitan New York area. This plan will see the casino licenses awarded to those able to cover the $500 million fee and be approved in a selection process.
The obvious first choice for one of the three sites is Aqueduct Race Track in Queens, and another possible location would be Empire City Casino in Yonkers.
Both locations for many years have successfully demonstrated their feasibility by conducting horse sports, and each of the casino facilities are managed by experienced operators, Resorts World at the Big A, and MGM at Empire City.
With Aqueduct in the Big Apple so well known, perhaps this is a good opportunity to delve into the origins of Empire City. [Read more…] about Empire City Race Track in Yonkers: Some History
The Harrison Library in Westchester County will host “The Hills Community on Stony Hill Road: the History of the Rural, Black Community in Harrison, 1790-1925,” a virtual presentation led by Edythe Ann Quinn, Ph.D, set for Friday, February 11th at 4 pm.
“The Hills Community” crossed the rugged borders of Harrison, North Castle, and White Plains, NY with its largest settlement on Stony Hill Road, Harrison. Family, church, school, and land ownership provided stability in the mid-1800s. The Civil War service of 35 Hills men in three Black regiments of the United States Colored Troops resulted in six deaths, multiple injuries, and illnesses, and, upon the veterans’ return, influenced an increase in emigration contributing to community decline in the 1890s. [Read more…] about The Black Community in Harrison, Westchester County, 1790-1925 (Virtual Program)
In the first episode of the A New York Minute in History podcast’s 2022 season, Devin Lander and Lauren Roberts look to a William G. Pomeroy Foundation historical roadside marker in Westchester County to learn about American patriot Thomas Paine, his influence on the American and French Revolutions – and just how and why his body went missing. Guests include Dr. Nora Slonimsky and Dr. Michael Crowder of the Institute for Thomas Paine Studies at Iona College.
The sign is one of hundreds reviewed by New York Almanack founder and editor John Warren in his role as a Pomeroy Foundation Grant Consultant. You can learn how to apply for your own historic sign here. [Read more…] about Thomas Paine’s Lost Body
The Westchester Land Trust (WLT) has announced the permanent protection of 63 acres in North Castle, Westchester County. WLT worked in partnership with the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation and the Town of North Castle to conserve this property, which is expected to eventually be opened to the public as a nature preserve. [Read more…] about 63 Acres Protected In Westchester County
The city of New Rochelle has a relevant place in the founding history of the United States. It was here that in 1689 a small community of French Protestant refugees would settle.
Known as Huguenots, they exercised considerable influence on America’s course towards self-determination. George Washington descended from a Huguenot refugee on his mother’s side. [Read more…] about Huguenots & New Rochelle’s Spirit of Liberty
From Philadelphia, on July 3rd, 1776, John Adams mailed a letter to his wife, Abigail, in Boston. The letter explained the historic decisions agreed upon by the Continental Congress and the plans for celebration.
“The second day of July, 1776, will be the most memorable epoch in the history of America. I am apt to believe that it will be celebrated by succeeding generations as the great anniversary festival. It ought to be commemorated as the day of deliverance, by solemn acts of devotion to God Almighty. It ought to be solemnized with pomp and parade, with shows, games, sports, guns, bells, bonfires, and illuminations, from one end of this continent to the other, from this time forward forever more.” ~ John Adams
[Read more…] about Andre-Arnold Project Highlighting Westchester Co Treason Sites
The teaching of anatomy at European medical schools had become standard practice by the middle of the sixteenth century. Instruction included the dissection of a human corpse. Initially, bodies at hand were those of (male) criminals or heretics.
The occasional dissection of a woman, it being a public event, attracted large numbers of spectators by the prospect of the exposure of female organs. A dissection at the time was both education and spectacle. It was attended by professionals, painters, and the curious alike. The cutting up of a body was a celebration of scientific progress. [Read more…] about Body Snatching at New Rochelle: Cobbett & Paine
The 1920s witnessed a new era of Americans who were at ease committing their hard earned dollars toward the privilege of being spectators of live sport. In horse racing, John McEntee Bowman became the President of the United Hunts Racing Association, an organization of cross-country enthusiasts in 1922.
Bowman was an impressive fellow, certainly one of the best rags-to-riches stories in turf history, from immigrant groom to multi-millionaire owner and track operator, while developing a successful national business brand, the Biltmore Hotel chain. Through his flagship hotel and banquet facilities in New York City, Bowman was able to cultivate the social side of jump racing during the winter months, which increased the sport’s following immensely. [Read more…] about Horse Racing History: Westchester County’s Bowman Park
In 1976, as the nation prepared to celebrate its 200th birthday, my parents were already a year into the hunt for records of an elusive ancestor: Sanbun Ford, a founder of the town of Milton, in Saratoga County. [Read more…] about Sanbun Ford: An American Revolutionary Rediscovered