New York Traveler.net

Photo Hunters: My Choice!

Today’s Photo Hunters is a photo of our own choice. I have about 1,500 photos of all our travels online, so the choice was difficult to make! But I chose to post a photo of one of our most-beloved Founding Fathers and New Yorkers, Alexander Hamilton. Upstate New York is a mighty historical place. This statute stands watch over the chapel at Hamilton College in Clinton, NY. The college was founded by Reverend Samuel Kirkland, and Alexander Hamilton was appointed as a trustee. Due to its history and strong Christian missionary ties to the region, this college is near and dear to our hearts. Kirkland is buried here, as is his very close friend Skenandoah and numerous other heroes from America’s founding days.

I blogged about a wonderful new development going on with some history professors at the college; the organization is called The Alexander Hamilton Institute for the Study of Western Culture. It is an earth-shaking development and their mission has repercussions for Ivy League universities and all of academia! I suppose this is why the opposition has been so fierce. You can read all about the mission here. My daughter The Historian and I attended the first annual colloquium dinner of the AHI, thanks to the very gracious Bob Pacquette (!), and heard a terrific presentation by Harvard professor John Stauffer, “Liberty and Slavery: The Civil War between Gerrit Smith and George Fitzhugh.” The video of Mr. Stauffer’s presentation and those of others is online for the public to view! The speeches are outstanding, and I recommend you watch them.

The forming of the AHI constitutes a global shift in academe. This is a group to watch, and support, if you can. If you’d like to read a little more about the history of the AHI and the massive resistance against it, read Professor Robert Pacquette’s excellent essay, “The World We Have Lost: A Parable on the Academy.”

P.S. Mr. Linky isn’t working at this writing. I apologize; I’ll try to get Mr. Linky up later. Feel free to leave your Photo Hunters link in the comments.

Update: Mr. Linky is up!

The Road to Rome

I live about 35 miles from Rome. Rome, NEW YORK! Someday I’d like to see the REAL Rome- Rome, Italy. I’m a big history buff and Bible student, so a trip to Rome would be thrilling! Alack, I cannot go as yet. However, one of my favorite travel bloggers, A Singaporean in London, has visited as is writing about his visit. The posts are really great! He’s breaking up the trip throughout five posts and you won’t want to miss them. Part 1 here and Part 2 here. I’m looking forward to more.

What’s uncanny is that I just watched the DVD series by Dave Stotts called Drive Thru History, and in 3 of the DVDs (it’s a 12 DVD set), he goes to Rome. The DVDs are excellent (see here: Drive Thru History with Dave Stotts #1 - Rome if You Want To). Stotts is really hilarious and makes everything fun. I love learning about the ancient ruins, especially. In America, we don’t have any “real” ancient ruins. One of the grandest “ancient ruin” is the Utica Psychiatric Hospital of which I wrote, but that, like many of America’s old buildings, turned into a drug rehab and alcohol center before being converted to a mental health records archives. Anyway, if you love history and humor, you will love these DVDs. And if you can’t wait for the DVDs, check out Singaporean in London!

A Reader’s Response to Utica’s History

I’ve been so wildly busy now that the warm, spring weather has finally arrived. We’ve not had any time to travel at all! the kids were moping today, wanting to “go somewhere.” All I can do is comfort them my promising a trip soon (we’ve going up toward the Adirondacks next week, so I’ll have to plan something).

I’ve been extremely busy getting my gardens prepared for the growing season and trying my hand at planting a grape vine. I’m excited over that! I don’t think I’ll ever get into a wine club or anything, but it would be gratifying to have fresh grapes at the table and a bottle or two of my own homemade wine!

At any rate, we’re hoping to check out the Adirondacks soon. In the meantime, I’m going over old trips and republishing them for those of you who haven’t seen them. I also got a terrific response to my post on Bagg’s Square in Utica. A former Utican, living through the “Sin City” days of the 50s and 60s, sent me such a rich email that i asked him if I could publish it for others to enjoy. He graciously gave his permission. I suppose his story tells the story of so many Upstate New York cities in the 50s and 60s. Upstate was on the verge of the edge of the steep decline we are experiencing today. Due mostly to corruption and changes in our state constitution that favored Downstate policies, Upstate New York is still reeling. I’ll leave you with his email. It is an interesting read: >>> Read more of ‘A Reader’s Response to Utica’s History’

The Molasses Massacre in Boston, Mass.

The kids are I have been studying ancient history together and read the account in history where Titus and his Roman minions attacked the city of Jerusalem in A.D. 70. Some legends and historians say that the siege and slaughter were so severe that streets flowed with blood. Ick.

It may be hard to believe such a fantastic account as streets filling with blood. Yet, I told the kids of another fantastic story of streets being filled in a modern-day catastrophe: the Great Boston Molasses Massacre of 1919. On the Internet, it is regaled with “urban legend” status, but it did indeed happen. The New York Times has an old archived story of the event. The story is almost impossible to believe. (I am also thinking of the event because I am making my own brown sugar with molasses today– more on that later).

Almost exactly 89 years ago, on January 15, 1919, a torrid wave of molasses swept a portion of Boston, Massachusetts. The story actually begins in 1915, with the hasty construction of a tank 58 feet high and 90 feet in diameter by United States Industrial Alcohol Company. The tank was used as a holding tank for 2.5 million gallons of molasses. Molasses was used to make rum, and also used to make industrial alcohol for ammunition. Demand was high, and there’s money to be made.

We all know what’s going to happen.

There’s an archived duplicate of the story from Yankee magazine, which tells of the tragedy in a pre-National Enquirer/ambulance-chaser style.

There were accounts of leaks showing up around the tank. Of course these early warnings were disregarded. Actually, not only were they disregarded, they were hidden. As soon as the company caught wind of complaints of leaks, they painted the tank brown to hide the leaks.

No one really knows what exactly caused the tank to burst that warm January day. Some say the sudden and severe temperature change from below zero the day before to near 40 degrees on January 15 made the molasses batch unstable. Others say the new shipment addition of a cool batch of molasses to the warm molasses already in the tank caused a fermentation process and the explosion.

The ground started to quake, and the tank’s bolts popped out. Suddenly the tank ruptured. Huge sheets of metal flew down the street into buildings. A fountain of gooey molasses spurt up 30 feet high, rolled down the streets in waves, and buried everything and everyone in its path. Imagine a wave of molasses blurping its way through houses’ windows up the the chandeliers. Ever see “The Blob”?

CNN.com tells it:

A one-ton piece of steel from the vat flew into a trestle of elevated railroad tracks, causing the tracks to buckle. Two children collecting firewood and dripping molasses near the tank [sic] disappeared under the fast-spreading liquid.

The force of the molasses ripped a firehouse from its foundation, sending the second floor crashing into the first and trapping a stonecutter and several firefighters underneath. One drowned.

The property damage, including a leveled commercial warehouse yard, was easily more than $1 million.

More than 20 people died and 150 were injured in a suffocating tragedy similar to that of Vesivius. Hours after the explosion, the company’s lawyers were on the scene, preparing their defense by falsely accusing negligent workers. Creeps.

Firefighters (those who survived) tried to blast the molasses away with cold salt water. The molasses just frothed and foamed in angry waves. Cleanup took over a year. For decades, some said that on hot summers the pungent odor of molasses seeped up from the streets.

A massive court case ensued. The United States Industrial Alcohol Company was found guilty and paid almost a million dollars to settle the claims. The city of Boston tightened their standards to require certified inspections and approvals.

Image of the aftermath is at Wikipedia. It’s truly one of those “believe it or not” stories. But it did actually happen– death by molasses. Yuk.

The Children’s Museum, Utica, NY

Where do I begin? The Children’s Museum in Utica has over 24,000 square feet of exploration space. It took us three hours to get through the entire building, and I don’t think we even saw everything. Admission is pricey ($9.00 for anyone over the age of 1 year) and this has been the main reason why we haven’t visited in nine years. But the children get their own allowances and they wanted to go, so we split the admission prices 50/50. Great deal, I’d say!

The Children’s Museum is right next to historic Bagg’s Square, of which I wrote here. The Children’s Museum is a testament to the ingenuity of moms. It was a group of women– the Junior League– in 1963 who started out with a lifesize model of an Iroquois longhouse in a library basement, and expanded the project into four stories of displays for children of all ages. >>> Read more of ‘The Children’s Museum, Utica, NY’

Bagg’s Square and Old Fort Schuyler, Utica, NY

Bagg’s Square is an inconspicuous spot in the northern section of Utica, NY. It is named for Moses Baggs, a blacksmith and tavern keeper who kept a thriving business here.

Before there was Utica, there was Fort Schuyler, built in this area by the British in 1758. It was a critical spot for the new American settlers. Fort Schuyler was “a chain of forts built to protect the northern frontier from the French and their Indian allies, and to guard the great ford across the Mohawk Valley.” Fort Schuyler was named for Colonel Peter Schuyler, the uncle of the famous Phillip Schuyler (who later became Alexander Hamilton’s father-in-law). There’s a bit of confusion about the naming of the forts. During the American Revolution, Fort Stanwix in Rome (another British-built fort and was named for a British officer during the French and Indian War of the 1750s) was renamed Fort Schuyler, after Philip Schuyler. This Fort Schuyler here near Bagg’s Tavern was renamed “Old Fort Schuyler.” After the Revolutionary War, both Fort Stanwix/Fort Schuyler and Old Fort Schuyler were dismantled. When Fort Stanwix/Fort Schuyler was resurrected in the 1970s as a memorial, it was given it’s original name Fort Stanwix. Got that? There’ll be a test tomorrow… whew!

In 1794, Moses Baggs built a small but comfortable tavern near the fort, to house the many settlers and military men traveling from the eastern to western ends of New York State. George Washington and Marquis de LaFayette stayed at the tavern, as well as Henry Clay and General Ulysses Grant. It also became a stagecoach stop for mail delivery. In 1815, Moses Baggs’ tavern was torn down and replaced by a larger one made of brick. That, too, is gone. This newer stone building and park remain as a memorial to the important part Utica played as intermediary for travelers and ideals of revolution and reconstruction.

If I remember correctly, this area is where a huge revival was sparked in the 1820s, under the preaching of Charles Grandison Finney. Utica was one of the most affected cities. It was reported that all bars and houses of ill-repute were closed, because there was no business for such promiscuous living. Everyone was “getting religion” and didn’t want to sin anymore! This area was buzzing with revival that it became known as the “Burned-Over District.” Imagine, this happening in Utica, New York!

And then this plaque at the top of the tavern made us stop in our tracks. >>> Read more of ‘Bagg’s Square and Old Fort Schuyler, Utica, NY’

First Church in Albany

The First Church in Albany is the second-oldest church in New York State and houses the oldest pulpit in the United States. Originally called the Dutch Reformed Church in 1642, the place is loaded with history. We got the chance to attend a Sunday service and tour the church two summers ago. It was wonderful! My daughter, an Alexander Hamilton fan, was thrilled to be in the church of his wife’s family. Hamilton’s Upstate memorial funeral service was also held here in the church. And Theodore Roosevelt attended the church during his years in Albany as governor. The church was recognized by Congress in 1974 as a National Historic Site.

Albany is New York State’s capital city. The Hudson River connects Albany with New York City. Historically, this wateroute has been the only way people could move from New York City to Upstate New York. Therefore Albany has been an extremely ethically-diverse city from the beginning.

We arrived to Albany early Sunday morning, barely making it in time for the church service (Albany is a 2 hours+ drive for us). The church service was sweet and simple. The parson preached from Matthew 18:15 (“Moreover if your brother sins against you, go and tell him his fault between you and him alone. If he hears you, you have gained your brother.”). There were not many people attending the church that day (I guess on Labor Day, many clear out of the city and head for the vacation areas), but the people we did meet were extremely friendly. One lady (I think her name was Mary) offered to take us for a light tour of the church. What a treat! She took us to the front of the sanctuary, and showed us the famous pulpit. >>> Read more of ‘First Church in Albany’

The Salt Museum in Syracuse

Late summer, we took a trip out to Syracuse to visit the Rosamond Gifford Zoo (more on that later) and to the Salt Museum. The Salt Museum in along the Onondaga Lake (the Onondaga Lake Thruway). We drove through the city to the Salt Museum and ate our picnic lunch at the comfortable park there.

A friendly seagull landed near my van window while I munched my sandwich. I tossed him a piece of my potato chip and he let me snap his photo.

While we ate, I briefed the kids on a little history of Onondaga Lake. This lake was once extremely polluted. As a kid, it was a miserable trip to pass the lake on a humid summer day– the stench of sewage rose up and sat at the bottom of one’s throat for the rest of the drive through the city. In the 80s, a movement was made to clean up the lake. >>> Read more of ‘The Salt Museum in Syracuse’