The King’s Garden at Fort Ticonderoga

Next to the restored Fort Ticonderoga is a curious dirt path leading to a little dell. The place is called “King’s Garden.” Even though the day was very hot and we were tired from our long trek through the Fort’s many museums, we decided to take a look at this garden. A staid rock entrance [...]

Burr, Hamilton, Chase Bank and the Wooden Water Pipes

What do wooden water pipes buried beneath Manhattan and the formation of a bank have to do with the duel between Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr? Truth is stranger than fiction…

Trinity Church, New York, NY: Part 2

This is the second installment of our tour through Trinity Church on Wall Street in lower Manhattan. See Part 1 here. It’s an experience of extremes. The streets are hot and smelly and loud, filled with honking horns and diesel traffic and the deafening noises of subway trains moving below our feet, of millions of [...]

Federal Hall: John Peter Zenger and The Bill of Rights

When we visited Federal Hall National Memorial on Wall Street in lower Manhattan, we saw a display dedicated to John Peter Zenger, a New York newspaper publisher from the early 18th century. Zenger went to jail for a sensational “freedom of speech” case. His trial was held here at the site of Federal Hall, in [...]

Women’s Rights National Park, Seneca Falls, NY

Not too far from the National Women’s Hall of Fame on Falls Street in Seneca Falls, NY, is the Women’s Rights National Park. I wrote about the rich history of the women’s movement that began here in my post National Women’s Hall of Fame, Seneca Falls, NY. While the National Women’s Rights Hall of Fame [...]

Peterboro Prepping For Civil War Weekend

I was delighted that WKTV reports some good news: Peterboro already preparing for Sesquicentennial of the Civil War. PETERBORO, N.Y. – 1861 marked the beginning of the American Civil War. The 19th Annual Peterboro Civil War Weekend Committee plans to include programs that reflect the 150th anniversary of that conflict. Among the plans in the [...]

Oneida Community Mansion House, Sherrill, NY

The Oneida Mansion House was built by the Oneida Community, a “free love” communalist cult that found refuge from persecution on Indian lands. These people built a virtual paradise for themselves, until bickering from within broke it all up. The Mansion is open for tours, and visitors are free to roam the grounds. I wrote a history of the cult– truth can be so stranger than fiction!

Central Leatherstocking Region Name Changed to “Central New York”: My Opinion

It’s official. The unifying regional name for Oneida, Madison, Chenango, Broome, Otsego, Schoharie, and Montgomery counties– Central Leatherstocking region– has been changed by the New York Legislature to “Central New York.” Sure, Central New York is more efficient, more economical, more utilitarian, but this is what makes the changeover sad. Who knew what “leatherstocking” referred [...]

The Russian Orthodox Monastery in Jordanville, NY

Although we didn’t get to see the inside of the church (we girls were wearing pants, and were forbidden to enter), we enjoyed the beatiful architecture and visited the monastery’s cemetery. This is a stunning and elegant landmark in the middle of nowhere.