Museum Schedules a “Christmas at the Fort”

The Fort Plain Museum will hold its annual “Christmas at the Fort” holiday open house on Saturday December 3rd from 10 am – 6 pm. Holiday punch and cookies will be available and the museum’s gift shop will be open for Christmas shoppers. Crafters and artisans will be showing unique handmade gift items for sale. Weather permitting Santa’s Smith & Rebell Sleigh will be on exhibit for family photo opportunities.

Local authors will be on hand to autograph their books. Also again this year an exhibit of original Christmas Cards by artist and historian Nelson Greene will be featured. Greene produced Christmas Cards throughout the 1940’s for local industrialist George Duffy as well as for himself. Also on display will be several temporary exhibits such as 300 years of illumination, including several colonial lighting pieces.

The holiday gathering is a chance for friends, neighbors and museum volunteers to celebrate the season and talk about local history. For additional information or to become a regular volunteer at the museum please call 518-774-5669 or visit us on Facebook.

18^th Century Mohawk Valley Fur Merchants Program at Schoharie Crossing

 Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host University of Massachusetts Amherst Graduate Student, Nolan Cool who will present: “’an advantageous Trade’: Fur Merchants on the 18th-Century Mohawk Frontier” on November 22^nd. Cool will discuss the highly volatile fur trade in the Mohawk Valley during the 1700’s and the rising tide of the merchants who acted as intermediaries between frontier fur & European markets.  Covering local noteworthy figures such as Sir William Johnson, the presentation will provide insight into the intriguing era of global trade as it involved the valley inhabitants.

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site’s Tuesday Talk series recognizes New York State History Month this November.  Each week a speaker will present on regional or New York State history.  All presentations are free of charge and will begin at 6:30 PM in the Enders House at Schoharie Crossing, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter. Refreshments will be provided and donations are always appreciated.

New York State History Month:

November was designated as New York State History Month by the New York State Legislature in 1997 with the addition of Section 57.02 to the state’s Arts and Cultural Affairs Law.  “The purpose of this month shall be to celebrate the history of New York State and recognize the contributions of the state and local historians.”  New York State History Month represents an opportunity for historians, cultural institutions, and the public to assert the vital importance of preserving and learning about our state’s history.

For information about this event and more, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our Facebook page at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 60 million people annually.  For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.

Heaven’s Ditch Book Presentation with Author Jack Kelly

At Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site

 Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site welcomes author Jack Kelly on Tuesday, October 25^th at 6:30 PM in the Enders House to give a presentation on his new book, Heaven’s Ditch: God, Gold and Murder on the Erie Canal.  Heaven’s Ditch is a page-turning narrative that offers a fresh and exciting look at a heady, foundational moment in American history. 

In his new work, Kelly explores the spiritual and political upheavals along this “psychic highway” from its opening in 1825 through 1844. The book explores the stories of America’s first celebrity daredevil, the man who envisioned the apocalypse, and the boyhood of Joseph Smith and the birth of Mormonism. Readers will also encounter America’s very first “crime of the century”, treasure hunting, searing acts of violence, a visionary cross-dresser, and myriad of fanatics, mystics, and hoaxers.

Jack Kelly is a journalist, novelist, and historian, whose books include the award winning Band of Giants, and Gunpowder: Alchemy, Bombards, and Pyrotechnics : The History of the Explosive That Changed the World. Kelly has also contributed to national periodicals including The Wall Street Journal, is a New York Foundation for the Arts fellow, and has appeared on The History Channel and National Public Radio. He grew up in a town in the canal corridor adjacent to Palmyra and currently lives in New York’s Hudson Valley.

There will be a brief Friends of Schoharie Crossing meeting prior to this free presentation.  Refreshments will be provided and donations are always appreciated.

For information about this event and more, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit Facebook at Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation oversees 180 state parks and 35 historic sites, which are visited by 60 million people annually.  For more information on any of these recreation areas, call 518-474-0456 or visit www.nysparks.com, connect on Facebook, or follow on Twitter.