Events

NYS History Month Series At Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site

Posted on October 5, 2022

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site announces that it will conduct the eighth annual Tuesday Talk series to recognize New York State History Month this October. Each week a speaker will present on regional or New York State related history. All presentations are free and open to the public. They will begin at 6:30 PM in the Enders House adjacent to the Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter. Refreshments will be provided, and donations are always appreciated.

On October 4^th, Anne Clothier from the Saratoga Historical Society at Brookside Museum will present, “Medicine, Maladies, and Mortality.” This presentation will include a display of medical instruments as Clothier discusses how illnesses influenced the lives of our ancestors. Her focus will be toward medical technology and at home practices between 1750-1920.

Tuesday, October 11^th Cassandra Castle from the Herkimer Historical Society will discuss some of that county’s history. Discover some curious facts about its people and places. Castle will cover how Herkimer County was founded, who it’s named for and some of the mysterious events that have happened in its history. The program is designed to be a wicked good time, showing how Herkimer County is a diamond in the crown of the Mohawk Valley.

October 18^th, Brad Utter, a Senior Historian and Curator at the New York State Museum will be discussing the Button Fire Engine Company. For much of the 19th and 20th centuries, New York State was a hotbed of fire engine and apparatus manufacturing. One of the main players in that industry was Lysander Button of Waterford. Starting around 1831, Lysander Button worked his way up the ladder from mechanic turned inventor to owner of the firm that would eventually take his name. Utter will present the results of his latest research on Mr. Button, his company, and the engines they made, which were said to set the “Standard of the Age.”

Rounding out the series, on Tuesday, October 25^th is Caitlin Sheldon, who is an independent historian that focuses on clothing of by-gone eras. She will present, “Dress in the Gilded Age.” Learn about the fashions that inspired the HBO show, “The Gilded Age,” and watch a dressing demonstration of the many layers and pieces that make up the lady’s fashionable ensemble. Caitlin Sheldon is a public librarian by day and hobby historical costumer in any bit of spare time she has. Sheldon has been sewing historical costumes since 2014 and takes inspiration from movies and shows as well as from the historical documents she finds in her library’s archives.

New York State History Month:

October is designated as New York State History Month by the New York State Legislature 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 program, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our Facebook page.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 78 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.

Wildlife Crossings Program at Schoharie Crossing

Posted on July 18, 2022

The Friends of Schoharie Crossing are excited to host a follow up presentation on the wildlife monitoring program being conducted by the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy in Montgomery County. Sarah Walsh, the MHLC Associate Director will be in the Enders House on Tuesday, July 26^th at 6:30pm to discuss their project and findings.

This program will look at the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy conducts their conservation work in Albany, Schenectady, and Montgomery counties. This presentation will provide a brief overview of MHLC and introduce the audience to their latest partnership with The Nature Conservancy to address wildlife crossings in this region. You will learn about the importance of the Catskill to Adirondack Conservation Corridor and how we are working on the ground to ensure wildlife connectivity in a disconnected world.

Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy has been conserving and stewarding the lands and waters of the Mohawk and Hudson River valleys for the benefit of people and the environment since 1992.

The presentation will be preceded by a brief Friends of Schoharie Crossing meeting. This program and the meeting are free and open to the public.

The Friends of Schoharie Crossing are a 501c3 non-profit organization who support the mission of Schoharie Crossing in offering educational and recreational programs at the site. They meet monthly on the fourth Tuesday from April to October at 6:30pm. The group also provides assistance in volunteer projects, field trips, and other advocacy for the historic site.

For more information about programs at Schoharie Crossing, please contact the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our NYS Parks webpage. The Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site Visitor Center is location at 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069.

Not Just for Kids Storytelling Series Returns for 30th Year

Posted on July 6, 2022

The Friends of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site are excited to announce that the 30^th Annual Not Just for Kids Storytelling series will occur at the Erie Canal historic site in 2022. Award winning storytellers from the region will perform tales to intrigue, legends to compel, and stories that illustrate how we are all connected as human beings. The series is open to the public and is meant for all ages. It runs on Sunday evenings at 6pm from July 31^st to August 28^th outside the Schoharie Crossing Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street in Fort Hunter, New York.

Eileen Mack and Claire Nolan will begin the series on July 31^st with a set of stories they call “Blessings of Trees & Earth: Stories Honoring the Natural World.” These talented and accomplished tellers are from the Capital-Region with years of experience engaging audiences of all ages.

On August 7^th, Lale Davidson will perform “Folktales and Family Tales: Quaking Bogs, Fairy Queens, and Mystery on the High Plains.” Davidson comes from a strong line of storytellers, from Kentucky cousins telling family tales around the kitchen table to her mother conjuring Greek gods on camping trips across Europe. This program combines Irish fairy tales about chasing corpses through quaking bogs with true family tales of mysterious lights on the high plains in South America, taken from her magical realist novel, Blue Woman Burning. She’ll also tell stories from her collection, Strange Appetites, published by Red Penguin Books.

August 14^th, the multi-talented Tim Van Egmond will dazzle the audience with, “The Eye of the Beholder,” a program of tales about epiphanies of beauty and insight. Have you ever had an experience in which something suddenly raised your awareness and appreciation, and it’s as if curtains were pulled away or you were seeing with new eyes? Including folktales and a personal tale, these stories have shifts in perspective like this, openings for the mind and the heart that lead to new understanding.

Turtle Clan member of the Onondaga Nation, Perry Ground has been telling stories for more than 25 years as a way of educating people about the culture, beliefs, and history of the Haudenosaunee (sometimes known as Iroquois) Confederacy. Ground will be at Schoharie Crossing on August 21^st with “Stories from the People of the Longhouse.” This presentation is filled with traditional Haudenosaunee legends that have been told for hundreds of years. These stories teach about the beliefs, customs, and history of the Haudenosaunee people.

Concluding the series will be The Storycrafters on August 28^th. Barry Marshall, and Jeri Burns, PhD have been working together as The Storycrafters since 1991 and have been the recipients of the National Storytelling Network’s “Circle of Excellence” Award. They believe in the time-tested wisdom of traditional stories and share that wisdom with today’s audiences. They strive to honor world cultures by telling the old stories in respectful ways, often integrating the musical instruments, songs or dances indigenous to that region. Then of course, look out for their original modern renditions of the oldest stories … some of their most requested material.

This free series is rain or shine. Please bring a lawn chair or blanket to enjoy the outdoor performances. If raining, we will hold performances inside the Enders House adjacent to the Visitor Center. Donations are always greatly appreciated and gladly accepted.

The grounds for the site are open all year from sunrise to sunset. Visitor Center hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm and Sunday 1pm to 4pm. Group reservations available for off hours.

For information about these events or what is available at Schoharie Crossing, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516 or email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov. Find and like us on Facebook. For more information about New York State Parks, visit the website at www.nysparks.com.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 78 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.

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Great Outdoors Month Events Planned at Schoharie Crossing

Posted on May 26, 2022

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will celebrate June as Great Outdoors Month by offering fun opportunities to enjoy the outdoor spaces at the Erie Canal site. Great Outdoors Month is a month-long celebration of responsible, healthy outdoor recreation on local, state, and federal lands and waters.

The return of Putman Porch Music on Thursdays from 6:30pm to 8:00pm will be a great way to enjoy an evening of musicians jamming Americana, Roots, Bluegrass, and Folk tunes. Kicking off on June 2nd, this series invites local musicians to come spend an evening on the historic Putman Canal Store porch to jam and enliven the vibe of the former Erie Canal stop off. Putman’s store building is located at Yankee Hill Lock on the grounds of Schoharie Crossing, 553 Queen Anne Road. Much like a group of canawlers that happen to be stuck waiting at the lock, a few instruments and strong voices is all that is needed to pass the time.

Get outdoors and peddle your way on World Bicycle Day, June 3rd at 6:00pm from Yankee Hill Lock to Karen’s Ice Cream. This staff lead ride will be along the Empire State Trail, covering three miles each way. The site encourages families to participate and enjoy a delicious ice cream cone before riding back.

On National Trails Day, Saturday, June 4th, Schoharie Crossing is collaborating with ECOS: The Environmental Clearinghouse to offer a paddle on the Schoharie and Mohawk River starting at 9am and a guided nature–walk at 1pm from the Visitor Center. Bring your canoe or kayak to the Schoharie Aqueduct Boat-launch on Dufel Rd, just off NYS Rt. 5S for a leisurely paddle to explore the nature and history of these waterways. Overall, we’ll paddle about three miles and discover some fascinating connections this spot has to places near and far. Bring a picnic lunch to enjoy after the paddle and before the nature walk, starting from 129 Schoharie Street in Fort Hunter. We’ll traverse about a mile of the old canal towpath, were mules once pulled barges. Now, these paths are lined with interesting plants, wildflowers, birds, and other critters we might see along the way.

Saturday, June 18th we’ll host a picnic at Empire Lock as we celebrate International Picnic Day. At 11:30am, we’ll take a short half-mile walk from our Visitor Center to Empire Lock to enjoy a Bring Your Own Picnic together.This is a great way to spend part of the day before Father’s Day! Discover some beauty among the towpath trail and historic Erie Canal features. The site will provide a Picnic Basket Shuttle, transporting your lunch and keeping it safe from Yogi.

These events are a fun way to add miles to the Canalway Challenge, a program sponsored by the Erie Canalway National Heritage Corridor. More information on this free challenge can be found online at: https://eriecanalway.org/canalway-challenge

To wrap up the month, on Tuesday, June 28th at 6:30pm the Friends of Schoharie Crossing host environmental educator and author, Anita Sanchez for Puddles! “There’s nothing shallow about a puddle! Puddles are homes, bathtubs, and drinking fountains for wildlife. They also provide a key ingredient for many animal homes: mud!” This hands-on program will introduce naturalists to the animals that use puddles as a habitat. We’ll meet some puddle-loving creatures, including snails, and have some close-up experience with mud.

The grounds for the site are open all year from sunrise to sunset. Visitor Center hours are Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm and Sunday 1pm to 4pm. Group reservations available for off hours.

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Putman Porch Music at Yankee Hill Lock. Photo Credit: Halldor Sigurdsson

Labor Songs and Opening Day at Schoharie Crossing

Posted on April 27, 2022

The Erie Canal historic site, Schoharie Crossing will be opening their Visitor Center for the 2022 season on Sunday, May 1^st at 1pm. The site will be celebrating with a performance by Cosby Gibson and Tom Staudle, who will be offering their “Labor Union Song’s” program at 2pm outside the Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter.

The labor unions in the late 1800’s and early 1900’s were particularly strong in solidarity and activism, and even included songs to motivate and give hope. Musicians Gibson and Staudle present a variety of these songs, as well as historic narrative about the development and progress of the Labor Union movement, which includes a passage about the historic Mohawk Valley Formula negotiation system. The program is an open-air concert that will be held near the Visitor Center lasting about 45 minutes and is family friendly. Please dress for the weather and bring lawn chairs.

Cosby Gibson and Tom Staudle are award winning songwriters and singers and live near the Adirondacks in upstate New York. As a duo, they have been performing for twelve years, and tour both regionally and nationally.

The Visitor Center will have open hours until the end of October: Wednesday through Saturday, 10am to 4pm, and Sundays 1pm to 4pm. Closed Monday’s and Tuesdays. Groups or off-hour reservations are available.

For more information about these programs or the historic site, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit www.parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/schohariecrossing.

Cheese Factory System Lecture offered by Schoharie Crossing

Posted on January 19, 2022

Schoharie Crossing will be hosting the first of their Third Thursday Winter Lecture series on January 20^th at 7pm via the online platform WebEx. Patrick Reynolds from the Oneida County Historical Center will discuss Jesse Williams and the Cheese Factory System.

Just North of Rome, NY, the modern cheese industry was born in 1851. Jesse Williams was a successful farmer and cheese maker but believed by working together as cooperative dairies, farmers could maximize their profits. This led him to start the first cheese factory in the United States, a move that revolutionized agriculture not only locally, but across the nation.

On the 100th anniversary of Jesse’s cheese factory, John H. Kraft, president of Kraft Foods, proclaimed that “pioneers like Jesse Williams… [fathered] the ideas and tools that have made America great.” This man, Kraft said, “exemplified the spirit which has made the dairy industry the largest agricultural industry in America.”

Jesse Williams died in 1864 at age 67. At that time Oneida County was making over eight million pounds of cheese per year. Williams never patented his cheese-making inventions but gave them to the agricultural world.

Patrick Reynolds is Director of Public Programs at the Oneida County History Center. He is a graduate of the Cooperstown Program in Museum Studies. He has worked in museums throughout the United States including Hanford Mills Museum, Berks County Historical Society, Rome Historical Society, and The Henry Ford Museum of American Innovation.

This program is free and open to the public. No registration is required. A link to the WebEx can be found on the Schoharie Crossing Facebook or by contacting the site directly. For more information about these programs, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our Facebook page.

Winter Presentations from Schoharie Crossing

Posted on January 5, 2022

The Erie Canal historic site, Schoharie Crossing will host several online programs this winter on a variety of history related topics. Presentations will be offered in two series: Lunchbox Lessons and the Third Thursday Lectures. Both series will be offered live online and most will be recorded for later viewing on YouTube.

In January, the Lunchbox Lesson will be on Tuesday the 11th at 12noon featuring site staff discussing the importance and history of broom manufacturing in the Fort Hunter area. On the Third Thursday, Patrick Reynolds from the Oneida County Historical Society will discuss Jesse Williams and the Cheese Factory System at 7pm on the 20th.

During the month of February, the Lunchbox Lesson will discuss food preservation and its impact on westward expansion at 12noon on Tuesday the 8th. Bill Merchant will discuss the D&H Canal for the Third Thursday Lecture at 7pm on the 17th.

For March, the Lunchbox Lesson will discuss Women’s Suffrage on Tuesday the 8th at 12noon. Former NYS Archives staff, Craig Smith will speak on fascinating facts within the historic canal contracts held in the state’s collection on the 17th at 7pm.

On April 21st, Derrick Pratt from the Erie Canal Museum will present on the historic Weighlock building in Syracuse. That program starts at 7pm and wraps up our Third Thursday Lecture series.

These programs are free for the public and available on the Webex meeting platform. No registration is required, and links can be found on NYS Parks website or social media. If you would like a direct link email, please contact the site. For more information about these programs, please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our Facebook page.

Wildlife Crossing program for Schoharie Crossing – Virtual

Posted on September 20, 2021

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy’s Conservation Director Sarah Walsh on Thursday, September 23rd at 6:30pm via Webex for a presentation on wildlife crossing.

Walsh will discuss how the Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy conducts their conservation work in Albany, Schenectady and Montgomery counties. This presentation will provide a brief overview of MHLC and introduce the audience to their latest partnership with The Nature Conservancy to address wildlife crossings in this region. You will learn about the importance of the Catskill to Adirondack Conservation Corridor and how we are working on the ground to ensure wildlife connectivity in a disconnected world.

Mohawk Hudson Land Conservancy has been conserving and stewarding the lands and waters of the Mohawk and Hudson River valleys for the benefit of people and the environment since 1992.

This program is free and open to the public via the platform: Webex. No registration is required; the Webex link goes live at 6:20pm and can be found on the Schoharie Crossing Facebook or NYS Parks website. Please contact us if you have any questions or would like a direct invite from Webex.

For information contact the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our web page: www.parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/schohariecrossing.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 71 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

Laverty to perform at Not Just for Kids Storytelling!

Posted on August 18, 2021

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is excited to host Jeanine Laverty for the next installment of the Not Just for Kids Storytelling series on Sunday, August 22^nd starting at 6pm.

Jeannine Laverty will tell, “Summer’s on the Move.” Laverty lives in Saratoga and has been telling international folk tales since 1979. She has taught weekend workshops in storytelling for adults at Sagamore and other Adirondack sites since 1980 and performs as part of the storytelling ensemble, SweetLand Storytellers.

Wrapping up the 2021 series on August 29th, Sandy Schuman will perform, “NY’s American Anthems: The Stories of Yankee Doodle, Take Me Out To The Ballgame, God Bless America, and More.” Schuman is a winner of the Susquehanna Folk Festival Liars Contest and the St. Louis Jewish Storytelling Contest and has been featured at The Northeast Storytelling Conference, Riverway Storytelling Festival, Caffè Lena, Proctors, Tellabration, and Limmud Boston.

Not Just for Kids Storytelling will be held outside, under a tent near the Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069. We encourage you to bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket to sit on. The program begins at 6pm and is free to the public due to the generous support of a Saratoga Arts’ Community Arts Grant that has been made possible with funding by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Karen’s Produce and Ice Cream is also another wonderful supporter of these programs.

For information please call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516, email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov, or visit our web page: www.parks.ny.gov/historic-sites/schohariecrossing.

The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 individual state parks, historic sites, golf courses, boat launches and recreational trails, which are visited by 71 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.

Doolittle performs at Schoharie Crossing

Posted on August 6, 2021

Doolittle performs at Schoharie Crossing

Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site is excited to host storyteller Joe Doolittle for the second installment in the return of our annual Not Just for Kids Storytelling series on Sunday, August 8th starting at 6:00pm. Storytelling performances occur each week of the month and are open to the public of all ages. Local tellers, with well-crafted tales will perform during the 29th year of this program at Schoharie Crossing.

Doolittle, who resides in Scotia, will tell, “If the Waters Could Talk, the Stories They’d Tell…” This storyteller delivers with his humorous, good-natured style for audiences throughout upstate New York. He loves to tell personal and family stories and has developed many historically based tales about the early history of the Hudson and Mohawk Valleys and the Erie Canal. Doolittle is also co-producer of Story Circle at Proctors in Schenectady.

The lineup for the rest of the series is: August 15th, Margaret French. August 22nd, Jeannine Laverty. August 29th, Sandy Schuman.

Not Just for Kids Storytelling will be held outside, under a tent near the Visitor Center, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069. We encourage you to bring a lawn chair or picnic blanket to sit on. In case of rain, there is limited seating inside the Visitor Center and we will stream on Facebook. The program begins at 6pm and is free to the public due to the generous support of a Saratoga Arts’ Community Arts Grant that has been made possible with funding by the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Andrew Cuomo and the New York State Legislature. Karen’s Produce and Ice Cream is also another wonderful supporter of these programs.