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Two New History Sites For Delaware County

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There are two new websites for those with an interest in Delaware County history. Websites for The Historical Society of Middletown and The Hobart Historical Society include links to local projects, news, events and more from the central Catskills communities.

The Hobart Historical Society is headquartered in its restored building on Cornell Avenue, Hobart, NY. The building, formerly the home of the St. Andrews Masonic Lodge, is now used to operate and manage the Hobart Historical Society’s community projects, keep records of village history, and provide the community with a Historical Society Center.

The Historical Society of the Town of Middletown was Formed in 2004, and has grown from 40 founding members to an organization of more than 100. The Margaretville Covered Bridge (above), which spanned the East Branch of the Delaware River on Bridge Street from the 1860s until 1933, serves as the society’s logo, considered symbolic of the ‘bridge’ they hope to make between the past and present.

Schoharie Crossing National Trails Day Event

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Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host a National Trails Day event and will kick off National Rivers Month tomorrow, Sunday, June 5, 2011.

At 10am, the staff and volunteers from the Schoharie Creek Center invite children aged 5 and up and their families to join them in a water quality testing program. Wade in the Schoharie Creek, grab a net, and then look under a microscope to see what is living in the water.

At noon their will be a walking tour along the towpath trail. Participants will the remains of the Original Erie Canal and the Enlarged Erie Canal including the East Guard Lock, Lock #20, the Empire Lock, Lock #30, and the Schoharie Aqueduct. Fee $3.00 for adults, $2 for senior citizens, and $1.00 for children under 16.

At 2:00 pm Joe Doolittle will present “If the Canal Could Speak: Stories from Down in the Valley” on the lawn of the Visitor Center (free).

From 1:00pm – 5:00pm, if you arrive at the Visitor Center by bike or by foot, you will receive a free gift and 10% off in the gift shop.

For the entire month of June, if you stop in at the Visitor Center prior to launching your boat, canoe, or kayak, you will receive a free gift.

For more information about this event, call the Visitor Center at (518) 829-7516.

This Weeks New York History Web Highlights

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Each Friday afternoon New York History compiles for our readers a collection of the week’s top weblinks about New York’s state and local history. You can find all our weekly round-ups here.

Subscribe! More than 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.

This Weeks Top New York History News

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Each Friday morning New York History compiles for our readers the previous week’s top stories about New York’s state and local history. You can find all our weekly news round-ups here.

Subscribe! More than 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.

Stony Point 18th Century Tavern Night

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Join costumed staff and visiting reenactors for a family program of music, games and story telling on Friday, July 15, 2011 at 7:00 PM. Performers Tom Hanford and Nancy Finlay will draw guests into the convivial world of an 18th century tavern, and host John Muller will share his expertise of the period at this unique event. Light period refreshments will be served. Note: No alcohol will be served.

Advanced reservations required. Please call the museum office at 845-786-2521 for reservations and further information. Adults $15, Seniors and Children $12.The historic site is located at 44 Battlefield Rd., accessed from Park Rd. off Route 9W in Stony Point.

Upcoming Events in Old Saratoga

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These events and items of interest are scheduled for the public in the Old Saratoga region (Schuylerville, Saratoga, Victory and nearby) for the month of June. All events are open to the public and wheelchair accessible. For more information contact [email protected], follow them on twitter @OldSaraHappenin, on facebook Old Saratoga Happenings or on the web.

Old Saratoga Happenings is a collation to promote cultural and heritage programs in the Old Saratoga region. The collation includes Hudson Crossing Park, Old Saratoga Historical Association, Saratoga National Historical Park, Schuylerville Area Chamber of Commerce, Schuylerville Public Library and the Town of Saratoga and Village of Victory Historian’s Office.

Guided Evening Bike Ride on Wednesday, June 1 at 6 pm at Saratoga NHP Battlefield in Stillwater. Enjoy scenic views in American and British fortified areas of the park with volunteer park guides. Rides usually cover 5 miles. Please bring water. Helmets required. For more information call 518-664-9821 ext. 224 or www.nps.gov/sara

Photo Scanning Session is planned for Thursday, June 2 at 9:30 am at Saratoga Town Hall. Saratoga Historian will scan photos of Saratoga, Schuylerville, or Victory and save them to CD for you and keep a digital image for the Town’s archives.

Guided Natural History Walk on Saturday, June 4 starting at 10 am at Saratoga NHP Battlefield in Stillwater. Discover an amazing array of beautiful flowers and trees in lesser-known areas of the park during this leisurely nature walk with staff and volunteer guides.

National Trail Day at Hudson Crossing on Sunday, June 5 at Hudson Crossing, Lock 5 Island, Schuylerville. National Trails Day brings together outdoor enthusiasts for the 19th annual celebration of America’s magnificent trail system. Details are of the event will be
at hudsoncrossingpark.org

Ranger Guided Evening Bike Ride on Wednesday, June 15 at 6 pm at Saratoga NHP Battlefield in Stillwater.

The Heritage Hunters of Saratoga County has their meeting on Saratoga County Genealogy: Finding A Place of Origin For Your Irish Ancestors Using Sources in the United States on Saturday, June 18 starts at 1 pm. at the Saratoga Town Hall. The meeting features Lisa Dougherty on researching Irish ancestors.

The Genealogy Group meets on Tuesday, June 21 at 10 am in the Schuylerville Public Library

2011 Great Lakes Seaway Trail Travel Mag Available

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The 2011 Great Lakes Seaway Trail Travel Magazine is now available with stories on wineries, the War of 1812, and enjoying a scenic drive on the 518-mile National Scenic Byway that parallels the St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, the Niagara River, and Lake Erie in New York and Pennsylvania.

Photographs- a calendar of 110-plus events- a directory of attractions, accommodations and services- and the GPS coordinates for more than 100 Great Lakes Seaway Trail “outdoor storyteller” interpretive signs are also included in the 64-page, full-color magazine.

The front cover of the 2011 edition of the annual glossy travel magazine features a tour boat approaching Boldt Castle in the 1000 Islands region of the byway.

The back cover invites travelers to go geocaching on the byway to collect five elegant Great Lakes Seaway Trail collectible geocoins.

Great Lake Seaway Trail Director of Business Relations Kurt Schumacher says the travel magazine is now reaching new markets.

“In addition to finding the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Travel Magazine at our member sites along the byway, distribution for the guide now includes high-traffic information and welcome centers on interstate routes in New York and Pennsylvania- locations in Kingston, Niagara Falls, Ottawa, and Toronto, Ontario, Canada- and AAA offices in Ohio,” Schumacher says.

The Great Lake Seaway Trail Travel Magazine is also included in Relocation Readiness packets for soldiers arriving at Fort Drum, NY, and in physician recruiting packets developed by Oswego Health, which operates Oswego Hospital, a skilled nursing facility, and a retirement living site in Oswego, NY.

A digital version of the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Travel Magazine is online at www.seawaytrail.com/travelmagazine.

This Weeks New York History Web Highlights

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Each Friday afternoon New York History compiles for our readers a collection of the week’s top weblinks about New York’s state and local history. You can find all our weekly round-ups here.

Subscribe! More than 1,000 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.

New Troy Genealogy Database Goes Online

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The Troy New York Daily Whig for the years 1834 to 1838 is the sixth set of newspapers recently added to the Troy Irish Genealogy Website. There are 821 reported deaths and 1,749 names on the reported marriages during this period. These records will be of great interest to genealogy researchers since the information in this data base predates the 1880 New York State law requiring the reporting of death and marriage records.

You can view these records by going to the Troy Irish Genealogy website (click on PROJECTS then THE TROY NEWSPAPER PROJECT). These records, like most of the TIGS data series, cover the general population in the area and are NOT restricted to Irish surnames.

While 492 of the marriage records showed no indication of residence, those records where the residence was reported are of interest as they show numerous cities and towns throughout New York State as well as other states and even foreign countries.

At the time of the 1840 census, Troy was the fourth wealthiest city in the USA on a per capita basis. This may account for the numerous individuals from across the United States coming to Troy to be married.

Two other transcription projects are currently being completed by the Troy Irish Genealogy Society. Over 28,000 death and marriage records reported in 40 years of the Troy Daily Whig for the years 1839 to 1878 will be added to the TIGS website in the next few months along with over 4,000 records of interment in St. Mary’s Cemetery in Troy.