Jay Heritage Center Presents: Alan Taylors The Slave War of 1812

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The Jay Heritage Center will offer its third program commemorating the Bicentennial of the War of 1812 this year on Thursday, September 6th with a new talk and book signing by Pulitzer Prize-winning author Alan Taylor previewing his latest book project about the Slave War of 1812.

During the War of 1812, more than 3,000 slaves escaped from Virginia and Maryland by stealing boats to reach British warships in Chesapeake Bay, where they were taken on board and employed.

Alan Taylor, professor of history at the University of California, Davis, and the Robert C. Ritchie Distinguished Fellow, will discuss how their help proved essential to the British coastal raids, particularly the capture of Washington, D.C. Taylor’s previous books include William Cooper’s Town (Knopf, 1996), which won the Bancroft and Pulitzer prizes for American history. The Civil War of 1812: American Citizens, British Subjects, Irish Rebels, and Indian Allies (Knopf, 2010), was called &#8220the most illuminating and original history of the conflict ever written.&#8221 Pulitzer-winning historian Gordon Wood, writing in The New York Review of Books, called it &#8220remarkable and deeply researched,&#8221 adding, &#8220Taylor masterfully captures the strangeness of this war.&#8221 Copies of Taylor’s books will be available for purchase and signing. Refreshments will be served.

The event, which is part of Jay Heritage Center’s 2012 Annual Meeting will be held on Thursday, September 6, 6:00 PM to 7:30 PM, at at the 1907 Van Norden Carriage House, Jay Heritage Center, 210 Boston Post Road, in Rye, Westchester County, NY.

The Annual Meeting will also include the President’s Report, the re-election of Trustees for the Class of 2015 (Emma Hanratty, Michael A. Kovner, and Thomas R. Mercein) and the Election of Trustees of the Class of 2015 (Samuel W. Croll III, Lauren Lambert, and Cathy Rosenstock).

Those who are unable to attend can sign and mail a proxy, or submit a proxy by e-mail. Contact [email protected] for more information.

Call to Artists: Hudson River School Art Trail

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To celebrate the many talented artists who continue to be inspired by the landscapes along the Hudson River School Art Trail, the Thomas Cole Historic Site has issued a &#8220call to artists&#8221 to submit a new postcard-sized artwork for an exhibition and sale entitled &#8220Postcards from the Trail&#8221 that will take place on Sunday September 23, 2012.

A preview will benefit the Greene County Council on the Arts on the Saturday before. Artworks may depict any one of the 22 magnificent views that are now part of the Hudson River School Art Trail, a series of driving and hiking routes to the places that inspired the great landscape paintings of the 19th century. Hurry! The deadline for submissions is August 31st. For information about the Saturday preview, contact the GCCA at 518-943-3400.

Artists can get the details and entry instructions online.

American Revolution Magazine Ceases Publishing

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&#8220It is with a heavy heart that we announce our decision to cease publishing American Revolution Magazine, due to a variety of factors,&#8221 the publishers of the popularly oriented magazine of the Revolution have announced.  The last issue of the magazine published was the September/October 2012 issue and mailed in August.

The magazine’s Editor David Reuwer, President of the American Revolution Association (ARA), helped found the periodical in January 2009 as a bi-monthly. About 5,000 copies were distributed in over 40 states and in England, according to ARA’s website. The magazine also used the name Patriots of the American Revolution.

Reuwar has said he plans on continuing to promote Revolutionary history and content on the website www.amrevmag.com and through the American Revolution Association.

Back issues can still be purchased for $4 each by calling 800.767.5828.

Van Goghs Portrait of a Peasant Headed to Frick

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This fall The Frick Collection will present Vincent van Gogh’s Portrait of a Peasant (Patience Escalier). The painting has not left its home institution, the Norton Simon Museum in Pasadena, California, in nearly forty years, making this a rare viewing opportunity for East Coast audiences.

In conjunction with this presentation, the painting has undergone a comprehensive technical analysis at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles. The modern masterpiece will be shown in the Frick’s Oval Room from October 30, 2012, through January 20, 2013. It will be accompanied by lectures, a seminar, and gallery talks. In the nearby Multimedia Room, a brief video presentation will discuss the results of new research and the painting’s examination, while an introductory video will be shown in the Music Room. Read more →

Great Lakes Seaway Trail War of 1812 Volkswalks

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Saturday, September 29 nine communities along the 518-mile Great Lakes Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway are offering War of 1812 themed self-guided walking tours daily dawn-to-dusk. Much of the War of 1812 took place along the waters of St. Lawrence River, Lake Ontario, Niagara River, and Lake Erie in New York and Pennsylvania.

The 3.1 and 6.2-mile walks in Ogdensburg, Sackets Harbor, Oswego, Pultneyville, Youngstown, Lewiston, Williamsville, and Buffalo, NY- and Erie, PA, are sanctioned by the American Volkssport Association (AVA).

There is no charge to complete the walks. Walkers must register in the Walkbox at each starting point business. Anyone carrying a Volkssport logbook can purchase the official credit for $3.00. Those completing the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Walks in any of the nine communities can purchase commemorative pins ($5 each) featuring different symbols of the war, including a sailing ship, cannon, soldier, Fort Ontario and Fort La Presentation, crossed rifles, the burning of Buffalo, a young America’s flag and the battle flag of the USS Brig Niagara.

For more information on the 1812 Walks, contact Great Lakes Seaway Trail Volkssport Association President Daryl Giles at 315-646-1000 x200, [email protected].

Battle of Plattsburgh: Countdown to Invasion (Sept 1)

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On September 1, 1814, with an invading force of 11 &#8211 15,000 British troops massing just south of the Canadian frontier at tiny Champlain, New York, the residents of Plattsburgh, just 21 miles away, begin to flee for their lives. Many of the 3000 residents seek safety to the south, some removing themselves as far away as Albany, leaving much of the town deserted.

The owner of this house, Plattsburgh businessman Henri Delord, sought refuge at the Quaker Union in Peru after sending his wife Betsey and baby daughter south toward the State Capital. Before leaving the house, however, legend has it that Betsey buried the family’s silver tea service out in the garden.

Today’s Battle of Plattsburgh &#8211 &#8220Countdown to Invasion&#8221 fact is brought to you by the Greater Adirondack Ghost & Tour Company. If you enjoyed this fascinating snippet of North Country history, find them on: Facebook

Battle of Plattsburgh: Countdown to Invasion (Aug 31)

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On this date in 1814, invading British troops, numbering some 11 &#8211 15,000 men, began their march in earnest across the Canadian frontier and into the United States, massing at the small village of Champlain, New York. Under the overall command of Sir George Prevost, the Governor General of Canada, the ranks of this massive army had been recently swelled by the British victory over Napoleon in Europe.

This fact had allowed battle hardened veterans of Wellington’s Army to be shipped directly to North America to bolster Prevost’s forces and these forces were now just 21 miles from Plattsburgh. The British quickly set to work commandeering any local teams of horses and wagons they could find, pressing them into service hauling the massive quantities of heavy baggage and supplies needed by the advancing Army&#8230-

Today’s Battle of Plattsburgh &#8211 &#8220Countdown to Invasion&#8221 fact is brought to you by the Greater Adirondack Ghost & Tour Company. If you enjoyed this fascinating snippet of North Country history, find them on Facebook.

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.

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Saranac Lakes Hobofest Set For Sunday

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The Fourth Annual Hobofest, an all-day music festival “at-the-tracks” in Saranac Lake NY celebrating railroad culture and the “hobo spirit,” is happening on Sunday, September 2nd. This year’s Hobofest will take place under the “big top,” to assure against the variables of weather, from noon until 11pm. Eat and Meet Grill & Larder will serve local fare, also a children’s activities booth and festival & artist merchandise tables.

This year’s special guest is Washington State legend, Baby Gramps. A former street musician and train buff, Gramps plays antique resonator National Steel guitars, and sings his own unique arrangements of rags, jazz, & blues songs from the 20&#8242-s & 30&#8242-s, and many originals with wordplay, humor, and throat singing. His appeal is to a wide range of audiences from “jam-band” – having toured with Phish and the Flecktones- to punk to old timey traditional and to kids of all ages. He has performed across the States, Canada, Europe, and Australia.

Several unsigned, fully-realized ensembles, all “invested” in Hobofest, offer distinct takes on roots music: The intricate groove-grass pulse of Big Slyde, this year with the smoky vocals of Hanna Doan. The Adirondack-Brooklyn hybrid, Frankenpine, craft a modern take on bluegrass, with a colorful palette and original voicing. Crackin’ Foxy distinguish themselves with a post-vaudeville vintage of styled song, elegant female three-part harmony, and swinging arrangements. This year’s appearance of the young and grizzled Blind Owl Band, follows their recent romp through the Northeast, diving headlong into the mosh-pit of old-time as dance music.

The day traditionally kicks off with bluesman Steve Langdon hollerin’ and pickin’ ala John Henry against the din of the first arriving train. New to this stage this year are Eddy and Kim Lawrence, with their wry sense of humor, and deft fretwork from the Canadian border, Keene resident Stan Oliva, and Quinn Sands from Cleveland, OH.

This Weeks New York History Web Highlights

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

Subscribe! More than 2,800 people get New York History each day via E-Mail, RSS, or Twitter or Facebook updates.