Thursday, December 15, 2011
Wednesday, December 14, 2011
New York History: Bruce Dearstyne:Strengthening the Historical Enter...
New York History: Bruce Dearstyne:Strengthening the Historical Enter...: Several recent posts on this site have demonstrated the robustness and diversity of New York’s historical programs but also pointed to the l...
Thursday, December 1, 2011
St. Lawrence County Historical Society Events
Civil War Memorial Tree at SLCHA This Holiday Season
Civil War Ornaments
The St Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House will decorate a special memory tree at the museum in honor of all of the nearly 7,000 men from St Lawrence County who served in the Civil War. For just $5, you can make sure that your ancestor or Civil War hero is included in this tribute. This Civil War memory tree is part of the SLCHA's Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which began in 1861.
More Information
Holiday Open House and Holiday Tea
at the Silas Wright House
Festive floral arrangements, fabulous refreshments and fanciful holiday music will fill the Silas Wright House when friends and neighbors gather at Silas Wright House for the St Lawrence County Historical Association's Holiday Events. The SLCHA's Annual Holiday Open House will be held on Friday, December 2nd from 4 to 8 pm and the Holiday Tea will be held on Sunday, December 4th from 1-3 pm. Both events are free and open to the public.
More Information
Holiday Sale
The Holiday Sale on Friday, December 9 from Noon-8 pm and Saturday, December 10 from 11 am - 4 pm is a great opportunity to find just the right gift at a great price and also support St Lawrence County history! Most items in the gift shop will be on sale at a 10% discount and SLCHA members will receive a 15% discount.
Coming Events
Friday, Dec 2, 4:00 PM: Holiday Open House at SLCHA
Sunday, Dec 4: Holiday Tea at SLCHA
Friday, Dec 9 through Dec 10: Holiday Sale
Saturday, Dec 10, 11:00 AM: Second Saturday Children's Program - Adirondack Santa
Saturday, Dec 24 through Jan 2: SLCHA Museum Closed for Holidays
More...
Civil War Sesquicentennial
150 years ago this month:
Dec 1, 1861 - 11th NY Cavalry (Scotts 900) starts to recruit. They trained in Elmira, NY.
Dec 2, 1861 - 2nd Session, 37th Congress, convenes
Dec 3, 1861 - Officers of the 60th NY ask for resignation of Col. Heyward for "Want of coolness and discretion and disregard for the comfort and the welfare of the men." There is no reply to the letter.
Dec 3, 1861 - Volunteer Aid Association has already sent numerous things to men. Ladies to dedicate one day a week for service of the country. Meetings to knit socks and mittens are held every Monday at private houses. The ladies of Madrid organize Soldiers Aid Society and send quilts, blankets, sheets, pillowcases, night shirts, flannel drawers, shirts,towels, socks, and linens.
Dec 3, 1861 - 92nd NY finishing recruiting and thought they would leave by 20th of December – this didn't happen
Dec 13, 1861 - Battle of Camp Alleghany (western Virginia)
Dec 17, 1861 - Camp Union has 820 men in camp, 180 men needed to fill regiment. One of the sentinels of the 60th NY shot one of the Maryland Home Guards. They were playing with rifles and "didn't know the gun was loaded".
Dec 20, 1861 - Battle of Dranesville (Virginia)
Dec 24, 1861 - 60th NY was paid and the men sent home at least two-thirds of their pay by "express." Several deaths in 60th by disease. A railroad engine boiler exploded; the engineer was found 650 feet from the engine.
Events in bold are St Lawrence County events
Civil War Ornaments
The St Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House will decorate a special memory tree at the museum in honor of all of the nearly 7,000 men from St Lawrence County who served in the Civil War. For just $5, you can make sure that your ancestor or Civil War hero is included in this tribute. This Civil War memory tree is part of the SLCHA's Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which began in 1861.
More Information
Holiday Open House and Holiday Tea
at the Silas Wright House
Festive floral arrangements, fabulous refreshments and fanciful holiday music will fill the Silas Wright House when friends and neighbors gather at Silas Wright House for the St Lawrence County Historical Association's Holiday Events. The SLCHA's Annual Holiday Open House will be held on Friday, December 2nd from 4 to 8 pm and the Holiday Tea will be held on Sunday, December 4th from 1-3 pm. Both events are free and open to the public.
More Information
Holiday Sale
The Holiday Sale on Friday, December 9 from Noon-8 pm and Saturday, December 10 from 11 am - 4 pm is a great opportunity to find just the right gift at a great price and also support St Lawrence County history! Most items in the gift shop will be on sale at a 10% discount and SLCHA members will receive a 15% discount.
Coming Events
Friday, Dec 2, 4:00 PM: Holiday Open House at SLCHA
Sunday, Dec 4: Holiday Tea at SLCHA
Friday, Dec 9 through Dec 10: Holiday Sale
Saturday, Dec 10, 11:00 AM: Second Saturday Children's Program - Adirondack Santa
Saturday, Dec 24 through Jan 2: SLCHA Museum Closed for Holidays
More...
Civil War Sesquicentennial
150 years ago this month:
Dec 1, 1861 - 11th NY Cavalry (Scotts 900) starts to recruit. They trained in Elmira, NY.
Dec 2, 1861 - 2nd Session, 37th Congress, convenes
Dec 3, 1861 - Officers of the 60th NY ask for resignation of Col. Heyward for "Want of coolness and discretion and disregard for the comfort and the welfare of the men." There is no reply to the letter.
Dec 3, 1861 - Volunteer Aid Association has already sent numerous things to men. Ladies to dedicate one day a week for service of the country. Meetings to knit socks and mittens are held every Monday at private houses. The ladies of Madrid organize Soldiers Aid Society and send quilts, blankets, sheets, pillowcases, night shirts, flannel drawers, shirts,towels, socks, and linens.
Dec 3, 1861 - 92nd NY finishing recruiting and thought they would leave by 20th of December – this didn't happen
Dec 13, 1861 - Battle of Camp Alleghany (western Virginia)
Dec 17, 1861 - Camp Union has 820 men in camp, 180 men needed to fill regiment. One of the sentinels of the 60th NY shot one of the Maryland Home Guards. They were playing with rifles and "didn't know the gun was loaded".
Dec 20, 1861 - Battle of Dranesville (Virginia)
Dec 24, 1861 - 60th NY was paid and the men sent home at least two-thirds of their pay by "express." Several deaths in 60th by disease. A railroad engine boiler exploded; the engineer was found 650 feet from the engine.
Events in bold are St Lawrence County events
PJs for Xmas
500 children sign up for PJs 4 X-mas; donation boxes located throughout county
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - 2:29 pm
OGDENSBURG – More than 500 children from around the county have signed up to receive pajamas through Camille & Abigail Marshall's PJs 4 X-mas program, and more are still pending.
The two sisters have worked very hard this year placing drop boxes throughout the county with the help of volunteers. Fifty-eight drop boxes have been placed with a list of locations below.
All drop boxes will be picked up on Dec. 15 for distribution. The girls' home drop box will still be available until the last minute at 511 Albany Ave., Ogdensburg.
Drop-off box sites:
• Ogdensburg: Pepsi Cola, Julie’s Dance Studio, North Country Savings Bank, Community Bank (both branches), Key Bank, SMDA Catholic School, Ogdensburg Free Academy High School offices, Kennedy, Madill, Lincoln Elementary schools, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Notre Dame Church, Claxton Hepburn Medical Center Cafeteria, St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union (both branches) Kinney’s Drugs, K of C, Moose Lodge, VFW, Am-Vets, the Ogdensburg Neighborhood Center, Dunn Glass Insurance Agency, Ashley's Home Center, Ogdensburg Health Alliance, Time Warner Cable, Agarwal Renal Ctr., Sherman School, Dr. Cuomo's Office, NYSARC bottle redemption Ogd. (also open bottle account to donate your bottles) Unique Boutique, and our home 511 Albany Avenue.
• Heuvelton: Community Bank, & more pending.
• Canton: Corning Inc., St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union, St. Lawrence County CDP, Glow Skin Care Spa, Canton Community Bank, North Country Savings Bank, Canton High School Office, Triple A, A to Z Thrift Store, Upward Bound office SUNY Canton, and more pending.
• Potsdam: Community Bank both branches, North Country Savings Bank, Kinney's Drugs (Not Save -A-Lot Plaza)
• Massena: Community Bank, HSBC Bank, North Country Savings Bank, Kinney’s Drugs, Dr. Canales’ Office. More pending.
• Gouverneur: Community Bank, Oswegatchie Coffee Company, Impressions Studio, Main St. Consignment.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - 2:29 pm
OGDENSBURG – More than 500 children from around the county have signed up to receive pajamas through Camille & Abigail Marshall's PJs 4 X-mas program, and more are still pending.
The two sisters have worked very hard this year placing drop boxes throughout the county with the help of volunteers. Fifty-eight drop boxes have been placed with a list of locations below.
All drop boxes will be picked up on Dec. 15 for distribution. The girls' home drop box will still be available until the last minute at 511 Albany Ave., Ogdensburg.
Drop-off box sites:
• Ogdensburg: Pepsi Cola, Julie’s Dance Studio, North Country Savings Bank, Community Bank (both branches), Key Bank, SMDA Catholic School, Ogdensburg Free Academy High School offices, Kennedy, Madill, Lincoln Elementary schools, St. Mary’s Cathedral, Notre Dame Church, Claxton Hepburn Medical Center Cafeteria, St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union (both branches) Kinney’s Drugs, K of C, Moose Lodge, VFW, Am-Vets, the Ogdensburg Neighborhood Center, Dunn Glass Insurance Agency, Ashley's Home Center, Ogdensburg Health Alliance, Time Warner Cable, Agarwal Renal Ctr., Sherman School, Dr. Cuomo's Office, NYSARC bottle redemption Ogd. (also open bottle account to donate your bottles) Unique Boutique, and our home 511 Albany Avenue.
• Heuvelton: Community Bank, & more pending.
• Canton: Corning Inc., St. Lawrence Federal Credit Union, St. Lawrence County CDP, Glow Skin Care Spa, Canton Community Bank, North Country Savings Bank, Canton High School Office, Triple A, A to Z Thrift Store, Upward Bound office SUNY Canton, and more pending.
• Potsdam: Community Bank both branches, North Country Savings Bank, Kinney's Drugs (Not Save -A-Lot Plaza)
• Massena: Community Bank, HSBC Bank, North Country Savings Bank, Kinney’s Drugs, Dr. Canales’ Office. More pending.
• Gouverneur: Community Bank, Oswegatchie Coffee Company, Impressions Studio, Main St. Consignment.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011
Chew Gum Before Test
SLU prof says chew gum before big test and it could help
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - 5:11 pm
CANTON -- Research by a St. Lawrence University psychology professor suggests that if you’re a student and have an important test coming up, you might do better if you chew some gum.
St. Lawrence University Assistant Professor of Psychology Serge Onyper conducted a study that showed that students who chewed gum for five minutes before taking a test did better on the test than non-gum-chewing students. “Mastication-induced arousal” is credited for the boost, which lasted for about the first 20 minutes or so of testing. Results of the study were published in the journal Appetite.
A “battery of cognitive tasks” was given to the study participants, who chewed gum either prior to or throughout testing. Their performance was then compared with subjects who did not chew gum.
Many studies have shown that any type of physical activity can produce a performance boost. This study points indicates that even mild physical activity might bring on such a boost.
Chewing gum seems to have given the subjects multiple advantages, but only when chewed for five minutes before testing, not for the duration of the test. Benefits persisted for the first 15 to 20 minutes of testing only. Onyper notes that a possible reason the benefits didn’t continue throughout testing may be due to “a sharing of resources by cognitive and masticatory processes.”
In other words, you can’t chew gum and think productively at the same time.
Onyper was the lead researcher on a study presented earlier this year showing that students who took classes starting earlier in the morning tended to get higher grades, even though they may have gotten less sleep.
Wednesday, November 30, 2011 - 5:11 pm
CANTON -- Research by a St. Lawrence University psychology professor suggests that if you’re a student and have an important test coming up, you might do better if you chew some gum.
St. Lawrence University Assistant Professor of Psychology Serge Onyper conducted a study that showed that students who chewed gum for five minutes before taking a test did better on the test than non-gum-chewing students. “Mastication-induced arousal” is credited for the boost, which lasted for about the first 20 minutes or so of testing. Results of the study were published in the journal Appetite.
A “battery of cognitive tasks” was given to the study participants, who chewed gum either prior to or throughout testing. Their performance was then compared with subjects who did not chew gum.
Many studies have shown that any type of physical activity can produce a performance boost. This study points indicates that even mild physical activity might bring on such a boost.
Chewing gum seems to have given the subjects multiple advantages, but only when chewed for five minutes before testing, not for the duration of the test. Benefits persisted for the first 15 to 20 minutes of testing only. Onyper notes that a possible reason the benefits didn’t continue throughout testing may be due to “a sharing of resources by cognitive and masticatory processes.”
In other words, you can’t chew gum and think productively at the same time.
Onyper was the lead researcher on a study presented earlier this year showing that students who took classes starting earlier in the morning tended to get higher grades, even though they may have gotten less sleep.
Monday, November 21, 2011
New York History: Civil War: Potential NYS Commemoration Initiatives...
New York History: Civil War: Potential NYS Commemoration Initiatives...: We are entering the second year of the sesquicentennial of the Civil War. New York contributed more soldiers, war materiel, money, and suppo...
Wednesday, November 16, 2011
Saturday, November 12, 2011
Sunday, November 6, 2011
Thursday, November 3, 2011
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Monday, October 31, 2011
Saturday, October 29, 2011
Thursday, October 27, 2011
Monday, October 24, 2011
Sunday, October 23, 2011
Friday, October 21, 2011
Great Homework Tip
Give a homework assignment. Instead of collecting the assignment the next day, tell the students that if every student can submit the assignment completely correct you will lead them in a game at the end of class. Then allow them time to share responses with each other and even to help a student who hasn’t done the assignment to complete it correctly. Any student can change initial responses as long as what is submitted is correct.
Thursday, October 20, 2011
Monday, October 17, 2011
CNN Special on Slavery
I'm going to use part of this program to connect the triangular trade with slavery today. Click here for more information ...
Saturday, October 15, 2011
Friday, October 14, 2011
Going Paperless in the Classroom
Is it possible to go paperless in the classroom? After reading this article I now believe it's a question of when.
Green schools: Classroom experiment
GSL teacher asks students to go paperless
By Marci Woodmansee / Special to My Life
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Problem: Wasted teaching time spent photocopying countless student worksheets at a cranky old copier
Need: To be more efficient while also fulfilling greener initiatives implemented internally at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School (GSL)
Solution: Try an interesting experiment.
One day in January, Middle School English and Latin instructor Kimberly White issued an unexpected challenge to her students. "Once I said it out loud, I knew there would be no going back!" White recalls with a smile. "But I told them I wanted us to try going paperless for the rest of the year."
White had been considering the idea of a paperless classroom for some time. With the help of a continually growing number of online teaching tools such as Livebinder, Classmarker, Quizlets, Prezi, Glogster, Wallwisher, Mindmeister and the suite of products that are part of Google Docs, she had most of the tools she would need. That along with infinite amounts of patience.
"My husband (GSL computer instructor Jeff White) is the one who inspired me to do this," she explains. "He doesn't use paper in his computer class, so I wanted to see if I could do it, too. I asked him how he managed it, and he just told me (in his driest voice), 'I. Just. Don't. Use. Paper.' Plus, it's 2011, not 1985. With the technology that GSL has for its teachers and students, there's not a single reason in the world why I should be chained to the copy machine."
So in they plunged. White kept a blog to track the project's progress.
Excerpts from Paperless Blog, Week 1:
White: "Ok, kids, open up the computers, log in to Google Docs and figure out how to share a document with me. How many of you have used this program before?"
Student 1: "I saw my brother use it one day."
Student 2: "Google what???"
Student 3: "Nope, never done it."
White: "See if you can figure it out."
(insert the sound of talking and typing, laughing ...) 45 seconds pass
Student 3: "I'm done."
Student 4: "Me, too."
Students 5-8: "Yep, check. Done. Ditto, Mrs. Whizzle."
White: "Are you sure you've never done this before?"
White admits that while they got off to a great start, not every day was smooth sailing. "There were times when we ran into trouble, but it has gotten easier each day," she explains. "With Google docs, I can view students' work from anywhere, anytime, and even while they are working on things. One student was doing homework one night and I popped into his document to say "Hi." He wrote back something like, 'Um, Mrs. White, this is freaking me out!' And I said, 'Then don't copy and paste straight from Wikipedia right in front of me next time!' And the fact that I can tell by tracking a document whether or not a student worked on something more than once, or if they waited until the night before it was due to tackle it -- that is really nice. It takes away some of the excuses."
Despite the speed bumps they hit along the way, White considers the experiment an unequivocal success. "I haven't run off a single thing since January," she says. "Everyday, my students are thinking critically, troubleshooting their own machines, and becoming creative problem solvers. They are constantly working together and learning lifelong skills for their lives after GSL. After all, they're 'screenagers.' They feel most comfortable with a computer, an iPad or an iPod in front of them. The key is not to give them the same applications to use every time. You do have to keep doing different things. And I move around the classroom a lot more than I used to."
For White, this experiment has solidified her belief that teaching with just a pencil and paper can no longer suffice. "We cannot stop there," she says. "Students who cannot type or navigate a computer will be left behind. One of the best days in English class was when we all shared one Google presentation document and made individual slides with examples of the different kinds of irony. By the end of the period, we had a 27-slide document that students could review the night before their test. Another plus is that kids don't have to remember papers, binders, and pencils for class. They come to class with their textbook and have no trouble finding their work in Google Docs. Everything is in one place and not buried at the bottom of their book bag or floating somewhere in lost and found."
Ultimately, White says, it's about giving them the skills they need in the 21st century. "Trying new things, troubleshooting, knowing your way around a computer, being a savvy Internet user, and coming up with different ways to do things -- these are the goals I want my students to get out of this."
White recently presented her paperless classroom experiment at the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools (TAIS) conference.
"It was great to have IT people at the TAIS conference saying, 'This was the best presentation I've seen all day'," White said. "This year we are all paperless. I have a SMARTboard now, so that's a super way to engage students paperlessly. I am delighted at how well the seventh-graders have taken to it so early in the year."
To see how White's experiment is progressing, visit nomorepaperjams.blogspot.com.
Marci Woodmansee is a communications associate at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School.
© 2011 Scripps Newspaper Group — Online
Green schools: Classroom experiment
GSL teacher asks students to go paperless
By Marci Woodmansee / Special to My Life
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Problem: Wasted teaching time spent photocopying countless student worksheets at a cranky old copier
Need: To be more efficient while also fulfilling greener initiatives implemented internally at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School (GSL)
Solution: Try an interesting experiment.
One day in January, Middle School English and Latin instructor Kimberly White issued an unexpected challenge to her students. "Once I said it out loud, I knew there would be no going back!" White recalls with a smile. "But I told them I wanted us to try going paperless for the rest of the year."
White had been considering the idea of a paperless classroom for some time. With the help of a continually growing number of online teaching tools such as Livebinder, Classmarker, Quizlets, Prezi, Glogster, Wallwisher, Mindmeister and the suite of products that are part of Google Docs, she had most of the tools she would need. That along with infinite amounts of patience.
"My husband (GSL computer instructor Jeff White) is the one who inspired me to do this," she explains. "He doesn't use paper in his computer class, so I wanted to see if I could do it, too. I asked him how he managed it, and he just told me (in his driest voice), 'I. Just. Don't. Use. Paper.' Plus, it's 2011, not 1985. With the technology that GSL has for its teachers and students, there's not a single reason in the world why I should be chained to the copy machine."
So in they plunged. White kept a blog to track the project's progress.
Excerpts from Paperless Blog, Week 1:
White: "Ok, kids, open up the computers, log in to Google Docs and figure out how to share a document with me. How many of you have used this program before?"
Student 1: "I saw my brother use it one day."
Student 2: "Google what???"
Student 3: "Nope, never done it."
White: "See if you can figure it out."
(insert the sound of talking and typing, laughing ...) 45 seconds pass
Student 3: "I'm done."
Student 4: "Me, too."
Students 5-8: "Yep, check. Done. Ditto, Mrs. Whizzle."
White: "Are you sure you've never done this before?"
White admits that while they got off to a great start, not every day was smooth sailing. "There were times when we ran into trouble, but it has gotten easier each day," she explains. "With Google docs, I can view students' work from anywhere, anytime, and even while they are working on things. One student was doing homework one night and I popped into his document to say "Hi." He wrote back something like, 'Um, Mrs. White, this is freaking me out!' And I said, 'Then don't copy and paste straight from Wikipedia right in front of me next time!' And the fact that I can tell by tracking a document whether or not a student worked on something more than once, or if they waited until the night before it was due to tackle it -- that is really nice. It takes away some of the excuses."
Despite the speed bumps they hit along the way, White considers the experiment an unequivocal success. "I haven't run off a single thing since January," she says. "Everyday, my students are thinking critically, troubleshooting their own machines, and becoming creative problem solvers. They are constantly working together and learning lifelong skills for their lives after GSL. After all, they're 'screenagers.' They feel most comfortable with a computer, an iPad or an iPod in front of them. The key is not to give them the same applications to use every time. You do have to keep doing different things. And I move around the classroom a lot more than I used to."
For White, this experiment has solidified her belief that teaching with just a pencil and paper can no longer suffice. "We cannot stop there," she says. "Students who cannot type or navigate a computer will be left behind. One of the best days in English class was when we all shared one Google presentation document and made individual slides with examples of the different kinds of irony. By the end of the period, we had a 27-slide document that students could review the night before their test. Another plus is that kids don't have to remember papers, binders, and pencils for class. They come to class with their textbook and have no trouble finding their work in Google Docs. Everything is in one place and not buried at the bottom of their book bag or floating somewhere in lost and found."
Ultimately, White says, it's about giving them the skills they need in the 21st century. "Trying new things, troubleshooting, knowing your way around a computer, being a savvy Internet user, and coming up with different ways to do things -- these are the goals I want my students to get out of this."
White recently presented her paperless classroom experiment at the Tennessee Association of Independent Schools (TAIS) conference.
"It was great to have IT people at the TAIS conference saying, 'This was the best presentation I've seen all day'," White said. "This year we are all paperless. I have a SMARTboard now, so that's a super way to engage students paperlessly. I am delighted at how well the seventh-graders have taken to it so early in the year."
To see how White's experiment is progressing, visit nomorepaperjams.blogspot.com.
Marci Woodmansee is a communications associate at Grace-St. Luke's Episcopal School.
© 2011 Scripps Newspaper Group — Online
Wednesday, October 12, 2011
Tuesday, October 11, 2011
New York History: War of 1812: Carrying the Great Rope
New York History: War of 1812: Carrying the Great Rope: During the War of 1812, control of Lake Ontario was one of many issues considered critical by both sides. A key position for the British was...
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Saturday, September 24, 2011
Thursday, September 22, 2011
FORT LAPRÉSENTATION ASSOCIATION ANNUAL FUNDRAISING DINNER HONORS DEDICATED SUPPORTERS
OGDENSBURG, NY 22 September, 2011-- The Fort La Présentation Association is presenting a hat-trick of awards at its annual fundraising and awards dinner at the Gran-View Restaurant Friday, October 28.
Marijean Remington, chair of the association’s fundraising committee, and Horst Dresler and Daniel Roy, long-time participants and advocates of Founder’s Day Weekend, are the three honorees.
Ms. Remington will be presented the Persis Yates Boyesen Award for her outstanding contribution toward the historically accurate reconstruction and ongoing presence of Fort de la Présentation.
Mr. Dresler from Vermont and Mr. Roy from Quebec are to receive the David L. Dickinson Award for their outstanding commitment of time and effort dedicated to Fort de la Présentation.
"We are honoring these people for their enthusiastic, long-term faithfulness to the Fort de la Presentation project," said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort Association. "Without the dedication of Ms. Remington, Mr. Dresler and Mr. Roy we would not have had Lighthouse Point cleaned of petroleum contamination nor witnessed the growing success of Founder’s Day Weekend."
Ms. Remington is the President, CEO and majority owner of Canton-based Atlantic Testing Laboratories (ATL). More than 10 years ago, the state was able to ensure the remediation the Fort Association’s Lighthouse Point property thanks to ATL accurately tracing the spread of the subsurface pollution. Since her earliest involvement, Ms. Remington has been a keen supporter of the fort project.
Mr. Dresler and Mr. Roy are French and Indian War re-enactors who have brought their troops year after year to the Fort Association’s July re-enactment and colonial trade fair. Although Mr. Dressler often commands the English forces, squaring off against the French commanded by Mr. Roy, their shared physical and moral support has contributed significantly to the development of Founder’s Day Weekend.
"The Fort Association annual dinner is our major fundraising event with a silent auction and prize draws of goods and services donated by local businesses and individuals who back our efforts," said Mrs. O’Keefe. "The dinner also celebrates the commitment of every member of the Fort La Presentation Association for the success and progress of our activities: the Fort de la Presentation project; Founder’s Day Weekend; the War of 1812 Symposium; and Living History Day."
Social Hour, at the Gran-View on Rte 37, is at 6 pm with dinner at 7pm. The tickets at $35 per person are the same price as last year. They are available from the Greater Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce and members of the Fort Association board of directors.
The menu is a historic cornucopia: Molly’s Corn Chowder; Amherst’s Salad with Pouchot’s Dinner Rolls; Lorimier’s Sirloin Tournadours or Oswegatchie Baked Stuffed Chicken or Forsyth’s Cracker Crumb Haddock or Seven Fire’s Vegetarian Dish; Tecumseh’s Acorn Squash; Macdonnell’s Red Skinned Potatoes with Parsley Butter; Laura’s Coffee or Tea; and Dolley’s Apple Crisp.
###
Backgrounder attached.
For More Information Contact:
Barbara O’Keefe
President, Fort La Présentation Association
315-393-3315
BACKGROUNDER
The Menu Who’s Who
These historic figures and events represent the "Four Flags" (France, the Iroquois Confederacy, England and the United States) associated with Fort de la Présentation and its successors, Fort Oswegatchie and Fort Presentation.
Molly Brant (c.1736 –1796) was a prominent Mohawk woman. From her home in Canajoharie, she provided food and assistance to Loyalists who were fleeing from New York to Canada during the American Revolution. With the American invasion of Iroquoia in 1779, she joined Iroquois refugees at the British post on Carleton Island. In 1783, Brant moved to Cataraqui, now Kingston, Ontario, where the government built her a house and gave her an annual pension of £100.
General Jeffery Amherst, (1717 –1797) led an Anglo-American army down the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario, and captured Montreal on 8 September 1760, ending French rule in North America. He infuriated the French commanders by refusing them the "honors of war" (the ceremonial right of a defeated garrison to retain their flags); the French burned the colors rather than surrender them.
Captain Pierre Pouchot (1712 – 1769) was a military engineer and officer in the French regular army commanding at Fort Lévis in 1760. On August 21, he had fighting force of 316 to delay Amherst’s 10,000-man army’s descent of the St Lawrence River to Montreal. Pouchot only surrendered on 25 August, when his guns could no longer fire and the fort was a wreck. Amherst and his staff treated Pouchot with respect.
Claude-Nicolas-Guillaume de Lorimier (1744 – 1825) and his large party Indians were instrumental in May 1776 in securing the capture of Fort Cedars (Les Cédres, Quebec) from Continental soldiers by a company of the British 8th Regiment of Foot. The company under Captain George Forster was stationed at Fort Oswegatchie. In July 1780, Lorimier led a reconnaissance and raiding expedition from Oswegatchie to Fort Stanwix (Rome) which netted 38 prisoners and 10 scalps.
The Treaty of Oswegatchie has its roots in assurances given in February 1760 to the Iroquois from Oswegatchie, Kanesatake and Kahnawake by the Six Nations Iroquois that they would not take up arms against their Iroquois brethren in the final battles of the French and Indian War. When the British army reached La Présentation in mid-August, William Johnson, superintendent of Indian Affairs, met with delegates of the "Seven Nations of Canada" and solemnly promised to secure to them the possession of their lands and the free exercise of the Catholic religion. The terms of treaty were confirmed 16 September 1760.
Captain Benjamin Forsyth (d.1814) from Stokes County, North Carolina, commanded a company of the U.S. First Rifle Regiment at Ogdensburg. Although he was ordered to observe British movements on the St. Lawrence, he led successful raids against Gananoque and (Elizabethtown) Brockville. Forsyth’s Rifles withdrew to Sackets Harbor following the Battle of Ogdensburg February 22, 1813. He was active in skirmishing and patrolling north of Lake Champlain in the late spring and summer 1814, but was killed in a clash at Odelltown in June.
The Seven Fires of Caughnawaga was an Indian alliance organized by the French in the years leading up to the French and Indian War. The alliance was composed of the Iroquois mission villages on the St. Lawrence (Caughnawaga, Kanesatake, Oswegatchie, and St. Regis); the Abenaki at St. François and Bécancour; and the Huron at Lorette.
Tecumseh (1768–1813) led the forces of his Indian confederacy opposed to American encroachment into the west to join the British at Fort Malden on the Detroit River and participated in the capture of Fort Detroit in August 1812. He was killed at the Battle of the Thames in October 1813 as the British withdrew toward York (Toronto).
Lieutenant Colonel George Macdonnell (1780–1870), commonly known as Red George, was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Macdonnell, in command of the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles and detachments of reinforcements, launched a successful attack from Prescott against a Forsyth’s company of the U.S. First Rifle Regiment in Ogdensburg February 22, 1813. In October he was ordered to move to reinforce Lieutenant Colonel Charles de Salaberry's troops south of Montreal. He was effectively second-in-command to de Salaberry at the Battle of Chateauguay.
Laura Secord (1775–1868), born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812 for warning British forces of a planned American attack. Her legendary trek through forest and swamp in June 1813 to reach Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon led to the victory at the Battle of Beaver Dams. Laura Secord Chocolates, founded in 1913, was named after her.
Dolley Madison (1768–1849) was wife of President James Madison. As the invading British approached a near-empty Washington in August 1814, she ensured the collection of valuables from the Presidential Mansion, including Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington, and original drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The earliest evidence of the public using the name "White House" was recorded in 1811, years before it was restored after the burning of Washington.
###
Marijean Remington, chair of the association’s fundraising committee, and Horst Dresler and Daniel Roy, long-time participants and advocates of Founder’s Day Weekend, are the three honorees.
Ms. Remington will be presented the Persis Yates Boyesen Award for her outstanding contribution toward the historically accurate reconstruction and ongoing presence of Fort de la Présentation.
Mr. Dresler from Vermont and Mr. Roy from Quebec are to receive the David L. Dickinson Award for their outstanding commitment of time and effort dedicated to Fort de la Présentation.
"We are honoring these people for their enthusiastic, long-term faithfulness to the Fort de la Presentation project," said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort Association. "Without the dedication of Ms. Remington, Mr. Dresler and Mr. Roy we would not have had Lighthouse Point cleaned of petroleum contamination nor witnessed the growing success of Founder’s Day Weekend."
Ms. Remington is the President, CEO and majority owner of Canton-based Atlantic Testing Laboratories (ATL). More than 10 years ago, the state was able to ensure the remediation the Fort Association’s Lighthouse Point property thanks to ATL accurately tracing the spread of the subsurface pollution. Since her earliest involvement, Ms. Remington has been a keen supporter of the fort project.
Mr. Dresler and Mr. Roy are French and Indian War re-enactors who have brought their troops year after year to the Fort Association’s July re-enactment and colonial trade fair. Although Mr. Dressler often commands the English forces, squaring off against the French commanded by Mr. Roy, their shared physical and moral support has contributed significantly to the development of Founder’s Day Weekend.
"The Fort Association annual dinner is our major fundraising event with a silent auction and prize draws of goods and services donated by local businesses and individuals who back our efforts," said Mrs. O’Keefe. "The dinner also celebrates the commitment of every member of the Fort La Presentation Association for the success and progress of our activities: the Fort de la Presentation project; Founder’s Day Weekend; the War of 1812 Symposium; and Living History Day."
Social Hour, at the Gran-View on Rte 37, is at 6 pm with dinner at 7pm. The tickets at $35 per person are the same price as last year. They are available from the Greater Ogdensburg Chamber of Commerce and members of the Fort Association board of directors.
The menu is a historic cornucopia: Molly’s Corn Chowder; Amherst’s Salad with Pouchot’s Dinner Rolls; Lorimier’s Sirloin Tournadours or Oswegatchie Baked Stuffed Chicken or Forsyth’s Cracker Crumb Haddock or Seven Fire’s Vegetarian Dish; Tecumseh’s Acorn Squash; Macdonnell’s Red Skinned Potatoes with Parsley Butter; Laura’s Coffee or Tea; and Dolley’s Apple Crisp.
###
Backgrounder attached.
For More Information Contact:
Barbara O’Keefe
President, Fort La Présentation Association
315-393-3315
BACKGROUNDER
The Menu Who’s Who
These historic figures and events represent the "Four Flags" (France, the Iroquois Confederacy, England and the United States) associated with Fort de la Présentation and its successors, Fort Oswegatchie and Fort Presentation.
Molly Brant (c.1736 –1796) was a prominent Mohawk woman. From her home in Canajoharie, she provided food and assistance to Loyalists who were fleeing from New York to Canada during the American Revolution. With the American invasion of Iroquoia in 1779, she joined Iroquois refugees at the British post on Carleton Island. In 1783, Brant moved to Cataraqui, now Kingston, Ontario, where the government built her a house and gave her an annual pension of £100.
General Jeffery Amherst, (1717 –1797) led an Anglo-American army down the St. Lawrence River from Lake Ontario, and captured Montreal on 8 September 1760, ending French rule in North America. He infuriated the French commanders by refusing them the "honors of war" (the ceremonial right of a defeated garrison to retain their flags); the French burned the colors rather than surrender them.
Captain Pierre Pouchot (1712 – 1769) was a military engineer and officer in the French regular army commanding at Fort Lévis in 1760. On August 21, he had fighting force of 316 to delay Amherst’s 10,000-man army’s descent of the St Lawrence River to Montreal. Pouchot only surrendered on 25 August, when his guns could no longer fire and the fort was a wreck. Amherst and his staff treated Pouchot with respect.
Claude-Nicolas-Guillaume de Lorimier (1744 – 1825) and his large party Indians were instrumental in May 1776 in securing the capture of Fort Cedars (Les Cédres, Quebec) from Continental soldiers by a company of the British 8th Regiment of Foot. The company under Captain George Forster was stationed at Fort Oswegatchie. In July 1780, Lorimier led a reconnaissance and raiding expedition from Oswegatchie to Fort Stanwix (Rome) which netted 38 prisoners and 10 scalps.
The Treaty of Oswegatchie has its roots in assurances given in February 1760 to the Iroquois from Oswegatchie, Kanesatake and Kahnawake by the Six Nations Iroquois that they would not take up arms against their Iroquois brethren in the final battles of the French and Indian War. When the British army reached La Présentation in mid-August, William Johnson, superintendent of Indian Affairs, met with delegates of the "Seven Nations of Canada" and solemnly promised to secure to them the possession of their lands and the free exercise of the Catholic religion. The terms of treaty were confirmed 16 September 1760.
Captain Benjamin Forsyth (d.1814) from Stokes County, North Carolina, commanded a company of the U.S. First Rifle Regiment at Ogdensburg. Although he was ordered to observe British movements on the St. Lawrence, he led successful raids against Gananoque and (Elizabethtown) Brockville. Forsyth’s Rifles withdrew to Sackets Harbor following the Battle of Ogdensburg February 22, 1813. He was active in skirmishing and patrolling north of Lake Champlain in the late spring and summer 1814, but was killed in a clash at Odelltown in June.
The Seven Fires of Caughnawaga was an Indian alliance organized by the French in the years leading up to the French and Indian War. The alliance was composed of the Iroquois mission villages on the St. Lawrence (Caughnawaga, Kanesatake, Oswegatchie, and St. Regis); the Abenaki at St. François and Bécancour; and the Huron at Lorette.
Tecumseh (1768–1813) led the forces of his Indian confederacy opposed to American encroachment into the west to join the British at Fort Malden on the Detroit River and participated in the capture of Fort Detroit in August 1812. He was killed at the Battle of the Thames in October 1813 as the British withdrew toward York (Toronto).
Lieutenant Colonel George Macdonnell (1780–1870), commonly known as Red George, was born in St. John’s, Newfoundland. Macdonnell, in command of the Glengarry Light Infantry Fencibles and detachments of reinforcements, launched a successful attack from Prescott against a Forsyth’s company of the U.S. First Rifle Regiment in Ogdensburg February 22, 1813. In October he was ordered to move to reinforce Lieutenant Colonel Charles de Salaberry's troops south of Montreal. He was effectively second-in-command to de Salaberry at the Battle of Chateauguay.
Laura Secord (1775–1868), born in Great Barrington, Massachusetts, is a Canadian heroine of the War of 1812 for warning British forces of a planned American attack. Her legendary trek through forest and swamp in June 1813 to reach Lieutenant James Fitzgibbon led to the victory at the Battle of Beaver Dams. Laura Secord Chocolates, founded in 1913, was named after her.
Dolley Madison (1768–1849) was wife of President James Madison. As the invading British approached a near-empty Washington in August 1814, she ensured the collection of valuables from the Presidential Mansion, including Gilbert Stuart’s portrait of George Washington, and original drafts of the Declaration of Independence and the Constitution. The earliest evidence of the public using the name "White House" was recorded in 1811, years before it was restored after the burning of Washington.
###
Wednesday, August 31, 2011
Friday, July 22, 2011
Friday, July 15, 2011
FIND YOUR WAY TO THIS COLORFUL, COLLECTION OF MAPS
OGDENSBURG, NY July 14, 2011-- If art is in the eye of the beholder, then the 50 historic maps on display in the Ogdensburg Public Library are something to
behold.
The 18th- and early 19th-century maps, collected over 30 years by French and Indian War re-enactor Randy Patten, provide a fascinating look into America’s history as it occurred in New York State.
Patten will meet the public in the Library, Friday, July 22 at 5:30 PM to share his reflections on the historic maps, accoutrements and artefacts from the French and Indian War. There is no charge for Patten’s public lecture which kick-offs Founder’s Day Weekend July 23-24.
"Several maps show the local Northern New York area, as well as all of New York State and parts of Canada and Pennsylvania, plus the waterways that people travelled to establish settlements and forts," Patten said. "I consider these maps to be works of art created by men who were masters at drawing these very important illustrations of America’s land, lakes and rivers."
Running through the month of July, the map exhibition is sponsored by the Fort
La Présentation Association.
"We are pleased to have Mr. Patten’s maps exhibited in conjunction with Founders Day Weekend, where we commemorate Ogdensburg’s French colonial history and the French and Indian War," said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. "The map collection relates to war and settlement in the mid-1700s and helps illustrate Fort de la Présentation’s role forwarding soldiers, warriors and supplies to the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and beyond."
Patten, a retired New York State Trooper, travel to build his collection has included visits to the Library of Congress and Great Britain to obtain color copies of original maps. Some of the hand-drawn maps have come from the collection of King George III.
For information about the Founder's Day Weekend military re-enactment and
colonial trade fair visit www.fort1749.org.
Information about library hours is at www.ogdensburgpubliclibrary.org.
###
Media may contact;
Barbara O’Keefe
President
Fort La Présentation Association
312-393-3315
behold.
The 18th- and early 19th-century maps, collected over 30 years by French and Indian War re-enactor Randy Patten, provide a fascinating look into America’s history as it occurred in New York State.
Patten will meet the public in the Library, Friday, July 22 at 5:30 PM to share his reflections on the historic maps, accoutrements and artefacts from the French and Indian War. There is no charge for Patten’s public lecture which kick-offs Founder’s Day Weekend July 23-24.
"Several maps show the local Northern New York area, as well as all of New York State and parts of Canada and Pennsylvania, plus the waterways that people travelled to establish settlements and forts," Patten said. "I consider these maps to be works of art created by men who were masters at drawing these very important illustrations of America’s land, lakes and rivers."
Running through the month of July, the map exhibition is sponsored by the Fort
La Présentation Association.
"We are pleased to have Mr. Patten’s maps exhibited in conjunction with Founders Day Weekend, where we commemorate Ogdensburg’s French colonial history and the French and Indian War," said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. "The map collection relates to war and settlement in the mid-1700s and helps illustrate Fort de la Présentation’s role forwarding soldiers, warriors and supplies to the Great Lakes, Ohio Valley and beyond."
Patten, a retired New York State Trooper, travel to build his collection has included visits to the Library of Congress and Great Britain to obtain color copies of original maps. Some of the hand-drawn maps have come from the collection of King George III.
For information about the Founder's Day Weekend military re-enactment and
colonial trade fair visit www.fort1749.org.
Information about library hours is at www.ogdensburgpubliclibrary.org.
###
Media may contact;
Barbara O’Keefe
President
Fort La Présentation Association
312-393-3315
OGDENSBURG’S FORT LA PRÉSENTATION ASSOCIATION WELCOMES LOCAL PARKS CANADA MANAGER TO BOARD OF DIRECTORS
OGDENSBURG, NY JULY 13, 2011 -- Anne-Marie Johnson, the site manger for Fort Wellington in Prescott, has been elected to the Fort La Présentation Association Board of Directors.
Ms. Johnson’s knowledge and experience benefits the Fort Association in Ogdensburg which plans to build a heritage interpretation center adjacent to the archaeological site of Fort de la Présentation, 1749-1759. She has the skills to nurture vital cross-border cooperation as the association works to promote 80 years of our common history along the St. Lawrence River from the Seven Years War to the War of 1812.
“For the last three years, Anne-Marie has been a planning committee member for the Fort Association’s Founder’s Day Weekend, commemorating Ogdensburg’s French colonial history,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “Her advice and Canadian perspective have enriched our event and expanded Fort Wellington’s cooperation in this annual re-enactment and colonial trade fair.”
The Fort La Presentation Association shares with Parks Canada a common goal to preserve and present to an international public our cross-river history.
“I enjoy working with this dynamic and passionate group which presents exciting opportunities to forge even stronger cross-border relationships through historic sites on both sides of the St. Lawrence River” said Johnson. “With my election to the board, I look forward to an increasingly active role in the Fort Association’s commitment to creating memorable visitor experiences.”
Anne-Marie Johnson is Site and Visitor Experience Manager for Fort Wellington, Battle of the Windmill, Sir John Johnson House, Inverarden House and Glengarry Cairn National Historic Sites of Canada.
The Fort La Presentation Association is building a vibrant legacy. Part of the legacy will be the reconstructed Fort de la Présentation on Lighthouse Point, visible from Prescott’s waterfront. The area adjacent to the original fort site, used by the armies of France, England and the United States from 1749 to 1813, was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Founder’s Day Weekend will attract 18th-century re-enactors from Canada and the United States to Lighthouse Point July 23-24 to commemorate the 1760 Battle of the Thousand Islands.
- 30 -
For information contact;
Barbara O’Keefe
President
Fort La Présentation Association
315-393-3315
Anne-Marie Johnson
Site and Visitor Experience Manager Parks Canada
613-925-2896
Ms. Johnson’s knowledge and experience benefits the Fort Association in Ogdensburg which plans to build a heritage interpretation center adjacent to the archaeological site of Fort de la Présentation, 1749-1759. She has the skills to nurture vital cross-border cooperation as the association works to promote 80 years of our common history along the St. Lawrence River from the Seven Years War to the War of 1812.
“For the last three years, Anne-Marie has been a planning committee member for the Fort Association’s Founder’s Day Weekend, commemorating Ogdensburg’s French colonial history,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “Her advice and Canadian perspective have enriched our event and expanded Fort Wellington’s cooperation in this annual re-enactment and colonial trade fair.”
The Fort La Presentation Association shares with Parks Canada a common goal to preserve and present to an international public our cross-river history.
“I enjoy working with this dynamic and passionate group which presents exciting opportunities to forge even stronger cross-border relationships through historic sites on both sides of the St. Lawrence River” said Johnson. “With my election to the board, I look forward to an increasingly active role in the Fort Association’s commitment to creating memorable visitor experiences.”
Anne-Marie Johnson is Site and Visitor Experience Manager for Fort Wellington, Battle of the Windmill, Sir John Johnson House, Inverarden House and Glengarry Cairn National Historic Sites of Canada.
The Fort La Presentation Association is building a vibrant legacy. Part of the legacy will be the reconstructed Fort de la Présentation on Lighthouse Point, visible from Prescott’s waterfront. The area adjacent to the original fort site, used by the armies of France, England and the United States from 1749 to 1813, was recently listed on the National Register of Historic Places.
Founder’s Day Weekend will attract 18th-century re-enactors from Canada and the United States to Lighthouse Point July 23-24 to commemorate the 1760 Battle of the Thousand Islands.
- 30 -
For information contact;
Barbara O’Keefe
President
Fort La Présentation Association
315-393-3315
Anne-Marie Johnson
Site and Visitor Experience Manager Parks Canada
613-925-2896
Tuesday, July 12, 2011
New York History: Adirondack Museum Monday Lectures Begin
New York History: Adirondack Museum Monday Lectures Begin: "The Adirondack Museum will host its annual Monday Evening Lecture Series in July and August. The first evening is with Museum Chief Curator,..."
FOUNDER’S DAY WEEKEND RETURNS TO OGDENSBURG WITH THE HISTORIC THUNDER OF GUNS
FOUNDER’S DAY WEEKEND RETURNS TO OGDENSBURG WITH THE HISTORIC THUNDER OF GUNS
OGDENSBURG, NY July 12, 2011 -- The historic waters of the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie Rivers will witness the return of French and Indian War re-enactors to Founder’s Day Weekend in Ogdensburg July 23-24, 2011.
More than a dozen colorful re-enactment units portraying 18th-century regiments of the French and English armies, their colonial militias and Native allies are expected to establish their canvas camps on Lighthouse Point. Along the shore, nine bateau and traditional boats will mark the navy encampment.
“A reason re-enactors from Canada and the United States return every year is because the nearness of the archaeological remains of Fort de la Présentation puts them in touch with the history they treasure,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “Now that the fort site on Lighthouse Point has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, they should consider their enthusiastic support recognized and rewarded beyond the bounds of Ogdensburg.”
In the re-enacted battles Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the re-enactors prove their mettle. First, the boats armed with bow guns and musket men skirmish on the bay at the mouth of the Oswegatchie River. Then the conflict spreads to the Lighthouse Point battlefield when the infantry, artillery and Indian warriors clash.
“The exciting maneuvers on the river and the point, portraying the 1760 Battle of the Thousand Islands, are the most photographed part of the weekend with grey clouds of gun smoke swirling around the vivid uniforms,” said O’Keefe. “But there is something for everyone who enjoys history, from country dancing to children’s games, traditional crafts to period merchants, the ever-popular bateau race and historical talks.”
This year a collection of 18th-century maps is on display in the Ogdensburg Public Library until the end of July. Retired New York State Trooper Randy Patten, who amassed the historic maps over 30 years, will give a free public lecture about them Friday, 22 July at 5:30 PM in the library.
Wampum belts, the waterways of war and constructing an 18th-century small boat are other public presentations over the weekend.
Saturday offers a couple of activities where the public can meet the re-enactors. The Rotary Club and the Freight House Restaurant are co-sponsoring a fundraising pancake breakfast for the Fort Association at the Freight House from 7:00 AM to 10: AM. Founder’s Day opens to the public at 10:00 AM. At 7:30 PM Saturday, there is a traditional country dance with live music in the banquet room of the Freight House. The public is welcome. Admission to the dance is free.
At dusk Saturday artillery from the shore, the boats and Fort Wellington in Prescott will light up the night.
“As Fort de la Présentation was a Roman Catholic mission to the Iroquois and their allies, it is especially fitting that Bishop LaValley will conduct an early morning mass on Lighthouse Point this year,” said O’Keefe. “The public mass at 7:00 Sunday morning will be attended by re-enactors and their Indian allies.”
There is much to see and do at Founder’s Day Weekend. Visitors are encouraged to go to the Fort La Présentation Association website at www.fort1749.org where they will find the weekend schedule and a discount coupon for an adult admission. They are invited to copy the coupon and print one for each adult in their party.
For more information contact:
Barbara O’Keefe
President of the Fort La Présentation Association
315-393-3315
OGDENSBURG, NY July 12, 2011 -- The historic waters of the St. Lawrence and Oswegatchie Rivers will witness the return of French and Indian War re-enactors to Founder’s Day Weekend in Ogdensburg July 23-24, 2011.
More than a dozen colorful re-enactment units portraying 18th-century regiments of the French and English armies, their colonial militias and Native allies are expected to establish their canvas camps on Lighthouse Point. Along the shore, nine bateau and traditional boats will mark the navy encampment.
“A reason re-enactors from Canada and the United States return every year is because the nearness of the archaeological remains of Fort de la Présentation puts them in touch with the history they treasure,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “Now that the fort site on Lighthouse Point has been listed on the National Register of Historic Places, they should consider their enthusiastic support recognized and rewarded beyond the bounds of Ogdensburg.”
In the re-enacted battles Saturday and Sunday afternoon, the re-enactors prove their mettle. First, the boats armed with bow guns and musket men skirmish on the bay at the mouth of the Oswegatchie River. Then the conflict spreads to the Lighthouse Point battlefield when the infantry, artillery and Indian warriors clash.
“The exciting maneuvers on the river and the point, portraying the 1760 Battle of the Thousand Islands, are the most photographed part of the weekend with grey clouds of gun smoke swirling around the vivid uniforms,” said O’Keefe. “But there is something for everyone who enjoys history, from country dancing to children’s games, traditional crafts to period merchants, the ever-popular bateau race and historical talks.”
This year a collection of 18th-century maps is on display in the Ogdensburg Public Library until the end of July. Retired New York State Trooper Randy Patten, who amassed the historic maps over 30 years, will give a free public lecture about them Friday, 22 July at 5:30 PM in the library.
Wampum belts, the waterways of war and constructing an 18th-century small boat are other public presentations over the weekend.
Saturday offers a couple of activities where the public can meet the re-enactors. The Rotary Club and the Freight House Restaurant are co-sponsoring a fundraising pancake breakfast for the Fort Association at the Freight House from 7:00 AM to 10: AM. Founder’s Day opens to the public at 10:00 AM. At 7:30 PM Saturday, there is a traditional country dance with live music in the banquet room of the Freight House. The public is welcome. Admission to the dance is free.
At dusk Saturday artillery from the shore, the boats and Fort Wellington in Prescott will light up the night.
“As Fort de la Présentation was a Roman Catholic mission to the Iroquois and their allies, it is especially fitting that Bishop LaValley will conduct an early morning mass on Lighthouse Point this year,” said O’Keefe. “The public mass at 7:00 Sunday morning will be attended by re-enactors and their Indian allies.”
There is much to see and do at Founder’s Day Weekend. Visitors are encouraged to go to the Fort La Présentation Association website at www.fort1749.org where they will find the weekend schedule and a discount coupon for an adult admission. They are invited to copy the coupon and print one for each adult in their party.
For more information contact:
Barbara O’Keefe
President of the Fort La Présentation Association
315-393-3315
Thursday, July 7, 2011
Tuesday, June 28, 2011
Living History Day 2011 Thank you
To the editor:
Thank you for your recent coverage of Living History Day. As you know organizing and coordinating an event such as this is the work of MANY people and I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all those who were involved.
Living History Day was the culminating activity in a yearlong project between the Fort la Presentation Association, Heuvelton Central School (lead school), Madrid Waddington Central School, and Ogdensburg City School District. The main objective was to bring local history (specifically our region’s role in the French and Indian War) to life for students using an interdisciplinary approach.
This year our project was part of a BOCES coser, which would not have been possible without the assistance of Asst. Superintendent Stephen Todd and Debbie Champagne. When the rain kept coming City Recreation Director Matt Curatolo saved the day by allowing us to use Lockwood Arena, so we are very grateful for his and his staff’s help.
At Heuvelton Central School I would like to recognize and thank Superintendent Susan Todd, Principal Michael Warden, and the Board of Education for their encouragement and support. This project would not have been possible without the fantastic teachers I work with, so kudos to Ron Jacobs, Jennifer Gray, Josh McAllister, Ted Schulz, Sonia Johnston, Mary Rasmussen, Lynette Piercey, Ashley Havens, Marsha Hough, Marie Cook and Town of Lisbon Historian/TA Nancy LaFaver. Thanks also to Steve Adams, Cindy Merritt, and Bill Rupp for food and transportation.
At Madrid Waddington Central School I would like to thank Principal Joe Ruddy and teacher Justin Richards for jumping in with both feet. At Ogdensburg City Schools thanks go to Superintendent Tim Vernsey, Principal Kevin Kendall, teachers Julie Johnson and Christina Montpetit, and head of building and grounds, Jim Bouchey.
Living History Day would not have been possible without the hard work of the Fort la Presentation members and historical reenactors. So thank you Tim Cryderman, John Miller III, Barbara O’Keefe, Jim Hough, Michael Whittaker, Sue McLean, Harry Needham, Dan Buckley, Steve Douglas, Grover and Karen Katzman, Marty and Mickey Snye, Rick Salazar, Tim Abel, Sally Hartman, Robin Duncan, Steve Chambers, George Cherepon, Linda McKeel, the St. Lawrence County Trapper’s Association and Joe Cosentino. Finally, I would like to thank the Fort’s education committee for their ideas, support and hard work.
Last but certainly not least, a big thank you to the Heuvelton PTA, the Heuvelton Teacher’s Association and Ogdensburg Education Association for donating funds to make Living History Day possible and the Heuvelton and Ogdensburg Lions Clubs for providing refreshments and volunteers.
Julie Madlin
Education Chair
Fort la Presentation Association
Thank you for your recent coverage of Living History Day. As you know organizing and coordinating an event such as this is the work of MANY people and I would be remiss if I didn’t thank all those who were involved.
Living History Day was the culminating activity in a yearlong project between the Fort la Presentation Association, Heuvelton Central School (lead school), Madrid Waddington Central School, and Ogdensburg City School District. The main objective was to bring local history (specifically our region’s role in the French and Indian War) to life for students using an interdisciplinary approach.
This year our project was part of a BOCES coser, which would not have been possible without the assistance of Asst. Superintendent Stephen Todd and Debbie Champagne. When the rain kept coming City Recreation Director Matt Curatolo saved the day by allowing us to use Lockwood Arena, so we are very grateful for his and his staff’s help.
At Heuvelton Central School I would like to recognize and thank Superintendent Susan Todd, Principal Michael Warden, and the Board of Education for their encouragement and support. This project would not have been possible without the fantastic teachers I work with, so kudos to Ron Jacobs, Jennifer Gray, Josh McAllister, Ted Schulz, Sonia Johnston, Mary Rasmussen, Lynette Piercey, Ashley Havens, Marsha Hough, Marie Cook and Town of Lisbon Historian/TA Nancy LaFaver. Thanks also to Steve Adams, Cindy Merritt, and Bill Rupp for food and transportation.
At Madrid Waddington Central School I would like to thank Principal Joe Ruddy and teacher Justin Richards for jumping in with both feet. At Ogdensburg City Schools thanks go to Superintendent Tim Vernsey, Principal Kevin Kendall, teachers Julie Johnson and Christina Montpetit, and head of building and grounds, Jim Bouchey.
Living History Day would not have been possible without the hard work of the Fort la Presentation members and historical reenactors. So thank you Tim Cryderman, John Miller III, Barbara O’Keefe, Jim Hough, Michael Whittaker, Sue McLean, Harry Needham, Dan Buckley, Steve Douglas, Grover and Karen Katzman, Marty and Mickey Snye, Rick Salazar, Tim Abel, Sally Hartman, Robin Duncan, Steve Chambers, George Cherepon, Linda McKeel, the St. Lawrence County Trapper’s Association and Joe Cosentino. Finally, I would like to thank the Fort’s education committee for their ideas, support and hard work.
Last but certainly not least, a big thank you to the Heuvelton PTA, the Heuvelton Teacher’s Association and Ogdensburg Education Association for donating funds to make Living History Day possible and the Heuvelton and Ogdensburg Lions Clubs for providing refreshments and volunteers.
Julie Madlin
Education Chair
Fort la Presentation Association
Sunday, June 26, 2011
New York History: Ogdensburg Founder’s Day Weekend July 23-24
New York History: Ogdensburg Founder’s Day Weekend July 23-24: "Ogdensburg, in St. Lawrence County, will play host to it's annual Founder's Day celebration, French and Indian War reenactment, and colonial..."
Tuesday, June 21, 2011
New York History: Champlain Maritime Museum Native American Encampme...
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Monday, June 20, 2011
New York History: Saratoga Battlefield New Exhibits, Audio Tour
New York History: Saratoga Battlefield New Exhibits, Audio Tour: "Saratoga National Historical Park, located on Route 32 and 4 in Stillwater, has opened a new exhibit called “They Had No Choice: Animals Exp..."
Sunday, June 19, 2011
Founder's Day Schedule
FOUNDER’S DAY WEEKEND
Admission:
Adults $8.00
Children: Age 7 thru 12 $2.00
Age 6 and under FREE
FRIDAY – JULY 22, 2011
5:30 pm Eighteenth Century Maps with Randy Patten at the
Ogdensburg Public Library. Free & open to the Public
SATURDAY – JULY 23, 2011
10:00 AM GATES OPEN
10:15 AM Waterways of War with Jack Frost (at Dining
Tent)
11:00 AM Bateau Race
Kids Games and Toys
12:00 PM Lecture-Darren Bonaparte (at Dining Tent) Wampum Belts
1:00 PM Inspection of Troops
1:30 PM Water Battle begins
2:00 PM Land Battle begins
3:00 PM Children’s Muster
3:00 PM Lecture- 18th- Century Medicine/Surgery with
Mea Clift (at Dining Tent)
4:00 PM 18th Century dance demonstration
5:00 PM GATES CLOSE
7:30 PM 18th Century dance to be held at the Freight House Restaurant
(This dance is free and open to the public)
9:00 PM NIGHT BATTLE
The encampment will be closed during the Night Battle- The Night Battle artillery duel
is best viewed from the Greenbelt near boat launch area
No dogs, no bikes, no alcohol in Greenbelt please.
SUNDAY – JULY 24, 2011
7:30 AM CHURCH SERVICE, Lighthouse Point. Bring your own chair.
Rain location - Notre Dame Church
10:00 AM GATES OPEN
10:30 AM Lecture- 18th Century Boat Building with Andy Fisher (at Freight House Restaurant )
11:00AM Kids Games and Toys
12:00 PM Lecture – Waterways of War-Jack Frost (at Dining Tent)
12:30 PM Children’s Muster
1:00 PM Inspection of Troops
1:30 PM Water Battle begins
2.00 PM Land Battle begins
3:00 PM GATES CLOSED
Other Drills, Demonstrations and Exhibits throughout the weekend. Colonial map display will be on exhibit at the Ogdensburg Public Library
Admission:
Adults $8.00
Children: Age 7 thru 12 $2.00
Age 6 and under FREE
FRIDAY – JULY 22, 2011
5:30 pm Eighteenth Century Maps with Randy Patten at the
Ogdensburg Public Library. Free & open to the Public
SATURDAY – JULY 23, 2011
10:00 AM GATES OPEN
10:15 AM Waterways of War with Jack Frost (at Dining
Tent)
11:00 AM Bateau Race
Kids Games and Toys
12:00 PM Lecture-Darren Bonaparte (at Dining Tent) Wampum Belts
1:00 PM Inspection of Troops
1:30 PM Water Battle begins
2:00 PM Land Battle begins
3:00 PM Children’s Muster
3:00 PM Lecture- 18th- Century Medicine/Surgery with
Mea Clift (at Dining Tent)
4:00 PM 18th Century dance demonstration
5:00 PM GATES CLOSE
7:30 PM 18th Century dance to be held at the Freight House Restaurant
(This dance is free and open to the public)
9:00 PM NIGHT BATTLE
The encampment will be closed during the Night Battle- The Night Battle artillery duel
is best viewed from the Greenbelt near boat launch area
No dogs, no bikes, no alcohol in Greenbelt please.
SUNDAY – JULY 24, 2011
7:30 AM CHURCH SERVICE, Lighthouse Point. Bring your own chair.
Rain location - Notre Dame Church
10:00 AM GATES OPEN
10:30 AM Lecture- 18th Century Boat Building with Andy Fisher (at Freight House Restaurant )
11:00AM Kids Games and Toys
12:00 PM Lecture – Waterways of War-Jack Frost (at Dining Tent)
12:30 PM Children’s Muster
1:00 PM Inspection of Troops
1:30 PM Water Battle begins
2.00 PM Land Battle begins
3:00 PM GATES CLOSED
Other Drills, Demonstrations and Exhibits throughout the weekend. Colonial map display will be on exhibit at the Ogdensburg Public Library
Monday, June 13, 2011
Homeless students find hope in their principal
CBS News)
According to a new government report today, more than 900,000 schoolchildren in this country have no real home. That's up 18 percent since the start of the recession.
CBS News national correspondent Byron Pitts reports there's one school in Las Vegas, where nearly every child is homeless.
LAS VEGAS - Charlee Morrow, 10, is described by her principal as an old soul with modest dreams.
What is it like to be homeless at just ten years old? "It felt really sad, because I thought we were going to be homeless for the rest of my life. All I want is to have a big house with my family."
Inside Whitney Elementary School in East Las Vegas, nearly 85 percent of the children are homeless. That's 518 kids out of 610.
Learn more about the Whitney Elementary School
Principal Sherrie Gahn says, "I thought that I saw the ultimate poverty when I got here eight years ago and every year it has gotten worse and the recession made it ten times worse."
Gahn knew she had a problem that a traditional public school could not fix. "When I saw the children eating ketchup for lunch, and wanting to take it home," she says, "it just crushed me."
So Gahn came up with a plan involving the kids, their parents and the community.
"I told the parents that I would give them whatever they need," Gahn says. "All I need them to do is give me their children and let me teach them. In turn I will give you food and clothes and we will take them to the eye doctor. I will pay your rent, pay your utilities, but keep your child here."
The children get free clothes, free bread to bring home and even free haircuts. Almost all of it given by 500 donors and local businesses who drop off donations daily. Gahn creates a wish list, and her army of volunteers makes it happen.
The contributions are large and small. One woman in Philadelphia sends $20 per month. A gambler gives $2,000 monthly - a portion of his earnings. This is Vegas.
Las Vegas has long been the city of bright lights and broken dreams. But especially now - with 12.1 percent unemployment, and the highest foreclosure rate in the country. One in every nine households receives a foreclosure notice.
Like most of her classmates, Charlee lives in one of the many rundown crime-ridden motels in the shadow of the Vegas strip.
Her family lost its home to foreclosure three years ago. Her father Chad is a construction worker. He hasn't had a fulltime job in two years.
"There is not a lot of people moving dirt right now in the Vegas valley," Chad says. "That's what I do. That's what I love to do.
As for Charlee, she dreams of being an actress. Principal Gahn has a bold dream of her own.
"I tell every 5th grade class if you make it through junior high you make it through high school and you can't afford to go to college come see me and I will make sure that you go to college," Gahn says. "We have a small trust fund that we started."
Gahn says the children are worth the big promise. She defines success as "The look in their face that I made their life better. That's my success rate when they hug me and thank me for the food, the clothes. Then I know it's a good day."
Today is especially emotional for Gahn - it's the last day of class. Many of these kids and their families will be on their own until September. So next fall, she hopes to open an after-school program. So Charlee and her classmates can have a safe haven when the school day's done.
Homeless children of the recession one year later
60 Minutes: Homeless kids: the hard times generation
60 Minutes: Hard times generation: How you can help
Read more: http://www.cbsnews.com/stories/2011/06/09/eveningnews/main20070437.shtml#ixzz1PCeFfbwC
Sunday, June 5, 2011
Education World: Journal Writing Every Day: A Painless Way to Develop Skills
I've required students to keep journals this year for the first time. Each week we watch the news and journal or I give them a motivator and we journal. I have been surprised at their insights.
Education World: Journal Writing Every Day: A Painless Way to Develop Skills
Education World: Journal Writing Every Day: A Painless Way to Develop Skills
Saturday, May 21, 2011
Colonial Times Come Alive
LIVING HISTORY DAY: Annual Ogdensburg event immerses students in past
By MATT MCALLISTER
JOHNSON NEWSPAPERS
SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2011
OGDENSBURG — Ogdensburg Free Academy seventh-grader Aidan M. Shea apologized to French minuteman George M. Cherepon for spilling gunpowder he was attempting to pour while rolling cartridges for a flintlock pistol Friday morning.
"Don't worry about neatness," said Mr. Cherepon, a retired teacher from Star Lake. "In battle, worrying about neatness will get you killed."
The gunpowder wasn't real, but as Aidan and a classmate, Conner A. Perry, joined Mr. Cherepon for a spirited "Vive le Roi!" — French for "Long live the King" — the spirit of the annual Fort La Presentation Living History Day, held this year at Lockwood Arena, seemed evident.
Living History Day is the culmination of a yearlong project for fourth- and seventh-grade students from the Heuvelton Central, Ogdensburg City and Madrid-Waddington Central school districts, according to Julie M. Madlin, a junior high social studies teacher at Heuvelton and chairwoman for Fort La Presentation's education committee. She said students studied Fort La Presentation and the French and Indian War.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fort La Presentation, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, was the site of the last battle of the French and Indian War, in 1760, and skirmishes between American and British forces during the War of 1812.
"It really makes life in Colonial times come alive," said Mary M. Rasmussen, a fourth-grade teacher at Heuvelton Central School, as her group joined Fort La Presentation President Barbara J. O'Keefe for Colonial-era games at another station. "It's all very hands-on, and certainly better than just talking about, reading or watching videos about the subject."
Chloe E.L. Combs, one of her students, listened intently to Mrs. O'Keefe while scribbling into a hand-sized notebook and taking pictures. She was taking notes for a writing assignment in which she would eventually write a first-person account from the point of view of her favorite Colonial-era character.
"I'm a real history buff," said Chloe, who was interested in Mrs. O'Keefe's wares — wooden checkers and bowling pins, handmade dolls and other relics.
More than a dozen stations Friday featured experiences ranging from period campfire cooking and 18th-century clothing to ropemaking, fur trading and tinsmithing.
"A lot of it is still in style," said Mason A. Knauf, another Heuvelton Central fourth-grader.
Ms. Madlin said that despite muddy conditions forcing the day inside Lockwood Arena, things couldn't have gone more smoothly.
"All things considered, the day was awesome," she said following a cannon-fire display outside. "A Colonial experience was provided here today for about 280 students."
By MATT MCALLISTER
JOHNSON NEWSPAPERS
SATURDAY, MAY 21, 2011
OGDENSBURG — Ogdensburg Free Academy seventh-grader Aidan M. Shea apologized to French minuteman George M. Cherepon for spilling gunpowder he was attempting to pour while rolling cartridges for a flintlock pistol Friday morning.
"Don't worry about neatness," said Mr. Cherepon, a retired teacher from Star Lake. "In battle, worrying about neatness will get you killed."
The gunpowder wasn't real, but as Aidan and a classmate, Conner A. Perry, joined Mr. Cherepon for a spirited "Vive le Roi!" — French for "Long live the King" — the spirit of the annual Fort La Presentation Living History Day, held this year at Lockwood Arena, seemed evident.
Living History Day is the culmination of a yearlong project for fourth- and seventh-grade students from the Heuvelton Central, Ogdensburg City and Madrid-Waddington Central school districts, according to Julie M. Madlin, a junior high social studies teacher at Heuvelton and chairwoman for Fort La Presentation's education committee. She said students studied Fort La Presentation and the French and Indian War.
ADVERTISEMENT
Fort La Presentation, on the banks of the St. Lawrence River, was the site of the last battle of the French and Indian War, in 1760, and skirmishes between American and British forces during the War of 1812.
"It really makes life in Colonial times come alive," said Mary M. Rasmussen, a fourth-grade teacher at Heuvelton Central School, as her group joined Fort La Presentation President Barbara J. O'Keefe for Colonial-era games at another station. "It's all very hands-on, and certainly better than just talking about, reading or watching videos about the subject."
Chloe E.L. Combs, one of her students, listened intently to Mrs. O'Keefe while scribbling into a hand-sized notebook and taking pictures. She was taking notes for a writing assignment in which she would eventually write a first-person account from the point of view of her favorite Colonial-era character.
"I'm a real history buff," said Chloe, who was interested in Mrs. O'Keefe's wares — wooden checkers and bowling pins, handmade dolls and other relics.
More than a dozen stations Friday featured experiences ranging from period campfire cooking and 18th-century clothing to ropemaking, fur trading and tinsmithing.
"A lot of it is still in style," said Mason A. Knauf, another Heuvelton Central fourth-grader.
Ms. Madlin said that despite muddy conditions forcing the day inside Lockwood Arena, things couldn't have gone more smoothly.
"All things considered, the day was awesome," she said following a cannon-fire display outside. "A Colonial experience was provided here today for about 280 students."
Monday, May 16, 2011
Thursday, May 12, 2011
Great Online Activities for Students
I stumbled across this website while looking for a Holocaust Activity for my 8th graders...
click here
click here
Living History Day Scheduled For Lighthouse Point
Colonial-era games like Tip-Cat, Fox and Geese, and Rounders - possibly the precursor to modern American baseball - will come back to life May 20 at Lighthouse Point.
Living History Day is the culmination of a year-long project for fourth- and seventh-grade special education students from Heuvelton, Ogdensburg and Madrid-Waddington school districts who studied Fort La Presentation and the French and Indian War.
Michael J. Whitaker, of Bishops Mills, Ontario, is one of about a dozen of presenters for the day, and will lead children through a modified game of Rounders - participants will be using baseball bats and softballs instead of sticks and stones, as were used by children in the old days.
"We're trying to show the young people that although there has been change over time, many things are still the same," Mr. Whitaker said. "It's one of those things that is getting shuffled lower and lower in school curriculums, but history doesn't have to be boring."
ADVERTISEMENT
If it's related to where students live and what they do, he said, history can still be interesting.
"History happened right here along the St. Lawrence River in Ogdensburg," he said. "Living History Day gives students the opportunity to actually live history."
Barbara J. O'Keefe, president of Fort La Presentation Association, said this is the idea behind the day's activity.
"Students will be thrust back in time," Mrs. O'Keefe said of the second annual event, running from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. "The excitement we see is wonderful. We want to make more of an impression within our local schools. We're using our past for our future."
While Rounders will be the subject of Mr. Whitaker's 20-minute presentation for the approximately 275 students attending, the day will be much more than just fun and games, said Julie M. Madlin, Fort La Présentation Education Committee chair and a special education teacher at Heuvelton Central School.
"Eighteenth century reenactors and heritage interpreters will demonstrate many activities, including open hearth cooking, life in the navy and army, colonial clothing, and the art of the tinsmith and blacksmith," she said. "They will experience the life and color of America's history that happened in their own backyard," Mrs. Madlin said.
Other activities include a children's muster, rope making, tent set-up and take down and camp life, toys, mapmaking, artillery displays and demonstrations, music and fur trading.
The event is supported by the St. Lawrence-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services, several local school districts and Heuvelton parent-teacher association, and local Lions Clubs.
Living History Day is the culmination of a year-long project for fourth- and seventh-grade special education students from Heuvelton, Ogdensburg and Madrid-Waddington school districts who studied Fort La Presentation and the French and Indian War.
Michael J. Whitaker, of Bishops Mills, Ontario, is one of about a dozen of presenters for the day, and will lead children through a modified game of Rounders - participants will be using baseball bats and softballs instead of sticks and stones, as were used by children in the old days.
"We're trying to show the young people that although there has been change over time, many things are still the same," Mr. Whitaker said. "It's one of those things that is getting shuffled lower and lower in school curriculums, but history doesn't have to be boring."
ADVERTISEMENT
If it's related to where students live and what they do, he said, history can still be interesting.
"History happened right here along the St. Lawrence River in Ogdensburg," he said. "Living History Day gives students the opportunity to actually live history."
Barbara J. O'Keefe, president of Fort La Presentation Association, said this is the idea behind the day's activity.
"Students will be thrust back in time," Mrs. O'Keefe said of the second annual event, running from 9:30 a.m. until 2 p.m. "The excitement we see is wonderful. We want to make more of an impression within our local schools. We're using our past for our future."
While Rounders will be the subject of Mr. Whitaker's 20-minute presentation for the approximately 275 students attending, the day will be much more than just fun and games, said Julie M. Madlin, Fort La Présentation Education Committee chair and a special education teacher at Heuvelton Central School.
"Eighteenth century reenactors and heritage interpreters will demonstrate many activities, including open hearth cooking, life in the navy and army, colonial clothing, and the art of the tinsmith and blacksmith," she said. "They will experience the life and color of America's history that happened in their own backyard," Mrs. Madlin said.
Other activities include a children's muster, rope making, tent set-up and take down and camp life, toys, mapmaking, artillery displays and demonstrations, music and fur trading.
The event is supported by the St. Lawrence-Lewis Board of Cooperative Educational Services, several local school districts and Heuvelton parent-teacher association, and local Lions Clubs.
Monday, May 9, 2011
Family Tree Project
Recently my 7th graders have been researching their families and how they were effected by history. Since it's an interdisciplinary project with English students read the George Ella Lyon poem "Where I'm From" and then created their own.
I was amazed at their creativity!
Where I'm From Poem
I was amazed at their creativity!
Where I'm From Poem
Thursday, April 28, 2011
Wednesday, April 27, 2011
Ogdensburg War of 1812 Symposium Supported by the NY Council for the Humanities
The Fort La Présentation Association’s third annual
War of 1812 Symposium is supported by a grant of $2,900 from the NY Council for
the Humanities.
“Without the Council’s support, we’d be hard pressed to bring to
Ogdensburg the seven scholars who are presenting at our symposium, hosted by the
FreightHouseRestaurantApril29-30,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort
La Présentation Association. “From the traditional music at the Friday evening
meet-and-greet through the Saturday seminars and after-dinner speaker, all the
presenters are experts in their own right.”
The historians, academics and published authors from New Yorkand
Ontarioheadlining the symposium will provide insights into the War of 1812 as
the conflict impacted the international border region from LakeOntarioto Lake
Champlain.
“Beyond the expected interest in the War of 1812 indicated by the
registrations from New Yorkand Ontario, we have two people making the drive from
Connecticutto attend our symposium,” said O’Keefe. “Registrations continue to
come in. We hope all people planning to attend register in advance.”
Information on the War of 1812 Symposium and how to register is on
the Fort La Présentation Association’s web page, www.fort1749.org.
War of 1812 Symposium is supported by a grant of $2,900 from the NY Council for
the Humanities.
“Without the Council’s support, we’d be hard pressed to bring to
Ogdensburg the seven scholars who are presenting at our symposium, hosted by the
FreightHouseRestaurantApril29-30,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort
La Présentation Association. “From the traditional music at the Friday evening
meet-and-greet through the Saturday seminars and after-dinner speaker, all the
presenters are experts in their own right.”
The historians, academics and published authors from New Yorkand
Ontarioheadlining the symposium will provide insights into the War of 1812 as
the conflict impacted the international border region from LakeOntarioto Lake
Champlain.
“Beyond the expected interest in the War of 1812 indicated by the
registrations from New Yorkand Ontario, we have two people making the drive from
Connecticutto attend our symposium,” said O’Keefe. “Registrations continue to
come in. We hope all people planning to attend register in advance.”
Information on the War of 1812 Symposium and how to register is on
the Fort La Présentation Association’s web page, www.fort1749.org.
New York’s Historic Military Maps Topic of May 6 Speaker, New Exhibit at Great Lakes Seaway Trail Discovery Center
Sackets Harbor, NY – On Friday, May 6, 2011, the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Discovery Center in Sackets Harbor, NY, opens for the spring season with a special exhibit of New York’s Historic Military Maps from 1750 to 1820. At 6:30 pm that evening living history re-enactor Randy Patten will share his collection of historic maps, accoutrements and artifacts from the French and Indian War.
Patten says, “These maps provide a fascinating look into America’s history as it occurred in New York State. Several show the local Northern New York area as well as all of New York state and parts of Canada and Pennsylvania, plus the waterways that people traveled to establish settlements and forts in such places as Oswego and Youngstown.”
Over the past 30 years, Patten has traveled to the Library of Congress and as far as Great Britain to obtain color copies of original maps, including some from the collection of King George III. Patten describes the hand-drawn maps as “works of art.”
The presentation by the retired New York State Trooper will include a look at French and Indian War artifacts, a British broadsword from a man-of-war used in the War of 1812, and a lesson on historic musket safety.
The exhibit of more than 50 historic maps will be on display Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5 pm at the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Discovery Center through June 26, 2011. The Center is located at 401 W. Main Street. Day admission is $4. Evening program admission is $5.
For more information on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Discovery Center and the Great Lakes Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway, visit www.seawaytrail.com or call 315-646-1000. #
Patten says, “These maps provide a fascinating look into America’s history as it occurred in New York State. Several show the local Northern New York area as well as all of New York state and parts of Canada and Pennsylvania, plus the waterways that people traveled to establish settlements and forts in such places as Oswego and Youngstown.”
Over the past 30 years, Patten has traveled to the Library of Congress and as far as Great Britain to obtain color copies of original maps, including some from the collection of King George III. Patten describes the hand-drawn maps as “works of art.”
The presentation by the retired New York State Trooper will include a look at French and Indian War artifacts, a British broadsword from a man-of-war used in the War of 1812, and a lesson on historic musket safety.
The exhibit of more than 50 historic maps will be on display Fridays, Saturdays and Sundays from 10am to 5 pm at the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Discovery Center through June 26, 2011. The Center is located at 401 W. Main Street. Day admission is $4. Evening program admission is $5.
For more information on the Great Lakes Seaway Trail Discovery Center and the Great Lakes Seaway Trail National Scenic Byway, visit www.seawaytrail.com
Friday, April 1, 2011
Tuesday, March 29, 2011
Monday, March 28, 2011
Wednesday, March 23, 2011
Diaries and Autobiographies Give Voice to the Civil War at Louisville Historical Center
Canton- Listen to their war stories in their own words when Scott Wilson, a Civil War Artillery Living Historian, reads from the diaries and autobiographies of Civil War soldiers at Voices from the Past – A look back 150 Years Ago. This Civil War Roundtable will be held on Tuesday, March 29th at 7 p.m. at the Louisville Historical Center, near the Louisville Community Center (Arena). Please note this program is not at the usual Sunday afternoon meeting time. This Civil War Roundtable program is part of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association’s Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which began in 1861.
Remember that the March 29th Civil War Roundtable is at 7 p.m. at the Louisville Historical Center, near the Louisville Community Center (Arena), instead of the Silas Wright House. If you want to visit the St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House come during open hours, Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m. Admission to the museum is free; admission to the archives is free for members and children, $2.50 for college students, and $5 for the general public. The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is located at 3 E. Main St., Canton. Parking is available in the back of the SLCHA, next to the museum’s main entrance.
The SLCHA Gift Shop is a great way to learn more about what St. Lawrence County soldiers experienced in the Civil War with the most recent issue of the SLCHA’s Quarterly, which has articles on St. Lawrence County’s Irish Zoauves and The 14th New York Heavy Artillery.
The Civil War Roundtable is a free program of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association, a membership organization open to anyone interested in St. Lawrence County history. For more information, or to become a member, call the SLCHA at 315-386-8133 or e-mail info@slcha.org. This free program is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Visit the SLCHA’s website, www.slcha.org, for more information on St. Lawrence County history.
Remember that the March 29th Civil War Roundtable is at 7 p.m. at the Louisville Historical Center, near the Louisville Community Center (Arena), instead of the Silas Wright House. If you want to visit the St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House come during open hours, Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m. Admission to the museum is free; admission to the archives is free for members and children, $2.50 for college students, and $5 for the general public. The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is located at 3 E. Main St., Canton. Parking is available in the back of the SLCHA, next to the museum’s main entrance.
The SLCHA Gift Shop is a great way to learn more about what St. Lawrence County soldiers experienced in the Civil War with the most recent issue of the SLCHA’s Quarterly, which has articles on St. Lawrence County’s Irish Zoauves and The 14th New York Heavy Artillery.
The Civil War Roundtable is a free program of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association, a membership organization open to anyone interested in St. Lawrence County history. For more information, or to become a member, call the SLCHA at 315-386-8133 or e-mail info@slcha.org. This free program is made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Visit the SLCHA’s website, www.slcha.org, for more information on St. Lawrence County history.
Friday, March 11, 2011
Google Lit trips and voyages
These sites use Google Earth to makes novels and historical events come alive...
Google lit trips
Google voyages
Google lit trips
Google voyages
Wednesday, March 9, 2011
Monday, March 7, 2011
Monday, February 28, 2011
Triangle Shirtwaist Fire
A couple of days ago I finished a book called Lost by Jacqueline Davies, which is an historical novel about the Triangle Shirtwaist Fire, then I saw an ad on HBO about a new documentary about the fire. Today I saw an article about the remains of some the victims being identified and thought this is definite blog material...Guess this tragedy will always be with us.
An excellent website about the fire is at Cornell University.
Other excellent novels to use in the classroom are Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch and Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
An excellent website about the fire is at Cornell University.
Other excellent novels to use in the classroom are Ashes of Roses by Mary Jane Auch and Uprising by Margaret Peterson Haddix.
Friday, February 18, 2011
Thursday, February 17, 2011
Saturday, February 12, 2011
New York History: K-12 Teachers Invited to Summer Residential Progra...
New York History: K-12 Teachers Invited to Summer Residential Progra...: "Niagara University is now accepting applications from K-12 teachers nationwide for a summer program entitled Crossroads of Empire: Cultural ..."
New York History: John Brown Lives! Exposing Slavery in Our Chocolat...
New York History: John Brown Lives! Exposing Slavery in Our Chocolat...: "On Monday, 14 February, John Brown Lives!' Dreaming of Timbuctoo Exhibition will be on display in The Well of the Legislative Office Buildin..."
Friday, February 11, 2011
Wednesday, February 9, 2011
New York History: War Of 1812 Symposium Planned for Ogdensburg
New York History: War Of 1812 Symposium Planned for Ogdensburg: "During the War of 1812 the dogs of war barked and bit along the U.S. northern frontier from Lake Ontario to Lake Champlain as American force..."
Wednesday, February 2, 2011
Fay Estate Donates Historic Documents to the St. Lawrence County Historical Association
Canton- An unexpected treasure trove of historic documents found in a trunk in the attic of a Waddington house has been donated to the St. Lawrence County Historical Association. When Christopher Fay of Waddington passed away September 26, 2010 his family, friends and community mourned the death of a well known antique collector, historian and restaurant owner. But at that time nobody knew what was awaiting the local history community in that trunk in his attic.
As Blanchard’s Auction Service worked in the house to prepare items from the Fay Estate for three auctions, the first of which takes place on Saturday, January 29th at 10am in Potsdam, workers discovered a trunk in the attic that had not been looked at in years. Inside the trunk were various historic documents from the 1850’s-70’s regarding St. Lawrence County and other North Country history. Auctioneer Kip Blanchard and Chris Fay’s family decided that some of these documents should be donated to local area museums and historical associations. Carlton Stickney, President of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association, Sue Longshore, Collections Manager and Blanchard spent several days going through thousands of items to determine which documents should be donated to the SLCHA or other museums.
Sue Longshore, SLCHA Collection Manager, states that some of the materials donated to SLCHA include “documents relating to the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad, the St. Lawrence Mining Company and the Clifton Iron Company.“ According to Longshore the SLCHA, like most local museums and historical associations, “does not have a large budget and cannot afford to purchase local history items. The SLCHA relies on donations of items to its collection, such as this generous donation from the Fay Estate.”
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House is open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m. Admission to the museum is free; admission to the archives is free for members and children, $2.50 for college students, and $5 for the general public. The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is located at 3 E. Main St., Canton. Parking is available in the back of the SLCHA, next to the museum’s main entrance.
The SLCHA Gift Shop is a great way to start your own collection of local history. Some of the items in the gift shop include: Manslaughter in Massena: July 1902, the Untold George D. LaFluer Story; the digitized book A History of the City of Ogdensburg, available on CD; and wooden miniatures of buildings from throughout St. Lawrence county, including Ft. La Presentation.
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is a membership organization open to anyone interested in St. Lawrence County history. For more information, or to become a member, call the SLCHA at 315-386-8133 or e-mail info@slcha.org. Exhibits and programs are made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Visit the SLCHA’s website, www.slcha.org, for more information on St. Lawrence County history.
As Blanchard’s Auction Service worked in the house to prepare items from the Fay Estate for three auctions, the first of which takes place on Saturday, January 29th at 10am in Potsdam, workers discovered a trunk in the attic that had not been looked at in years. Inside the trunk were various historic documents from the 1850’s-70’s regarding St. Lawrence County and other North Country history. Auctioneer Kip Blanchard and Chris Fay’s family decided that some of these documents should be donated to local area museums and historical associations. Carlton Stickney, President of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association, Sue Longshore, Collections Manager and Blanchard spent several days going through thousands of items to determine which documents should be donated to the SLCHA or other museums.
Sue Longshore, SLCHA Collection Manager, states that some of the materials donated to SLCHA include “documents relating to the Rome, Watertown and Ogdensburg Railroad, the St. Lawrence Mining Company and the Clifton Iron Company.“ According to Longshore the SLCHA, like most local museums and historical associations, “does not have a large budget and cannot afford to purchase local history items. The SLCHA relies on donations of items to its collection, such as this generous donation from the Fay Estate.”
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House is open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m. Admission to the museum is free; admission to the archives is free for members and children, $2.50 for college students, and $5 for the general public. The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is located at 3 E. Main St., Canton. Parking is available in the back of the SLCHA, next to the museum’s main entrance.
The SLCHA Gift Shop is a great way to start your own collection of local history. Some of the items in the gift shop include: Manslaughter in Massena: July 1902, the Untold George D. LaFluer Story; the digitized book A History of the City of Ogdensburg, available on CD; and wooden miniatures of buildings from throughout St. Lawrence county, including Ft. La Presentation.
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is a membership organization open to anyone interested in St. Lawrence County history. For more information, or to become a member, call the SLCHA at 315-386-8133 or e-mail info@slcha.org. Exhibits and programs are made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency. Visit the SLCHA’s website, www.slcha.org, for more information on St. Lawrence County history.
Monday, January 31, 2011
THE BATTLE OF OGDENSBURG RE-ENACTMENT
February 19-20
Fought February 22, 1813
Saturday
10:00 A.M. Ceremony at Ogdensburg Cemetery: Placing of the wreath on Sheriff York’s grave.
1:30 P.M. Battle re-enactment at Lighthouse Point. Fort Wellington, Prescott, Ontario will fire artillery to launch the British attack.
2:30 P.M. Walking tour of the 1813 battleground through the streets of Ogdensburg with Jim Reagen. Starts at the parking lot at Lighthouse Point.
3:30 P.M. Lecture at Freight House Restaurant: How to Dress as an 1812 Civilian by Sue McLean.
7:30 P.M. Winter Ball (English Country Dance) at Freight House
Sunday
1:30 P.M. Battle re-enactment at Lighthouse Point. Fort Wellington, Prescott, Ontario will fire artillery to launch the British attack.
ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The Fort La Présentation Association is pleased to support
the Battle of Ogdensburg Re-enactment and the organizers, Forsythe’s Rifles.
Fought February 22, 1813
Saturday
10:00 A.M. Ceremony at Ogdensburg Cemetery: Placing of the wreath on Sheriff York’s grave.
1:30 P.M. Battle re-enactment at Lighthouse Point. Fort Wellington, Prescott, Ontario will fire artillery to launch the British attack.
2:30 P.M. Walking tour of the 1813 battleground through the streets of Ogdensburg with Jim Reagen. Starts at the parking lot at Lighthouse Point.
3:30 P.M. Lecture at Freight House Restaurant: How to Dress as an 1812 Civilian by Sue McLean.
7:30 P.M. Winter Ball (English Country Dance) at Freight House
Sunday
1:30 P.M. Battle re-enactment at Lighthouse Point. Fort Wellington, Prescott, Ontario will fire artillery to launch the British attack.
ALL EVENTS ARE FREE AND OPEN TO THE PUBLIC
The Fort La Présentation Association is pleased to support
the Battle of Ogdensburg Re-enactment and the organizers, Forsythe’s Rifles.
WAR OF 1812 SYMPOSIUM BRINGS INTERNATIONAL EXPERTS TO OGDENSBURG, NEW YORK
OGDENSBURG, NY 31 January 2011 – During the War of 1812 the dogs of war barked and bit along the U.S. northern frontier from Lake Ontario to Lake Champlain as American forces tangled with their British and Canadian counterparts for two-and-a-half years.
The War of 1812 in this region, and its wider implications, will be topics at the third annual War of 1812 Symposium April 29-30 in Ogdensburg, NY, sponsored by the Fort La Présentation Association.
The five presentations by authoritative Canadians and Americans are: Ogdensburg and Prescott during the War of 1812, Paul Fortier; American supply efforts on Lake Ontario: “Cooper’s Ark,” Richard Palmer; “Colonel Louis” and the Native American role in the War of 1812, Darren Bonaparte; The war on the St. Lawrence River, Victor Suthren; and Excavation of American Graves at the 1812 Burlington Cantonment, Kate Kenny. The post-dinner address by Patrick Wilder is the Battle of Sackets Harbor
“We established the symposium in advance of the war’s 2012 bicentennial to help develop a broader public understanding of the War of 1812, so important to the evolution of the United States and Canada,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “The annual symposium is a vibrant forum of scholars from both sides of the boarder presenting informative seminars to an enthusiastic audience of academics, history buffs and re-enactors.”
The cost of the symposium is $100 for the Saturday seminars and after-dinner speaker, including a light continental breakfast, a buffet lunch and a sit-down dinner. The Friday evening meet-and-greet with period entertainment by Celtic harpist Sue Croft and hors d’oeuvres is $10.
The symposium and dinner fee for Fort La Présentation Association members is $90, and they will pay $10 for the meet-and-greet.
Other pricing options are available: $80 for the Saturday seminars without dinner; and $35 for the dinner with speaker.
Seminar details and registration instructions on the Fort La Présentation Association Web page www.fort1749.org.
The Fort La Présentation Association is a not-for-profit corporation based in Ogdensburg, New York. Its mission is to sponsor or benefit the historically accurate reconstruction of Fort de la Présentation (1749) in close proximity to the original site on Lighthouse Point.
###
For information, please contact;
Barbara O’Keefe
President, Fort La Présentation Association
Ogdensburg, NY 13669
315-393-3315
Backgrounder attached.
THIRD ANNUAL WAR OF 1812 SYMPOSIUM
BACKGROUNDER
Seminar Presenters
Darren Bonaparte from the Mohawk community of Ahkwesáhsne on the St. Lawrence River is an historical journalist. He created the Wampum Chronicles website in 1999 to promote his research into the history and culture of the Rotinonhsión:ni—the People of the Longhouse. Mr. Bonaparte has been published by Indian Country Today, Native Americas, Aboriginal Voices and Winds of Change, and he has served as an historical consultant for the PBS miniseries The War That Made America; Champlain: The Lake Between; and The Forgotten War: The Struggle for North America.
Paul Fortier, of Kingston, ON, worked 10 years as a military curator and historian for Parks Canada and a following 10 years as a manager at the National Archives of Canada. While living in Prescott, ON, the home he restored was the Stockade Barracks, British military headquarters on the St. Lawrence River during the War of 1812. Mr. Fortier is a founder of the re-enacted Regiment of Canadian Fencible Infantry. He owns Jessup Food & Heritage, providing period food services at Upper Canada Village, Fort Henry and Fort York.
Kate Kenney is the Program Historian at the University of Vermont Consulting Archeology Program. She supervises historic artifact analyses and also helps supervise field work, particularly at historic sites. She is the senior author of Archaeological Investigations at the Old Burial Ground, St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Ms. Kenny has organized and conducted UVM CAP public outreach, including presentations to elementary and high school students. Personal research projects involve Vermont history from the earliest settlement through to the Civil War.
Richard F. Palmer of Syracuse is a senior editor of “Inland Seas,” the quarterly of the Great Lakes Historical Society, and has written some 40 articles for the publication, covering more than 250 years of Lake Ontario’s maritime history. His presentation on “Cooper's Ark,” is the story of a short-lived floating fortress built in Oswego during the War of 1812, but lost in a storm while sailing to Sackets Harbor. He’ll also recount the attempt to raft lumber for the construction of ships from Oak Orchard to Sackets Harbor; the delivery was intercepted by the British.
Victor Suthren, from Merrickville, Ontario, is an author and historian. He served as Director General of the Canadian War Museum from 1986 to 1998, and is an Honorary Captain in the Canadian Navy and advisor to the Directorate of Naval History and Heritage, Department of National Defence (Canada). He has worked as an advisor to film and television productions and has voyaged extensively as a seaman in traditional “tall ships.” Mr. Suthren has published several works of historical non-fiction, as well as two series of historical sea fiction.
Patrick Wilder is an historian retired from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He is the author of The Battle of Sackett’s Harbour, 1813.
###
The War of 1812 in this region, and its wider implications, will be topics at the third annual War of 1812 Symposium April 29-30 in Ogdensburg, NY, sponsored by the Fort La Présentation Association.
The five presentations by authoritative Canadians and Americans are: Ogdensburg and Prescott during the War of 1812, Paul Fortier; American supply efforts on Lake Ontario: “Cooper’s Ark,” Richard Palmer; “Colonel Louis” and the Native American role in the War of 1812, Darren Bonaparte; The war on the St. Lawrence River, Victor Suthren; and Excavation of American Graves at the 1812 Burlington Cantonment, Kate Kenny. The post-dinner address by Patrick Wilder is the Battle of Sackets Harbor
“We established the symposium in advance of the war’s 2012 bicentennial to help develop a broader public understanding of the War of 1812, so important to the evolution of the United States and Canada,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “The annual symposium is a vibrant forum of scholars from both sides of the boarder presenting informative seminars to an enthusiastic audience of academics, history buffs and re-enactors.”
The cost of the symposium is $100 for the Saturday seminars and after-dinner speaker, including a light continental breakfast, a buffet lunch and a sit-down dinner. The Friday evening meet-and-greet with period entertainment by Celtic harpist Sue Croft and hors d’oeuvres is $10.
The symposium and dinner fee for Fort La Présentation Association members is $90, and they will pay $10 for the meet-and-greet.
Other pricing options are available: $80 for the Saturday seminars without dinner; and $35 for the dinner with speaker.
Seminar details and registration instructions on the Fort La Présentation Association Web page www.fort1749.org.
The Fort La Présentation Association is a not-for-profit corporation based in Ogdensburg, New York. Its mission is to sponsor or benefit the historically accurate reconstruction of Fort de la Présentation (1749) in close proximity to the original site on Lighthouse Point.
###
For information, please contact;
Barbara O’Keefe
President, Fort La Présentation Association
Ogdensburg, NY 13669
315-393-3315
Backgrounder attached.
THIRD ANNUAL WAR OF 1812 SYMPOSIUM
BACKGROUNDER
Seminar Presenters
Darren Bonaparte from the Mohawk community of Ahkwesáhsne on the St. Lawrence River is an historical journalist. He created the Wampum Chronicles website in 1999 to promote his research into the history and culture of the Rotinonhsión:ni—the People of the Longhouse. Mr. Bonaparte has been published by Indian Country Today, Native Americas, Aboriginal Voices and Winds of Change, and he has served as an historical consultant for the PBS miniseries The War That Made America; Champlain: The Lake Between; and The Forgotten War: The Struggle for North America.
Paul Fortier, of Kingston, ON, worked 10 years as a military curator and historian for Parks Canada and a following 10 years as a manager at the National Archives of Canada. While living in Prescott, ON, the home he restored was the Stockade Barracks, British military headquarters on the St. Lawrence River during the War of 1812. Mr. Fortier is a founder of the re-enacted Regiment of Canadian Fencible Infantry. He owns Jessup Food & Heritage, providing period food services at Upper Canada Village, Fort Henry and Fort York.
Kate Kenney is the Program Historian at the University of Vermont Consulting Archeology Program. She supervises historic artifact analyses and also helps supervise field work, particularly at historic sites. She is the senior author of Archaeological Investigations at the Old Burial Ground, St. Johnsbury, Vermont. Ms. Kenny has organized and conducted UVM CAP public outreach, including presentations to elementary and high school students. Personal research projects involve Vermont history from the earliest settlement through to the Civil War.
Richard F. Palmer of Syracuse is a senior editor of “Inland Seas,” the quarterly of the Great Lakes Historical Society, and has written some 40 articles for the publication, covering more than 250 years of Lake Ontario’s maritime history. His presentation on “Cooper's Ark,” is the story of a short-lived floating fortress built in Oswego during the War of 1812, but lost in a storm while sailing to Sackets Harbor. He’ll also recount the attempt to raft lumber for the construction of ships from Oak Orchard to Sackets Harbor; the delivery was intercepted by the British.
Victor Suthren, from Merrickville, Ontario, is an author and historian. He served as Director General of the Canadian War Museum from 1986 to 1998, and is an Honorary Captain in the Canadian Navy and advisor to the Directorate of Naval History and Heritage, Department of National Defence (Canada). He has worked as an advisor to film and television productions and has voyaged extensively as a seaman in traditional “tall ships.” Mr. Suthren has published several works of historical non-fiction, as well as two series of historical sea fiction.
Patrick Wilder is an historian retired from the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation. He is the author of The Battle of Sackett’s Harbour, 1813.
###
Wednesday, January 26, 2011
New York History: Fort La Présentation to Develop Schools Project
New York History: Fort La Présentation to Develop Schools Project: "A grant of $10,000 has been awarded to the Fort La Présentation Association by the telecom giant AT&T to develop and implement a five-ye..."
Tuesday, January 18, 2011
Irish Zouaves Make Civil War History at SLCHA Brown Bag Lunch
How did Union soldiers from St. Lawrence County end up in an Irish regiment dressed like North African troops during the U.S. Civil War? The answer to this colorful and convoluted question will be revealed on Thursday, January 20th at the noontime Brown Bag Lunch program “St. Lawrence County’s Irish Zouaves” at the St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House, 3 East Main St., Canton. This free program by Ron Semple is open to the public, begins at noon and is part of the SLCHA’s Commemoration of the 150th anniversary of the Civil War, which began in 1861.
Semple will spin the entertaining yarn of the 164th NYS Volunteers - Corcoran's Irish Zouaves. As a Colonel in the 69th New York State Militia Regiment, Michael Corcoran helped to bring Irish Immigrants to the Union Army. He led the 69th regiment in action during the First battle of Bull Run, where he was wounded and taken prisoner. After Corcoran’s release as a prisoner of war he returned to the Union Army, recruited more Irish volunteers and commanded the 164th New York State Regiment, Corcoran’s Irish Zouaves- which was one of only two all Irish Brigades in the Union Army. The 164th NYS Regiment fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Company A of the 164th was comprised of men from St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties.
The original Zouaves were North African troops serving in the French Army beginning in the 1830’s. They had a reputation for discipline and bravery on the battlefield and rowdiness off. Their uniforms were colorful with trim/braid with brass buttons and usually consisted of a fez, turban, baggy pants, vest, short jacket, and leggings. “Zouave Fever” spread across the U.S. in the years prior to the Civil War and many Zouave units were active during the war.
Ron Semple is a retired newspaperman and a member of the board of trustees of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association. He is also the descendent of Irish immigrants who arrived in America in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House is open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m. Admission to the museum is free; admission to the archives is free for members and children, $2.50 for college students, and $5 for the general public. The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is located at 3 E. Main St., Canton. Parking is available in the back of the SLCHA, next to the museum’s main entrance.
Remember the SLCHA’s gift shop for all the needs of the history buffs in your life and gifts for yourself as well! A few of the Civil War related items in the gift shop include: the children’s book Abe’s Honest Words; a replica letter from General U.S. Grant to General Robert E. Lee; Civil War Map in a Bottle (you have to see it to believe it); Gallantry in the Field: Potsdam and the Civil War; and No Middle Ground: Thomas Ward Osborn’s Letters from the Field (1862-1864). This last book is a collection of letters from Osborn, who enlisted in Watertown and commanded Battery D, First New York Light Artillery which was made up of men from the North Country.
For more information, call the SLCHA at 315-386-8133 or e-mail info@slcha.org. Visit the SLCHA’s website, www.slcha.org for more information on St. Lawrence County history. SLCHA exhibits and programs are made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
Semple will spin the entertaining yarn of the 164th NYS Volunteers - Corcoran's Irish Zouaves. As a Colonel in the 69th New York State Militia Regiment, Michael Corcoran helped to bring Irish Immigrants to the Union Army. He led the 69th regiment in action during the First battle of Bull Run, where he was wounded and taken prisoner. After Corcoran’s release as a prisoner of war he returned to the Union Army, recruited more Irish volunteers and commanded the 164th New York State Regiment, Corcoran’s Irish Zouaves- which was one of only two all Irish Brigades in the Union Army. The 164th NYS Regiment fought in some of the bloodiest battles of the Civil War. Company A of the 164th was comprised of men from St. Lawrence and Franklin Counties.
The original Zouaves were North African troops serving in the French Army beginning in the 1830’s. They had a reputation for discipline and bravery on the battlefield and rowdiness off. Their uniforms were colorful with trim/braid with brass buttons and usually consisted of a fez, turban, baggy pants, vest, short jacket, and leggings. “Zouave Fever” spread across the U.S. in the years prior to the Civil War and many Zouave units were active during the war.
Ron Semple is a retired newspaperman and a member of the board of trustees of the St. Lawrence County Historical Association. He is also the descendent of Irish immigrants who arrived in America in the 19th and 20th Centuries.
The St. Lawrence County Historical Association at the Silas Wright House is open Tuesday through Saturday noon to 4 p.m., Friday noon to 8 p.m. Admission to the museum is free; admission to the archives is free for members and children, $2.50 for college students, and $5 for the general public. The St. Lawrence County Historical Association is located at 3 E. Main St., Canton. Parking is available in the back of the SLCHA, next to the museum’s main entrance.
Remember the SLCHA’s gift shop for all the needs of the history buffs in your life and gifts for yourself as well! A few of the Civil War related items in the gift shop include: the children’s book Abe’s Honest Words; a replica letter from General U.S. Grant to General Robert E. Lee; Civil War Map in a Bottle (you have to see it to believe it); Gallantry in the Field: Potsdam and the Civil War; and No Middle Ground: Thomas Ward Osborn’s Letters from the Field (1862-1864). This last book is a collection of letters from Osborn, who enlisted in Watertown and commanded Battery D, First New York Light Artillery which was made up of men from the North Country.
For more information, call the SLCHA at 315-386-8133 or e-mail info@slcha.org. Visit the SLCHA’s website, www.slcha.org for more information on St. Lawrence County history. SLCHA exhibits and programs are made possible in part with public funds from the New York State Council on the Arts, a state agency.
Monday, January 17, 2011
$10,000 GRANT FOR AREA STUDENTS TO PUT THEIR HANDS ON HISTORY
OGDENSBURG, NY 17 January 2011 – A grant of $10,000 has been awarded to the Fort La Présentation Association by the telecom giant AT&T to develop and implement a five-year educational outreach project to elementary schools in the St. Lawrence Valley region.
The curriculum-based Hands-On-History project will provide reproduction 18th- and 19th- century heritage items, interpretive materials and lesson plans which will intrigue students and help teachers meet state and national standards for history and social studies.
Hands-On-History will run as the name suggests. Students will be able to handle, hold or try on the clothes, tools and other gear which will help them explore the history of Fort de la Présentation under the flags of France, Great Britain and the United States from 1749 to 1813.
“We are very grateful to AT&T for the generous funding,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “The donation significantly maximizes the Fort Association’s modest financial and in-kind resources to allow us to reach a major goal of our educational strategy.”
“Our thanks also go to our long-time supporter, former State Senator Darrel Aubertine,” O’Keefe continued, “who drew the attention of AT&T to our plans to enrich our children’s learning.”
To ensure the project continues beyond the first year, the Fort Association’s contribution is $4,700. Fort Association board is committing $300 annually in year’s two to five. The $1,200 investment is to maintain printed materials and replace lost or damaged items.
In-kind services worth $3,500 - volunteered by museum, history and education professionals affiliated with the Fort Association – will help develop evaluation criteria, meet curricular goals and promote the new education opportunity to schools across the region.
“By autumn 2011, Hands-on-History should be available to teachers,” said O’Keefe. “We look forward to students experiencing their local history and discovering a first-hand connection to early days in the St. Lawrence Valley region.”
For information, please contact;
Barbara O’Keefe
President, Fort La Présentation Association
Ogdensburg, NY 13669
315-393-3315
The curriculum-based Hands-On-History project will provide reproduction 18th- and 19th- century heritage items, interpretive materials and lesson plans which will intrigue students and help teachers meet state and national standards for history and social studies.
Hands-On-History will run as the name suggests. Students will be able to handle, hold or try on the clothes, tools and other gear which will help them explore the history of Fort de la Présentation under the flags of France, Great Britain and the United States from 1749 to 1813.
“We are very grateful to AT&T for the generous funding,” said Barbara O’Keefe, President of the Fort La Présentation Association. “The donation significantly maximizes the Fort Association’s modest financial and in-kind resources to allow us to reach a major goal of our educational strategy.”
“Our thanks also go to our long-time supporter, former State Senator Darrel Aubertine,” O’Keefe continued, “who drew the attention of AT&T to our plans to enrich our children’s learning.”
To ensure the project continues beyond the first year, the Fort Association’s contribution is $4,700. Fort Association board is committing $300 annually in year’s two to five. The $1,200 investment is to maintain printed materials and replace lost or damaged items.
In-kind services worth $3,500 - volunteered by museum, history and education professionals affiliated with the Fort Association – will help develop evaluation criteria, meet curricular goals and promote the new education opportunity to schools across the region.
“By autumn 2011, Hands-on-History should be available to teachers,” said O’Keefe. “We look forward to students experiencing their local history and discovering a first-hand connection to early days in the St. Lawrence Valley region.”
For information, please contact;
Barbara O’Keefe
President, Fort La Présentation Association
Ogdensburg, NY 13669
315-393-3315
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