Office of State History

New York State’s history community is dynamic and diverse. In October, historians, scholars, curators, preservationists, librarians, archivists, genealogists, re-enactors, and educators will work together to promote the education and appreciatio...

It’s a new season of A New York Minute in History! In this episode, Devin and Lauren dig into the 19th Century discovery of a mastodon skeleton in Orange County. The “Orange County Mastodon” was one of the earliest, if not the first, complete...

This article originally appeared on the WAMC Podcasts website. On this episode, Devin and Lauren visit New York’s oldest continuously operating courthouse, located in the City of Johnstown in Fulton County. Built in 1772 by Sir William Johnson,...

This article originally appeared on the New York State Education Department website. Once again, we are left with an overwhelming sense of grief that is so deep and so raw we can hardly begin to process it. We grieve for the innocent lives take...

This article originally appeared on the WAMC Podcasts website. On this episode, Devin and Lauren discuss a William G. Pomeroy marker recognizing a 1900 auto race in Suffolk County, New York, and the importance of racing in automobile history. W...

This article orginally appeared on the WAMC Podcast website. In honor of Women’s History Month, Devin and Lauren highlight a Pomeroy marker in Tioga County and tell the story of Corporal Margaret Hastings, a member of the Women’s Army Corps who...

The New York State Museum is in the process of creating a webpage dedicated to New York State’s Commemoration of the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution. The webpage will contain events, resources, and information about New York’s Commemo...

This article originally appeared on the WAMC Podcasts website. On this episode, Devin and Lauren tackle all of New York's historical markers at once — sort of. Devin and Lauren discuss how the state's historical marker program got started, what...

We are saddened to announce the passing of Dr. Oscar Williams. Dr. Williams was an Associate Professor in the Department of Africana Studies at the University at Albany and a member of the New York History Journal Advisory Board. He will be g...

This article originally appeared on the WAMC Podcast website. In this episode, Devin and Lauren discuss the “Burned Over District,” and how upstate New York became a “cauldron” of emergent religions and alternative communities during the 19th c...

It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Ruth Piwonka. Ruth was Village of Kinderhook Historian and a local expert on Dutch New York History. She will be missed by the entire New York State History community. https://www.hudsonva...

This article originally appeared on the WAMC Podcasts website. On this episode of A New York Minute in History, Devin and Lauren delve into the public health industry that emerged in New York in the 19th century. As the understanding of medicin...

The newest issue of New York History is now available. This special issue focuses on Attica's Legacy at 50 and can be viewed here. A sample article by Heather Ann Thompson can be read here.  

Devin and Lauren dive into the history of Timbuctoo, an African American settlement founded by philanthropist Gerrit Smith in response to an 1846 law requiring all Black men to own $250 worth of property in order to vote in New York state. To coun...

This episode investigates the life and times of Audrey Munson, America’s first supermodel. Born and raised in upstate New York, Audrey Munson would go on to become the most famous artist's model of the Gilded Age, posing for many of the top Amer...