Office of State History

One hundred years ago, on April 11, 1919, New York Governor Al Smith signed the “Historians Law.” The first law of its kind in the United States, the Historians Law allowed for every village, town, and city in the state to have an offici...

A reservoir system capacity of 570 billion gallons. A watershed area that covers 1.2 million acres. And a supply that is 90 percent unfiltered. The parameters of New York City’s drinking water infrastructure are astounding, but the story behind th...

Responses Needed: What visitation trends have you seen at your site over the last few years? The American Association for State and Local History (AASLH) is conducting a national visitation survey  and wants your feedback! Plea...

On this episode of A New York Minute In History, co-hosts Devin Lander and Don Wildman examine how two New Yorkers – Al Smith and Franklin Delano Roosevelt – influenced the Progressive Era of the early 20th century. The episode also explores ...

On April 11, 1919, Governor Al Smith signed into law Assembly Bill #160, which added new sections to the Education Law and created the "office of local historian for each city, town, or village except in New York City." The bill had been introduce...

On the fourth episode of A New York Minute In History, we detail Henry Hudson’s exploration of what would become the Empire State and how his journey up the aptly named Hudson River led to the Dutch settlement of New Netherland. Join us as we expl...

The journal of record for the history of the Empire State will continue in collaboration with the New York State Museum Ithaca, New York, November 15, 2018—Cornell University Press announces that, beginning in 2019, the Press will publish the c...

On the third episode of A New York Minute In History we explore the Empire State’s most ambitious engineering feat…the Erie Canal. Completed in 1825, it transformed New York and the nation by compressing time and distance, providing the fuel for a...

The second episode of A New York Minute In History explores the Women’s Rights Movement from the Seneca Falls Convention in Central New York in 1848 to equality matters being debated today. We explore the Movement’s progress through the lineage of...

County and Borough Historians’ InstituteAugust 24th, 20189:00am-4:30pmNew York State MuseumHuxley Theater222 Madison AvenueAlbany, NYGoal—The County and Borough Historian’s Institute is a free learning opportunity for County and Borough Historians...

The New York State Museum, WAMC/Northeast Public Radio and Archivist Media are excited to announce the launch of a new podcast, “A New York Minute In History,” which explores the story of New York State and the unique tales of New Yorkers. The pod...

ALBANY — The New York National Guard on Tuesday marked the 100th anniversary of Henry Johnson's defeat of nearly two dozen German soldiers, an act that won him the Medal of Honor 97 years later. Johnson was one of the first American heroes of W...

Congraulations to all of the participants and winners of the 2018 New York State History Day contests!  After a series of exciting regional contests throughout the spring, nearly 500 student winners gathered in Cooperstown along with their pa...

Students and their families and teachers from every region of the state will gather in Cooperstown on April 23rd to take part in New York State History Day.  This annual competition allows students to work individually or in groups on a histo...

New York’s capital city is as rich in cultural institutions as it is history! Join us during Women’s History Month 2018 as several of Albany’s partners in history host talks and tours to tell the complex story of the Empire State’s leading role in...