New York Almanack

The Perseids: Summer’s Big Celestial Show

Guest Contributor — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 19:30:39 +0000

Celestial events are among the oldest and most profound human experiences of the cosmos, inspiring stories as grand as the sky is wide to explain the marvelous spectacles that arch overhead. Few natural wonders are more awesome than the blazing fireballs that streak across our night skies.

And the Perseid meteor shower, which appears during some of the warmest nights of the year, features up to 100 meteors per hour.

Though the source of the meteors is the debris field of Comet Swift-Tuttle, the annual light show appears to come from the constellation Perseus, named for the hero in Greek mythology who is famous for beheading Medusa, whose petrifying gaze turned onlookers to stone.

‘Wall of Ghosts’ Memorializes Forgotten Free Black Community in Queens

Editorial Staff — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 18:30:18 +0000

In the early nineteenth century, resilient free Black community lived in Newtown, the rural village that would later become Elmhurst, Queens.

Census records, historical maps, manumission documents, 19th century newspaper articles, and correspondences show that Black families lived, worked, and raised children here decades before the Civil War.

Yet today, almost no visible trace of that community remains. In a direct response to the physical and historical erasure of one of New York City’s most significant early free Black settlements, Scientific Inquirer has announced the launch of the Wall of Ghosts.

Historian Carol Kammen: Smut & The Human Condition

Carol Kammen — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:30:33 +0000

Everyone laughed when I said I was writing a book called Smut. “You,” they would say, pointing fingers at me, “you writing about obscenity?” Nonetheless, I did write about an obscenity trial in Ithaca, NY in 1883 and laughed as I transcribed the trial testimony to the page.

I found writing Smut fun, and I hope that readers might also find it informative, and interesting, curious, and fun too.

New York’s Dams, Dam Removals & DEC

Editorial Staff — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 17:15:34 +0000

The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation’s latest episode of “DEC Does What?!” podcast discusses the department’s oversight of more than 6,000 regulated dams across New York State.

In this episode, hosts DEC Chief of Staff and Deputy Commissioner for Equity and Justice Adriana Espinoza and Region 4 Director Sean Mahar talk with Foster Valle, Environmental Program Specialist with DEC’s Division of Water, and Tim Koch, Stream Restoration Specialist with the New York Water Resources Institute at Cornell University and DEC.

Volunteers Sought for Champlain Monument Clean-Up

Editorial Staff — Fri, 07 Aug 2026 16:51:03 +0000

Plattsburgh, NY City Councilor David Monette is seeking volunteers to help clean up the area around one of the city’s most recognizable and controversial monuments on Saturday, August 15, 2026, from 10 am until 2 pm, weather permitting, at the Samuel De Champlain Monument Park, 30 Cumberland Avenue.

Volunteers are sought for cleaning and maintaining the monument grounds through litter removal, landscaping, weeding, and general park maintenance.

“The Samuel De Champlain Monument is an important part of our city’s history and waterfront,” Monette said in an announcement sent to the press.

Italian Immigrants & Mechanicville’s Brick Industry

Guest Contributor — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 18:00:48 +0000

When Holyoke, Massachusetts investors sought New York State’s permission to build a large power dam and paper mill in Mechanicville, in eastern Saratoga County, NY, in 1882, one thing they knew they would need was tons of bricks.

Brickmaking was among the oldest trades in America, almost as widely distributed as town-building. But certain places blessed with superior clays, inexpensive fuel supplies, and shipping facilities to nearby markets became centers for the brick industry.

North Creek Arts Festival Set for Saturday

Editorial Staff — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 17:00:16 +0000

More than 30 artists, art shops and organizations in North Creek, NY, and surrounding Adirondack communities will participate in an all-day arts festival on Saturday, August 8th, as a new arts district makes its debut in the Warren County village.

Stalls, shops and open air displays highlighting glassblowing, pottery, painting, wood carvings, mosaics, jewelry, and more will line North Creek’s Main Street down to its Hudson River Riverfront Park.

For younger people, face painting and Kids Art workshops will be offered, plus a short comedy performance of “Bad Things Happen to Good Actors.”

Thirteen bands and solo musical performers will add to the festivities.

Rangers Recover Body, Make Multiple Backcountry Rescues

Editorial Staff — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 15:30:11 +0000

New York State Forest Rangers recently participated in at least seven wilderness rescue missions across New York State, including on the Appalachian Trail and near Kaaterskill Falls; two hikers within an hour near Hurricane Mountain; and several in West Canada Lake Wilderness.

They also recovered the body of a 41-year-old man from a vehicle submerged in a creek in the Catskills. Many of incidents directly stemmed from inadequate preparation or physical exhaustion, a reminder of the need for proper trail nutrition, hydration, and realistic route planning.

Curatorial Challenges at New York Historical’s New Wing

Editorial Staff — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 13:00:11 +0000

Just a month after celebrating the grand opening of the $175 million Tang Wing for American Democracy, New York Historical is facing a curatorial crisis, according to Robin Pogrebin, writing in The New York Times.

Museum officials confirmed that the museum quietly replaced 17 historical artifacts with reproductions and removed another three in its signature “Democracy Matters” exhibit due to environmental threats posed by the building’s architecture.

The museum opened its new 71,000-square-foot Tang Wing on June 18, 2026.

Exploring the Revolution at the Long Island Museum

Chris Kretz — Wed, 05 Aug 2026 11:00:15 +0000

The latest Long Island History Project podcast takes listeners on a private tour of the exhibit “The Seat of Action: Long Island in the American Revolution and Beyond” at the Long Island Museum in Stony Brook, New York.

Running through October 18th, the exhibit tells the stories of the lives of people affected by the conflict at all levels of society. Joshua Ruff, Co-Executive Director, Collections and Programming, is our guide.