New York Almanack

$3,750 Left to Go! Please Support the Almanack Today

John Warren — Tue, 10 Nov 2026 23:20:15 +0000

We’re looking to raise about $3,750 through the end of the year – please pitch in today. The New York Almanack is only supported when readers like you make it possible. Please make a gift to our annual fundraising to help keep us publishing.

Delivering news, notices and knowledge in the tradition of an independent press is hard work, but we think it’s important. If you haven’t given to our annual fundraiser, please do so today.

Shovers & Swindlers: Corruption in Post-Revolutionary NY

Jaap Harskamp — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 20:00:45 +0000

Where there is money, there are cheats; wherever value moves, deception follows. Levels of corruption fluctuate across various eras in history, peaking at times of rapid change, dubious oversight, or weak authority. Certain ages are more deceitful than others. In Dante Alighieri’s Inferno, fraudsters occupy the Eighth Circle of Hell (Canto XVIII).

Ever since coins began circulating, individuals have tried to mint fake ones. Greek and Roman crooks plated base metals with thin layers of gold or silver.

Fort William Henry’s 1950s Ox Team

Joseph W. Zarzynski — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 18:00:24 +0000

The June 24, 1954 minutes of Fort William Henry Corporation’s Board of Directors lists a “team of oxen purchased for advertising purposes.” The cost was $400. The acquisition of the two bovines were used to illustrate the life-ways at the historic fortress from 1755 to 1757.

In 1952, when Fort William Henry Corporation was founded, the for-profit entity’s purpose was to construct a replica of the British-colonial fortress for tourism.

Archaeologist Stanley Gifford, a Syracuse native, was hired to direct a dig on the grounds to collect artifacts for exhibit and to determine the precise location of the historic wood-and-earthen structure.

A Rash of Poaching As Hunting Seasons Begin

Editorial Staff — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 16:30:58 +0000

As hunting seasons are ramping up in New York State several hunters have been charged with poaching – illegally killing wildlife. The poachers in Delaware, Suffolk, Washington and Franklin counties were all issued tickets by New York State Environmental Conservation Officers (ECOs). Additionally, a man was charged for stealing a deer-stand.

Two Deer Illegally Poached in Delaware County

On September 30, ECOs Doig and Osborne responded to a complaint regarding the illegal harvest of a whitetail deer with a rifle during the previous evening in the Town of Masonville, Delaware County.

Dr. Allen Ballard, Civil Rights Pioneer, Author & Scholar Dies

Editorial Staff — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 15:45:59 +0000

Dr. Allen Butler Ballard Jr., a writer of both fiction and non-fiction books, a government professor at the City College of New York (1961–1986) and then a history professor at the State University at Albany where he was Professor Emeritus and a Collins Fellow, died November 5, 2026 at the age of 98.

Dr. Ballard was born in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, on November 1, 1930. He attended a legally segregated all-black school in Germantown, PA, and then the integrated Central High School, where he lettered in football and graduated as “the Varsity Athlete With the Highest Academic Average in his class.”

Upon graduation he was admitted to Kenyon College in Ohio, where, along with Stanley L.

New Yorkers At The Battle of Bennington

Guest Contributor — Mon, 09 Nov 2026 12:00:12 +0000

The summer of 1777 gave promise of abundant harvest in the northern and western clearings of the State of New York; but the hearts of the people were troubled; the shadows of war were again darkening the land, and other hands might reap where they had sown.

British General John Burgoyne‘s invading army with its Indian allies was threatening the upper Hudson valley, while Barry St. Leger‘s force was descending the Mohawk River, each intent on reaching Albany.

Mabel Allen’s 1908 Diary: Psychology, Latin And Drama

Phil Brown — Sat, 07 Nov 2026 17:00:42 +0000

Alice Mabel Allen (1886-1976) grew up in the village of Adams in Jefferson County. In 1908, while attending Syracuse University, Mabel, as she was known, kept a diary which New York Almanack is publishing each week.

Monday, November 9

Found out of Dr. Coddington that I passed the last Psychology quiz. Came down to the house to study Latin, thinking mother might telephone, as she did about twelve.

Cory Castle: An Early Ballston Spa Boarding House

Guest Contributor — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 18:00:09 +0000

Before the village of Ballston Spa in Saratoga County, NY, was incorporated in 1807 several boarding houses or hotels had been built to accommodate visitors seeking the alleged health benefits of its mineral springs.

Stephen Howe White (1773–1808, son of militia Captain Stephen H. White) built a small house in Ballston in 1799 which he expanded into a boarding house in 1801. In 1802 he added an east wing, and in 1807, a west wing.

70-Year Lichen Survey Reveals Changing Forests

Editorial Staff — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 16:30:56 +0000

More than 70 years after renowned lichenologist Mason Hale (1929-1990) first surveyed the lichens of Aton Forest in northwestern Connecticut, researchers returned to the same site to conduct a rare direct comparison between historical and modern ecological conditions highlighting how changing forest cover impacts local biodiversity.

“Studies like this show the extraordinary value of preserving scientific specimens and returning to sites that previous generations so meticulously documented,” according to Dr. James Lendemer, Curator of Botany at the New York State Museum a co-author of the study.

Loon Zooms: Adirondack Loon Center Monthly Presentations

Editorial Staff — Fri, 06 Nov 2026 15:30:44 +0000

The Adirondack Center for Loon Conservation is once again providing monthly online Loon Zoom presentations featuring guest speakers from around the country who will share their expertise in common loon biology and natural history, as well as cover topics that impact loon survival. Six presentations will be offered at 7 pm on the second Thursday of the month from November to April.

This year’s presentation lineup includes:

Thursday, November 12, 2026: Sharing the Lake with Loons: What the Census, Nest Cameras and Lead Tackle Teach Us by Dr.