Upcoming Events
Canal Clean Sweep
Want to give back by volunteering your time on Earth Day? On Sunday April 21, volunteer to spruce up the National Historic Landmark Five Locks Walk as part of Parks & Trails New York’s “Canal Clean Sweep.” To register, click here- https://bit.ly/3TIV3O4
T. Barton Thurber on "The Role of the Art Museum in Today’s Cultural and Political Environment".
T. Barton Thurber, The Anne Hendricks Bass Director of the Frances Lehman Loeb Art Center at Vassar College and Lecturer in Art will discussThe Role of the Art Museum in Today's Cultural and Political Environment.
Bill Merchant presents “Marginalized Workers on the D&H Canal”.
The Delaware & Hudson Canal was an important industrial enterprise in 19th century America, marketing Pennsylvania anthracite coal through its Canal and, later, its extensive railroad network. It relied on the labor of marginalized peoples- immigrants, women, children and people of color- to construct and operate its Canal. D&H Canal Historical Society Historian Bill Merchant has done extensive research on these workers. In this presentation, full of great period images, he tells some of their stories.
Prof. Juris Pupcenok on "Russian Disinformation"
Associate Professor of Political Science at Marist College Juris Pupcenoks will discuss Russian Disinformation. Prof. Pupcenoks received a prestigious fellowship to study responses to Russian strategic narratives and disinformation at the Academy of International Affairs in Bonn, Germany, in 2023.
D&H Historian, Bill Merchant on "Women on the D&H Canal".
The Delaware & Hudson Canal was an important industrial enterprise in 19th century America, marketing Pennsylvania anthracite coal through its Canal and, later, its extensive railroad network. It relied on the labor of marginalized peoples- immigrants, women, children and people of color- to construct and operate its Canal. Historian Bill Merchant has conducted extensive research on the plight of the many marginalized peoples who comprised the vast majority of this workforce. Although women are the most ignored by history, this presentation relates how women contributed to its immense success, using stories from primary sources and many period images.
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant on Solaris
This season our Historian Bill Merchant will once again be featured on the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s solar powered boat, Solaris. Given on the first Sundays of the months of June through October, he guides participants in a conversation about the many remains of the Rondout’s history that can be seen along the waterfront, as Solaris sails from the Maritime Museum to the Eddyville Dam and back. The trip starts at 4:00pm. Book your seat now, these popular tours sell out quickly. Go to www.hrmm/all-boat-tours.html to reserve your place.
D&H Historian Bill Merchant presents "Marginalized Workers on the D&H Canal".
Stories of the Marginalized Workers on the D&H Canal
The Delaware & Hudson Canal was an important industrial enterprise in 19th century America, marketing Pennsylvania anthracite coal through its Canal and, later, its extensive railroad network. It relied on the labor of marginalized peoples- immigrants, women, children and people of color- to construct and operate its Canal. D&H Canal Historical Society Historian Bill Merchant has done extensive research on these workers. In this presentation, full of great period images, he tells some of their stories.
Max Margulies on "Contemporary Challenges for the US Military at Home and Abroad".
Max Margulies, Director of Research and Assistant Professor at the Modern War Institute at West Point will speak on Contemporary Challenges for the US Military at Home and Abroad. Prof. Margulies is course director for thesis and capstone programs in the Military Academy's Defense and Strategic Studies Program.
Free Guided Tour of the Five Locks Walk
Join our Historian Bill Merchant for a free guided tour of our National Historic Landmark Five Locks Walk on New York’s Path Through History Weekend. Meet at the Mid-Hudson Visitor Center at 2:00pm for hike with history. No advance registration needed.
Paul Misko on "The Catskill Tanneries: An Environmental Disaster with a Happy Ending"
Paul Misko has been hiking in the Catskills since childhood. Over the years he has learned much about the Catskill forest, and the human history within it. Though his main focus is Woodland Valley, near Phoenicia, he has done research throughout the whole Catskill region.
In 2009 he founded the Catskill 4000 Club, a small hiking group which focuses on history themed hikes and events. He has written articles for Kaatskill Life, and the Catskill Mountain Region Guide. He regularly gives talks on Catskill history, American history, and John Burroughs. He shares his research both in person, and on WIOX radio's "From the Forest", and conducts Catskill trivia quiz shows as well.
His multi-media presentation will be; "The Catskill Tanneries: An Environmental Disaster with a Happy Ending."
Almost every valley in the Catskills was home to a Tannery, an industry which demanded huge supplies of Hemlock bark. This led to the near clear-cutting of most of our mountainsides. Was this a bad thing? Come and hear about the tanneries, how they operated, the men that worked them, and how it all affected the Catskill forests.
Historian Bill Merchant guest hosts at Ulster County's Persen House
Join D&H Canal Historian Bill Merchant at the Persen House, where he will answer questions, show images, and discuss the history of the D&H Canal and Gravity Railroad and its relation to Kingston NY.
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant on Solaris
This season our Historian Bill Merchant will once again be featured on the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s solar powered boat, Solaris. Given on the first Sundays of the months of June through October, he guides participants in a conversation about the many remains of the Rondout’s history that can be seen along the waterfront, as Solaris sails from the Maritime Museum to the Eddyville Dam and back. The trip starts at 4:00pm. Book your seat now, these popular tours sell out quickly. Go to www.hrmm/all-boat-tours.html to reserve your place.
Beth Forest "What is 'American Food’”
Beth Forest is a Professor at the Culinary Institute of America, the author or editor of numerous books and articles on culinary history, and Board Secretary and Past President of The Association for the Study of Food and Society.
Bill Merchant Presents "The D&H Canal, 19th Century Engine of Prosperity"
The Delaware & Hudson Canal was an important industrial enterprise in 19th century America, marketing Pennsylvania anthracite coal through its Canal and, later, its extensive railroad network. In this presentation, Bill Merchant tells the story of D&H Canal and its Gravity Railroad.
Screening of Tobe Carey Film "Stanley's House".
We will screen Tobe Carey’s film “Stanley's House” on July 26, 2024 which is 3 days before the 119th birthday of Pulitzer Prize winning and former US Poet Laureate, Stanley Kunitz, with whom Tobe shared a Worcester, MA house some thirty years apart. The film concentrates on Stanley's life and his Worcester poems which revolve around his struggles to understand his family dynamics and his familiarity with the house and neighborhood we shared, as well as my family's connection to that house. More info here: https://willowmixedmedia.org/collections/shop-all-films/products/stanleys-house
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant on Solaris
This season our Historian Bill Merchant will once again be featured on the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s solar powered boat, Solaris. Given on the first Sundays of the months of June through October, he guides participants in a conversation about the many remains of the Rondout’s history that can be seen along the waterfront, as Solaris sails from the Maritime Museum to the Eddyville Dam and back. The trip starts at 4:00pm. Book your seat now, these popular tours sell out quickly. Go to www.hrmm/all-boat-tours.html to reserve your place.
Marianna Boncek on "Time and the Valleys: an Exploration of New York City’s Water Systems"
Time and the Valleys: an Exploration of New York City’s Water Systems (and the sacrifices made by local residents to provide New York City with clean water). This talk will explore the fascinating and turbulent history of water, people and the Catskills, specifically the Catskill/Delaware watershed with a focus on the Rondout and Neversink Reservoirs. Boncek will take us back to a time before the reservoir, the endless need of New York City to find a source of clean water and the choice of the sites of the Rondout and Neversink Reservoir. You will learn about the lost towns of Montela, Lackawack and Eureka and how their loss through eminent domain is still felt in the area today.
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant on Solaris
This season our Historian Bill Merchant will once again be featured on the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s solar powered boat, Solaris. Given on the first Sundays of the months of June through October, he guides participants in a conversation about the many remains of the Rondout’s history that can be seen along the waterfront, as Solaris sails from the Maritime Museum to the Eddyville Dam and back. The trip starts at 4:00pm. Book your seat now, these popular tours sell out quickly. Go to www.hrmm/all-boat-tours.html to reserve your place.
Free Guided Tour of the Five Locks Walk
Join our Historian Bill Merchant for a free guided tour of our National Historic Landmark Five Locks Walk as part of the Hudson River Valley Ramble. Meet at the Mid-Hudson Visitor Center at 2:00pm for hike with history. No advance registration needed.
Roxanne Dupuis on "Public Libraries in Crisis: the Challenges Facing a Beloved American Institution".
Roxanne Dupuis will lecture on "Public Libraries in Crisis: the Challenges Facing a Beloved American Institution".
Roxanne Dupuis is a population health scientist whose research focuses on community health, the social determinants of health, and the relationship between foodways and health.
For many years, she engaged with local residents and community organizations on the Healthy Library Initiative based at the University of Pennsylvania. As part of this initiative, she worked with the Free Library of Philadelphia, the National Network of Libraries of Medicine, and the Public Library Association to harness the power of public libraries to improve population health. These efforts were published in leading public health journals, with extensive press attention.
Roxanne received her BA in Anthropology from McGill University in Montreal, where she is originally from. She received her MSPH in Health Education and Health Communication from Johns Hopkins University and her PhD in Population Health Sciences from Harvard University. She is currently a Postdoctoral Fellow in the Department of Population Health at the NYU Grossman School of Medicine. Roxanne lives in the Hudson Valley with her husband and their 2-year-old son.
Free Guided Tour of the Five Locks Walk
Join our Historian Bill Merchant for a free guided tour of our National Historic Landmark Five Locks Walk as part of the Hudson River Valley Ramble. Meet at the Mid-Hudson Visitor Center at 2:00pm for hike with history. No advance registration needed.
Geoff Miller "In Search of the Hudson River School of Musicians"
Ulster County Historian Geoffrey Miller presents In Search of the Hudson River School of Musicians, which focuses on the major American and foreign-born composers working in the United States in the early through mid-19th century. There was definitely a body of works produced during the period reflective of the ethos of the Hudson River School Artists (the search for the picturesque and the sublime), but it failed to coalesce into a movement because of a number of reasons which he will explore. Immigrant and native-born composers, though, did find employment throughout the region as choral directors for churches, music instructors at local academies, and band directors, leaving behind a record of their activities in sheet music, much of it published locally, with music for the church, school graduations and other public events.
Zali Win on "The Tragedy of Burma".
Zali Win on The Tragedy of Burma. Zali is head of Transactional Commodity Finance- North America at Credit Agricole. He is the principal officer of Rondout-Esopus Land Conservancy and board chair of Philander Chase Conservancy. Zali is also founding board chair of Parami University, a new online university directed towards students from Burma that is part of Open Society University Network. He has worked as a volunteer for non profit organizations for more than 25 years and currently advises a number of educational and humanitarian NGOs that serve individuals in Burma, Thailand and Indonesia.
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant on solaris
This season our Historian Bill Merchant will once again be featured on the Hudson River Maritime Museum’s solar powered boat, Solaris. Given on the first Sundays of the months of June through October, he guides participants in a conversation about the many remains of the Rondout’s history that can be seen along the waterfront, as Solaris sails from the Maritime Museum to the Eddyville Dam and back. The trip starts at 4:00pm. Book your seat now, these popular tours sell out quickly. Go to www.hrmm/all-boat-tours.html to reserve your place.
Free Guided tour of the five locks walk
Join our Historian Bill Merchant for a free guided tour of our National Historic Landmark Five Locks Walk on New York’s Path Through History Weekend. Meet at the Mid-Hudson Visitor Center at 2:00pm for hike with history. No advance registration needed.
Asst. Professor of Economics Alicia Atwood of Vassar, on "America's Healthcare Crisis".
Professor Atwood is expert on health economics, which she teaches, and on which her research is focused.
Foreign Policy Implications of the Election
Fred Hof and Malia Du Mont and a 3rd yet to be determined with a tentative title of Foreign Policy Implications of the Election.
Ron Knapp "Rediscovering Theodore Burr AND His Early 19th Century Timber Bridges: America's Premier Bridge Builder"
A transplant from northwestern Connecticut, Theodore Burr moved to Oxford, New York in 1792-1793. In less than thirty years, he erected timber bridges over major rivers-the Hudson, Schoharie, Mohawk, Delaware, Potomac, and Susquehanna rivers-in New York, Pennsylvania, New Jersey, District of Columbia, and Maryland.
Prof. Lauria on “The Promises and Perils of Artificial Intelligence” Underwritten by Walden Savings Bank
Professor Eitel J.M. Lauria, Professor of Data Science & Information Systems and Director of Graduate Programs at Marist College will discuss The Promise and Perils of Artificial Intelligence. Prof. Lauria has been a consultant to IBM, Microsoft, ExxonMobil, Reuters, Hewlett Packard, GE Global Research, and the World Bank, among other global entities.
Jonathan Palmer on The "Gamble in the Mountain: the Creation of the Canajoharie and Catskill Railroad"
Join Greene County Historian and Ulster County Archivist Jon Palmer for a lecture on the curious saga of the first railroad in the Catskills and the rise of a competing vision for the economic future of the Mountains.
“The black experience on the d&h canal”, presented by Bill merchant
The Delaware & Hudson Canal was an important industrial enterprise in 19th century America, marketing Pennsylvania anthracite coal through its Canal and, later, its extensive railroad network. It relied on the labor of marginalized peoples- immigrants, women, children, and people of color- to operate its Canal. D&H Canal Historical Society Historian Bill Merchant has done extensive research on these workers. In this presentation, he tells some stories of the Black experience working on the D&H Canal.
Mindell Dubansky on American Decorated Paper
Mindell Dubansky on The History of American Decorative Arts on Paper, such as book design and wallpaper. Ms. Dubansky is the Museum Librarian for Preservation and head of the Sherman Fairchild Center for Book Conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.
Her most recent publication is her 2021 book Pattern and Flow: A Golden Age of American Decorative Paper, 1960s to 2000s. Ms. Dubansky has a home in Tivoli.
Mindell Dubansky is head of preservation and book conservation at the Metropolitan Museum of Art, where she has worked for the last forty years. Mindy received her early training as a printmaker and studied bookbinding at Carnegie-Mellon University and at The Center for Book Arts in New York, following which, she studied at the Camberwell School of Arts and Craft in London and received a MLS and certificate in library preservation from Columbia University. In addition to her work at the Museum, Mindy is an artist, collector, and author who focuses on book-related or auto-biographical subjects. Her publications include The Proper Decoration of Book Covers: The Life and Work of Alice C. Morse (2008), a biography and catalogue of bookcovers designed by Morse; an autobiographical book of short stories, Guess Who Died: Memories of Baltimore with Recipes (1999); BLOOKS. The Art of Books That Aren’t, a catalog of her collection of book-shaped objects which was on view at the Grolier Club in 2016; and most recently Pattern and Flow. A Golden Age of American Decorated Paper, 1960s to 2000s.
Nicholas Bienstock, The Future of New York: A Real Estate Perspective
Nicholas Bienstock on The Future of New York: A Real Estate Perspective. Nick is Co- Chairman and CEO of Savanna, a New York City-based real estate firm with major projects in NYC and in South Florida. He teaches graduate students at the Architecture and Business Schools of Columbia University. He has a home in Millbrook and serves on the board of the Dutchess Land Conservancy.
"HAUNTED HIGH FALLS", SIREN THEATRE'S IMMERSIVE THEATER EXPERIENCE
Back from the dead and hungry for your attention, Siren Theatre and the D&H Canal Historical Society welcome you to the second year of Haunted High Falls: Tales from the Canal, a hair-raising, immersive theatre experience. Come explore the 1797 DePuy Tavern and sections of the former D&H Canal. Wake the dead and discover the terrible secret of those who lived, toiled and perished there. Inspired by true tales of hauntings and horror from High Falls and surrounding towns, this is a night you will never forget.
$26 (a limited number of discounted tickets available upon request) BYOF (please bring your own flashlight!)
Make your reservation today here- https://www.canalmuseum.org/hauntedhf-2023
The Most Remarkable Restaurant in the World: Reviving the Magic of Windows on the World
Join us on October 28 for our 2023 gala, The Most Remarkable Restaurant in the World: Reviving the Magic of Windows on the World, which was lost in the tragedy of September 11, 2001. Executive Chef Michael Lomonaco and Sommelier Kevin Zraly of that restaurant will arrange a fabulous dinner reminiscent of their grand days at Windows. Individual tickets will be available on August 25. Click below for details.
"HAUNTED HIGH FALLS", SIREN THEATRE'S IMMERSIVE THEATER EXPERIENCE
Back from the dead and hungry for your attention, Siren Theatre and the D&H Canal Historical Society welcome you to the second year of Haunted High Falls: Tales from the Canal, a hair-raising, immersive theatre experience. Come explore the 1797 DePuy Tavern and sections of the former D&H Canal. Wake the dead and discover the terrible secret of those who lived, toiled and perished there. Inspired by true tales of hauntings and horror from High Falls and surrounding towns, this is a night you will never forget.
$26 (a limited number of discounted tickets available upon request) BYOF (please bring your own flashlight!)
Make your reservation today here- https://www.canalmuseum.org/hauntedhf-2023
"HAUNTED HIGH FALLS", SIREN THEATRE'S IMMERSIVE THEATER EXPERIENCE
Back from the dead and hungry for your attention, Siren Theatre and the D&H Canal Historical Society welcome you to the second year of Haunted High Falls: Tales from the Canal, a hair-raising, immersive theatre experience. Come explore the 1797 DePuy Tavern and sections of the former D&H Canal. Wake the dead and discover the terrible secret of those who lived, toiled and perished there. Inspired by true tales of hauntings and horror from High Falls and surrounding towns, this is a night you will never forget.
$26 (a limited number of discounted tickets available upon request) BYOF (please bring your own flashlight!)
Make your reservation today here- https://www.canalmuseum.org/hauntedhf-2023
"HAUNTED HIGH FALLS", SIREN THEATRE'S IMMERSIVE THEATER EXPERIENCE
Back from the dead and hungry for your attention, Siren Theatre and the D&H Canal Historical Society welcome you to the second year of Haunted High Falls: Tales from the Canal, a hair-raising, immersive theatre experience. Come explore the 1797 DePuy Tavern and sections of the former D&H Canal. Wake the dead and discover the terrible secret of those who lived, toiled and perished there. Inspired by true tales of hauntings and horror from High Falls and surrounding towns, this is a night you will never forget.
$26 (a limited number of discounted tickets available upon request) BYOF (please bring your own flashlight!)
Make your reservation today here- https://www.canalmuseum.org/hauntedhf-2023
"HAUNTED HIGH FALLS", SIREN THEATRE'S IMMERSIVE THEATER EXPERIENCE
Back from the dead and hungry for your attention, Siren Theatre and the D&H Canal Historical Society welcome you to the second year of Haunted High Falls: Tales from the Canal, a hair-raising, immersive theatre experience. Come explore the 1797 DePuy Tavern and sections of the former D&H Canal. Wake the dead and discover the terrible secret of those who lived, toiled and perished there. Inspired by true tales of hauntings and horror from High Falls and surrounding towns, this is a night you will never forget.
$26 (a limited number of discounted tickets available upon request) BYOF (please bring your own flashlight!)
Make your reservation today here- https://www.canalmuseum.org/hauntedhf-2023
"HAUNTED HIGH FALLS", SIREN THEATRE'S IMMERSIVE THEATER EXPERIENCE
Back from the dead and hungry for your attention, Siren Theatre and the D&H Canal Historical Society welcome you to the second year of Haunted High Falls: Tales from the Canal, a hair-raising, immersive theatre experience. Come explore the 1797 DePuy Tavern and sections of the former D&H Canal. Wake the dead and discover the terrible secret of those who lived, toiled and perished there. Inspired by true tales of hauntings and horror from High Falls and surrounding towns, this is a night you will never forget.
$26 (a limited number of discounted tickets available upon request) BYOF (please bring your own flashlight!)
Make your reservation today here- https://www.canalmuseum.org/hauntedhf-2023
"HAUNTED HIGH FALLS", SIREN THEATRE'S IMMERSIVE THEATER EXPERIENCE
Back from the dead and hungry for your attention, Siren Theatre and the D&H Canal Historical Society welcome you to the second year of Haunted High Falls: Tales from the Canal, a hair-raising, immersive theatre experience. Come explore the 1797 DePuy Tavern and sections of the former D&H Canal. Wake the dead and discover the terrible secret of those who lived, toiled and perished there. Inspired by true tales of hauntings and horror from High Falls and surrounding towns, this is a night you will never forget.
$26 (a limited number of discounted tickets available upon request) BYOF (please bring your own flashlight!)
Make your reservation today here- https://www.canalmuseum.org/hauntedhf-2023
"HAUNTED HIGH FALLS", SIREN THEATRE'S IMMERSIVE THEATER EXPERIENCE
Back from the dead and hungry for your attention, Siren Theatre and the D&H Canal Historical Society welcome you to the second year of Haunted High Falls: Tales from the Canal, a hair-raising, immersive theatre experience. Come explore the 1797 DePuy Tavern and sections of the former D&H Canal. Wake the dead and discover the terrible secret of those who lived, toiled and perished there. Inspired by true tales of hauntings and horror from High Falls and surrounding towns, this is a night you will never forget.
$26 (a limited number of discounted tickets available upon request) BYOF (please bring your own flashlight!)
Make your reservation today here- https://www.canalmuseum.org/hauntedhf-2023
Free Guided tour of the Five Locks Walk
PATH THROUGH HISTORY Meet at 2:00pm at the D&H Canal Museum & Mid-Hudson Visitor Center (1315 Route 213, 12440) in the center of High Falls, in Ulster County, NY for a conversation about the exciting and important history of the Delaware & Hudson Canal. D&H Canal Historical Society Historian & Curator Bill Merchant will guide you along the National Historic Landmark Five Locks Walk, five extant D&H Canal Locks from the 1850 enlargement of the Canal, restored in 2000. Learn the stories of the immigrants who built and operated this important American transportation waterway that supplied Pennsylvania anthracite coal to NYC, fueling its rise as an international center of commerce and the nation’s Industrial Revolution. Bring your friends and your questions! (No advance registration necessary.)
Bojana Zupan on science and the brain
Bojana Zupan, Director of Neuroscience and Behavior and Associate Professor of Psychological Science at Vassar will talk about Progress in the Study of the Human Brain, illuminating for us exciting work being done on such subjects as autism, dementia and ADHD.
A Conversation with Bill Merchant aboard the Solaris.
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant aboard the Solaris.
Alien life, and how to find it
Professor Clara Sousa-Silva presents Alien Life, and How to Find It. Over the last few decades, scientists have found thousands of planets beyond our own. Some of those planets might be habitable, and perhaps even inhabited already; but how can we tell? Clara Sousa-Silva looks for signs of life on other planets using astronomical tools to detect faint signals emitted by potential alien biospheres. In this presentation, Clara draws on her experience investigating strange molecules on strange planets, and her efforts to answer the question: "Would we know life if we saw it?"
Professor Sousa-Silva is a quantum astrochemist and molecular astrophysicist. She investigates how molecules interact with light so that they can be detected on faraway worlds. She is currently an assistant professor at Bard College (US) and a Researcher at the Institute of Astrophysics and Space Sciences (Portugal).
Free Guided Tour of the Five Locks Walk as part of the Hudson River Valley Ramble
Meet at 2:00pm at the D&H Canal Museum & Mid-Hudson Visitor Center (1315 Route 213, 12440) in the center of High Falls, in Ulster County, NY for a conversation about the exciting and important history of the Delaware & Hudson Canal. D&H Canal Historical Society Historian & Curator Bill Merchant will guide you along the National Historic Landmark Five Locks Walk, five extant D&H Canal Locks from the 1850 enlargement of the Canal, restored in 2000. Learn the stories of the immigrants who built and operated this important American transportation waterway that supplied Pennsylvania anthracite coal to NYC, fueling its rise as an international center of commerce and the nation’s Industrial Revolution. Bring your friends and your questions! (No advance registration necessary.)
D&H Historian Bill Merchant presents on "the Marginalized Workers on the D&H Canal"
Bill Merchant presents at the Albany Institute of History and Art on the topic The Marginalized Workers on the D&H Canal. The D&H relied completely on low-wage marginalized workers to construct and operate its canal. Immigrants, People of Color, Women and Children comprised the vast majority of its work force. This lecture relates many of their stories with wonderful period images from the Canal Society’s archives.
D&H Historian Bill Merchant presents for Friends of Historic Rochester on "The marginalized workers on the D&H Canal"
The Delaware & Hudson Canal was an important industrial enterprise in 19th century America, marketing Pennsylvania anthracite coal through its Canal and, later, its extensive railroad network. It relied on the labor of marginalized peoples- immigrants, women, children and people of color- to construct and operate its Canal. D&H Canal Historical Society Historian Bill Merchant has done extensive research on these workers. In this presentation, full of great period images, he tells some of their stories.
Free Guided Tour of the Five Locks Walk as part of the Hudson River Valley Ramble
Meet at 2:00pm at the D&H Canal Museum & Mid-Hudson Visitor Center (1315 Route 213, 12440) in the center of High Falls, in Ulster County, NY for a conversation about the exciting and important history of the Delaware & Hudson Canal. D&H Canal Historical Society Historian & Curator Bill Merchant will guide you along the National Historic Landmark Five Locks Walk, five extant D&H Canal Locks from the 1850 enlargement of the Canal, restored in 2000. Learn the stories of the immigrants who built and operated this important American transportation waterway that supplied Pennsylvania anthracite coal to NYC, fueling its rise as an international center of commerce and the nation’s Industrial Revolution. Bring your friends and your questions! (No advance registration necessary.)
Mike Worden – Lynched by a Mob
On the evening of June 2, 1892, a frenzied mob dragged Robert Lewis nearly a half a mile through the streets of Port Jervis, New York, before hanging him from the limb of a tree. Lewis, an African American, was no stranger to the village: he had lived and
worked in Port Jervis all his life. But on that fateful night, Lewis stood accused of brutally raping a young, white woman named Lena McMahon, and for that he would suffer an ignominious death.
Local authorities and civic leaders were powerless to stop the raging mob, and, despite the large number of witnesses present, nobody was ever held accountable for his murder. 130 years later the complete story of the lynching is told. Was Lewis set up to commit the crime? Who instigated the mob? Why wasn’t anyone held accountable?
Author Michael J. Worden spent years researching the details of the case, uncovering court documents that haven’t been seen in 130 years, ultimately consulting 635 sources to tell the most complete and historically accurate account of the event that has ever been published.
A Conversation with Bill Merchant on the Solaris.
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant aboard the Solaris.
Bill Merchant on "Women and the D&H Canal"
Bill Merchant will present at the Mamakating Historical Society on “Women and the D&H Canal”.
The Evolution of Trade in Ulster County
Sally Schultz and Joan Holister - The Evolution of Trade in Ulster County: The Jean Hasbrouck Family of New Paltz
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant on the Solaris
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant aboard the Solaris.
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant on the Solaris
A Conversation with D&H Historian Bill Merchant aboard the Solaris.
