The City of Plattsburgh, Lake Champlain Sea Grant and New York Sea Grant are hosting a Lake Champlain Maritime History Program from 6 to 8 pm on Tuesday, March 28, 2017, at the Plattsburgh City Hall auditorium. Admission is free. Continue reading
On the west side of Lower Manhattan in New York City, Greenwich Village has long been home to progressive thinkers and artists of all types, as well as ground zero for several movements. In the 1950s and 60s, it was a mainstay of the nation’s bohemian culture, hosting beatniks, folk music originals, the strong counter-culture movement, and the Beat Generation, with such icons as Maya Angelou, Truman Capote, Allen Ginsberg, Jack Kerouac, and Rod McKuen.
The coffeehouse scene flourished at that time, when a remarkable alternative to commercial theater was developed: Off-Off-Broadway, where productions ran the gamut from scripted to impromptu, and venues ranged from old warehouses to small cafes. At the heart of this historic movement was a little-known North Country actress and writer who was widely respected in the New York City arts community.
Mary Elizabeth Boylan was born in Plattsburgh, New York, in February 1913. Her father, John, was a mainstay of the community, serving as district deputy of the Knights of Columbus for four years, president of the chamber of commerce for two years, and general manager of the Mountain Home Telephone Company. In 1924, when Mary was 11, the family moved to Rochester, New York, where her dad became president of the Rochester Telephone Company three years later. Continue reading
The Adirondack Coast Cultural Alliance (ACCA) again celebrates Museum Days throughout the Adirondack Coast from June 4-5, 2016, inviting visitors and residents to explore the area’s wealth of museums, galleries, and cultural organizations.
For these two days, participating locations will offer free admission, including demonstrations, exhibits, hands-on activities, and more. As the backdrop for many historical events and happenings, lakeside villages, charming hamlets and the historic city of Plattsburgh, the Adirondack Coast offers visitors the opportunity to relive some of the most pivotal moments in our country’s history. Continue reading
On Sunday, the Catholic Summer School of America in Cliff Haven, in the Town of Plattsburgh, NY, was commemorated with a historical roadside marker.
From 1896 to 1941, the Catholic Summer School of America was a nationally famous summer destination for Catholic families, distinguished leaders of the Catholic Church of America, prominent lecturers, numerous New York governors and even a few U.S. Presidents. Continue reading
The New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (DEC) has issued a Draft Lake Champlain Islands Management Complex Unit Management Plan (Draft UMP) in compliance with the Adirondack State Land Master Plan. The plan includes a number of historic and recreational sites.
Public comments on the plan are being accepted through September 18, 2015. A Public Meeting on the Draft UMP will be held August 20th in Plattsburgh. Continue reading
The Clinton County Historical Association (CCHA) will be partnering with City of Plattsburgh Historian, John Krueger to offer walking tours of Plattsburgh Old Base.
Starting the tour with the 1609 discovery of Lake Champlain, the tour will explore Lake Champlain’s vast military history that led up to the Battle of Plattsburgh, which paved the way for what is known today as the Plattsburgh Barracks/Post or, as to most locals, the Old Base. Once housing the Army, Navy and Air Force, the Old Base is a monument to the city’s military past. Continue reading
The hunt by law enforcement officials for two escaped convicts from the Clinton Correctional Facility in Dannemora became a nonstop reality show in the media. For several weeks, each and every movement of the convict hunters was chronicled. When one was killed and the other wounded and captures, the show was over. So was the economic windfall. Continue reading
After he and Amos Whitney formed Pratt & Whitney in 1860, Francis Pratt served as president until 1898, while Whitney was the general superintendent.
Their personal and joint histories prior to forming the company are well documented in many sources. Comparison with other records suggests only one discrepancy, but to historians it’s a whopper. The issue: where was Francis Pratt born and who can claim him as their own? Continue reading
In the year 2000, five years after Plattsburgh Air Force Base closed, Pratt & Whitney signed a lease, moved in, and set up shop on the former base property. Many jobs and residents had been lost in the air-base shutdown, making Pratt & Whitney a valued anchor business in the recovery effort.
Their arrival might have been a homecoming of sorts with historical significance, but persistent misinformation carried forward for more than a century appears to have robbed the region of an important link to the past. Continue reading
On Saturday, May 2, 2015 the Clinton County Historical Association and Museum in partnership with the City of Plattsburgh, SUNY Plattsburgh’s Center for the Study of Canada, and The Strand Center for the Arts will commemorate film legend Jean Arthur with an all day celebration beginning with the official unveiling of a plaque at her birthplace
Born Gladys Georgiana Greene on October 17, 1900 to Hubert and Hannah Greene, Jean Arthur and her family resided that day at 94 Oak Street and lived in Plattsburgh, NY from 1887 to 1903. She died in 1991. Continue reading