A New York Minute In History WAMC

For our season finale, Devin and Lauren tell the story of the Fox sisters, who rose to fame as early practitioners of modern spiritualism in the 19th Century. Margaretta and Catherine Fox were able to convince many people that they could commune with the dead, though they later admitted to making their stories up. Despite this, their form of “rapping” spiritualism exploded across the nation and beyond.  













Marker of Focus: The Fox Sisters, Newark, Wayne County









Guests: Tracy Murphy, executive director of the Historic Palmyra Museums; and David Stiles, former president of the Newark-Arcadia Historical Society



A New York Minute In History is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, the New York State Museum, and Archivist Media, with support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. This episode was produced by Jesse King. Our theme is “Begrudge” by Darby.











Further Reading:



Ann Braude, Radical Spirits: Spiritualism and Women’s Rights in Nineteenth-Century America



Amy Lehman, Victorian Women and the Theater of Trance: Mediums, Spiritualists and Mesmerists in Performance



Simone Natale, Supernatural Entertainments: Victorian Spiritualism and the Rise of Modern Media Culture



Barbara Weisberg, Talking to the Dead: Kate and Maggie Fox and the Rise of Spiritualism











Teaching Resources:



Adam Matthew Digital, Nature and Scope – Spiritualism, Sensation and Magic





















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Devin: Welcome to A New York Minute in History. I'm Devin lander, the New York state historian.







Lauren: And I'm Lauren Roberts, the historian for Saratoga County. Today we're going to be focusin

On this episode, Devin and Lauren tell the story of the Florence Farming and Lumber Association, a settlement of free African Americans in Oneida County beginning in 1846. The Association was the creation of abolitionists Gerrit Smith and Stephen Myers, and it developed on land given by Smith, who at the time was New York's largest landowner. The original idea for the settlement was to allow African American men to meet the threshold of owning at least $250 worth of property before they would have been allowed to vote, a restriction imposed upon them at the time by the New York state legislature. It was also seen as an opportunity to provide these men and their families the opportunity for self-sufficiency in a rural location. 













Marker of Focus: Florence, Oneida, Oneida County









Guests: Jessica Harney, Camden High School social studies teacher; Rebecca McLain, executive director of the Oneida County History Center; and Matt Kirk, principle investigator at Hartgen Archeological Associates



A New York Minute In History is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, the New York State Museum, and Archivist Media, with support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. This episode was produced by Jesse King. Our theme is “Begrudge” by Darby.











Further Reading: 



“New Historical Marker Planned at Site Oneida Abolitionist Bought for Black Families to Own,” Edward Harris, Observer-Dispatch, April 14, 2023.



From Slavery to a Bishopric, or, The Life of Bishop Walter Hawkins of the British Methodist Episcopal Church Canada, S.J. Celestine Edwards, 1891. Bishop Hawkins was one of the residents of the Florence Farming and Lumber Association before moving to Canada.



Practical Dreamer: Gerrit Smith and the Crusade for Social Reform, Norman K. Dann, 2009.



Information about Stephen Myers: https://www.albany.edu/arce/MyersXX.html











Teaching Resources:  



Consider the Source New York: Finding Florence



Columbia University Mapping the African American Past

























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Devin: Welcome to A New York Minute in History. I'm Devin Lander, the New York state historian.







Lauren: And I'm Lauren Roberts, the historian for Saratoga County. Today we're focusing on a marker located on Florence Hill Road in the town of Florence in Oneida County, which is in the central part of New York state. And the text reads: “Florence Farming Association existed here circa 1848-1860. Settlement of free Blacks promoted by Stephen Myers, other notable abolitionists. William G. Pomeroy Foundation, 2016.”



Now, the Florence Farming Association was a community of free Blacks established in the 1840s. And it may sound familiar to some of our listeners, who remember

On this episode, Devin and Lauren learn about an enclave of restaurants, bars and resorts that catered to predominately Latin American clientele near the Catskill Mountains. As more and more Latinos immigrated to New York City for work, they began to look to places outside the city for recreation and to connect with other Spanish-speaking tourists. By the mid-1950s there were 50 resorts in the Plattekill area that focused on Spanish-speaking visitors. 













Marker of Focus: Las Villas, Ulster County, Plattekill







Guests: Ismael “Ish” Martinez, author of Las Villas of Plattekill and Ulster County; Jimmy Castro, Founder/CEO of Ritmo Caribe Promotions and director of Back to Las Villas



A New York Minute In History is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, the New York State Museum, and Archivist Media, with support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. This episode was produced by Jesse King.  Our theme is “Begrudge” by Darby.







Further Reading: 



Ishmael “Ish” Martinez Jr., Las Villas of Plattekill and Ulster County



Christina Perez Jimenez and J. Bret Maney, The Latino Catskills Project



Sherrie Baver, Angelo Falcón and Gabriel Haslip-Viera (editors), Latinos in New York: Communities in Transition



Benjamin Lapidus, New York and the International Sound of Latin Music, 1940-1990







Teaching Resources:  



Columbia University Institute of Latin American Studies K-12 Outreach Program



National Endowment for the Humanities EDSITEment Hispanic and Latino Heritage and History in the United States



New-York Historical Society & El Museo del Barrio Nueva York Classroom Materials 



NYC Public Schools Hispanic Heritage Month





















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Devin: Welcome to A New York Minute in History. I'm Devin Lander, the New York state historian.







Lauren: And I'm Lauren Roberts, the historian for Saratoga County. On this episode, we'll be talking about a marker located in th

On this episode, Devin and Lauren tell the recently declassified story of a covert radio station built by the FBI on Long Island to deceive the Nazis during World War II. From 1942-1945, double agents worked in secret from a remote home in Suffolk County on the major operations "Bodyguard" and "Bluebird," and dug up information that some believe contributed to the United States' development of the atomic bomb. After the war, the Wading River Radio Station was taken apart by the FBI, but the house itself (then called "Owen Place," but now known as the "Benson House") is open to visitors at Camp DeWolfe. The property was listed in the National Register of Historic Places in 2018.









Marker of Focus: Wading River Radio Station, Wading River, Suffolk County









Guests: Dr. Raymond J. Batvinis, former supervisory special agent for the FBI now with the Institute of World Politics; Rev. Matthew Tees, executive director of Camp DeWolfe



A New York Minute In History is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, the New York State Museum, and Archivist Media, with support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. This episode was produced by Jesse King. Our theme is “Begrudge” by Darby.







Further Reading:



Raymond J. Batvinis, Hoover’s Secret War Against Axis Spies: FBI Counterespionage During World War II



Raymond J. Batvinis, The Origins of FBI Counterintelligence



Neil Kagan, The Secret History of World War II: Spies, Code Breakers, and Covert Operations 



Joshua Levine, Operation Fortitude: The True Story of the Key Spy Operation of WWII that Saved D-Day







Teaching Resources: 



International Spy Museum, Educator Resources



The National Law Enforcement Museum, Virtual Classes



The National WWII Museum,

On this episode, Devin and Lauren delve into the history of the Dutch patroon system in New York state, and tell the story of the anti-rent movement of the 19th Century, during which tenant farmers banded together to (sometimes, violently) oppose the outdated system. In the Albany County town of Berne, tenant delegates from 11 counties gathered for a formal Anti-Rent Convention in 1845.

















Marker of Focus: Anti-Rent Convention, Berne, Albany County







Guests: Dr. Charles McCurdy, author of Anti-Rent Era in New York Law and Politics, 1839-1865; and Sandra Kisselback, town of Berne historian



A New York Minute In History is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, the New York State Museum, and Archivist Media, with support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. This episode was produced by Jesse King, with help from intern Elizabeth Urbanczyk. Our theme is “Begrudge” by Darby.



This episode contains music created by Sean Riley. It also features the following pieces from the 2015 Old Songs production "Down with the Rent," including "The Farmer is the Man" (written by Knowles Shaw, 1834-1878; sung by Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner and company) and "We Will Be Free" (text by S.H. Foster; tune "The Boatman's Dance" sung by Terry Leonino and Greg Artzner and company).











Further Reading: 



Charles McCurdy, Anti-Rent Era in New York Law and Politics, 1839-1865 



Dorothy Kubik, A Free Soil- A Free People: The Anti-Rent War in Delaware County, New York 



Albert Champlin Mayham, The Anti-Rent War on Blenheim Hill: An Episode of the 40’s 







Teaching Resources:  



Consider the Source New York, Anti-Rent Senate Documents 



New York State Archives, Primary Source Inquiries, Anti-Rent Wars 

























Follow Along











Devin: Welcome to A New York Minute in History. I'm Devin Lander, the New York state historian.







Lauren: And I'm Lauren Roberts, the historian for Saratoga County. On today's episode, we're focusing on a historic marker located at 1728 Helderberg Trail in the town of Berne, which is located in Albany County. The marker stands in front of the Helderberg Evangelical Lutheran Church, and the text reads: “Anti-rent convention held here, January 15, 1845. Delegates from 11 counties petitioned state to end unjust land lease system. William G. Pomeroy Foundation, 2016.”



The church that the sign sits in front of is now called the Helderberg Evangelical Lutheran Church, but back in the late 1700s, it was referred to as St. Paul's Lutheran Church, and it played a really important role in the anti-rent movement. Before we start speaking specifically about why this anti-rent convention was important, let's give a little refresher about landownership in parts of New York's Hudson Valley, and explain why there was an anti-rent movement in the first place.

For Women's History Month, Devin and Lauren tell the story of Dr. Mary Walker: physician, heroine of the Civil War, and the only woman in history ever to be awarded the Medal of Honor. Born to progressive parents in western New York, Walker would defy the odds to become a surgeon, spy for the Union Army during the Civil War, and go toe-to-toe with prominent suffragists Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton. Walker is buried in the Oswego Rural Cemetery.













Marker of Focus: Rural Cemetery, Oswego, Oswego County









Guests: Dr. Theresa Kaminski, author of Dr. Mary Walker’s Civil War; and George DeMass, Oswego Town Historian



A New York Minute In History is a production of WAMC Northeast Public Radio, the New York State Museum, and Archivist Media, with support from the William G. Pomeroy Foundation. This episode was produced by Jesse King, with help from intern Elizabeth Urbanczyk. Our theme is “Begrudge” by Darby.











Further Reading:



Theresa Kaminski, Dr. Mary Walker’s Civil War: One Woman’s Journey to the Medal of Honor and the Fight for Women’s Rights



Sara Latta, I Could Not Do Otherwise: The Remarkable Life of Dr. Mary Edwards Walker



Thavolia Glymph, The Women’s Fight: The Civil War’s Battles for Home, Freedom, and Nation



Hillary Rodham Clinton and Chelsea Clinton, The Book of Gutsy Women












Teaching Resources:





Association of the U.S. Army, Medal of Honor Mary Walker



Junior Scholastic, Mary Walker’s War



Keith Negley, Mary Wears What She Wants







Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE) Credit: The New York State Museum is an approved provider of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE). Educators can earn CTLE credit (.5 hours) by listening to this episode and completing this survey. Please allow up to two weeks to receive co