Programs planned on state’s history
From women’s rights to old watercraft to historical newspapers and a dramatic escape from slavery, State Museum, Library and Archives programs will celebrate New York State History Month in November.
As well as the familyfriendly programs, a model of the first statue in New York City’s Central Park that depicts women will be on display in the museum’s West Corridor beginning Tuesday and running to March 31.
To mark the 101st anniversary of women’s suffrage in the state, the Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony statue will be unveiled in Central Park in 2020. In 2013, longtime women’s rights activists Pam
Elam and Coline Jenkins formed the Statue Fund to create the statue.
Here are free programs in November at the Cultural Education Center 222 Madison Ave., Albany:
Nov. 4: 1 p.m., The Return of Cornplanter’s Tomahawk
In 1792 a pipe tomahawk was gifted to the great Seneca leader Cornplanter by George Washington and became part of the Museum’s collections in 1850. After being stolen for nearly 70 years, the pipe tomahawk returned to the State Museum in June 2018 thanks to the generosity of an anonymous collector.
Nov. 8: 3 p.m. Walking tour, genealogy resources. Join a tour highlighting published genealogies, local histories, church records, Daughters of the American Revolution records, census records, newspapers on microfilm, city directories and more. Space is limited; registration is required. Register by calling 518-474-2274. Also at 11 a.m. Nov. 17.
Nov. 10 :1to3p.m.,reception and tour of “The Historic Woodstock Art Colony: The Arthur A. Anderson Collection Exhibition.” Exhibition tour at 2 p.m. led by curator Karen Quinn.
Nov. 11: 2 to 4 p.m. “Remembering New York’s Colonial Past through Archaeology, History and Art” Presentation and Panel Discussion. With William Starna, professor emeritus of anthropology at SUNY Oneonta; Paul Huey, retired senior archaeologist at the state Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation; and Albany artist Len Tantillo.
Nov. 13 :7p.m.readings of America’s Founding Documents and Talk with Alexander Heffner.
Community members take the stage to read memorable lines from America’s founding documents. At 7:30 p.m., talk by Alexander Heffner, host of the PBS talk show, The Open Mind, and coauthor of the 2018 revised version of A Documentary History of the United States. Organized by the New York State Writers Institute.
Nov. 15 :7to9p.m., Staged Reading of “Possessing Harriet.” Organized by SUNY Albany. Full reading of the play, followed by a Q&A session. In 1839, Harriet Powell, a young, mixedrace, enslaved woman slips away from a hotel in Syracuse, escaping from the Southerner who owns her. With the aid of
a mysterious free black man named Thomas Leonard, Harriet finds temporary safe harbor in an attic room at the home of impassioned abolitionist Gerrit Smith. With the slave catchers in pursuit, Harriet spends the hours before her nighttime departure on the dangerous journey to Canada in the company of Smith’s young cousin Elizabeth Cady. “Harriet is forced to the precipice of radical self-reimagination and a reckoning with the heartrending cost of freedom.”
Nov. 17 :11a.m.and1 p.m. Tour of “Enterprising Waters: New York’s Erie Canal.”
Nov. 20: 12:10 p.m. Brain Food for the Curious: Early Watercraft in the Northeast. Includes a 20-minute talk followed by a Q&A period; visitors are welcome to bring a lunch.
Nov. 24 :11a.m.to2 p.m. Thanksgiving with Tom the Turkey. Fun crafts, games, storytell- ing and more with your favorite animals found in New York.
Nov. 28: 3:30 p.m. Historical Newspapers Online at the State Library. Learn about the online databases available at the State Library that contain full-text historical newspapers. How to find and access digital newspapers freely available online. Space is limited; registration is required. Call 518474-2274.
The Archives will exhibit the original New York State constitution, adopted in Kingston in 1777, on Nov. 15 from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Matthewis Persen House, 74 John St. in Kingston in commemoration of the 200th anniversary of Ulster County’s courthouse.
Call 518-474-5877 or visit the museum website for more information.