Events
For a comprehensive state-wide list of events related to NYS 250 commemorations and celebrations please visit iloveny.com/America-250
Submit your 250th Commemoration Event! If your historic or heritage organization has a 250th themed event planned submit it to I LOVE NY's Path Through History Program. Click the link below for submission details and criteria.
iloveny.com/America-250-Submit
Upcoming 250th Events
Benjamin Franklin Was Here, 1776 Exhibit
On Display 5/23-9/27/26 | Chapman Museum | Glens Falls, NY
Learn More: https://www.frontenacmuseum.org/programs
Putnam County Heroes Battle the Redcoats!: 2026 Putnam County Revolutionary War Day
6/6/26, 9:00am | Putnam County Veterans Memorial Park (Upper Park) | Carmel Hamlet, NY
Learn More: https://www.5thny.org/event-details/2026-putnam-county-rev-war-day
Freedom Festival: America's 250th Comes to the Bristol Hills
6/13/26-6/14/26, 9:00am | Levi Corser Park | Canandaigua, NY
Learn More: https://bristolhillshistory.org/freedomfestival2026
Declaring America: 1776 and Beyond
Exhibit Opens 6/13/26 | New York Public Library (Stephen A. Schwarzman Building) | New York, NY
Learn More: https://www.nypl.org/events/exhibitions/declaring-america-1776-beyond-preview
Martin Klotz, author, to Speak at Crown Point State Historic Site
6/14/26, 1:00pm | Crown Point State Historic Site | Crown Point, NY
Learn More: https://www.lakechamplainregion.com/node/88237
Schenectady County "4th on the Third" Independence Day Celebration
7/3/26, 6:00pm | Mabee Farm Historic Site | Rotterdam Junction, NY
Learn More: https://schenectadyhistorical.org/event/july326/
Sail the 4th 250
7/4/26, time varies by location | Locations vary
Learn More: https://sail4th.org/
America's Potluck
7/5/26, time varies by location | Locations vary
Learn More: https://america250.utah.gov/americaspotluck/
Town of Lodi Bicentennial Celebration
8/1/26, 10:00am | Lodi, NY
Learn More: http://www.lodihistoricalsociety.com/home.html
2026 Chautauqua County History Expo - America 250
8/2/26, 10:00am | Town of Chautauqua Community Municipal Building | Mayville, NY
The Suffolk County 250th Commemorative Fair
10/24/26, 10:00am | The Manor of St. George | Shirley, NY
Learn More: https://www.suffolk250.org/
The American Revolution in the Hudson Highlands
On Display Through 12/26 | Putnam History Museum | Cold Spring, NY
Learn More: https://www.putnamhistorymuseum.org/exhibitions-2/current/
The World Turned Upside Down - 250 Years After the American Revolution
On Display Through 12/26 | YCHC L. Caroline Underwood Museum | Penn Yan, NY
Learn More: http://www.yatespast.org/exhibit.html
USA 250: Celebrating the American Vision Exhibit
On Display 1/20/26-12/15/26 | Castellani Art Museum at Niagara University | Niagara University, NY
Learn More: https://castellaniartmuseum.org/
The Battle of Brooklyn: Fought and Remembered
On Display Through 12/31/26 | Brooklyn Public Library | Brooklyn, NY
Learn More: https://www.bklynlibrary.org/exhibitions/battle-brooklyn-fought
Dive into the fascinating world of ichthyology with this rare, behind-the-scenes tour of the New York State Museum’s Fish Lab, led by Curator of Ichthyology Dr. Jeremy Wright. Explore how cutting-edge genetic techniques, ecological surveys, and museum collections are reshaping our understanding of freshwater biodiversity in New York—and far beyond. Learn how Dr. Wright’s research is uncovering hidden species, tracking the impacts of pollution and invasive species, and helping scientists better understand the diversity and evolution of fish communities across the region. This off-site experience offers a unique chance to see where science meets discovery and to ask questions in an active research setting not normally open to the public.
Space is limited—advance registration required.
Register for The NYSM Icthyology Lab Tour
The First Peoples entered what we now call New York during the Ice Age, shortly after 13,000 years ago. They encountered a subarctic climate with bitterly cold winters and recently deglaciated landscapes populated by mammoth, mastodon, and other Ice Age animals. The archaeological sites of these earliest Native Americans tell us they were mobile hunter-gatherers who traversed the New York region during their seasonal travels. But because of New York’s acidic soils, the bones of the animals they hunted to survive are usually not preserved. Join Dr. Jonathan Lothrop, Curator of Archaeology, to hear about protein residues tests on Ice Age tools that offers the first archaeological evidence for hunting. These results shed new and surprising light on the prey species and lifeways of the First Peoples of New York.
Drop in, get creative, and leave with your own work of art! In this hands-on, all-ages experience, local artists-in-residence at Arlene’s Artist Materials, Casey Beal and Ottavia Huang, invite you to explore watercolor painting and block printing inspired by objects and stories from the museum’s collections. With no experience needed, this relaxed, come-and-go activity is perfect for curious beginners, families, and seasoned creatives alike. Experiment with color, texture, and pattern as you transform simple materials into something uniquely your own. Stop by for a few minutes or stay awhile. Your masterpiece awaits!
Black History Resources
African American history is New York State history. We invite you to explore this resource page offering access to powerful objects from our History and Archaeology collections, educational tools for teachers and caregivers, online and in-gallery exhibitions, videos, and more. These resources are essential for deepening our understanding of the past, honoring the stories of Black New Yorkers, and supporting meaningful learning for all ages.
A new exhibition, Fashion and Faith, is the centerpiece of our Black History Month observance for February 2026. It will be on view from February 14 through July 19, 2026.
NYSM Exhibitions
Fashion and Faith: Hats of the Great Migration
Opening February 14, 2026
Discover the stories of Black women whose faith, resilience, and leadership shaped Albany during the Great Migration (1910–1970). Through 24 remarkable church hats, this exhibition reveals personal journeys of dignity, community, and hope that anchored Black life in New York’s Capital Region.
Southern Life, Northern City: The History of Albany’s Rapp Road Community
Online Panel Exhibit: Discover the Story of Resilience and Community
This panel exhibit explores the remarkable origins of the Rapp Road Community in Albany, New York. Born from the courage and determination of families who journeyed north from Mississippi during the Great Migration, the Rapp Road Community stands as a testament to hope, heritage, and the pursuit of a better life.
Brought to life by the New York State Museum, under the direction of Dr. Jennifer Lemak, Chief Curator of History, in collaboration with the Rapp Road Historical Association, this project honors the enduring legacy of those who built a thriving community against the backdrop of a changing America.
In the Spotlight
New Acquisition: Iconic Wartime Labor Portrait of George Williams
Learn how a focused foundry worker at Rochester’s Symington-Gould plant became the face of Western New York’s wartime production—and a powerful symbol of America’s fight abroad and at home.
The Private Fred Thomas Collection
Explore this collection of documents, photos, and V-mail letters highlighting the service of Private Fred Thomas and the experiences of his wife, Josie, on the WWII Home Front, offering a unique glimpse into the life of an African American serviceman during the war.
NY Minute in History Podcast: Patriot Burial Markers - Ormsbee Cemetery and the First Rhode Island Regiment
Discover the incredible story the legendary Rhode Island Regiment, a multiracial combat regiment that served through the entirety of the American Revolution.
On View at the NYSM
Timbuctoo: Gerrit Smith’s Experiment
Discover the history of Timbuctoo, a little-known Black settlement near Lake Placid, New York, established in 1846 by abolitionist Gerrit Smith in hopes of securing voting rights for the 3,000 black men who settled there. The exhibition features a short video by filmmaker Paul A. Miller about the insurmountable challenges its settlers faced as they fought to establish their unique community amidst New York's Adirondack mountains.
View Exhibit Information:
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/news/timbuctoo-gerrit-smiths-experiment
Related Resources for Educators:
CTLE (from WMHT):
https://www.wmht.org/education/ctle/
Consider the Source (from NYS Archives):
https://considerthesourceny.org/featured-collections/learning-activities-diversity-and-collaborative-knowledge-program/northern-new-york-learning-activities-diversity-and-collaborative-knowledge-program
Black Capital: Harlem in the 1920s
Discover the rich and diverse culture of Harlem, New York, in the 1920s and 1930s.
Museum Resources and Research
Past Exhibition: The Power of the Homestead
This exhibition told the story of the Powell family, beginning with Thomas and Betty Powell, a couple that had been enslaved by the Fonda and Lansing families near Boght Corners north of Albany, NY. Thomas, Betty, and their descendants maintained the ownership of a homestead and farm for 140 years while experiencing triumph, tragedy, success, and loss.
The First Step to Freedom: The Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation Educator’s Guide (PDF)
This guide was developed around President Abraham Lincoln’s Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation of 1862, a draft of which is in the collections of the New York State Library.
Fifteenth Amendment: Educational Activities
This online guide includes several object-inquiry activities. By exploring primary source materials around the topic of national enfranchisement of Black American men through the ratification of the 15th Amendment, students will develop a better understanding of the context surrounding this important step in America’s history.
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/fifteenth-amendment
Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s Address to the New York State Civil War Centennial Commission
View information and download educator guides designed to provide strategies and resources for teaching about the Civil Rights movement and Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr.
Video & History:
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/mlk-1962-address
Educator's Guide:
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/sites/default/files/mlk-educatorsguide.pdf
Open Wounds: The Fifty-Year Legacy of the Attica Prison Uprising
This exhibition seeks to present the various viewpoints of the September 1971 Attica prison uprising and its aftermath. It will also discuss the wider impacts of the event and create a dialogue as to why this story is important fifty years later.
Exhibit Information & Video:
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/open-wounds-attica-prison-uprising
View/Download Panels (PDF):
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/common/nysm/files/attica_panels_a.pdf
Schuyler Flatts Burial Ground
In 2005, the discovery of human remains during construction in Colonie, NY, offered a unique view of slavery in rural colonial America. Learn more about the history of the Schuyler Flatts Burial Ground. http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/archaeology/bioarchaeology/research/schuyler-flatts-burial-ground Classroom Resource: Forgotten Bones: Uncovering a Slave Cemetery by archaeologist and children’s author, Lois Miner Huey, offers an informative and age appropriate look into the work of archaeologists as they “pieced together the truth” around the individuals whose human remains archaeologists discovered at Schuyler Flatts. Huey compares archaeological research with the historical record to show how different forms of evidence are needed to create a better picture of the lives of the people enslaved at Schuyler Flatts. Forgotten Bones helps younger readers learn about the enslavement of people in New York, the different types of primary resources available to learn about people who were enslaved, and how archaeology can help tell the story of those who were enslaved.
Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow
Black Citizenship in the Age of Jim Crow details the national story of the struggle for Black equality after the end of slavery and through the Jim Crow era. A link is provided to the Educator's Guide created by the New-York Historical Society website.
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/exhibitions/black-citizenship-age-jim-crow(link is external)
Additional Resources from the Office of Cultural Education
State-wide Black History Month Events
Discover Black History Month events happening across New York State with this comprehensive list from the Office of State History.
New York State Library
The NYS Library maintains several collections related to Black history in New York State, from the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation through the Harlem Renaissance, and more in between. Ask a Librarian for help with exploring Black history at the NYS Library! You're making history, too, and the NYS Library wants to hear from you! Is there a Black artist, writer, scientist, friend, or family member who has inspired you? Share your story!
NYSL Talking Book & Braille Library
Resources about Black History are available at your library! The NYS Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) is a free library service for eligible residents of upstate New York who are unable to use standard print materials due to a visual, physical, or reading disability. The TBBL collection is similar to what’s found in a large public library, including popular fiction and nonfiction titles, as well as informational and recreational materials for all ages and tastes. Learn more about TBBL services and sign up at their website!
New York State Archives
For New York State Educators! Discover a continuously expanding collection of document-based activities created by the Archives Partnership Trust and teachers around the state through Consider the Source Online: Teaching with Historical Records.
For Black History Month, connect your students with ready-to-use archival resources and learning activities aligned with the NYS Learning Standards:
https://considerthesourceny.org/featured-collections/black-history-month-resources
On Display
In celebration of Black History Month and Women’s History Month, the NYS Archives presents, Opening the Airways. This display will feature documents, photographs, and ephemera from the State Commission Against Discrimination highlighting the stories of aspiring Black female flight attendants who fought to break the color barrier in the sky. Records will be on view in the 11th floor lobby of the Cultural Education Center throughout the months of February and March.
PBS
Learn more about Black culture and history in New York State and beyond with PBS Learning Media. The variety of multimedia support materials for the classroom are suited for grades PK–12.
https://ny.pbslearningmedia.org/shared/1165858/6602361
View Online:
WMHT | North to New York
https://www.wmht.org/north-to-new-york/
WSKG | North to Freedom
https://www.wskg.org/north-to-freedom
Discover more about the historical and archaeological artifacts featured in the banner above. View all »
NYSM Videos & CTLE
About NYSM CTLE Credits
The New York State Museum is an approved provider of Continuing Teacher and Leader Education (CTLE). Educators can earn 2 hours of CTLE credit by watching the webinar and completing the surveys linked below each video. Please allow up to two weeks to receive confirmation of completion. View all available CTLE from the NYSM.
In The News
Painter and collagist Romare Bearden (1911–1988) favored subjects related to jazz throughout his career. Influenced by music in his work, among other things, Bearden visually evokes the lively qualities of jazz in this image using brilliant color and layered forms. Created in 1980, this hand-colored etching titled Jazz is now part of the New York State Museum Collection.
Romare Bearden
Jazz, 1980
Hand-colored etching
NYSM Collection, H-1981.29.1
A New York Minute in History Podcast
Plymouth Freeman and Unfinished Revolutions
Explore the story of Plymouth Freeman, a black Patriot who served in the Continental Army during the American Revolution, and the role the Declaration of Independence's principles of freedom and equality continue to play in disenfranchised communities.
The Florence Farming Association
This episode tells the story of the Florence Farming and Lumber Association, a settlement of free African Americans in Oneida Count that began in 1846. The Association was the creation of abolitionists Gerrit Smith and Stephen Myers, and was developed on land given by Smith, who at the time was New York’s largest landowner.
Aaron Mossell and the Struggle to Integrate Lockport’s Schools
Discover the contributions of the Mossell family in western New York, and their efforts to successfully integrate the Niagara County city of Lockport’s public schools in the late 19th century — nearly 80 years before legal segregation ended nationwide.
Ithaca’s Tuskegee Airman
Discover the stories of New Yorkers who served in WWII as part of the legendary Tuskegee Airmen, an all-Black group of pilots serving in the then still-segregated U.S. Army on the latest episode of A New York Minute In History.
Listen to the Podcast: Ithaca’s Tuskegee Airman
Educators: Online CTLE Form for Tuskegee Airman
Rapp Road and the Great Migration
Hosts Devin and Lauren delve into the history of Albany County’s Rapp Road Community, an African American neighborhood built by southern immigrants who moved north for a better life in the late 1920s.
Spirits of Sacrifice
Explore the lives of Henry Johnson and Tommy Hitchcock Jr., World War I heroes with ties to New York. Through interviews with family members, historians, and others, we follow Johnson and Hitchcock to the trenches and airfields of Europe and beyond.
Slavery in New York and Resistance to It
This episode explores slavery in New York and specifically the resistance to the institution, including the Underground Railroad. Co-hosts Devin Lander and Lauren Roberts speak with area experts and tour a historic home in Albany that is living a new life as a museum depicting the history of its previous occupants.
Discovering Timbuctoo
Devin and Lauren dive into the history of Timbuctoo, an African American settlement founded by philanthropist Gerrit Smith in response to an 1846 law requiring all Black men to own $250 worth of property in order to vote in New York state. To counter this racist policy, Smith decided to give away 120,000 acres of land to 3,000 free, Black New Yorkers, hoping to enable them to move out of cities and work the land to its required value.
Articles, Publications, and Additional Research
Advancement Comes Slowly: African American Employment in Rochester, New York During the Great Migration
http://www.jstor.org/stable/23185087
Science Tuesday: Uncovering Commeraw Stoneware
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/archaeology/historical-ar...
Science Tuesday: The Power of a Closer Look - Unearthing Personal Possessions of Enslaved African Americans
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/archaeology/historical-ar...
Collaborative field schools completed at Ten Broeck Mansion in Albany's Arbor Hill neighborhood
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/archaeology/historical-ar...
Slaves Rescued in Utica
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/state-history/notes/slave...
Betsey Prince Site
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/archaeology/historical-ar...(link is external)
The Archaeology of Slavery in the Hudson River Valley
http://www.nysm.nysed.gov/research-collections/archaeology/historical-ar...
Welcome to the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission
COMMISSION MEETING:
PUBLIC NOTICE
NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, NYS Education Department
In accordance with § 104 of the Public Officers Law, notice is hereby given of the upcoming meeting of New York State 250th Commemoration Commission from 10:00 AM to 12:00 PM on Thursday, June 11, 2026.
Hancock Center, President's Boardroom
Marist University
3399 North Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
The meeting agenda will be posted on the Commission’s website.
The meeting is open to the public and the public can attend the meeting directly at either location above. A live video stream will be available for the public via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86930713529?pwd=jlhAc6DG9F2qKky6bU4tb8Ia3lVFZC.1
Passcode: 8Ai9MM
For further information, contact: Daniel Mackay. NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, P.O. Box 189, Waterford, NY 12188-0189. Email: daniel.mackay@parks.ny.gov, and/or
Devin R. Lander, New York State Historian, Cultural Education Center, Room 3023, Albany, NY 12230. Email: Devin.Lander@nysed.gov
Past Commission Meeting recordings can be viewed here:
March 18, 2026 Virtual with Multiple In-Person Sites
December 10, 2025 Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, Harlem, NY
September 10, 2025 New York State Education Department, Albany, NY
August 12, 2025 Virtual with Multiple In-Person Sites
June 3, 2025 Queens Library at Flushing, Queens, NY
March 12, 2025 Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, Yonkers, NY
May 15, 2024 Huxley Theater, New York State Museum, Albany, NY
October 23, 2024 Ganondagan State Historic Site, Victor, NY
2026 will mark the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, the foundational document of the revolution that occurred between 1775 and 1783 and resulted in the creation of the United States of America. What is now the State of New York played an immense and vital role in both the Revolutionary Era and the subsequent 250 years of American history. On February 24, 2022, Governor Kathy Hochul signed into law the “New York State 250th Commemoration Act” which establishes a state commission to facilitate the planning and development of the commemoration of the 250th in New York State. This bill was introduced in the State Assembly by Assemblymember Carrie Woerner and in the State Senate by Senator Shelly Mayer and passed both houses of the legislature unanimously. The 250th Commemoration Act draws particular notice to the potential of the 250th commemoration to consider both the complexity of the American Revolution itself and the continuing struggle to achieve the ideals of the Revolution that at the time excluded a large portion of the population.
New York State’s 250th commemoration will seek to highlight and commemorate not just the roles of New York’s citizens during the Revolutionary War, but also the subsequent 250 years of action toward the ideals of our nation’s founding principles. Through exhibitions, events, public programs, and publications, the 250th commemoration will focus on the revolutionary actions of New Yorkers and the ever-evolving process by which they have fought to bring the nation closer to its founding principles.
This website is dedicated to New York State's Commemoration of the 250th and contains information, events, news, and resources about both the commemoration itself and New York’s role in American history. It is a living document and will be added to regularly.
Let Us Know...
If your organization is planning any events or has any other relevant information related to New York's role in the Revolution or the subsequent struggle over the concepts of civil rights, liberty, and equality, please contact the Office of State History at NYS250@nysed.gov
Stand with us as we continue the work begun in 1776- because the story of the Revolution is the story of all New Yorkers, and its legacy is ours to carry forward.
Please consider making a tax deductible donation to help to ensure our past has a future. Invest in the journey: www.nysarchivestrust.org/ways-to-give/revolutionary-new-york-250
This website is dedicated to New York State's Commemoration of the 250th and contains information, events, news, and resources about both the commemoration itself and New York’s role in American history. It is a living document and will be added to regularly.
The New York State 250th Commemoration Commission
The New York State 250th Commemoration Commission was established under the New York State 250th Commemoration Act, Section 14.12 (Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (PAR) CHAPTER 36-B, TITLE C, Article 14).
CONTACT INFORMATION
Devin Lander, New York State Historian
New York State Education Department, Office of Cultural Education
Office of State History
Daniel Mackay, Deputy Commissioner for Historic Preservation & Deputy State Historic Preservation Officer
New York State Office of Parks, Recreation, and Historic Preservation, Division of Historic Preservation
Mailing address:
Office of State History, 222 Madison Avenue, Room 3023, Albany, NY 12230
Website: https://www.nysm.nysed.gov/revolutionary-ny-250/revolutionary-research
The powers, functions, and duties of the New York State 250th Commemoration Commission include:
- Develop plans to promote and coordinate activities to commemorate the two hundred fiftieth anniversary of the American Revolution
- Include heritage organizations as the focal points for the commemoration;
- Coordinate forums across the state to seek ideas from the public on the commemoration including how New Yorkers, American and those from other countries may celebrate the anniversary;
- Coordinate activities with civic, educational and heritage organizations to develop public interest and involvement in the planning and development of the commemoration;
- Promote and encourage educational outreach programs using media and technology including electronic communications to achieve national and international impact
- Coordinate the planning of commemorative events for all interest communities throughout the state;
- Invite other interested states and nations to participate in programs and events for the commemoration;
- Coordinate and promote the holdings of meetings, conference, seminars and conventions in interested communities using such anniversary as an attraction and theme;
- Coordinate and promote the holding of community engagement and educational events in interested communities using such anniversary as an attraction and theme;
- Seek funding from private individuals, foundations and corporations to support capital improvements, preservation and conservation needs associated with events and sites commemorating such anniversary;
- Coordinate and cooperate with state entities and tourist promotion agencies;
- Coordinate and cooperate with local, state and federal entities including those relating to heritage are promotion and any federal commission created to participate in planning and development of the anniversary;
- Set goals and benchmarks for the work of the commission.
MEMBERS AND PROCEEDINGS
The New York State 250th Commemoration Commission meets quarterly at designated locations posted in advance of the meeting at publicly accessible venues.
MEMBERSHIP INFORMATION
The Board consists of 21 members as listed below. Members consist of the Commissioner of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, the Commissioner of Education, the President and Chief Executive Officer of Empire State Development, The Commissioner of the Office of General Services, the Secretary of State, the Chair of the Council for the Arts, and the Director of the Canal Corporation (or their designees) as well as four members appointed by the governor, three appointed by the temporary president of the Senate, three appointed by the Speaker of the Assemble, one appointed by the Minority Leader of the Senate, and one appointed by the Minority Leader of the Assembly, and the New York State Historian. The majority of the members that make up the commission shall have a professional background in the fields of local government historian, academic historian, museum professional, social studies teacher or professor, tourism professional, archeologist, anthropologist, or other field of New York State history or historic preservation, or volunteer fundraising experience.
The members serve without compensation but are allowed the necessary and actual expenses incurred in the performance of their duties. Estimated expenses below are based on travel expenses between the member's home and the meeting venue, which rotates between publicly accessible meeting places throughout the state.
NEW YORK STATE 250TH COMMEMORATION COMMISSION MEETINGS
2026
Upcoming
- June 11, 2026 | Marist University, Poughkeepsie, NY
- Livestream: The meeting is open to the public and the public can attend the meeting directly at either location above. A live video stream will be available for the public via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86930713529?pwd=jlhAc6DG9F2qKky6bU4tb8Ia3lVFZC.1
Passcode: 8Ai9MM
- Livestream: The meeting is open to the public and the public can attend the meeting directly at either location above. A live video stream will be available for the public via Zoom: https://us06web.zoom.us/j/86930713529?pwd=jlhAc6DG9F2qKky6bU4tb8Ia3lVFZC.1
Past
2026
- March 18, 2026 | Multiple Locations:
- Nassau BOCES Barry CTE Center, Westbury, NY
- Monroe One Center, Pittsford, NY
- Cultural Education Center, 7th Floor, Albany, NY
- View the Livestream (March 18, 2026 Commission Meeting)
- NYS 250 Agenda 03_18_2026.pdf (87.97 KB)
Past
2025
- December 10, 2025 | Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York, NY
- September 10, 2025 | New York State Department of Education, Albany, NY
» Download Meeting Agenda (September 10, 2025 NY250 Commission Meeting) (PDF)
» View the Livestream (September 10, 2025 NY250 Commission Meeting)
August 12, 2025 | Virtually and In-Person at the following locations:
- New York State Department of Education: 89 Washington Ave, Room EB 5A/B, Albany, NY
- Erie 1 BOCES: 355 Harlem Road, Room A-3, West Seneca, NY
- The Gotham Center for New York City History: 365 5th Ave #6103, The Skylight Room, New York, NY
- Southern Westchester BOCES: 450 Mamaroneck Ace, Third Floor Windward Room, Harrison, NY
- Eastern Suffolk BOCES: 201 Sunrise Highway, Patchogue, NY
- » Download Meeting Agenda (August 12, 2025 NY250 Commission Meeting) (PDF)
» View the Livestream (August 12, 2025 NY250 Commission Meeting)
- June 3, 2025 | Queens Library at Flushing, Queens, NY
» Download Meeting Agenda (June 3, 2025 NY250 Commission Meeting) (PDF)
» View the Livestream (June 3, 2025 NY250 Commission Meeting)
- March 12, 2025 | Philipse Manor Hall State Historic Site, Yonkers, NY
» View the Livestream (March 12, 2025 NY250 Commission Meeting)
2024
- October 23, 2024 | Ganondagan State Historic Site, Victor, NY
» Download Meeting Agenda (October 23, 2024 NY250 Commission Meeting)
» View the Livestream (October 23, 2024 NY250 Commission Meeting) (Webex)
- May 15, 2024 | Huxley Theater, New York State Museum, Albany
» Download Minutes (May 15, 2024 NY250 Commission Meeting) (PDF)
» Download Meeting Agenda (May 15, 2024 NY250 Commission Meeting) (PDF)
» View the Livestream (May 15, 2024 NY250 Commission Meeting) (YouTube)
COMMISSION MEMBERS
Ex-Officio State Agency Members
-Dr. Betty Rosa, 250th Commission Co-Chair, Commissioner, State Education Department
-Kathy Moser, 250th Commission Co-Chair, Acting Commissioner, Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
-Hope Knight, President and Chief Executive, Empire State Development
-Jeanette Moy, Commissioner, Office of General Services
-Walter Mosely, Secretary of State, Department of State
-Cristyne Nicholas, Chair, New York State Tourism Advisory Council
-Erika Mallin, Executive Director and Acting Chair, Council for the Arts
-Ben Walsh, Director, Canal Corporation
-Devin Lander, New York State Historian
Appointees of the Governor
-Dr. Louise Mirrer, President and CEO, New-York Historical Society
-Steve Israel, Director, Cornell University Institute of Politics and Global Affairs
-Marie Salerno, Founding President and CEO, National Parks of New York Harbor Conservancy
-Barbaralee Diamonstein-Spielvogel, Trustee, City University of New York
Appointees of the Temporary President of the Senate
-Joy Bivins, Director, Schomburg Center for Research in Black Culture, New York Public Library
-Constance M. Kehoe, President, Revolutionary Westchester 250
-Rich Pyszczek, President, Niagara Frontier Council for the Social Studies
Appointees of the Speaker of the Assembly
-Dr. Georgette Grier-Key, Executive Director and Chief Curator, Eastville Community Historical Society
-Lauren Roberts, Saratoga County Historian and Chair of the Saratoga County 250th Commission
-David Allen, Senior Lecturer, Department of Humanities, SUNY Maritime
Appointee of the Minority Leader of the Senate
-Barbara Russell, Town of Brookhaven Historian
Appointee of the Minority Leader of the Assembly
-Lisa Romano Moore, Executive Director, Onondaga Historical Association
The New York State America 250 logo is trademarked. It can be used for official commission business. The logo for New York State’s America 250 Commemoration can be used:
1) By the New York State 250th Commission for any official communication or activities;
2) By any New York State agency in connection with any 250th commemoration activity or event;
3) By any school, college, university or other not for profit educational organization in New York State for educational purposes with students; and
4) In connection with any event accepted for inclusion on New York State’s America 250 commemoration calendar on iloveny.com, nysed.gov or nysm.nysed.gov by either an official county historian, an officially designated New York Tourism Promotion Agency or the organization hosting the event. The logo may be used only for promotional activities in connection with the event itself and not to promote other events not on the commemoration calendar nor to promote an organization or attraction more generally.
The logo may not be used on items for sale, other than on items authorized by the New York State 250th Commission. Any other use by any entity outside of New York State government must be authorized in writing in advance by the New York State Education Department, New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation or the New York State Division of Tourism at Empire State Development. Requests and questions may be directed to NYS250@nysed.gov.
PAST COMMISSION MEETINGS
Curious about New York's past? Come uncover the stories behind the state's history— one document at a time! Join us every Thursday at 11:00 a.m. for "Ask an Archivist" at the New York Museum. Each session offers a peek into New York State’s rich and surprising history through carefully chosen original documents, photographs, and videos. An expert archivist will be on hand to share stories, answer your questions, and reveal how we uncover and preserve the past. You never know what fascinating piece of history you’ll discover!
Freedom Train
Discover a selection of documents from the Revolutionary War and beyond promoting New York's heritage of freedom.
Join the New York State Library for a fun and interactive storytime adventure at the New York State Museum! Enjoy engaging stories, interactive readings, and a chance to spark your child’s love for books and imagination.
Dive into the world of archives with New York Archives Jr! magazine. Each week, we'll explore a fun learning activity inspired by an issue of New York Archives Jr!, where kids will discover fascinating history, analyze primary sources, and engage with interactive projects!
Expedition Dinosaur: Rise of the Mammals
Journey through one of the most dramatic turning points in Earth’s history—the extinction of the dinosaurs and the rise of mammals. Combining life-sized animatronics, immersive environments, fossils, and interactive experiences, this exhibition explores prehistoric life before and after the mass extinction event 66 million years ago. Visitors will encounter creatures ranging from Tyrannosaurus rex and Quetzalcoatlus to early mammals such as Loxolophus and Triisodon, while hands-on activities like the “Fossil Dig,” “Fossil Scanner,” augmented reality sandbox, and “Dinosaur Draw Alive” encourage exploration and discovery for visitors of all ages. The exhibition’s centerpiece, the immersive “Asteroid Experience,” uses 360-degree light and sound effects to recreate the catastrophic event that reshaped life on Earth and ushered in the age of mammals.
Through paleontology, evolution, and interactive discovery, Expedition Dinosaur: Rise of the Mammals®, created and distributed by Stage Nine Design, invites visitors to explore how the end of one era transformed life on Earth and paved the way for another.
Governor Hochul and Commissioner Rosa Announce Grand Opening of First Kids Zone Exhibit at the New York State Museum
Join us for a one-hour drop-in session where objects, ideas, and questions come together. Get hands-on and see where your curiosity takes you—right inside the Museum’s collections and stories.
1. Partners in Work & Life
Artifacts:
Photographs by Berenice Abbott for Changing New York
Where to find them:
Here is New York
In 1929, after eight years living in Europe, photographer Berenice Abbott (1898–1991) returned to New York City. From 1935 to 1965, she lived and worked together with her partner, art critic Elizabeth McCausland (1899–1965) at 50 Commerce Street in Manhattan.
Abbott was inspired by New York City's dramatic transformation and was determined to capture this momentous change in photographs. In 1935, with the support of the Federal Art Project, Abbott was able to devote her full energies to creating what she called Changing New York. The collection of photographs documenting “the diverse people of the city, the places they live, work and play, and their daily activities” was completed by 1940. Text to accompany Abbott’s photographs was written by McCausland.
In addition to Abbott’s work documenting New York City, she was also a successful portrait photographer and took portraits of several lesbian and bisexual women, including writers Janet Flanner, Djuna Barnes, Jane Heap, and Margaret Anderson, and poet Edna St. Vincent Millay.
2. A Queer-Friendly Beach
Artifact: The A-Train
Where to find it: Metropolis on the Move
On the sign on the side of the A-train, you will see its downtown terminus—Rockaway Park, Queens. Adjacent to Rockaway Park, is Jacob Riis Park. The beach at Jacob Riis Park, now known as the People’s Beach, was redesigned under the direction of NYC Parks Commissioner Robert Moses in the 1930s. The redesign focused on the beach’s easy accessibility by both public transportation and cars, and it was considered a “more democratic” version of Jones Beach.
Above Left: A group of Lesbian women at Riis Park, mid 1960s. (Courtesy Lesbian Herstory Archives)
Above Right: Emma Van Cott (front) and Ernestine Eckstein, leader of the NY chapter of the first national Lesbian organization “Daughters Of Bilitis,” at Riis Park, 1965. (Courtesy Lesbian Herstory Archives)
In the 1940s, the easternmost end of Jacob Riis Park Beach became a destination for gay men, and in the 1950s, lesbian women were also drawn to the area. By the 1960s, the beach drew an increasingly diverse group of LGBTQ+ beachgoers, but there were also growing reports of harassment of gay beachgoers by police. In 1971, the Gay Activist Alliance, one of the gay rights organizations that formed in the wake of the Stonewall Uprising, held a voter registration drive at the beach. Today, the eastern section of Jacob Riis Beach remains a destination for LGBTQ+ beachgoers as a queer-friendly space.
3. LGBTQ+ Activists Battle the “Progressive” Newspaper
Artifact:
The Village Voice paperweight
Where to find it:
Metropolis on the Move, Newsstand
The Village Voice, a weekly newspaper based in New York City’s Greenwich Village, had a significant and surprising role in the events of the Stonewall Uprising. Dick Leitsch (1935–2018), leader of the New York chapter of the Mattachine Society, summed it up in the Mattachine’s August 1969 newsletter: “That paper’s editorial policy has long infuriated most homosexuals, as the paper pretends to be ‘liberal’ and avant-garde, but actually is conservative and uptight about homosexuality.”
On the night of Friday, June 28, 1969, police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar just down the street from the offices of The Village Voice. At the time, there were numerous laws that criminalized homosexuality, and raids of gay bars were common. At Stonewall, the LGBTQ+ community fought back for six days, lighting a spark that led to new organizing for LGBTQ+ rights.
After a weekend filled with clashes between organizers and police, Monday and Tuesday were relatively quiet. On Wednesday evening, The Village Voice landed on newsstands, with articles about the uprising by Lucian Truscott and Howard Smith, and photographs by Fred McDarrah. This was far more press than the events received in other more mainstream publications, but both authors used insensitive language and biased reporting. Fighting immediately picked up. The Mattachine Society, which had advised the community to end violent actions in favor of peaceful protest, blamed The Village Voice for re-igniting the violence.
That fall, the Gay Liberation Front (GLF) paid for an advertisement in The Village Voice, and editorial staff edited out the word “gay.” The GLF was later told that the paper would not print “obscene language.” On September 12, 1969, the GLF set up a picket line in front of The Village Voice’s headquarters. After negotiations, The Village Voice management agreed to not alter paid advertisements and to allow the words “homosexual” and “gay” to appear in the publication. In celebration, the GLF ran a new advertisement reading, “The GLF sends love to all Gay men and women in the homosexual community.”
4. Queer Black Artists During the Harlem Renaissance
Exhibit Feature & Artifact:
The Cotton Club exhibit feature | Book, On These I Stand, by Countee Cullen
Where to find them:
Harlem in the 1920s
As the arts and Black culture flourished in Harlem in the 1920s and 30s, so too did several queer Black artists and intellectuals. While many remained closeted publicly to appeal to mainstream audiences and norms of the time, they found some ability to express themselves and pursue same-sex relationships in Harlem.
Gladys Bently
One notable performer who did not remain closeted was Gladys Bently (1907–1960). Bently moved to Harlem from Philadelphia around 1925—she had written about being attracted to women and being comfortable in men’s clothing from a young age, and in Harlem, she would have found acceptance and a like-minded community. Harlem was also a haven for wealthy pleasure seekers during prohibition, and Bentley began performing as a drag king (typically a female performer who dresses in masculine drag) at “rent parties,” private parties with live performances. Popular during Prohibition, admission was charged to pay for rent money and alcohol. Bently moved on to performing in nightclubs after a successful audition at the Mad House and was known for her appearances at the Cotton Club and the Clam House.
Bently became known for her dapper masculine dress, her bawdy renditions of popular songs, and her deep growling voice. Of her clothes, she wrote, “For the customers of the club, one of the unique things about my act was the way I dressed…I wore immaculate full white dress shirts with stiff collars, small bow ties and shirts, oxfords, short Eton jackets and hair cut straight back.” She had a keen awareness of her public image and the power of shock value, often feeding tidbits of gossip to the press, including a story of her marriage to a white woman.
With the end of the Prohibition era and the decline of Harlem nightclubs, Bently moved to California. In the press, she began presenting as a “cured” woman, living under more traditional gender roles. In a 1952 article for Ebony, Bently wrote, “for many years, I lived in a personal hell…Like a great number of lost souls, I inhabited that half-shadow no man’s land which exists between the boundaries of the two sexes.” Scholars of Bently believe that the article, and her public façade at the time, likely reflected her continued awareness of the press, and the oppressive threats against homosexuality brought forward in the McCarthy era.
Countee Cullen
Also represented in this gallery is a book by prominent queer Black poet Countee Cullen (1903–1946). While he was friends with many openly gay writers, Cullen himself remained closeted and struggled to come to terms with his sexuality and the shame he felt with it. He had two brief marriages to women and also quietly dated men. 
New Discovery: Countee Cullen’s Bookplate While not on display, the Museum recently found this bookplate in Cullen’s copy of Precis D’Explication Francaise: Methode et applications (Precise Analysis of French: Methods and Applications). The imagery may relate to the Greek myth of Orpheus, a musician, poet, and prophet.
7. The Democratic Lunch Counter as a Queer Space
Artifact:
Horn & Hardart Automat
Where to find it:
4th Floor Terrace Gallery
Horn & Hardart Automat restaurants, with their inexpensive food, extended hours, and numerous locations, were considered democratic among New York City restaurants—the rich and the poor, immigrants, artists, and people of all races felt welcome in the Automat. This was also true for New York City’s LGBTQ+ community. In the 1994 book Gay New York, historian George Chauncey noted, “the Automat across the street from Bryant Park became particularly well known as the site of raucous gatherings.” In part, the working structure of an Automat helped make this the case—with minimal staffing, there was less chance of customers being harassed or kicked out for falling outside of society’s “norms.”
8. New York Pride: The Fight for Marriage Equality
Exhibit & Artifacts:
New York Pride: The Fight for Marriage Equality Exhibit | Opthalmolic Chair, Wedding Garments belonging to Albert T. Martino, Jr. and Harold Lohner III, Wedding Garments belonging to Joyce Darlene (Jaye) Holly and Judy Elaine Yeckley, Activism Objects
Where to Find Them:
New York Metropolis Hall, Fifth Avenue
New York played a pivotal role in the fight for marriage equality, beginning with early activism in the 1970s and culminating in the historic passage of the Marriage Equality Act in 2011. The struggle for same-sex marriage rights was fueled by the devastating impact of the AIDS crisis, which highlighted the legal and personal challenges faced by same-sex couples. Through grassroots activism, court battles, and political lobbying, New York’s success laid the groundwork for the Supreme Court's landmark 2015 ruling in Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized marriage equality nationwide.
Visit the New York Pride: Fight for Marriage Equality exhibit page to learn more.
6. LGBTQ+ Travel and Recreation in the Adirondacks
Exhibition:
Adirondack Recreation Exhibition
The wilderness of the Adirondacks, and its potential for relaxation and recreation, have long been a draw for vacationers, as we see in this scene. But the rural towns of the Adirondacks have not always felt welcoming to members of the LGBTQ+ community.
Guidebooks, including the Gayellow Pages and the Dameron Address Books, provided travelers with information on safe, welcoming spaces, including lodging, bars and restaurants, and bookstores. In the 1970s, bars and clubs such as Maxwell’s (ca. 1977–1979, Lake Placid), Frederick’s (ca. 1977–1979, Lake Placid), Arena (ca. 1972–1976, Lake Placid), and Mr. Chips (ca. 1976–1988, Lake George) were listed as welcoming spaces. In the 1980s, new bars and restaurants took hold, including Mud Puddles (ca. 1983–2010, Lake Placid), The Artist’s Café (ca. 1981–2001, Lake Placid), and Rumors (ca. 1988–1993, Lake George). Listings for lodging began to appear in the 1980s and 1990s as well, including The Wheel Inn (ca. 1980–1990, Tupper Lake) and King Hendrick Hotel (ca. 1988–present, Lake George). Today, I Love NY has an entire LGBTQ
Join Dr. Joseph Gonzalez for a special behind-the-scenes tour exploring specimens from the Museum’s mineralogy collection. Get rare access to curated samples while learning how New York’s rocks and minerals reveal the story of Earth’s deep history.
This interactive tour offers the chance to ask questions directly to a museum expert and explore topics such as how minerals form, how landscapes evolve over time, and what the state’s geology can tell us about ancient environments. From everyday minerals to extraordinary specimens, discover what’s behind the drawers, cabinets, and collections that help scientists understand our planet.
Four sparkling new spots have opened up!
Register for the Mineralogy Tour here.
5. Alice Austen and Gertrude Tate
Artifact:
Photographs by Alice Austen
Where to find them:
NYC Tenements, photographs printed on the left side of the interpretative label in front of the Lower East Side street scene
Alice Austen (1866–1952) was a prolific photographer, known especially for her documentation of New York’s immigrant communities, the social world of upper- and middle-class women at the turn of the century (including bicycle riding, which Austen advocated for women as an important tool for health and freedom), and her travels.
Austen broke with gender norms as one of the first female photographers to work in the field rather than remaining in the studio. Doing so involved traveling with fifty pounds of equipment, often by bicycle. Austen was a lesbian and spent fifty-six years with Gertrude Tate, thirty of which they lived together in Austen’s home, “Clear Comfort,” which is now the Alice Austen House Museum, a National Historic Landmark on Staten Island, New York. In 1945, when the couple was evicted from their home (Austen having lost her wealth in the 1929 stock market crash), their families rejected their relationship and separated them. When Austen died in 1952, their wishes to be buried together were ignored by the family.
Austen began her work documenting immigrant communities in the 1890s, at the request of Dr. Alvah H. Doty (1854-1934) of the U.S. Health Public Health Service. New York’s Quarantine Station was located just south of Austen’s home on Staten Island, and she photographed there, as well as at the facilities on Hoffman and Swinburne Islands for over a decade. This work was exhibited by Austen at the 1901 Pan-American Exposition in Buffalo.
June is Pride Month!
Pride Month is a celebration of LGBTQ+ culture and accomplishments and is also a time for activism and commemoration.
The celebration and commemoration of Pride Month in June originated in the Stonewall Uprising. When police raided the Stonewall Inn, a popular gay bar in New York City’s Greenwich Village, on the night of June 28, 1969, the LGBTQ+ community fought back—for six days. At the time, there were numerous laws that criminalized homosexuality, and raids, as well as resistance to them, were not uncommon. However, the events at the Stonewall Inn lit a spark that led to new organizing and calls for equal rights.
On June 28, 1970, the Christopher Street Liberation Day Parade was held in New York City to commemorate the first anniversary of the Stonewall Uprising, and other marches took place in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Chicago. Since then, Pride observances have grown to a whole month, celebrated in more and more communities across New York State, the country, and the world.
2026 Pride Month Statewide Events
Around the Museum
New York Pride: The Fight for Marriage Equality
On view through June 30, 2026
New York was central to the fight for marriage equality, from early activism in the 1970s to the landmark Marriage Equality Act of 2011. Driven by the AIDS crisis and grassroots efforts, the state’s progress helped pave the way for nationwide legalization in 2015.
Explore LGBTQ+ Stories in our Galleries
Throughout its history, New Yorkers have led the charge for equality, including fighting for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals. Discover several objects currently on display throughout the NYSM that are a reflection of some of these important and unique stories.
Additional Resources from the Office of Cultural Education
New York State Archives
Explore LGBTQ+ history through ready-to-use primary sources and standards-aligned, teacher-created learning activities on ConsidertheSourceNY.org. Historical records offer students an opportunity to practice their document-analysis skills and discover the history LGBTQ+ communities in New York State. Resources include LGBTQ+ laws passed in New York and documents related to advocacy and Pride events.
https://considerthesourceny.org/featured-collections/pride-month-resources
New York State Library
The NYS Library has resources related to LGBTQIA+ culture and accomplishments in New York State. Find information related to the Stonewall Uprising and influential people like Dr. Josephine Baker and Francis Leon. Ask a Librarian for help with exploring LGBTQIA+ history at the NYS Library!
Talking Book and Braille Library
Resources about LGBTQ+ culture and accomplishments are available at your library! The NYS Talking Book and Braille Library (TBBL) is a free library service for eligible residents of upstate New York who are unable to use standard print materials due to a visual, physical, or reading disability. The TBBL collection is similar to what’s found in a large public library, including popular fiction and nonfiction titles, as well as informational and recreational materials for all ages and tastes. Learn more about TBBL services and sign up at their website!
Related Resources
The Pride Center of the Capital Region
The Pride Center of the Capital Region is the oldest continuously operating LGBTQ+ community center in the country.
To commemorate the Pride Center’s 50th anniversary in 2020, the New York State Museum partnered with the Center to collect oral histories from members of the community, ultimately resulting in the creation of a panel exhibition and recorded interviews that were featured in the Pride Center’s 50th Anniversary Documentary.
View the Panel Exhibition, the 50th Anniversary Documentary, and Community Member Oral Histories here:
https://www.nysm.nysed.gov/pride/pride-center
New York Minute in History Podcast, The Persistence of Dr. Mary Walker
Dr. Mary Edwards Walker was a women’s rights activist, suffragist, and medical doctor who served as a surgeon during the Civil War. Walker advocated for the reform of traditional dress for women, which in the middle of the 19th century included heavy, floor-length skirts that dragged on the ground picking up dirt and restricted women’s movements. For much of her life, Walker wore either a shorter skirt with trousers underneath (known by various names, including the Bloomer costume, the reform dress, and the Turkish trousers), or later, just a jacket and trousers—and often, her signature top hat. For dressing outside of gender norms, she was arrested multiple times and faced widespread discrimination, to which she replied, “I don’t wear men’s clothes, I wear my own clothes.”
NYSM Collection Spotlight: FAGBUG
On Tuesday, May 29, 2018, the NYSM acquired the FAGBUG from owner Erin Davies. Watch this short video to discover how Davies turned a single ugly and damaging event into a positive personal journey and public outreach project that touched the lives of many.
Art Resources
The New York State Museum’s collections include works by artists who today might identify as part of the LGBTQ+ community, including photographer Berenice Abbott and member of the Byrdcliffe Arts Colony, Zulma Steele. Arts communities in New York, from enclaves of artists in New York City to upstate communities like the Byrdcliffe and Maverick Colonies in Woodstock, were often welcoming places for people of a variety of identities.
Berenice Abbott: Photographer
From 1935-1940, Berenice Abbott (1898–1991) worked on a photographic project documenting the unprecedented growth and changes taking place in a burgeoning New York City. The project, "Changing New York," became one of the monumental achievements in 20th-century photography.
Historic Woodstock Art Colony
Long before the famous music festival in 1969, Woodstock, New York, was home to what is considered America’s first intentionally created, year-round arts colony—founded in 1902 and still thriving over 100 years later.
Countee Cullen
Located in the NYSM's ongoing exhibition Black Capital: Harlem in the 1920s is the book On These I Stand by prominent queer Black poet Countee Cullen (1903–1946). While he was friends with many openly gay writers, Cullen himself remained closeted and struggled to come to terms with his sexuality and the shame he felt with it. He had two brief marriages to women and also quietly dated men.
New Discovery: Countee Cullen’s Bookplate While not on display, the Museum recently found this bookplate in Cullen’s copy of Precis D’Explication Francaise: Methode et applications (Precise Analysis of French: Methods and Applications). The imagery may relate to the Greek myth of Orpheus, a musician, poet, and prophet.
Let Your Pride Colors Shine!
Download these Pride-themed coloring sheets to decorate and share.
New York State Library Invites Families to Roar into Summer Reading at Inaugural Super Story Party
Free kickoff event celebrates books, dinosaurs, discovery, and this year’s summer reading theme, “Unearth a Story”
The New York State Education Department and New York State Library invite families to dig into a summer of reading, discovery, and adventure at the inaugural Super Story Party, celebrating the summer reading theme “Unearth a Story.”
The State Library’s Super Story Party is a free, family-friendly summer reading kickoff that brings books to life through performances, hands-on activities, summer reading resources, community partners, and collections from across the Office of Cultural Education. The event will be held on June 7, 2026 from 10:00 am to 12:00 pm at the New York State Museum.
As the State’s official summer reading kickoff celebration, the event will feature:
- Meet the State Museum’s Paleontologists!
- Paleontology-themed activities based on collections from the State Museum, State Archives, and State Library
- Dinosaur Dance Party with children’s singer/songwriter Johnny Only
- Dig Into Reading Magic Show with magician Ron Cain (Registration recommended)
- Double Dutch jump rope performance by Nanny’s Double Dutch League
- The RED Bookshelf and other community partners
New State Education Commissioner Betty A. Rosa said, “Summer reading is an investment in lifelong learning, helping to reduce learning loss, strengthen critical thinking skills, and build confidence. This year’s theme also invites families to explore additional STEM fields, such as archaeology and paleontology, sparking curiosity in new and exciting ways. It presents a wonderful opportunity to experience all that the Office of Cultural Education has to offer, from the New York State Library to the State Museum and State Archives, where rich cultural resources help learning come to life.”
New York State Librarian Lauren Moore said, “The Super Story Party invites young readers to discover the excitement of storytelling through books, imagination, and hands-on exploration. Families can expect to get a taste of the types of exciting programs planned at public libraries across the state throughout the summer. We thank our partners across NYSED and the Office of Cultural Education for their commitment to nurturing a lifelong love of reading.”
This year’s statewide summer reading theme, “Unearth a Story,” builds on children’s interest in topics such as dinosaurs, paleontology, and archaeology to spark excitement and curiosity about reading, imagination, and learning. Throughout the summer, local libraries will host various themed activities and events, including performances, craft programs, story times, workshops, author events, and more, to encourage reading across all age groups. In addition to program support and resources, the State Library provides the state’s public libraries with access to the online READsquared app and software, helping students and families track their favorite books and activities.
Families attending the Super Story Party will leave with information and materials that connect with this year’s summer reading themes, support literacy learning at home, and promote local library programs.
Explorers are also encouraged to visit the New York State Museum’s newest temporary exhibit, Expedition Dinosaur: Rise of the Mammals. Now on display in the recently opened Kids Zone on the fourth floor, the exhibit takes visitors through the final days of the dinosaurs and features 10 life-size animatronic dinosaurs and mammals, and interactive experiences such as an augmented reality sandbox and a paleontologist’s field tent.
The New York State Library is committed to providing reasonable accommodations so people with disabilities can participate in, and benefit from, all NYS Library programs and services. Please use the Reasonable Accommodation Request form.
About the New York State Library
The New York State Library, established in 1818, is the largest state library system in the nation and one of the largest research libraries in North America. It oversees a vast network of more than 7,000 libraries statewide. Collections are made available onsite and through a robust interlibrary loan program. The Library’s mission is advanced through several key divisions, including the Research Library, which houses a collection of over 20 million items, the Talking Book and Braille Library, and the Division of Library Development. The Library preserves and maintains invaluable historical collections and works, and serves as a Regional Depository for federal publications. Additionally, the State Library is the official repository of New York State government publications, ensuring their enduring preservation and accessibility for future generations.
For more information, please visit the New York State Library website and subscribe to our monthly newsletter.
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(518) 474-1201
Press@nysed.gov
www.nysed.gov
Join us for a special screening of a oral histories highlighting the impact and ongoing work of the Pride Center of the Capital Region—the oldest continuously operating LGBTQIA+ community center in the United States. Based in Albany and serving a ten-county region since 1970, the Pride Center has long been a cornerstone of advocacy, support, and community-building.
These videos explore the Center’s enduring commitment to fostering a welcoming, inclusive environment grounded in dignity, compassion, and respect. Through stories of activism, resilience, and connection, audiences will gain insight into how the Pride Center has championed equality and justice while adapting to meet the evolving needs of the LGBTQIA+ community.
Join Senior Historian and Curator of Social History Ashley Hopkins-Benton for an engaging guided tour of New York Pride: The Fight for Marriage Equality. This program explores the decades-long struggle for marriage equality in New York, from early LGBTQ+ activism in the 1970s through landmark court battles and the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in 2011.
Through artifacts, photographs, and personal stories, participants will examine how marriage equality became both a deeply personal and profoundly political issue shaped by the AIDS crisis, grassroots organizing, and evolving legal challenges. The tour also highlights New York’s pivotal role in advancing national change.
This guided experience offers a powerful look at how community activism transformed civil rights in New York State and beyond.
LGBTQ+ Stories in NYSM Galleries
Throughout its history, New Yorkers have led the charge for equality, including fighting for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals. In 1969, a spark was lit in the already growing gay rights movement at the Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village, New York City. As the movement continued to grow nationally over the next few decades, New Yorkers participated in activism across the state, from the struggles of Gay Liberation through the AIDS crisis to the successful fight for marriage equality in 2011.
New York holds a special place in LGBTQ+ history as a haven for those in search of a safer environment and like-minded companionship. Across the state, the LGBTQ+ community has celebrated its strength and diversity while working for equal rights, visibility, and inclusion through protests, Pride celebrations, and community center activities.
Explore Each Station:
New York Pride: The Fight for Marriage Equality
**To help preserve the textiles, this exhibition is currently dark. It will reopen with full lighting for programs at the end of May and in June for Pride Month.**
Marriage equality in New York was an important chapter in the broader fight for federal recognition of same-sex marriage. It began with early activism in the 1970s, progressed through court battles in the 2000s, and culminated in the passage of the Marriage Equality Act in 2011. For many, the right to marry meant not only a personal commitment but also access to over 1,000 legal rights and protections—such as health insurance, hospital visitation rights, and survivor benefits.
The AIDS crisis intensified the need for these protections, exposing the discrimination faced by couples unable to marry and care for one another during times of illness and loss.
New York’s success in passing the Marriage Equality Act became a catalyst for national change, culminating in the 2015 Supreme Court ruling Obergefell v. Hodges, which legalized same-sex marriage in all 50 states. This exhibition highlights these milestones, showcasing artifacts, photographs, and personal stories that illustrate the power of activism in creating change.
Accessibility for Visitors Who Are Blind or Visually Impaired
We are proud to offer resources to ensure that visitors with low vision or who are blind can experience this exhibit. Our goal is to create an inclusive and welcoming environment where everyone can engage with the exhibition meaningfully.
Access the New York Pride Resource Page for transcripts of the main panels, photos, and descriptions of the exhibition. Additionally, a QR code located at the bottom of the exhibit's Introduction panel, at left, will take you to the resource page.
Pride Month and LGBTQ+ Resources
Join us for a vibrant and meaningful celebration of LGBTQ+ history, culture, and community. This special day of festivities is open to all and designed to engage visitors of every age with hands-on activities and gallery tour. Honoring the past, celebrating the present, and inspiring the future, this event invites everyone to reflect on the journey toward love, equity, and justice—and to take pride in the progress we’ve made together.
Event Schedule:
10:30 am–12:00 pm | Family Fun & Creative Corner
Kick off the day with an array of joyful, hands-on activities inspired by our collections! Enjoy coloring pages, pin-making, sash and fan designing, and more. With upbeat music and story time.
12:00 pm–12:30 pm | Gallery Talk with Ashley Hopkins-Benton
Gain insider insights from Senior Historian and Curator of Social History, Ashley Hopkins-Benton, as she discusses the stories behind the exhibit New York Pride: The Fight for Marriage Equality and the ongoing legacy of LGBTQ+ advocacy in New York.
The New York State Museum, State Library, State Archives, and the New York State Archives Partnership Trust, in collaboration with the Hudson River Valley Institute at Marist University and the Cooperstown Graduate Program at SUNY Oneonta, are excited to announce the third annual New York History Conference. The goal of the conference is to provide an inclusive and engaging forum in which historians, educators, museum professionals, archivists, and librarians can share research and resources on the practice, research, preservation, and teaching of New York State history.
Conference Theme: New York at 250: The Empire State's Role in U.S. Independence
As the United States commemorates the 250th anniversary of its independence, the 2026 New York History conference provides an opportunity to reexamine New York State's role in the struggle for independence before, during, and after the period of the American Revolution. Long before the first shots were fired at Lexington and Concord, even before the first Europeans arrived in North America, the land that would become the Empire State was occupied by a diverse network of Indigenous communities. While the American Revolution was fueled by questions of how to govern, individual and community rights, social and economic freedoms, and access to and control of resources, the questions themselves preceded and have continued beyond that period of conflict.
When: June 11-12, 2026
Where: Marist University, 3399 North Road, Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Registration and Hotel Information:
Registration: Click here to register
Last day to register is Monday, June 1, 2026.
Walk-in registrations will not be accepted.
Room blocks have been secured at three lodging establishments in close proximity to Marist University. Rooms can be booked through the block for Thursday, June 11, and Friday, June 12, 2026. See below for information on booking for each establishment.
Courtyard by Marriott Poughkeepsie
2641 South Road
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone number: 800-647-7576
Room block cutoff date: May 14, 2026
Homewood Suites by Hilton Poughkeepsie
900 Thomas Watson Dr
Poughkeepsie, NY 12601
Phone number: 845-462-0030
Room block cutoff date: May 12, 2026
Inn at Bellefield / Hyde Park
25 Old Vineyard Place
Hyde Park, NY 12538
Phone number: 845-414-6750
Room block cutoff date: May 11, 2026
Contact: nyhistory2026@marist.edu
Conference Scholarships: TBA
Marketing and Exhibitor Opportunities
Please complete the attached form to become a sponsor of the 2026 New York History Conference. Exhibitors, to pay by credit card or check, please see the registration link above or the attached form.
Opening Reception Keynote Panel
Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York
Available May 15, 2026, from Cornell University Press
What started as a constitutional dispute about "home rule" and taxation became a transformative event that unleashed a host of unanticipated consequences. Showcasing New York's central role in the revolution, Fire and Freedom, also highlights the stories of people and events previously hidden from popular view, unveiling a new vision of this famous narrative. Many of the revolution's key moments can be traced to New York: city crowds rioted against colonial taxation and George Washington spent one-third of the war in and around the soon-to-be "Empire State." Beyond these well-known players and moments, however, lies a trove of new information on New York's hidden revolutionary stories and what that revolution meant to the many thousands who participated in it.
This panel discussion is comprised of contributing authors to Fire and Freedom.
Panelists:
Moderated by Thomas S. Wermuth, Dr. Frank T. Bumpus Chair in Hudson River Valley History, Marist University and Editor, Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York.
Benjamin L. Carp is the Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and also teaches at the Graduate Center of the City of New York
John Cording, St. Thomas Aquinas College.
Elana Krischer, Independent Scholar
Christopher F. Minty, Digital Editor at the University of Virginia
Dillon L. Streifeneder, Assistant Professor of History at the United States Naval Academy
Lunchtime Keynote Speaker
We will Conclude our Lovely Stay: Remembrances, Legacies and Roasted Corn Soup
Historic Site Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site and Director of the Seneca Art & Culture Center Michael Galban will deliver a candid reflection on the British/American Civil War and its impact on Haudenosaunee life, land and inheritance.
Michael "Pooggoo duka'a" Galban, Wašiw (Washoe) & Kutza duka'a (Mono Lake Paiute), is a scholar in Woodland Indian art/aesthetics, Indigenous semiotics and burden. Ganondagan State Historic Site, a 17th century Seneca town site, is a nationally regarded nearly 600-acre center for Iroquoian history, culture, and environmental preservation. Michael recently collaborated with the Museé du Quai Branly - Jacques Chirac on the exhibit "Wampum - Les Perles de la Diplomatie" which opened Spring of 2022 in Paris, of which the corpus of the exhibition traveled to Ganondagan in 2023 as "WAMPUM/OTGO:Ä". His current exhibition project focuses on German and British officers' collections of Northeastern Indigenous art formed in the American Revolutionary War Period.
Michael has served on the board of directors of the Museum Association of New York (MANY) and currently serves on the editorial boards of the New York History and Rochester History Journals and sits on the Board of Trustees for the Rock Foundation. He is currently enrolled in the Visual and Cultural Studies Ph.D. program at the University of Rochester.
Special Session
Special Session: Historic African American Burial Grounds and Cemeteries
African American historic burial grounds and cemeteries are some of the state’s most fragile sacred places. They document the history of slavery and the African diaspora, civil rights struggles, and spiritual practice while honoring the voices and lives of ancestors. The threats to these cultural sites are many. They have suffered from abandonment, neglect, a misunderstanding of existing burial statutes and legal boundaries, direct or encroaching development, missing and damaged markers, missing and deteriorated burial records, and overall lack of public awareness of their significance to their communities. Some have been lost to time and merit efforts towards their rediscovery and preservation. There have been several instances of unmarked burials that have been inadvertently discovered and threatened or destroyed by development projects, which would potentially benefit from respectful reinterment.
Thursday, June 11, 2026
Session One: 2:00pm-3:15pm on Thursday, June 11, 2026
Fusco Recital Hall
"The Afterlife of Newburgh's Colored Burial Ground"
Introduction: Lavada Nahon, Interpreter of African American History, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Nick Edward, Neighborhood Stabilization Coordinator, City of Newburgh
Gabrielle Hill, Colored Burial Ground Committee Member, Orange County Legislator District 6
Ken Nystrom, Professor of Anthropology, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Director of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities, SUNY New Paltz
Session Two: 3:30pm-4:45pm on Thursday, June 11, 2026
Fusco Recital Hall
"Pine Street Burial Ground - Kingston, NY"
Introduction: Lavada Nahon, Interpreter of African American History, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Ty Wilson, Executive Director, Harambee, Kingston, NY
Ubaka Hall, Harambee, Kingston, NY
Ken Nystrom, Professor of Anthropology, Latin American and Caribbean Studies, and Director of Undergraduate Research, Scholarship, and Creative Activities, SUNY New Paltz
Joe Diamond, Professor of Anthropology, SUNY New Paltz
Friday, June 12, 2026
Session Three: 9:00am-10:15am on Friday, June 12, 2026
Fusco Recital Hall
"Leaving a Legacy - State and National Register"
Introduction: Lavada Nahon, Interpreter of African American History, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation
Olivia Holland, NYS Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, State & National Register Unit
Sessions will include information on the role of archaeology in historic burial grounds; specific case studies; technical preservation strategies; reinterment issues; legal issues related to unknown or inaccurate cemetery boundaries and grave locations, and unknown or contested ownership; how to research and document Black cemeteries; funding strategies; sharing of best practices; digital applications in the recording and restoration of cemeteries; issues of public interest and engagement; respectful and appropriate interpretation and memorialization; and more.
Panelists will include staff of NYS OPRHP Division of Historic Preservation, archeologists, historians, and colleagues working on active historic African American burial ground and cemetery projects in New York state.
These sessions are sponsored by:
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation, New York State Commission on African American History, and the New York Department of State
2026 New York History Conference Schedule
All times and locations are subject to change
Murray Student Center at Marist University
Poughkeepsie, New York
June 11-12, 2026
Thursday, June 11, 2026, 12:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m., Murray Student Center
12:30 p.m. Registration and Exhibitor Hall open
PROGRAM SESSIONS
Session One: 2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026
Nelly Goletti Theatre: “Beyond the Allegory: Revolutionary Women at the New York Historical” (Roundtable)
Moderator: Anna Danziger Halperin, Director, The Center for Women’s History at The New York Historical
Tessa Bangs, Mellon Foundation Postdoctoral Fellow in Women’s History and Public History, The New York Historical
Isabelle Held, Mellon Foundation Gender and LGBTQ+ History Postdoctoral Fellow, The New York Historical
Rachel Pitkin, Mellon Predoctoral Fellow in Women’s and Public History, The New York Historical
SC3101: “Truth, Artificial Intelligence, and the Historical Narrative” (Roundtable)
Moderator: Kevin Gaugler, Assistant Dean of the School of Liberal Arts and Co-Chair of the Steering Committee on Artificial Intelligence, Marist University
Taylor Bruck, City of Kingston Historian and Ulster County Clerk
Bill Merchant, Deputy Director for Collections, Historian, and Curator, D&H Canal Historical Society
Jonathan Palmer, Greene County Historian and Ulster County Archivist
SC3102: “Widows, Doctors, and Vigilantes: Seeking Freedom, Health, and Justice in New York” (Panel)
Moderator: Nicholas Marshall, Associate Professor of History, Marist University
Eric Cimino, Associate Professor and Chair of the History Department, Molloy University, “New York City Hospitals and the 1918 Influenza Pandemic”
Kristin Jorgensen, SUNY Brockport, “The Widow’s Paradox: NY Women and the Civil War Pension System”
Andy McCarthy, Reference Librarian, New York Public Library, “Salutary and Well-Intentioned Violence: The 1858 Quarantine Fires in Staten Island”
SC3105: “The Albany Post Road” (Panel)
Moderator: Kathleen Reilly, Trustee, Briarcliff Manor-Scarborough Historical Society
Bruce Graves, Albany Post Road Initiative, “Unraveling the Albany Post Road”
Chris Martinovic, Landscape Designer, “GIS Techniques for Historic Preservation: Georeferencing Historic Maps”
Guy Robinson, Visiting Scholar, Fordham University, “Megafauna: Evidence and Impact of Multi-Ton Highway Engineers?”
Session Two: 3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026
Nelly Goletti Theatre: “Drawn by the River: Comics Creators Explore Their Life and Work in the Hudson River Valley” (Roundtable)
Moderator: Moira Fitzgibbons, Professor of English, Marist University
John Breiner, Artist, Illustrator, and Muralist
Jeffrey Canino, Author and Lecturer of English, Marist University
Kayla Miller, Cartoonist and Author
Summer Pierre, Author, Cartoonist, and Illustrator
SC3101: “Mapping Gay New York: Queer History, Digital Humanities, and Lessons Learned” (Roundtable)
Moderator: LC Santangelo, Lecturer of Writing, Princeton University
Sam Griggs, Princeton University
Daniella Martinez, Princeton University
Tyler Scarborough, Princeton University
SC3102: “New York's Revolutionary Origins and Legacies: Looking Forward and Back Across the Long Eighteenth Century” (Panel)
Moderator: Caroline Chamberlin Hellman, Professor of English, City University of New York
Ted Knudsen, City University of New York, “Before Hamilton: Robert Hunter, Lewis Morris, and Colonial New York’s Experiments in Crafting Markets”
Keith J. Muchowski, Librarian and Professor, City University of New York, “New York’s American Whig Triumvirate in Eighteenth Century New York: The Lives and Work of William Livingston, John Morin Scott, and William Smith, Jr. Before, During, and After the American Revolution”
Mark Noonan, Professor of English, City University of New York, “John Holt’s Movable Types”
SC3105: “New York Stories: Before, During, and After the American Revolution” (Panel)
Moderator: Jennifer Lemak, Chief Curator of History, New York State Museum
Caroline Curvan, Town of Ossining Historian, “Uncovering the Revolutionary War Service of Surgeon’s Mate Mordecai Hale and the Power of Public History Research”
William Walker, Professor of History, Cooperstown Graduate Program, SUNY Oneonta, “Jesse J. Cornplanter, Seneca Storytelling, and Indigenous Self-Determination”
Lightning Round: 5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Nelly Goletti Theatre
Moderator: Robert Chiles, Senior Lecturer of History, University of Maryland and co-editor of New York History
Thomas D. Beal, Assistant Professor of History and Urban Studies, SUNY Oneonta, “Committed to New York City’s Bridewell Jail for ‘Disobeying a Master’”
Joseph Zarzynski, Maritime Archaeologist and Author, French and Indian War Society at Lake George, Inc., “1903: They Cut Up Lake George’s “Old Gunboat” for Souvenirs”
Lilah Jain, SUNY Brockport, “Survivors on Trial: Gender, Class, and Immigration Bias in the 1911 Triangle Factory Fire Trial”
Fungisai Musoni-Chikede, Assistant Professor of History and Director of the Africana Studies Program, Marist University, “Vassar and South Africa: an Apartheid Story from 1975-1994”
Eileen McAdam, Director and Co-Founder, The Sound and Story Project, “Stories from the Revolution Outside Your Window”
Mary Ellen Matise, Town of Montgomery Historian, “Mr. Peale’s Mastodon Comes for Visit”
NYS Commission on African American History
The New York Department of State is administering an African American History Commission. Among its many projects, the NYS Commission on African American History is funding a grant program for documenting African American history at the local level and will speak about the grant program and other related projects.
Nicole Jean Christian, Director, Office of Diversity Equity, Inclusion and Accessibility, NYS Commission on African American History
Kenny Nguyen, Operations Director, NYS Asian American History Commission
Reception: 6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Main Dining Hall
Keynote Panel: 7:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. on Thursday, June 11, 2026. Nelly Goletti Theatre
“Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York”
Moderator Thomas S. Wermuth, Dr. Frank T. Bumpus Chair in Hudson River Valley History, Marist University and Editor, Fire and Freedom: The American Revolution in New York
Benjamin L. Carp, Daniel M. Lyons Professor of American History at Brooklyn College and also teaches at the Graduate Center of the City of New York
John Cording, St. Thomas Aquinas College
Elana Krischer, Independent Scholar
Christopher F. Minty, Digital Editor at the University of Virginia
Dillon L. Streifeneder, Assistant Professor of History at the United States Naval Academy
Friday, June 12, 2026, 8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m., Murray Student Center
8:30 a.m. | Registration and Exhibitor Hall open
Session Three: 9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026
Nelly Goletti Theatre: “Frontiers of Social and Economic Reform in New York City's Gilded Age: The Blossoming of Women's and Workers' Rights” (Panel)
Moderator: india Miraglia, Editorial Assistant, Cornell University Press
Derek Hoff, Professor of Management, University of Utah, "Collective Bar-gaining: The History of Labor Activism at Liebmann Breweries"
James E. Sherow University Distinguished Professor, Emeritus, Kansas State University, "Delmonico's Restaurant: An Incubator of Social and Economic Change in 1868"
SC3101: “Minds and Hearts at War: Three Revolutionary Soldiers, Seen Through Different Lenses” (Panel)
Moderator: Regan Miner, Development Director, The Last Green Valley National Heritage Corridor
Brian Carso, Professor of History and Government, Misericordia University
Nathaniel Carso, Student
Dayne Rugh, Director, Slater Memorial Museum
SC3102: “Quakers and Shakers: Liberation, Dissent, and Contradiction Within Two Religious Communities” (Panel)
Moderator: Ashley Hopkins-Benton, Senior Historian and Curator of Social History, New York State Museum
Theresa Frey-Alexander, Education Coordinator, Shaker Heritage Society, “Mother Ann Lee: One Woman’s Revolution”
Anthony Larocca, Instructor of Government and Economics, Dutchess Community College, “Quakers: Loyalists or Patriots? Pacifists or Soldiers?”
SC3105: “Hurley Mountain Stories: Freedom, Landownership, and Community Before Emancipation” (Panel)
Moderator: Kate Hymes, Vice President, Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center for Black History and Culture
Carl Brown, Descendant and Rondout Neighborhood Organizer
Robert Sweeney, Town of Ulster Historian
Erin von Holdt, Chair of Hurley Heritage Society Rev250, Contributing Historian for the Dr. Margaret Wade-Lewis Center
Session Four: 10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026
Nelly Goletti Theatre: “Creating a New York City 5-Borough Commemorative Journal for American 250” (Roundtable)
Moderator: Gabriella Leone, Curator, Historic Richmond Town
Jessica Baldwin Phillips, Chief Executive Officer, Historic Richmond Town
Peter-Christian Aigner, Director, The Gotham Center for New York City History
Dominique Jean-Louis, Chief Historian, The Center for Brooklyn History
Steven Payne, Director, The Bronx County Historical Society and New York City 5-Borough Commemorative Journal Committee
SC3101: “Interagency Collaboration on the Courtland Street Reinterment Project” (Roundtable)
Moderator: Christian Futyma, Archaeologist, New York Department of Environmental Conservation
Lisa Anderson, Curator of Bioarcheology, New York State Museum
Dan Barusch, Director of Planning and Zoning, Town and Village of Lake George
Jennifer Betsworth, Agency Preservation Officer, New York Department of Environmental Conservation
SC3102: “Sacrifice and Service: Everyday Impacts of the American Revolution on Citizens, Soldiers, and Smugglers” (Panel)
Moderator: Thomas S. Wermuth, Co-Founder and Director, Hudson River Valley Institute, Professor of History, and Dr. Frank T. Bumpus Chair in Hudson River History at Marist University
Robb K. Haberman, Adjunct Instructor of History, Fordham University, “Securing the Legacy of the American Revolution: The Wartime Memoir of Sergeant James Selkirk”
William Matthews, Independent Historian, “The Golden Rock and the Hudson Hollows: Atlantic Smuggling and Gendering of Revolutionary Politics”
Patrick Raftery, Associate Director and Librarian, Westchester County Historical Society, “Experiencing the Neutral Ground of the American Revolution”
SC3105: “Hyphen-Nation: Immigrant Communities and American Culture” (Panel)
Moderator: Robert W. Snyder, Professor Emeritus of American Studies and Journalism at Rutgers University-Newark
La Tasha A. Brown, Visiting Scholar, SUNY at New Paltz, “UNBOUGHT UNBOSSED UNAPOLOGETICALLY STYLED: Shirley Chisholm’s Fashion and Political Discourse”
Matthew Zumchak, SUNY Brockport, “The Dynamics of the Ukrainian Diaspora”
Fusco Recital Hall: “Knox250: Cannons, Collaboration, and Community in the Making of a Regional 250th Commemoration” (Panel)
Moderator: Devin Lander, New York State Historian
Anne Clothier, Saratoga County
Lauren Roberts, Saratoga County Historian, Chair of Saratoga 250, and New York State 250th Commissioner
Lunch: 11:50 p.m. - 12:45 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026. Main Dining Hall
Keynote Speaker: 1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026. Nelly Goletti Theatre
“We will Conclude our Lovely Stay: Remembrances, Legacies and Roasted Corn Soup,” Michael "Pooggoo duka'a" Galban, Historic Manager of Ganondagan State Historic Site and Director of the Seneca Art & Culture Center
Session Five: 2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026
Nelly Goletti Theatre: “Public History in Practice: Projects of the New York State Historic Preservation Office” (Roundtable)
Moderator: Aine Leader-Nagy, Community Affairs Unit, New York State Historic Preservation Office
Olivia Brazee, Senior Historic Site Restoration Coordinator, New York State Historic Preservation Office
Sara Evenson, Survey & National Register Unit, New York State Historic Preservation Office
Jeff Iovannone, Survey & National Register Unit, New York State Historic Preservation Office
SC3101: “Claiming Place: Strategies of Inclusivity and Exclusivity from the Tri-State to Upstate” (Panel)
Moderator: Stacy Kinlock Sewell, Professor of History and Assistant Dean of the School of Arts and Social Sciences, St. Thomas Aquinas College
Jonathan Ezra Goldman, Professor of Humanities, New York Institute of Technology, “A Black Coney Island, Erased”
Jeff Miller, Professor of Communication and Fulbright Scholar, Utica University, “Major Real Estate Firms That Segregated Upstate New York”
SC3105: “History of Women and LGBTQ+ New Yorkers” (Panel)
Moderator: Susan Ingalls Lewis, Professor Emerita of History at SUNY New Paltz, and President Women's Rights Alliance of New York State (WRANYS)
Kelly Hayes McAlonie, Director of Campus Planning, University of Buffalo, "Welcome to the Club: Breaking Barriers by Professional Recognition"
Ashley Hopkins-Benton, Senior Historian and Curator of Social History, New York State Museum, "Stonewall: A Clarion Call for LGBTQ+ Organizing"
Daniel Kornstein, Writer and Lawyer, "I am Woman, I am Woman, Hear Me Roar!: The New York City Garment Workers Strike of 1909-10 and the Women's Movement"
Fusco Recital Hall: “Revolutionary Stories and Innovative Media: Teaching the American Revolution Through Film and Literature” (Panel)
Moderator: Jeffrey Basinger, Assistant Professor of Communication/Multimedia Storytelling, Marist University
Sylvie M. Beaudreau, Associate Professor of Canadian and New York History, SUNY Plattsburgh, “History as the Propaganda of the Losers: Using the World Turned Upside Down to Teach New York College Students About the War of Independence” (short film included in presentation)
Claire Bellerjeau, Co-Founder and Author, Remember Liss, “Remember Liss: A New American Founding Figure”
Session Six: 4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. on Friday, June 12, 2026
Nelly Goletti Theatre: “Storied Objects: A Material History of New Paltz, an Academic and Cultural Heritage Collaboration” (Roundtable)
Moderator: Jen Palmentiero, Digital Services Manager, Southeastern NY Library Resources Council
Louise McGoldrick, Collections Manager, Historic Huguenot Street
Cyrus Mulready, Associate Dean of Liberal Arts and Sciences, SUNY New Paltz
Sara Vala, SUNY New Paltz
Makayla Witherell, SUNY New Paltz
SC3102: “Sanctified: Preservation Strategies Across Eastern New York” (Panel)
Moderator: Kerry Dean Carso, Professor of Art History, State University of New York at New Paltz
Aiden Daly, Mississippi University, “‘Back to the Days of the Revolution:’ Historical Memory and the Environment in Conservation of the Hudson Palisades”
Neil Forkey, Associate Professor of History and Canadian Studies, St. Lawrence University, “Paul Jamieson: Bard of the Adirondacks and Protector of its Waters”
SC3105: “Saving US: How Black Military Service in the Hudson Valley Shaped Our Nation” (Panel)
Moderator: Rashida Tyler, Acting Executive Director, NYS Council of Churches
Georgette Grier-Key, Executive Director and Chief Curator, Eastville Community Historical Society
Marcus Smith, Historian and Founder, Black Grassroots Heritage Network
Maisha Tyler, Urban Planner and Preservationist, Atharhacton Planning & Consulting and AME Zion Church of Kingston
Thursday, June 11, 2026, 12:30 p.m. - 8:15 p.m., Murray Student Center
12:30 p.m. | Conference registration opens
12:30 p.m. | Exhibitor Hall Opens
2:00 p.m. - 3:15 p.m. | Session 1
3:30 p.m. - 4:45 p.m. | Session 2
5:00 p.m. - 6:00 p.m. | Lightning Round
6:00 p.m. - 7:00 p.m. | Opening Reception
7:00 p.m. - 8:15 p.m. | Keynote Panel
Friday, June 12, 2026, 8:30 a.m. - 5:15 p.m., Murray Student Center
8:30 a.m. | Registration and Exhibitor Hall opens
9:00 a.m. - 10:15 a.m. | Session 3
10:30 a.m. - 11:45 a.m. | Session 4
11:50 a.m. - 12:45 p.m. | Lunch
1:00 p.m. - 2:15 p.m. | Keynote Speaker
2:30 p.m. - 3:45 p.m. | Session 5
4:00 p.m. - 5:15 p.m. | Session 6
2024 NYHC Resource Page
View videos of recorded sessions from the 2024 New York History Conference. Educators can access additional opportunities to earn .5 CTLE credit hours!
Conference Partners
Conference Sponsors
Conference Supporters
We the People: Freedom and Contradiction - Abolition and Civil Rights
DRAFT The new nation was built on the labor of enslaved people, and slavery was protected by the US Constitution until 1865. The struggle for freedom was inseparable from the struggle for civil rights, as enslaved people and their allies fought for emancipation and equal recognition as citizens. From the beginning, there were also those who resisted this fight for justice.
Enslaved people fought for their own liberation, and early abolitionists challenged the system. While New York was once the largest slaveholding state in the North, it later became a center of antislavery activism and civil rights reform. After slavery was abolished locally in 1827, many New Yorkers helped lead the national abolition movement—culminating in the 13th Amendment of 1865.
After emancipation, activists shifted their focus to securing civil rights for African Americans. New Yorkers led efforts in their own communities and on the national stage. That work continues today, as generations strive to fulfill the founding ideals of liberty and equality for all.
Highlights
Troy, NY
Wood
This pulpit symbolizes the power and passion of the abolitionist and civil rights movements. Many African American communities organized for change through their churches.
New York State Museum H-2011.4.1
Canajoharie, NY
Cash rewards for the return of an enslaved person were common. Freedom seekers took huge risks when making a decision to flee.
New York State Museum H-2006.59.2
This hood is from Green County where Klan activity was prevalent between 1920-1940s.
New York State Museum H-1983.136.18
Additional Resources
The Underground Railroad
Discover Underground Railroad sites across New York
We the People: Labor Rights in New York State
Working people in New York State have built the physical state and economy and driven its political and social conversations. New York was the leading manufacturing state between 1830 and 1960, attracting a diverse labor force that included immigrants, women, and People of Color.
The struggle for labor rights has always been closely connected to the fight for civil rights, as both movements focus on improving the lives of workers and their communities. Through reform movements and activism, New York legislation was at the forefront of progressive change—leading the way in areas like workplace safety, fair wages, child labor laws, and protections against discrimination.
From the activists of the early 19th century who fought to end worker exploitation, to the garment worker strikes of the early 20th century, and the union-led civil rights coalitions of the 1960s and beyond, New York’s working people have continually redefined justice and equality in the workplace—and in society.
Highlights
This sewing machine was collected as evidence in the Triangle Company fire.
New York State Museum H-2018.37.1
Syracuse, NY
The employee time clock was invented by Willard Le Grand Bundy in Auburn, New York in 1888. This invention timestamped a card to record employees work hours. This invention protected both employers and workers from dishonesty.
The Oechsle Clock Collection, New York State Museum H-2024.43.2
Tompkins Brothers
Troy, New York
Height – 103" x Width – 80" x Depth – 46"
This knitting machine was used by Johnstown Knitting Company in Johnstown, New York, for most of the 20th century, making cotton-based t-shirt and sweatshirt fleece. Textile factories were plentiful across the state due to an ever-expanding immigrant workforce and an established transportation network to move raw goods and finished products around the country and to Europe.
New York State Museum H-1996.27.1
We the People: Environmental Activism
New York’s landscape, rich in natural resources and beauty, has long attracted people and industry alike. However, population growth and industrial pollution have led to habitat and species loss, and at times, threats to human health. In response, citizens have responded through activism and progressive environmental legislation.
On November 2, 2021, voters in New York approved a new constitutional amendment, the “Green Amendment,” to enshrine environmental rights in the Bill of Rights of the New York State Constitution. It asserts that “each person shall have the right to clean air and water, and to a healthful environment.”
Highlights
Daniel Goodale
Decorations on this pitcher include a Bald Eagle and a Sturgeon. The Bald Eagle became a symbol of the new republic when it was placed on the United States seal in 1782, but by the mid–20th century, it was in danger of disappearing altogether. Widespread use of the pesticide DDT thinned the eggshells of raptors and fish-eating birds, lowering their survival rates. Sturgeon were reported in the Hudson River during colonial times. These accounts were contrasted with the state of the fisheries in the mid-20th century as activists observed fish kills and declining populations and called for greater protections against pollution and development.
New York State Museum H-2015.35.13
Adirondack Park was established in 1892 by the New York State Legislature. Measuring 2,800,000 acres when it was created, Adirondack Park is the largest parkland in the contiguous United States.
New York State Museum H-1988.8.1
Pete Seeger sailed to Washington, D.C., on the Hudson River Sloop Clearwater in 1970 to deliver evidence on pollution to congress, dramatically increasing public support for the legislation.
New York State Museum H-2025.43.2
The Tonawanda Seneca Nation lives on a 7,500-acre Reservation Territory in western New York. The nearby Big Woods sustain them and other Haudenosaunee Nations, providing food, medicine plants, and habitats for threatened and endangered species.
The proposed Western New York Science and Technology Advanced Manufacturing Park (STAMP) threatens the Big Woods. Despite the Nation’s opposition, construction is underway on adjacent farmland near protected areas, including the Iroquois National Wildlife Refuge.
The Nation and its allies are urging developers to “Rethink STAMP,” arguing the project violates the 1794 Treaty of Canandaigua, which guarantees the Haudenosaunee “free use and enjoyment” of their lands.
New York State Museum H-2025.74.1
"I'm not missing a minute of this. It's the Revolution!"—Sylvia Rivera
As we mark the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution, we’re also reflecting on its unfinished promises and the people who were left out of its vision of liberty and equality. New Yorkers have long been at the center of the unfinished revolutions that followed.
Join Ashley Hopkins-Benton, Senior Historian and Curator of Social History at the New York State Museum, at Common Roots Albany Outpost for a conversation about the events at the Stonewall Inn in June 1969, a defining moment that helped ignite the modern LGBTQ+ rights movement. We’ll look at how it began, why bars were essential spaces for queer community life, and how that uprising sparked decades of organizing that continues today.
This fun, interactive program is free to attend. Food and drink are not included, but are available for individual purchase at the venue.
Location:
Common Roots Albany Outpost
19 Quackenbush Square
Albany, NY 12207
https://commonrootsbrewing.com/
Get ready to roar! Calling all young readers and dinosaur-lovers: Join the New York State Library for the first-ever Super Story Party!
Celebrate the love of reading and explore this year’s Summer Reading theme of Unearth a Story. Enjoy a rollicking good time as kids can uncover hidden histories and explore the paleontological past. Each family will leave with information and materials to connect with this year’s Summer Reading Program and support literacy learning at home.
Special guests and community partners include children’s singer/songwriter Johnny Only, magician Ron Cain, The RED Bookshelf, New York State Archives, New York State Museum, and the Talking Book and Braille Library.
Registration for the 10:45 a.m. magic show is required: Super Story Party 2026!
Power of Place: The Thanksgiving Address
The Thanksgiving Address, Ohen:ton Karihwatehkwen: Words Before all Else
The Thanksgiving Address comes from the Haudenosaunee people, also known as the Iroquois and Six Nations. They are the Mohawk, Oneida, Cayuga, Onondaga, Seneca and Tuscarora people of Upstate New York and Canada.
The Address dates back more than 1,000 years, and today, these words – or a version of them – are still spoken at the opening and closing of all ceremonial and governmental gatherings held by the Six Nations.
The Address is based on the belief that the world cannot be taken for granted and that a spiritual communication of thankfulness and acknowledgment of all living things must be given to align the minds and the hearts of people with nature.
The above version of the Address was recorded by members of UAlbany’s Indigenous Students Association during the Spring 2024 semester.
We the People: The American Dream
Immigrants often face great danger in choosing to come to the United States. Despite this reality, the pull of a potentially better life—including economic opportunity, safety, and democracy itself—is enough for many to make this choice.
Immigrants have often led the charge for equal rights in the United States, while simultaneously facing discrimination and anti-immigrant laws. Many immigrants escaped poor conditions, poverty and tyranny in their home countries, only to experience difficult conditions in America as well. Some have labored in factories and given voice to the need for labor reform, while at the same time being dismissed as “part of the problem.” Led by the promise of the American Dream, immigrants have fought for equality in all aspects of American life.
Highlights
Henry DiSpirito
Digital rendering courtesy of the John D. Calandra Italian American Institute, Queens College, The City University of New York.
New York State Museum, H-2022.4.1
Henry DiSpirito
Plaster
DiSpirito was commissioned to create a large-scale work of the Utica College symbol, the Pioneer; himself an Italian immigrant who arrived in Utica in 1921 and built a life as a stonemason and sculptor, he chose to imagine the figure not as a man in buckskins in the American West, but as an immigrant, creating this study of a man from his own diverse East Utica neighborhood.
New York State Museum, H-2016.30.1A-B
We the People: LGBTQ+ Rights
LGBTQ+ rights have been fought for in the streets, courtrooms, and legislatures, as well as in more private settings, person to person. These rights include protection from discrimination on the basis of sexual orientation or gender expression, recognition of marriage and the rights that come with it, and access to gender-affirming care.
Each June, Pride serves as a commemoration of the anniversary of the Stonewall uprising. What began in New York City is now recognized all over the state and the world. It is both a protest and a celebration.
Highlights
New York State Museum Collection
New York State Museum H-2018.25.2
March on Albany, April 29, 1990
New York State Museum H-2024.4.18
New York State Museum H-2024.45.76
Celebrate World Ocean Month and National Week of Making with an immersive STEAM program exploring the wonders of Earth’s underwater ecosystems. Participants will begin with a short, engaging introduction to marine life highlighting the importance of ocean habitats, the evolution of marine animals, and how underwater species have adapted over time.
Following this exploration, participants will have the opportunity to view select marine specimens before diving into a hands-on creative workshop. Using diorama boxes, participants will design and build their own underwater world. Each diorama will reflect individual creativity while encouraging observation, storytelling, and an appreciation for ocean ecosystems.
*Our apologies. Registration for this program has reached capacity and is now closed.
News and Updates
Discover news and updates related to state and national 250th Commemoration planning.
"Governor Hochul Highlights America 250 Events Happening Across New York State" June 5, 2026
"New Poster Celebrates 250 Years of Peoples' Resistance" Syracuse Cultural Workers May 13, 2026
"The New York Public Library Expands its Celebration of the 250th Anniversary of the United States" The City Life Org April 1, 2026
"NYC prepares for historic events marking America's 250th" Spectrum News NY1 March 26, 2026
"Countdown to 250" NBC New York March 26, 2026
"New York prepares to celebrate country's 250th birthday" Capitol Press Room March 26, 2026
"World's largest steam locomotive to visit Buffalo as part of America's 250th birthday" WGRZ March 22, 2026
"New York State Museum building new exhibit for 250th U.S. anniversary" Times Union March 11, 2026
"America250 hosting events to celebrate the United States' semi-quincentennial" Spectrum News NY1 March 10, 2026
"New exhibit highlights pivotal Revolutionary War battle in Brooklyn" Spectrum News NY1 March 5, 2026
"Redcoats headed to Putnam County" Mid Hudson News March 2, 2026
"Major historical documents start journey across US as part of nation's 250th anniversary celebration" WTEN News 10 ABC March 2, 2026
"How we traced the Hudson valley region's Revolutionary War history" Lohud March 2, 2026
"Schenectady Historical marks America's 250th birthday with variety of programs" I Love NY March 2, 2026
"Ken Burns on revisiting America's founding at its 250th anniversary" Reuters February 28, 2026
"Augmented Reality Walking Tour of Revolutionary-Era New York Will Launch This Summer" Patch February 27, 2026
"Mohawk Valley 250 revisits Rome's Fort Bull Battlefield, Oneida Carry" Utica Observer-Dispatch February 27, 2026
"Tompkins Co. "I Voted" Sticker Contest celebrates America 250" WENY News February 27, 2026
"What Belongs in America's 250th Birthday Time Capsule?" The New York Times February 26, 2026
"Saratoga Springs Heritage Area Visitor Center Announces Spring Brown Bag Lunch Lecture Series" I Love NY February 25, 2026
"Tri-State 250: The Great Hudson Chain" CBS New York February 25, 2026
"Revolutionary War scavenger hunt coming to area libraries" Livingston County News February 24, 2026
"Historic Albany Foundation gives 297-year-old Dutch home a multi-million-dollar makeover" Spectrum News 1 February 23, 2026
"Town Historian shares objects telling Warwick's revolutionary story" Warwick Advertiser February 23, 2026
"America's 250th birthday calls for celebrations in Westchester" Lohud February 23, 2026
"The Long Island Museum kicks off America250 celebration with 'The Seat of Action' exhibit" TBR NewsMedia February 20, 2026
"Amazing America 250: The 'Great Central Depot' of the Underground Railroad" CNY Central February 19, 2026
"GVCA to celebrate America's 250 with public art project" Livingston County News February 19, 2026
"Southold preps America 250 celebrations" The Suffolk Times February 18, 2026
"Duty Calls: Painting of Revolutionary War hero-turned-traitor being restored" Times Union February 16, 2026
"Burning of Kingston to fire up in the fall" Mid Hudson News February 16, 2026
"NYC Revolutionary Trail: Echoes of Revolution to Launch June 2026" I Love NY February 12, 2026
"Nearly a dozen events lined up (so far) for 250th celebration in Genesee County" The Batavian February 12, 2026
"Orange County begins 250th anniversary celebration" Mid Hudson Times February 11, 2026
"Local USA@250 events planned" Warwick Advertiser February 11, 2026
"Center for Brooklyn History Launches Battle of Brooklyn Exhibition" BKReader February 10, 2026
"Celebrate George Washington's Birthday in the Hudson Valley" National Today February 6, 2026
"Steuben County turns 230 as America 250 takes centerstage. What's planned" The Evening Tribune February 6, 2026
"Foothills plans events to celebrate America 250 and North County heritage" The Malone Telegram February 3, 2026
"Field Guide to kick off county's celebration of U.S. 250th" The Photo News February 3, 2026
"Photos: Celebrating the spirit of 1776 in music" Times Union February 2, 2026
"The restoration of a Revolutionary War gunboat underway at the Smithsonian" NCPR January 28, 2026
"Going Places: New York State Celebrates America's 250th" Long Island Press January 28, 2026
"Binghamton University professor explores Declaration of Independence grievances in community program" WBNG News 12 January 28, 2026
"Full Bio: The Schuyler Sisters and Revolutionary New York" WNYC January 28, 2026
"New York City landmarks that helped the U.S. get to 250 years old" Times Herald-Record January 28, 2026
"Tri-State 250: Highlighting the hidden history in the New York, New Jersey area" CBS New York January 28, 2026
"America's oldest warship, sunk in 1776, is getting a 250th-birthday makeover" Washington Post January 27, 2026
"Revolutionary Schohary 250 prepares for 2026" NYVT Media January 27, 2026
"U.S. Mint releases coin commemorating famous Oneida heroine" Syracuse.com January 27, 2026
"Amazing America 250: Schenectady 'Liberty' flag carries centuries of history" CNY Central January 25, 2026
"Herricks students bring Long Island revolutionary history to life through districtwide collaboration" Long Island Press January 22, 2026
"Podcast Is American History Lesson" The East Hampton Star January 22, 2026
"Auction Marking the United States' 250th Birthday Features Some of Its Most Iconic Documents" U.S. News & World Report January 22, 2026
"America Turns 250: A Guide to the Coming Festivities" The New York Times January 22, 2026
"Firsthand Accounts of the American Revolution: The McDonald Interviews Collection - Now Available Online" Westchester County Historical Society January 21, 2026
"Sail4th 250 in NYC: Celebrate America 250 With Tall Ships, Fleet Week & Fireworks" New York Family January 21, 2026
"Runner's 5,500-mile journey brings his flag run through upstate NY" Democrat & Chronicle January 21, 2026
"Painting of Benedict Arnold as a hero of the Battle of Saratoga to be conserved for display in NY State Military Museum" DVIDS January 20, 2026
"Johnson Hall Revolutionary raid recreation in 4 photos" The Daily Gazette January 20, 2026
"Town of Eastchester Kicks Off Westchester 250 Celebrations in 2026" Yonkers Times January 17, 2026
"NYS Military Museum to unroll massive Battle of Saratoga painting" WTEN News 10 ABC January 15, 2026
"Hofstra University Marks the Nation's 250th Anniversary by Sharing "Untold Stories"" Hofstra News January 15, 2026
"The Revolutionary Village: From War and Peace to 250 Years of Remarkable Influence" Village Preservation January 14, 2026
"New York Harbor to Host Historic Armada for America's 250th: All the Details" Time Out New York January 14, 2026
"Orangetown Resolutions inked in Rockland a key step for independence" Lohud January 14, 2026
"Man's solo run across America stops in Finger Lakes region" 13WHAM ABC News January 13, 2026
"Sag Harbor Cinema Presents 'The American Revolution'" 27east January 13, 2026
"Events Celebrating Nation's 250th Anniversary Underway in Huntington" Huntington Now January 12, 2026
"East Hampton Historical Society Launches New Podcast 'Spirit of '76' To Celebrate America's 250th" James Lane Post January 13, 2026
"Hochul announces New York History Preservation and Resource Center on Peebles Island" The Saratogian January 13, 2026
"2026 at the Museum of the City of New York: Exhibitions Championing the City that Shapes the Nation" The City Life Org January 13, 2026
"Putnam kicks off 250th Anniversary of American Independence" Mid Hudson News January 12, 2026
"Highlighting Albany's role in the Revolutionary War" WNYT News Channel 13 January 9, 2026
"Old Fort Niagara to celebrate 300 years of history with 'epic' 2026 anniversary season" Niagara Frontier Publications January 9, 2026
"Ogdensburg celebrating Revolutionary War History" WWNYT News 7 January 9, 2026
"Schuylerville senior receives inaugural Saratoga 250 scholarship" Saratoga Today January 8, 2026
"Amazing America 250: The Significance of the Erie Canal" CNY Central January 8, 2026
"'Suffolk 250' book aims to boost tourism, highlight sites" Long Island Business News January 7, 2026
"Tri Hamlet 250 Committee Celebrates William Floyd Day in Suffolk County" William Floyd School District January 6, 2026
"On This Day: Adams advises Washington on the defense of New York" Washington Examiner January 6, 2026
"New York Stock Exchange Partners with America 250 to Mark America's 250th Anniversary" America 250 January 6, 2026
"Tall Ships, Galas, Innovative Theater Casting & Podcasts: A Modern Way To Celebrate the 250th" East End Beacon January 6, 2026
"What New York Looked Like in 1776" WNYC January 5, 2026
"Revolutionary War shipwrecks are caught in a preservation debate" Adirondack Explorer January 5, 2026
"1776-2026: Building a Nation" Times Union January 1, 2026
"'Nothing is Guaranteed': Keeping the Revolution Alive in Westchester as America Turns 250" The Examiner News December 31, 2025
"Vermont and New York schools engage in hands-on history with 'Henry Knox in the Classroom'" WRGB CBS 6 News December 30, 2025
"Hidden Gems in the Archives: How a Single Line Revealed the Adamses of Richmond Hill" Village Preservation December 30, 2025
"How Haitian ordnance wound up in the Adirondack Mountains" The World December 30, 2025
"LOOKING BACK: The nation makers: Yates County veterans of the American Revolution" Finger Lakes Times December 28, 2025
"Patriotic Times Square ball drop to launch U.S.'s 250th birthday" NBC 4 New York December 26, 2025
""Common Sense," by Thomas Paine, Turns 250" The New York Times December 17, 2025
"'Quite the story': Henry Knox celebrated on 250th anniversary of 'Noble' train march" Saratoga 250 December 16, 2025
"Photos: Noble Knox Train of Artillery arrives in Cohoes." Times Union December 15, 2025
"'The eyes of America are upon us': Knox's Noble Train of Artillery arrives at Fort George" The Lake George Examiner December 13, 2025
"Henry Knox's Noble Train of Artillery 250th anniversary" WTEN News 10 ABC December 11, 2025
"Events to commemorate Henry Knox's Noble Train of Artillery" WTEN News 10 ABC December 11, 2025
"Diver recovered 6,000 artifacts from Revolutionary War and War of 1812 battles in Lake Champlain" Adirondack Explorer December 10, 2025
"New 71,000 Square-Foot Tang Wing for American Democracy to Open at The New York Historical" City Life Org December 9, 2025
"Explore Huntington’s Revolutionary War history with Liberty 250 digital experience" TBR News Media December 5, 2025
"Revolutionary War Archaeology: Oriskany Battlefield Survey Underway" News Channel 2 Utica November 19, 2025
"America's Field Trip Student Contest" Office of State History April 18, 2025
"America&Spain250: An Initiative for the Celebration of Spain's Relationship with the United States, 1776-2026" America&Spain250 March 20, 2025
"Niagara USA 250 Committee Releases Logo for Local Events" Niagara County March 7, 2025
"Westchester County Executive Ken Jenkins Announces Tourism Grant to Support 'Rooted in Westchester'" Westchester County February 23, 2025
"The Lafayette Trail and William G. Pomeroy Foundation Partnership Spotlights 200th Anniversary of Gen. Lafayette's Visit to Starstruck Nation with Historical Markers Across Entirety of Original 'Farewell Tour'" Lafayette 2024 February 26, 2025
"Ken Burns' The American Revolution Coming November 16, 2025" PBS February 20, 2025
"The Queen Sofía Spanish Institute and the Gilder Lehrman Institute Release America & Spain 250 Educational Materials" Office of State History February 12, 2025
"The New York State 250th Commemoration Virtual Summit was a Success!" NYSTIA February 4, 2025
"No. Castle Committee Updates Town on 250th Anniversary Celebration Plans" The Examiner News November 1, 2024
"'Treason of the Blackest Dye' On Display at the Pocantico Center" The Hudson Independent September 26, 2024
"Original 'Boot Papers' on display in Tarrytown for the first time in nearly 250 years" News 12 Westchester September 25, 2024
"NYS Parks Unveil New Interactive Video Displays Interpreting New York's Revolutionary History" I Love NY September 20, 2024
"America250 Previews America Gives" America250 September 9, 2024
"CCHS and county historian's office to host 'An America250 Conversation'" I Love NY September 3, 2024
"SENAV Del Toro and Mayor Admas Announce International Naval Review 250" America's Navy August 29, 2024
"National Parks Service Awards $10 Million to Historic Sites and Structures in 9 States to Celebrate America's 250th Anniversary", National Parks Service August 22, 2024
"Obama and Bush join effort to mark America's 250th anniversary in a time of political polarization" Associated Press August 1, 2024
"Albany County swears in Revolutionary War commission" WAMC Midday Magazine July 14, 2024
"The John F. Kennedy Center for the Performing Arts Announces 2026 Programming Framework to Mark the 250th Anniversary of the Declaration of Independence" PR Newswire July 11, 2024
"What's a Semiquincentennial? You Have Two Years to Find Out" The New York Times July 10, 2024
"In July 4 speech, governor announces commission for US Declaration of Independence 250th anniversary celebration" San Juan Daily Star July 5, 2024
"Commission to promote New York's Revolutionary War history holds first meeting" WAMC Midday Magazine May 22, 2024
"The Hidden History of Tone's Pond Discovered: The Namesake of a Revolutionary War Hero" Brewster Bear Facts February 6, 2024
"America's War for Independence is Set to Return to Montgomery County" Montgomery County June 28, 2023
"Long Island prepares for 250th anniversary of the Revolutionary War" WSHU Public Radio June 15, 2023
"County legislators prepare for 250th anniversary of American Revolution" The Altamont Enterprise Regional June 6, 2023
"NYS Museum piecing together remains of Revolutionary War soldiers recovered in Lake George" CBS 6 News May 10, 2023
"Announcing NYC Revolutionary Trail" Gotham Center for New York City History May 8, 2023
"Unfinished Revolutions: Museums and America's 250th" We the Museum Podcast April 26, 2023
"Forming a Local 250th Commission" American Association for State and Local History March 23, 2023
"Annual Update on the Semiquincentennial" American Association for State and Local History July 1, 2022
"IMLS 250: All Stories. All People. All Places." Institute of Museum and Library Services June 16, 2022
"America250 Names Michael Frazier as Chief Communications Officer" America250 January 13, 2022
"America250 and the National Society Daughters of the American Revolution announce Historic Partnership to Commemorate the Nation's Birthday" America250 January 11, 2022
"A250 Launches the Civics & Civic Engagement Advisory Council" America250 January 5, 2022
"Grant to Support Internships on NYS's Revolutionary War History" SUNY Geneseo December 22, 2021
"General George Washington and the Crossing of the Delaware" America250 December 20, 2021
"For Kids: History of...The Postage Stamp" America250 December 10, 2021
"A Community Conversation with LGBTQ+ Communities" America250 December 2, 2021
"8 Indigenous Podcasts for Native American Heritage Month America250 November 19, 2021
"Sergeant Henry Johnson, WWI Hero" America250 November 11, 2021
"Theodore Roosevelt's Children" America250 November 1, 2021
"Hazel Ying Lee: The Chinese American Pilot Who Dared" America250 October 18, 2021
"Meet the Co-Chairs: Sports & Entertainment Advisory Council" America250 September 24, 2021
"Revolutionary Tarrytown” Bee Local July 26, 2021
“Westchester Takes a Long View of Historic and Cultural Heritage Tourism” New York State Association of Counties News July 16, 2021
"Vast Early America Teacher Institute" Omohundro Institute & National Endowment for the Humanities
Gallery
See the latest photos related to New York State's 250th Commemoration events
We the People: Women's Rights
Women heard the calls of “no taxation without representation” during the American Revolution, but they were still denied the right to vote. During the abolition and temperance movements of the 19th century, women worked for social reforms while bearing injustices in their own lives. Women were not only denied a voice in government, but also the ability to pursue their education, to access most employment, and to have an active role in the church.
By the middle of the 19th century, women’s rights activists came together to work for the right to vote, with the idea that a voice in government would make other necessary reforms more achievable. When the vote was won in New York State in 1917, and federally in 1920, women immediately turned to the goal of enshrining women’s rights in the United States Constitution through the Equal Rights Amendment.
Highlights
Meredith Bergmann
1/3 scale model
Women’s Rights Pioneers is the first monument to honor real women in New York City’s Central Park. It depicts three leaders of the 19th century women’s rights movement in New York and nationally: Sojourner Truth, Elizabeth Cady Stanton, and Susan B. Anthony.
New York State Museum, H-2023.3.1
On October 27, 1917, ten days before Election Day, thousands of women marched for suffrage in New York City. This banner was carried by women from Orange County.
New York State Museum, H-1974.174.1
“National Woman’s Party, E.R.A., Equality of rights under the law shall not be denied or abridged by the United States or by any State on account of sex.”
New York State Museum, H-2016.32.28
In her father’s law office, Elizabeth Cady Stanton (1815-1902) witnessed widows stripped of property they brought into marriage. Law clerks teased that her new coral necklace could be locked away or sold by her husband without her permission. Her outrage fueled her work for women’s rights.
New York State Museum, H-1972.115.150
Additional Resources
Talking Statues
Listen to an imagined conversation between Sojourner Truth, Susan B. Anthony, and Elizabeth Cady Stanton that brings their voices and their fight for women’s rights to life through this mobile-friendly audio experience, available in English and Spanish.
Welcome to the New York State Museum
We are excited to welcome you to the Museum! Please review the information provided here to ensure an enjoyable and safe visit to the Museum for everyone.
Notice of Temporary Changes to Museum Hours
Saturday July 25 - Sunday 26, 2026
The Museum will be closed for plaza-wide systems testing on Saturday, July 25 and Sunday, July 26. As the Museum is closed to the public on Mondays, we will return to normal hours of operation on Tuesday, July 28. Thank you for your patience.
Museum Hours
Open Tuesday through Sunday, 9:30 am – 5:00 pm
Closed all state-observed holidays*
Thursday, January 1 - New Year's Day
Monday, January 19 - Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Day
Monday, February 16 - Washington's Birthday (Observed)
Monday, May 25 - Memorial Day
Friday, June 19 - Juneteenth
Saturday, July 4 - Independence Day
Monday, September 7 - Labor Day
Monday, October 12 - Columbus Day
Wednesday, November 11 – Veterans’ Day
Thursday, November 26 – Thanksgiving Day
Friday, December 25 - Christmas Day
Main Lobby Desk:
(518) 474-5877
Admission
Admission to the New York State Museum is free. However, your support plays a vital role in the success of the Museum’s mission. Suggested donation: $5 per individual or $10 per family.
The Museum Shop
The Museum Shop offers a wide variety of thoughtfully curated items inspired by our mission and current exhibitions, while proudly showcasing products from New York–based vendors.
Hours:
Tuesday through Friday: 11 am -3 pm
Saturday and Sunday: 10 am-4 pm
Carousel Café
2nd floor Mezzanine
Enjoy a selection of popular beverages alongside kid-friendly options. Items for sale include coffee, teas, hot chocolate, fresh pastries, bagels, made-to-order sandwiches, salads, and chicken nuggets — all served in the signature Stacks style: approachable, high-quality, and proudly local.
Hours:
Wednesday–Friday: 8:00 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Saturday & Sunday: 9:30 a.m. – 2:30 p.m.
Parking
Parking is available in the Madison Avenue Lot, located on the west side of the Museum and accessible from Madison Avenue. The weekday parking fee is $10, Monday through Friday. Parking is free after 2:00 p.m. on weekdays and all day on weekends.
Additional visitor parking is available in the Visitor Lot/P-3 beneath the Empire State Plaza Concourse and limited metered street parking may be available nearby.
On evenings (after 4:00 p.m.) and weekends, free parking is generally available in the Madison Avenue Lot, Madison East (Cathedral) Lot, East Parking Garage, the Visitor Lot/P-3, Grand Street Surface Lot, and Elk Street Surface Lot. Please see OGS’s Visitor Parking Information for additional details and current parking updates.
Parking availability is subject to change due to event usage, construction, or operational needs.
Amenities
- Public restrooms are available on the first floor of the Museum.
- Wheelchairs, strollers, and walkers are available for public use at no cost. Please check in with staff at the Main Lobby desk for more information.
- In addition to the Carousel Café, further food and amenities can be obtained on the Concourse Level of the Empire State Plaza. Please note, food and/or drinks are not allowed in the Museum galleries.
Museum Galleries and Facilities
Galleries Open for Visitors
- New York Metropolis Hall—The World Trade Center, Henry DiSpirito: Stonemason to Sculptor, Ice Ages, Black Capital: Harlem in the 1920s, Art for the People: Decorated Stoneware from the Weitsman Collection, and more!
- Adirondack Hall—Adirondack Wilderness, Beneath the City: An Archaeological Perspective of Albany, “a small fort, which our people call Fort Orange,” Artifacts for Activism, Minerals of New York, and more!
- Bird Hall
- Cohoes Mastodon
- Fire Engine Hall
- Ice Ages
- First Peoples Hall
- Fourth Terrace: NYSM Carousel
For Your Health & Safety
Please be reminded that simple steps can help stop the spread of the COVID-19 virus, including to:
- Stay home when you are sick.
- Wash hands often with soap and water for at least 20 seconds. If soap and water are not available, use an alcohol-based hand sanitizer containing at least 60% alcohol.
- Avoid touching your eyes, nose, and mouth with unwashed hands.
- Cover your cough or sneeze with a tissue, then throw the tissue in the trash.
- Avoid close contact with people who are sick.
Location
New York State Museum
Cultural Education Center
222 Madison Avenue
Albany, NY 12230
Wayfinder Map (PDF)
Download this wayfinder map for an overview of the NYSM galleries and exhibits open to visitors.
Join us at the NYS Museum for a showing of Searching for Timbuctoo (2021), a film by writer and photographer Paul Miller. In 1846 New York State enacted a law requiring African American men to own $250 worth of property to vote. To circumvent this unjust law, radical abolitionist Gerrit Smith gave away 120,000 acres of land in Essex and Franklin Counties to 3,000 free Black men, thereby qualifying them to vote. Searching for Timbuctoo tells the history of this forgotten settlement and New York State on the brink of the Civil War and follows an archaeology team looking to unearth evidence of the community. (The 55-minute film will run on a loop throughout the day.)
View the trailer: https://www.timbuctoofilm.com/
Pedro A. Regalado is Assistant Professor of History at Stanford University where he researches and teaches the history of race, immigration, planning, and capitalism in urban America. His first book, Nueva York: Making the Modern City, is a history of New York City’s Latinx community during the 20th century, from the “pioneers” who arrived after World War I to the panoply of Latinx people who rebuilt the city in the wake of the 1975 fiscal crisis. Across a range of topics, from urban renewal to the rise of Latinx bankers, US military operations in Central America to drug workers who repurposed tenement buildings, Nueva York demonstrates how the democratic ideals of the city hinged, in large part, on the experiences of Latinx New Yorkers.
Regalado’s work has been featured in the Journal of Urban History, Boston Review, The Washington Post, Platform, The Chronicle of Higher Education, and Public Books. Before coming to Stanford, Regalado was a junior fellow of the Society of Fellows at Harvard University. Born in the Dominican Republic, he was raised in New York City’s Washington Heights.
Join hosts Frieda and Carmie at the New York State Museum for a fun-filled, fabulous family show. There will be songs, games, prizes, and sing-alongs for kids of all ages. Bring the entire family for a one-of-a-kind afternoon of fun and music.
For information on other 2024 Capital Pride events, visit www.518capitalpride.com/.
Join Senior Historian, Ashley Hopkins-Benton as she highlights some of the LGBTQ+ stories that can be found in the New York State Museum’s galleries.
Throughout its history, New Yorkers have led the charge for equality, including fighting for the rights of lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender, and queer (LGBTQ+) individuals. In 1969, a spark was lit in the already growing gay rights movement at the Stonewall Uprising in Greenwich Village, New York City. As the movement continued to grow nationally over the next few decades, New Yorkers participated in activism across the state, from the struggles of Gay Liberation through the AIDS crisis to the successful fight for marriage equality in 2011.
New York holds a special place in LGBTQ+ history, as a haven for those in search of a safer environment and like-minded companionship. Across the state, the LGBTQ+ community has celebrated its strength and diversity, while working for equal rights, visibility, and inclusion through protests, Pride celebrations, and community center activities.
Throughout the summer, programs designed to spark creativity and curiosity will pop-up around the Museum. These family-friendly programs will change regularly, so make sure to come back!
This program series is supported by Albany City Summer Youth Employment.
Explore the genetic and physical differences between wolves and coyotes by joining Dr. Jeremy Kirchman as he sheds light on the historical decline of wolves and the colonization of coyotes in New York. Learn how the history of coyote-wolf hybridization has made it difficult, for hunters and wildlife management agencies, to distinguish our ubiquitous eastern coyote from the occasional wolf that wanders outside of its core breeding range in neighboring Canada.
This program includes a 20-minute talk, and a brief Q&A. Participants are welcome to bring their lunches.
In choosing their wedding clothes, brides and grooms are influenced by fashion, economics, technology, religion, geography, celebrity, personal taste, and their role in society. This was as much the case in the past as it is today.
Wedding clothing holds memories, and pieces—dresses, shoes, suits, and head wear—are often preserved and passed to subsequent generations. A couple’s choices reveal information about both the individuals who wore them and those who made them. Some garments, like those exhibited here from the 1910s to 1940s, find their way to museum collections. Unveil these stories with clothing expert, Connie Frisbee Houde, as she highlights pieces from the exhibit, Unveiled: Wedding Wear in New York, 1910s–1940s.
Celebrate National Carousel Day on July 25th with a day of fun activities at the New York State Museum. Enjoy carousel-themed stories, crafts, and, of course, a ride on the Museum's 110-year-old carousel. This free, family-friendly event will have everyone spinning with joy!
National Carousel Day commemorates the registration of the first patent for a carousel design by William Schneider on July 25, 1871.