Historic Sites, history, State History

Commemorating the Canandaigua Treaty at Ganondagan State Historic Site

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The Canandaigua Treaty Day Celebration is held annually in Canandaigua, New York, to polish the chain of friendship between the United States and the Six Nations, and to honor the sovereignty of the Haudenosaunee (hoh-DEE-noh-SHoh-nee) Confederacy. The Six Nations consist of the Mohawk, Oneida, Onondaga, Cayuga, Seneca, and Tuscarora, who originally and currently live in Northeast North America and Upstate New York. 

Ganondagan State Historic Site is home to the Seneca Art & Culture Center, which features stories of Haudenosaunee contributions to art, culture and society, and the Bark Longhouse, a replica of a 1600s Seneca family’s dwelling as well colonial trades and goods. Self-guided hiking trails, including a tree tour and medicine walk, are available year-round, dawn to dusk, weather-permitting. 

Michael Oberg, Distinguished Professor of History, SUNY Geneseo, gives a presentation at Ganondagan State Historic Site.

Co-created in 1794 by the young United States and the Haudenosaunee Confederacy (an alliance of Six Nations), the Canandaigua Treaty was a binding, solemn agreement that defined mutual obligations between the independent nations. It set out to affirm land rights to the Haudenosaunee and established the promise of friendship between all parties. Today the treaty is commemorated by the Haudenosaunee by paying tribute to their peace-making efforts to uphold their end of the “chain” of friendship.

On November 11, Ganondagan State Historic Site hosted a lunch, lecture and tour to honor the 229th anniversary of the Canandaigua Treaty at their Seneca Art & Culture Center in Victor, NY. The annual event signals how the relationship between the United States and Six Nations has been challenged, strained, and violated, but reveals that the treaty itself has never been broken and is still recognized by both governments.

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Flora & Fauna, Fun & Games

Guess That Mysterious Wildlife Sound!

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Throughout the fall season, you’ve maybe found yourself outside at some point — around a cozy campfire or on a trail enjoying the beautiful autumn foliage — and heard a sound you didn’t quite recognize. Perhaps the sun was down, and you were startled?

If you’re thinking back on your fall adventures and this feels a little familiar, you wouldn’t be alone. There are so many different noises when you’re out in nature, and sometimes it’s hard to keep track of them all. With this article, we hope to demystify some of these sounds and show you they’re more interesting than unnerving!

Slowly scroll below to discover the thrilling world of five New York native animals that are often associated with autumn. Can you guess who each sound belongs to?

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Art, Historic Sites, Park Personnel, Stewardship

Where Art and Science Meet: A Q&A with Art Conservators

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Art and artifact conservators are the guardians of our cultural heritage. Their fascinating work blends art and science to protect the treasures of the past for future generations. But that work is often invisible to the public. 

The American Institute for Conservation showcases this field through the annual Ask A Conservator Day. This year, NY State Parks and Historic Sites’ Department of Historic Preservation conservators Elizabeth Robson (Paintings) and Paige Schmidt (Wooden Objects) took a break from their labs to answer questions about their work. 

What do conservators do? What is outside the scope of their field?  

Conservators are highly skilled, highly trained professionals who care for art and artifacts. They assess the condition of a particular object and carry out a course of treatment for it. They also provide guidance on how to store and exhibit an object or work of art.

Conservators also specialize in one area of expertise, such as paintings, paper, objects, textiles, or architecture. There are further specialties within these categories, like murals, books, photographs, frames, wooden objects, archaeological objects, metals, and more. While a conservator’s treatment may improve the aesthetics of an object (e.g. replacing missing paint), they never do so at the expense of any original material. Nor do they give appraisals of artworks or artifacts.

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Park Personnel

Honoring Veterans Who Work at NY State Parks & Historic Sites 

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This Veterans Day, New York’s Office of State Parks and Historic Sites honors and recognizes our military veterans around the country. We are fortunate to have a number of veterans as members of our Parks family, and we thank them, not only for their service, but for sharing how their military experience informs their civilian roles within our agency.  

Andrew Bresset, Neil Briggs, and Francis Cleveland.

 
Andrew Bresett is an Army veteran and a maintenance worker at Lakeside State Park in Waterport.  He says his service taught him perseverance. “No matter the situation, we can always get through it,” he said. “I can get through any challenge that’s thrown my way.” 

Neil Briggs is an Army veteran and a seasonal maintenance worker at Selkirk Shores State Park in Pulaski. As an equipment operator in the Army, he brings a wealth of experience to his position. He says that a highlight of his service was loading a multi-million-dollar computer onto a C145 airplane guided by a ‘Full-Bird’ Colonel. 

Francis Cleveland works at Robert Treman, Buttermilk Falls and Allan Treman State Parks in the Finger Lakes. Before that, he served in the Marines. “I was a ‘jar head’ for six years,” he said. “I appreciated the comradery we all had. Gung Ho!” He credits his service with his strong work ethic and attention to detail. “I take my work seriously. Things need to be done right.” 

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Park History, Park Personnel

Hispanic / Latinx Staff Reflect on Roberto Clemente During Hispanic Heritage Month

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Hispanic Heritage Month, spanning mid-September to mid-October, is a time for Latinx people in the U.S. to celebrate their roots. Through the vantage of Hispanic / Latinx staff, we reflect on the namesake for Roberto Clemente State Park — the sole park in our system named in honor of a Hispanic icon.

Roberto Clemente State Park first opened in 1973 as the Harlem River Bronx State Park. In that same year, the New York State Commission met to rename the park after the famous Puerto Rican Hall of Fame Baseball player, Roberto Clemente, who tragically died in a plane crash off the coast of Puerto Rico taking aid to Nicaragua. 

The decision to rename the park after Clemente was not because he was a famous baseball player, but because he believed in helping people and doing good. He was truly a humanitarian. “Anytime you have an opportunity to make a difference in this world and you don’t, then you are wasting your time on Earth,” he once said.

I am joyful to be a Latina “Boricua” and oversee the first State Park built in New York City, and especially proud that it holds the name of Roberto Clemente. When I was a young child, I remember my mother speaking about how, although we came from a town next to his, our cousins lived in the town Roberto Clemente came from. I often remember him and think of my baseball card collection.

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The official blog for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation