history, Recreation, State History

Reflections on the Erie Canal During its Bicentennial Year

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The history and impact of the Erie Canal stretches back over 200 years, across more than 300 miles, and millions of lives. It is complicated, it is messy, it is multidimensional. You can become fascinated by it through the economics, the politics, the engineering, the social and cultural changes, the environmental impact, music, folktales, art, or a general love of history. Like the canal itself, history is a ribbon that connects us, for all the good and the bad.

The Seneca Chief prepares to depart from Buffalo to replicate the inaugural journey on the Erie Canal. Photo courtesy of Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site.

The capstone of the revitalization of the Erie Canal during its Bicentennial is the inspiring journey of a replica canal barge. Buffalo Maritime Center enlisted the help of volunteers, donations and corporate sponsors to create a new version of The Seneca Chief. The original barge made the inaugural journey on the entirety of the canal in October of 1825, carrying Governor DeWitt Clinton and a keg of Lake Erie water. The replica Seneca Chief is on a similar journey in its path across New York State, but on a far larger, more complex journey through history.

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Family Fun, Hiking, Historic Sites, Recreation, Wellness

Autumn in New York (State Parks and Historic Sites)

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Short and sunny days, crunchy leaves, honking geese, the strong desire for pumpkin spice: it must be fall! Temperatures are just right for hiking, biking and outdoor adventure. It’s a time of year that sparks inspiration, curiosity and wonder. Our parks and historic sites are here to help you make the most of it! Read on for ideas on how to have the best fall ever.

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Art, history, State History

Recording Latin Music History in New York City 

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Added to the National Register of Historic Places in 2001, Casa Amadeo, antigua Casa Hernández is best known as the Bronx’s longest continually run music establishment and the oldest Latin music store in New York City. The store’s founder, Victoria Hernández, is one of the earliest female Puerto Rican entrepreneurs in the city. The National Register listing highlights her story and the lasting impact she had on the city’s Latin music scene.  

This history is just part of the story! Read the complete nomination for Casa Amadeo. 

Looming on a corner along Prospect Avenue in the Bronx, this 1905 Neo-Renaissance style apartment building is home to a cornerstone of New York City’s Latin music history.  

Historical black and white photograph of the Manhanset Building in the Bronx, featuring the storefront of Casa Amadeo on the ground floor, showcasing Neo-Renaissance architectural style with decorative cornices and windows.
The Manhanset, home to Casa Amadeo, antigua Casa Hernández, in operation since 1941. Casa Amadeo National Register nomination | Photographer: Martha Cooper (September 2000)
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Park History

“A curious mix of dignity and devil-may-care:” Memories of Ruby Jolliffe, Palisades Group Camp Director 

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The story of New York State Parks and Historic Sites is not just one of properties, but of people. During our Centennial year, we introduced you to some of them. In this new series, we take our scrapbook of memories down from the shelf and open it to share their stories in more detail.

She was “the hand that lit a thousand campfires.” Distinctive and almost prim in her hat, starched shirt, knickers, spectacles, and close-cropped hair, she had a zest for life. That zest saw her take a toboggan run at 70 miles per hour, throw a birthday party for a dog, and befriend some of the era’s most powerful people. She combined a knack for building relationships, an insistence on the highest standards, and a deep belief in her mission to build her program into a powerhouse that touched hundreds of thousands of lives. She was Ruby Jolliffe, and her 28-year tenure as Group Camp Director in the Palisades region continues to leave an impression more than 75 years after her retirement.

The iconic photograph of Ruby Jolliffe (1882-1968). From 1920 to 1948, Jolliffe molded the group camp program in the Palisades region into a national model peaking at 102 camps through her unique personal attributes and capabilities.
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Family Fun, Historic Sites, history, State History

At Glimmerglass State Park, America’s Oldest Covered Bridge Turns 200

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This year’s 200th anniversary of the Hyde Hall covered bridge in Glimmerglass State Park near Cooperstown, the oldest covered bridge still standing in America, is being celebrated on October 11, 2025. It’s all traceable to one man: George Clarke.

Portrait of George Clarke, seated at a table with a book, dressed in early 19th-century attire, with a curtain and landscape view in the background.
Portrait of George Clarke, painted in 1829, by Samuel F.B. Morse. In the collection of the Saint Louis Art Museum. Clarke commissioned Hyde Hall and the innovative covered bridge leading to it, now the oldest covered bridge still standing in the country.
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The official blog for the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation