AHIS290, Spring 2016
For potential project ideas, I chose entertainment in the Albany region. Since, attending a University in the state’s capital, I chose specific events and landmarks that I found were popular and traditional in Albany. The first choice was the Paramount Theatre established in 1929. The image accompanying the information on the map does not look like theaters that we see today. I found the construction of the building to be unique. It would be interesting to know who attended the theatre, the cost of admission, and what were the biggest films being played at the time. The second choice was the Tulip Fest. I had no prior knowledge of when this event started, its purpose, and how it had become a tradition in the Albany community. The images showed the annual fest occurring in the spring, the inducted Queen, and other activities. The last choice was a fight at the Albany Armory between Muhammad Ali and Ernie Terrell. The cost of admission was only $4.50 to see such famous fighters. The Armory today, is typically used for parties and concerts. The layout that I remember is similar to a basketball court for a gym, but the outside structure shows how historic and memorable the building is.
Metallurgy and the trade of blacksmithing is the area I chose to focus on for a number of reasons. The primary reason is that I am fascinated by the craft; it is an occupation that once helped revolutionize the world yet it seems all but forgotten in modern times.
There were a number of blacksmiths and silversmiths during this time period such as James Bishop and Benjamin Browning of 279 and 202 Washington Avenue, respectively. During this time period, there were a total of 8 blacksmiths just in the immediate city of Albany. Today, the John Eagan Blacksmith sign pictured above still stands as a reminder of the past to this day on Liberty Street in downtown Albany.
Similar Tour: Mel Rose & Rose Iron Works
Religious Albany, New York, Saint Peter’s Bell
Religious Albany, New York, Saint Peter’s Church, State Street and Barracks (Chapel) Street
Religious Albany, New York, Saint Peter’s Church, State Street and Barracks (Chapel) Street
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/125+Eagle+St,+Albany,+NY+12202/107+State+St,+Albany,+NY+12207/10+Lodge+Street,+Albany,+NY/First+Church+In+Albany,+110+N+Pearl+St,+Albany,+NY+12207/St+Joseph’s+Terrace,+Albany,+NY+12210/62+S+Swan+St,+Albany,+NY+12210/275+State+St,+Albany,+NY+12210/405+Quail+St,+Albany,+NY+12208/@42.6598593,-73.7762165,13.3z/data=!4m50!4m49!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a22cd423549:0x877219abd8418f10!2m2!1d-73.7598914!2d42.6476819!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a2421936aef:0x5e76103e93a9bc4a!2m2!1d-73.7540206!2d42.6509774!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a26623558bb:0x8d27a196fb19e89e!2m2!1d-73.7528015!2d42.6518573!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a2633c7330d:0xddf36129e1230a2a!2m2!1d-73.7506732!2d42.6535577!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a29183502b7:0xdad04f1af8d6f903!2m2!1d-73.752369!2d42.656719!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a2566b76f59:0x78352f4963991a72!2m2!1d-73.7578227!2d42.6546411!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a3aeb2b8d9b:0xb171ffbab8d18106!2m2!1d-73.7610466!2d42.6543185!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a5c7e0e0f4b:0xd337c53bd827be9d!2m2!1d-73.786095!2d42.6540589!3e2?hl=en
https://www.google.com/maps/dir/125+Eagle+St,+Albany,+NY+12202/107+State+St,+Albany,+NY+12207/10+Lodge+Street,+Albany,+NY/First+Church+In+Albany,+110+N+Pearl+St,+Albany,+NY+12207/St+Joseph’s+Terrace,+Albany,+NY+12210/62+S+Swan+St,+Albany,+NY+12210/275+State+St,+Albany,+NY+12210/405+Quail+St,+Albany,+NY+12208/@42.6598593,-73.7762165,13.3z/data=!4m50!4m49!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a22cd423549:0x877219abd8418f10!2m2!1d-73.7598914!2d42.6476819!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a2421936aef:0x5e76103e93a9bc4a!2m2!1d-73.7540206!2d42.6509774!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a26623558bb:0x8d27a196fb19e89e!2m2!1d-73.7528015!2d42.6518573!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a2633c7330d:0xddf36129e1230a2a!2m2!1d-73.7506732!2d42.6535577!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a29183502b7:0xdad04f1af8d6f903!2m2!1d-73.752369!2d42.656719!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a2566b76f59:0x78352f4963991a72!2m2!1d-73.7578227!2d42.6546411!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a3aeb2b8d9b:0xb171ffbab8d18106!2m2!1d-73.7610466!2d42.6543185!1m5!1m1!1s0x89de0a5c7e0e0f4b:0xd337c53bd827be9d!2m2!1d-73.786095!2d42.6540589!3e2?hl=en
Cleveland Walking Tour: St. Augustine, Pilgrim Church, Old Stone Church
http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/103#.VsNKVvkrIdU
http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/93#.VsNLFfkrIdU
http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/165#.VsNLafkrIdU
I chose three different Brewery’s. The different breweries I chose were the John F. Hendrick Brewery, the James Boyd Brewery, and the John Taylor & Sons brewery. I thought that this topic was very interesting because during the pre-prohibition period, Albany was listed for almost 80 different breweries, which was a lot for that time period. Many breweries at that time did not last very long, most lasting only a couple years. The brewery I found most interesting was the Hendrick Brewing Company because John F. Hendrick created the first large German Bier brewery, which stayed open for over 50 years. While Hendrick Brewery was the first German Bier brewery, James Boyd opened his brewery, which was considered to be the the first modern brewery in the city of Albany, in 1796. Just between 1800 and 1825 12 new breweries were opened. The third brewery that I am very interested in is the John Taylor & Sons brewery. This was the first brewery that saw opportunity in using Albany’s access to the Hudson River. When the Erie Canal was completed in 1825, John Taylor, who was a very good business man, began exporting his beer south to the port of New York after raw materials for beer making would be brought east to Albany. Once the beer was brought to the port of New York, it could then be brought to any where in the world. All three of these breweries were in the hands of very smart business men, and all were chosen for outlasting many other breweries that were built in Albany during that time period. I also think that the audience for breweries can be very large as well. All people aver the age of 21 can relate to beer. There are so many types of beer, from porters to ciders, and they all have a distinct taste. Many people are interested in beer, and there’s a beer out there for everyone, whether you like light or dark beers.
http://findingyourpast.blogspot.com/2013/11/brief-history-of-german-brewers-in.html
http://albanyaleproject.com/history/rise.html
http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/311#.VsNKIhr2YdU
I chose all of these sites because they have to do with the early military history that is associated with Albany. I think that the military history that is associated with Albany is important because I think that there is more important United States history located in Albany than people probably realize. The first site that I have chosen is where Benjamin Franklin proposed the first formal plan for the American Union. I think that this is interesting and worth making note of because it is an important piece of American history that most people in Albany are most likely unaware of. Schuyler mansion was the home of Philip Schuyler, a general in the Revolutionary war. The mansion has been preserved as an historic site and is open to the public as a historic museum. The last site that I chose is Fort Frederick. Fort Frederick was created as a replacement for Fort Orange. I think that it is important to look at why Fort Frederick was chosen as a replacement as well as the designs that were used for the fort compared to Fort Orange.
http://clevelandhistorical.org/tours/show/19#.VsNKGPkrIdU
The 3 embeds I chose were a synagogue, a women club of Albany, and an Albany brewing company. Seeing the synagogue on the explore page was very surprising, partly because I never viewed Albany as a Jewish city. I’m interested in why Jews would choose to settle in Albany and start their own community there. The women club of Albany was interesting because at a time when women were not held equal to men, I wonder what the main purpose of the club was. I saw a picture of what seemed to be the house and was curious on the background behind it. Lastly I chose the brewing company because it seemed like a popular part of Albany’s early society. I wondered what the beer tasted like.
Maps-
I chose these three sites because I have had some relationship with each growing up. When I was younger I had the privilege of visiting The Capitol and the Governor’s Mansion. As for the D&H Building, the Delaware & Hudson railroad is responsible for the town that I grew up in existing as it is called Delanson. I have always been intrigued by local history. So these places seemed like a good place to start while looking more in depth. Some other places I might use are those that also be historical political sites. There are many sites around that may not have as much influence for the state as a whole, but there are many sites that could impact certain groups of people or individual citizens. I would most likely use some significant local businesses, because those are really the backbone of a city that doesn’t really get the recognition that it deserves.
I choose to focus on Washington Park because I have been there a few times and it had only a few purple dots on the map and I felt like there is more history to Washington Park than was shown. Also, it is part of Albany’s largest historic district and Washington Park is Albany’s largest park. I want to know what else has happened in history at Washington Park and what else it has served for to the community of Albany. There are events like tulip fest that happen at Washington Park so maybe something like that should be included. I found that a house was built for the Mayor of Albany during the 1890’s right across state street from Washington Park. I found this interesting because they were building a home for the mayor right across the street from the park and this has to resemble something good about the park. There is also very little information about the lake in Washington Park and I wonder why there isn’t more information about the lake or even more pictures of the lake. I would like to see more added to the park as a whole and it may have to start with its lake.
