midterm progress

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-

Cleveland Historical Link

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.

I choose this particular area because lark street and Madison right now have a lot of bars and restaurant. But this particular area is now currently a Dunkin Donuts and a parking lot, more or less. Back then in was a gas station in which there is one on the opposite side of Madison St. I don’t thing there was much entertainment back then, but now Lark street is best know for their bars and grub places to catch a bite to eat. I wonder how much was gas back then, was it expensive for the people at that time. Also I think what kind of night life or restaurant were there during those years. Was there much going on the neighborhood and when did the neighborhood transition to becoming what it is now today.

This is the New York State Capital, which hold so much responsibilities and politician. The interesting thing is in 1871 the location of the New York State Capital was 1 and a half block away from its current location. Compare to my previous source, these are one the few places that change over the years. These two places might not have much in common but are two location if someone is visitng Albany for the first time should take time out to experience these places. Grab a bite to eat at lark, then head out to the Capital building for a tour and many more.

https://public.tableau.com/shared/5C9GCMXXN?:display_count=no
https://public.tableau.com/shared/WQ7N96GCF?:display_count=no

I actually chose 4 embeds, the reason being that I really wanted to emphasis what types of places surrounded my main embed which was The Albany Female School. This was a school that opened in 1814, within a little less then a century a W.T Grant Department Store, Albany Art Union and Woolworth would open nearby. It is not that I am curious about why these stories but rather curious on the matter of was this done intentionally or not? Because businesses/ owners knew the school would be filled with young and older women did this have a stronger sway in their decisions to open up their said businesses. This type of situation is one that I believe happens a lot now-a-days, for example when I was in high school their was a monopoly on the deli’s/ food establishments that were close by. One could find pizza, Checkers, Dunkin Donuts, etc and I would like to think the reason this was done so was because these places knew that students liked to get food before, during and after class. I’m interested in the similarities I can find with the embeds I found compared to times now.

I chose these three embedded topics because I am interested in Albany pre and post revolutionary war, and pre civil war era. I am interested in how Albany contributed during the Revolutionary war, politically and economically, how Albany itself was affected by the Revolutionary war, and afterwards. I am interested in how Albany would influence politics in the newly independent America, and the grounds it would serve for helping build a strong nation united under one government. I am also interested in why Albany was ultimately named the state capital of New York.

sources:
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Albany_Plan
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/History_of_Albany,_New_York_(1664%E2%80%931784)
http://www.historicalmarkerproject.com/markers/HM186B_nsdar-revolutionary-soldiers-memorial_Albany-NY.html

currently changing topic:
http://undergroundrailroadhistory.org/underground-railroad-sites-in-the-city-of-albany/

I chose the Museum Corner because I was interested in what type of amusement it offered. I found it impressive that it was the leading theater for several years. It was also damaged by fire several times and that makes me wonder what caused several fires as well as how extensive the damage was. I also want to know why the decision to convert the museum into offices was made since it was the leading theater. I also selected Fort Orange because I noticed that it was occupied by military of the west India company. This one of the few historic markers in Albany that involves the natives. Lastly I chose Washington parks historic district because that’s the city’s biggest park. I find it interesting that the land was preserved for a purpose. I also wasn’t aware that the boundary had increased just last year.

http://clevelandhistorical.org/items/show/74?tour=5&index=1#.VsNKRPkrIdU
http://clevelandhistorical.org/tours/show/15#.VsNMAvkrIdU

The topic I to search for was the military history in Albany. I have a particular interest in Military history and as it turns out, Albany has a pretty significant military history. One of the posts I took a look at was the Armory on Washington Ave. It was built in 1890 and was the first National Guard unit in the city. This is interesting because of how large the National Guard has grown today. And this unit was also activated to fight during the Spanish – American War. The second post that I took a look at was where the West India Company had a colony and a military fort called Fort Orange. It was established in 1624 and I just think that it is really cool that we have documentation of the military presence from that long ago, well before the revolutionary war. A third post I looked at was of a specific road that the British Army General John Burgoyne used to enter Albany as a prisoner of war after the battle of Saratoga in 1777. I took particular interest in this post because I know that the Battle of Saratoga was a very important one and was a turning point in the Revolutionary War. It played a vital role in America gaining its independence. It’s very interesting to know that the British General and his army who surrendered passed through these streets as prisoners and the whole event was so well documented that they can recall the very street they traveled through.

I picked these three mainly because I want to see how many breweries survived prohibition and then how they died. I live next to Yuengling brewery (America’s Oldest) and they came up with pretty great and creative ways to stay afloat through American prohibition. It interests me to know if and how any Albany Breweries stayed afloat through prohibition. Also, it would be pretty cool to know what an Albany lager tastes like compared to an average american lager. Also, what would have the Albany economy have been like if prohibition never took place. Would the beer culture have stayed in Albany? Would it look like modern day Denver with micro-breweries popping up all the time?