Greenport Historical Society

Greenport Historical Society

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Beyond Susan B. Anthony: Who really won the vote for the women of New York State?

Millions of American women contributed to the drive for the vote in the United States, and New York State was home to many leaders of the movement. However, the suffrage leaders who are most recognized today – Susan B. Anthony and Elizabeth Cady Stanton – did not actually achieve their goal, since they were both dead before the suffrage victory. And most New Yorkers do not realize that women in NYS won the vote in 1917 – three years before the national constitutional amendment was passed.

So who was responsible for winning the vote for women, and why was New York the first state east of the Mississippi to allow women full suffrage in all elections? This talk will move beyond the well-known Seneca Falls Declaration of 1848 to introduce a new set of strategies and cast of characters: Miriam Leslie, Carrie Chapman Catt, Mary Garret Hay, Rose Schneiderman, Mary Talbert, and a flock of leaflet-dropping aviatrixes, among others.
Susan Lewis 3
Susan Ingalls Lewis is an Associate Professor of History at SUNY New Paltz, where she teaches courses in both New York State History and Women’s History. Dr. Lewis is currently co-editing of a volume of essays (Suffrage and its Limits: The New York Story, for SUNY Press) examining how women gained the vote in New York, what they did with it, and exploring the unfinished agenda of women’s rights in New York State.

https://www.greenporthistoricalny.org/2018/03/20/406/

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Upcoming Program – April 19

Greenport Historical Society Presentation by Conrad Hanson :
Why is Alfred Buried Here?
DATE: Thursday, May 15 at 7 PM

After a brief business meeting, Conrad Hanson will present the evening’s program on the fabulously wealthy Alfred Corning Clark. Alfred was an international arts patron, real estate developer and philanthropist who passed away in 1896 at the relatively young age of fifty-two. His family possessed one of the 19th century’s great fortunes thanks to the Singer Sewing Machine. Their name was, and continues to be, strongly linked with various locales over time — including Cooperstown, where they maintained their summer residence; as well as New York City, where their real estate holdings included the fabled Dakota Apartment Building. Interestingly, his widow and sons chose not to bury him in either of those places. Instead they purchased a cemetery plot in Hudson, a town where he had no active connections, and had him interred there. Even more curious, none of them followed suit when their times came, leaving him the sole occupant of the large plot, far from his family and their descendants. This talk will take a look at the man, the Clark family’s history, their enduring legacy, and their surprising connection to the Hudson Valley and Columbia County.
Conrad Hanson is a local nonprofit consultant, writer and real estate agent. A resident of Hudson Valley for nearly twenty years, he is fascinated by the rich history and untold stories of the region. His writings on architecture, history, gardens and travel can be found on his website www.schoolfieldcountryhouse.com.
LOCATION: Greenport Community Center, Town Hall Drive, Hudson NY (last building on the left); opposite the Greenport Town Hall.
FREE open to the public. Refreshments will be available after the talk.
Website: www.greenporthistoricalny.org Email: info@greenporthistoricalny.org

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Knickerbocker Landslide…click here to read more

The Knickerbocker Landslide of 1915

Knickerbocker Landslide 2

August 2, 1915 proved to be a tragic day at the Knickerbocker Portland Cement Company (later Lone Star Cement) along Route 23.  At 5:50am, a strange rumbling sound was heard that was quite unlike the normal grinding and blasting noises at the plant.  Then the earth trembled.  As workers watched in horror, the land dropped 25-30 feet and then began to roll eastward towards Claverack Creek.  The plant’s buildings, including the men and machines inside, were crushed by the movement of the earth.  As the Register-Star reported, “the morning light changed into pitch dark as earth and debris filled the air.  The dull roar of buildings collapsing, the crashing of machines, the piercing cries and shrieks of workers trapped in the fallen buildings, and the streaks of fire as well as clouds of smoke and steam from the ruined powerplant all made it a scene from hell.”  Fortunately, the landslide had occurred during a shift change so not as many workers were in the buildings, but five men still lost their lives.  The landslide was later determined to be a completely natural event exacerbated by heavy rains and some seismic activity.