This is the thirty-second diary in my Expanding the National Parks' series. prior diaries in the series are linked at the bottom of the diary. Last Time, I was in New Mexico, this time I'm in New York, the Empire State. Despite being the largest state in the Northeast, New York has very little protected land on the federal level-0.8%, tied with Iowa for 47th in the country in that measure. I will propose adding 4 new monuments to New York's tally. Currently New York has 5 national monuments, 1 national forest, 12 wildlife refuges, and 19 historic sites and other NPS units.
New York
Total Area 54 555 sq miles
Land Area 47 126 sq miles
Water Area 7 429 sq miles
Coastline 2 625 miles
Additional Monuments-4
ADDITIONAL MONUMENTS-4
* Great Lakes Marine Proposed Area 39,000,000 acres or 61000 sq miles(In MN, WI, MI, IL, IN, OH PA and NY)
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The Lakes are shown above in a photo
Would Set aside the portions of Lakes Superior, Michigan, Huron Erie and Ontario within the borders of the Great Lake States (including New York) as a marine Monument, protecting the lakes from being drawn off by thirsty states outside of the watersheds, and preventing drilling in the lakes themselves. this action will not apply to the Canadian portions of Superior, Huron, Ontario and Erie, as US monument designations only apply to areas owned by the US.
* New York Coastal
would conserve open space within 10 miles of the Atlantic shoreline and extend 20 miles out from shore, out to the marine borders with New Jersey, Connecticut and Rhode Island. would incorporate Fire island NS and Gateway Recreational Area. Proposed Area 200000 acres-roughly 300 sq miles
* New York Presidents
Would incorporate the sites connected to presidents Martin Van Buren, Millard Fillmore, Chester A Arthur, Grover Cleveland, Theodore Roosevelt, and Franklin Roosevelt, as well as First Lady Eleanor Roosevelt, as a monument to honor their services to our country. Estimated area 3000 acres
* Saratoga
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General Schyler House, part of the park, is shown above
would re-designate the park as a monument and expand it to include the Marshall House, and the Saratoga monument. the victory at Saratoga in 1777 led to French recognition of the Us and led to its entry into the War on the side of the Americans. Estimated area 4000 acres
EXISTING AREAS
NATIONAL MONUMENTS-5
* African Burial Ground Established 2006 Covers 0.35 acre
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the monument is shown above
The first monument set aside by President George W Bush, and one of the smallest monuments in the system, African Burial Grounds conserves a small portion of what was once the largest colonial-era cemetery for blacks of African descent. some of the people buried in what was called the Negroes Burial Ground were freedmen, but most were slaves. at the time of the Revolution, a quarter of New York Citys population was black, and it had the second-most slaves of any city in the country, behind only Charleston South Carolina. New York gradually freed all the slaves, with total abolition coming on Independence Day 1827. however, the state constitution(passed in 1821) required black men own property in order to vote. since very few black men owned property in the state, it effectively barred blacks from voting in New York until the 15th Amendment was passed in 1870. the site became the burial ground for black people after the Trinity Church banned further burial of blacks in its cemetery in 1697. the cemetery covered about 6.6 acres, and at the time the land was outside city limits, but over the course of the 1700s the city grew to include the land. Doctors and colleges exhumed several of the bodies for dissection and experimentation, causing the Doctors Riot in 1788 when many blacks found out their relatives were being dissected without permission and resulted in them gathering into a crowd, storming the New York Hospital and dragging the doctors and assistants out into the streets, only the intervention of the mayor prevented the crowd from lynching the men. The cemetery was closed in 1794, and covered with landfill in order to facilitate development, the first building on the site was finished in 1846. in 1991 the General Services Administration announced the discovery of intact human remains while doing an excavation for a new federal office building. Criticism of GSAs efforts at preserving the remains, resulted in appeals to Congress to intervene. in 1992 Congress acted, passing a law redesigning the building to preserve the site of the remains and providing 3 million dollars for a memorial on the site. The site was listed on Register of Historic places in 1992 and named a national Historic Landmark in 1993. President Bush declared it a monument, and in 2007 the memorial was opened. much of the former burial ground remains undisturbed, but a full excavation would require the removal or relocation of several existing buildings. over 100000 people visited the monument in 2011.
* Castle Clinton Established 1946 Covers 1 acre
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Castle Clinton is shown in the above picture
Built in 1811 and originally called West Battery to compliment the East Battery ( Now Castle Williams) on Governors Island, the fort was renamed in 1815 in honor of DeWitt Clinton, who was the city's mayor at the time and who would later become Governor of New York and oversee the construction of the Erie Canal. the fort never saw action, even through it was built during the run-up to the War of 1812, and in 1821 the Army stopped using it, and turned it over to the city as a place for public entertainment. It opened under name Castle Gardens in 1823. the site saw early acts managed by PT Barnum, such as the Swedish soprano Jenny Lind,as well as the premiere of Verdis opera "Louisa Miller' in 1854. in 1855 the site became the city's(and nations) first immigration station , and was managed by the city until 1890, when the federal government took over the process of immigration controls and opened another facility, Ellis Island, in 1892. Most of the records regarding immigration at Castle Clinton were lost in an 1897 fire at Ellis island, although it is widely accepted that at least 8 million immigrants(and perhaps as many as 12 million ) were processed over the 40 year span. Called 'Kesselgarden' by Eastern European Jews, kesselgarden became a general term for any situation that is noisy confused or chaotic, as the immigration process at both Castle Clinton and Ellis island was by no means orderly or streamlined. After 1890, the fort became an aquarium and remained an aquarium until 1941 when it was closed, and efforts by Parks commissioner Robert Moses to tear down the entire structure resulted in a huge public outcry and efforts at preserving the fort finally paid off in 1946, when it was declared a national monument by Congress, although the area containing the monument wasnt handed over until 1950. famous immigrants who passed through Castle Clinton, included legendary magician Harry Houdini(who would later settle in Wisconsin), Oscar Hammerstein I, who was the grandfather of lyricist Oscar Hammerstein II ( of Rodgers and Hammerstein fame) and whose passion for opera helped revive its popularity in the US, and Nicola Tesla, the famed inventor. Nearly 3 million people visited the monument in 2004.
* Fort Stanwix Established 1935 covers 16 acres
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an view of the monument from the air is shown above
named after British General John Stanwix, fort Stanwix was built starting in 1758 and was completed in 1762. the fort was intended to guard a portage called the Oneida Carrying Place during the French and Indian War. the fort was the site of 1768 treaty between the British and Iroquois which marked the boundaries between English lands gained in the 1763 Treaty of Paris and those owned by the native peoples. the Indian representatives were paid over 10400 pounds, the largest amount ever paid to the native peoples by the colonists. the treaty set the line farther west than that of the earlier Alleghenies Proclamation, giving the British much of what is now Kentucky and West Virginia. the fort was abandoned after the treaty and allowed to fall into ruin. the Fort was rebuilt and renamed in 1777 as Fort Schuyler, although many continued to call it fort Stanwix. the fort was besieged through much of August 1777, and according to lore, the first official US flag was flown at the fort starting at the beginning of the siege on August 3rd, although that flag is believed to have had only 13 stripes without stars, and was more akin to an early New York state flag. the British failure to capture the fort helped lead to the British defeat at Saratoga, which helped convince France to ally with the Americans. the fort burned to the ground in 1781 and was not rebuilt. the 1784 Treaty of Fort Stanwix resulted in much of what is now Pennsylvania, as well the land which became Ohio, being given to the Americans. in 1828 the fortifications of the fort were dismantled. in 1935 Congress declared the site a national monument, and the Park Service rebuilt the fort according to historic records between 1974 and 1978. nearly 85000 people visited the monument in 2002.
* Governors Island Established 2001 covers 22 acres
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castle Williams, part of the monument is shown above
Created as President Clinton's 19th and final monument on January 19, 2001, Governors Island preserves 22 acres of the 172 acre Governor Island, and preserves Fort Jay, a military base dating from 1794 and Castle Williams. President Bush reaffirmed the monument in 2003, correcting some technical errors in the 2001 proclamation. the current Fort Jay was built between 1806-1809 and Castle William from 1807-1811. Governors Island remained an important military post until its closure by the Army in 1965, the Coast Guard took over management of the island in 1966 and managed it until 1996. Clinton created the monument when state representatives asked him to preserve portions of the island for public use. the remaining 150 acres is managed by the Trust for Governors Island as a public park. 400000 people visited the monument in 2010
* Statue of Liberty Established 1924 Covers 45 acres (In NJ and NY)
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A picture of the famous statue is shown above
One of the world's most famous landmarks, the Statue of Liberty has been a symbol of America for over 100 years. given to the US from France as a belated centennial gift in 1886, France paid for the statue itself while America paid for the pedestal and supplied the location. one of the Americans who helped raise money for the statue was a young Theodore Roosevelt, the future President was 19 at the time. Officially dedicated in 1886, the dedication saw the first ticker tape parade in New York City. viewed by millions of immigrants who passed by the statue on their way to Ellis Island, the statue quickly became famous around the world as a symbol of America. the statue itself was declared a national monument by President Coolidge in 1924, the monument was expanded by FDR in 1937 to include the whole of Liberty Island and President Johnson in 1965 added Ellis Island to the monument.. the statue has undergone restoring three times- in 1938, from 1984-86(for the statue's centennial) and 2011-12. 3.2 million visited the monument in 2009. the Statue of Liberty will be the New Jersey representative in the national park collection, it will be the fourth quarter released in 2017.
NATIONAL FORESTS-1
* Finger Lakes Established 1985 Covers 16 259 acres
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a map of the land currently included in the national forest is shown above
One of the smallest national forests in the country and the only one in New York, the Finger Lakes NF got its start in the Depression, when the federal government bought marginal farmland from farmers and relocated them to better producing areas. the resulting lands were called the Hector Land Use Area or LUA. in 1954 management of the land was transferred from the Soil Conservation Service to the Forest Service. Finger Lakes was first managed by the Regional Office in Upper Darby Pennsylvania, the forest became a unit of the Green mountain national Forest in Vermont,. in 1982, efforts were made to identify federal lands that could be sold that were proving inefficient to manage, and the Hector LUA was considered for disposal. But public meetings on the idea quickly revealed strong public support for continued federal ownership, and the local push for maintaining the area as a forest resulted in Congress granting it national forest status as part of Finger Lakes NF. the forest is still managed by the Green Mountain NF.
WILDLIFE REFUGES-12
* Amagansett Established 1968 Covers 36 acres
Set Aside to conserve short habitat and sand dunes on Long Island, the refuge is the smallest in the state, and is part of the Long Island National Wildlife Complex, which contains 7 refuges, covering 6500 acres
* Conscience Point Established 1971 Covers 60 acres
Located on Long Island, the refuge preserves maritime grasslands, which are rapidly disappearing on the island due to development. Part of the Long Island WR Complex (along with Amagansett, Morton, Oyster Bay, Seatuck,Target Rock, and Wertheim) the refuge is the second-smallest in the state at just 60 acres
* Elizabeth A Morton Established 1954 Covers 187 acres
Created from a donation from the Morton family, the refuge is the third-oldest in the state, behind Montezuma and Wertheim, and contains a wide variety of habitat from beaches, salt marshes, upland forests and lagoons, and are used by deer, turtles, chipmunks frogs and osprey.
* Iroquois Established 1958 Covers 10828 acres
the largest refuge in the state at just under 11000 acres, Iroquois was originally called Oak Orchard WR but the name was changed because there was a state management area also called Oak Orchard nearby. Located between Buffalo and Rochester, the refuge is made up of 4 large pools, and also contains swamps and woodlands. Listed as an Important Birding Area, most of the refuge, except of the overlooks, trails and fishing areas are closed from March 1st-July 15th to protect the nesting birds and habitat. the refuge, along with Oak Orchard and Tonawanda management areas, are included in the Alabama Swamp Complex, with the MAs managed by the state department of Environmental Conservation.
* Montezuma Established 1937 Covers 7000 acres
set aside to conserve portions of the Montezuma Swamp at the north end of Cayuga Lake (one of the Finger Lakes), Montezuma is the oldest and second-largest refuge in NY. first purchased by the Bureau of Biological Survey (which later became the Fish and Wildlife Service), the refuge saw efforts by the CCC to restore parts of the marsh which had been disturbed by the building of the Seneca and Cayuga extension to the New York Barge canal in 1910, which had greatly affected the marshes and had connected the Finger Lakes to the Erie Canal. in 1973 the refuge was declared a national natural Landmark by the Secretary of the Interior, for the refuge's undisturbed marsh woodlands. the refuge and local region got its name in 1806 when Dr Peter Clark named his home Montezema after the palace of the Aztec Emperor in Mexico City, the village, marsh, management area and refuge all got their name from Clark's move.
* Oyster Bay Established 1968 Covers 3209 acres
Located around Sagemore Hill, home of President Teddy Roosevelt, the refuge conserves habitats both onshore and off. 20000 ducks as well as harbor seals, and sea turtles make their home in the.refuge. NY's only remaining commercial oyster farm operates in the refuge , producing 90% of the states oyster harvest. Oyster Bay is part of the Long Island Complex and is the largest refuge in the system, with Wertheim being the only other refuge covering more than 1000 acres.
* Sayville Established 1992 Covers 177 acres
One of the newest refuges, Sayville is the only refuge in the Long Island Complex to be completely land-locked. a subunit of Wertheim WR, Sayville is home to the federally endangered Sandplain gerardia plant , and contains the largest population of it in the state. the refuge was created out of land formerly used by the Federal Aviation Administration.
* Seatuck Established 1968 covers 196 acres
Bordering the Great South Bay on Long Island, the refuge is classed as a significant coastal habitat. first created in 1968 by the donation of land from the Peters family, the refuge has since grown to over 200 acres in size (209 as of 2015). to conserve habitat for the 200 species of birds that frequent the refuge, the refuge is closed to public use.
* Shawanguck Grasslands Established 1999 Covers 565 acres
Created out of land formerly covered by the Galeville Military Airport, the land was first bought by the Army and converted from swampland in order to build a airbase to support the war effort. in 1994 the airport was decommissioned and torn down and the land transferred to the Fish and Wildlife Service, who had showed great interest in conserving the property as a refuge. the refuge is named after the Shawanguck Kill, the largest tributary of the Wallkill River, and was classed as an Important Bird Area in 1998. 5500 people visit the refuge each year.
* Target Rock Established 1967 Covers 80 acres
The Third smallest-refuge in the state ( ahead of Conscience Point and Amagansett), Target Rock was donated in 1967 by the Eberstadt family which had used the land previously as a garden estate, and contain mature oak- hickory forest, and well as a half-mile long rocky beach, and is home to endangered species like the piping plover.
* Wallkill River Established 1990 Covers 5200 acres (in NJ and NY)
Lying mostly in New Jersey, this refuge borders the Wallkill River for 10 miles from the NY-NJ border. Only the northernmost tip crosses into New York. the refuges manages two refuges in neighboring states- Cherry Valley WR in PA, and Shawanguck Grasslands WR in NY.
* Wertheim Established 1947 Covers 2550 acres
Named after Maurice Wertheim, who donated the first 2000 acres of the refuge in 1947
the refuge conserves portions of the Carmen Estuary which is one of the few undeveloped estuaries on Long Island, and is home to 300 species of birds.
HISTORIC SITES AND OTHER NPS UNITS-19
* Eleanor Roosevelt NHS Established 1977 Covers 181 acres
the only residence Eleanor Roosevelt personally owned, she lived in it until her death in 1962. the site consists of her home, called Val-Kill ' which means 'waterfall-stream' in a loose translation of Dutch, and Stone Cottage. After her death the larger house was sold to developers, and this spurred a preservation campaign which resulted in the 2 houses becoming part of the Park Service in 1977 as an historic site. the site is managed as a unit with the Home of Franklin Roosevelt NHS and Vanderbilt Mansion NHS. Over 50000 people visited the site in 2005.
* Federal Hall NM Established 1939 Covers 0.45 acre
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Federal hall, part of the memorial, is shown above
The Site of the first Capitol Building in US under the Constitution, federal Hall was the site of George Washington's Inauguration as the first President in 1789, as well as where the Bill of Rights was introduced in Congress. the original building was torn down 1812 to male way for the current New York City Hall. the building that stands on the site today ' the Custom House, was built in the early 1840s and contains the original balcony and floor where Washington was sworn in. a statue outside marks the spot where Washington took the oath. The Building was declared an historic site in 1939, then re-designated as a memorial in 1955. in 2002 Congress convened in the hall for the first time since 1790 in a show of support for New York after the 9-11 terrorist attacks. Over 150000 people visited in 2004 .
* Fire Island NS Established 1964 Covers 19 579 acres
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Fire island Lighthouse, part of the seashore, is shown above
one of 10 seashores in the park system and the only one in New York, Fire Island protects 26 miles of Fire Island, which is a 30 mile long barrier island. the seashore contains the only federal wilderness in New York, the 1380 acre Otis Pike High Dune Wilderness Area which was established in 1980 in honor of former New York Congressman Otis G Pike. a separate part of the seashore protects the home of William Floyd , one of the signers of the Declaration of Independence.
* Gateway NRA Established 1972 Covers 26607 acres (in NJ and NY)
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a map of the recreational area is shown above
The smaller of the states two recreational areas, Gateway lies mostly in New York with only a small part- the Sandy Hook Unit- lying in New Jersey. Gateway refers to the entrance to the harbor of New York City, and the recreational area preserves open area on both sides of the harbor and is one of the most frequently visited area in the national park system, with visitation regularly approaching 10 million. 7.7 million people visited in 2011.
* General Grant NM Established 1958 Covers 0.76 acre
Built in 1897 to house the remains of President Grant and later his wife Julia, the Memorial informally known as grants Tomb, was dedicated on what would have been grants 75th birthday on April 27, 1897(Grant had died from cancer in 1885 at the age of 63). the tomb however had been left to fall into disreapair until the 1930s, when the Work Progress Administration began to repair the tomb, including installing busts 5 Union Army generals who had served with Grant during the Civil War , including William Sherman and Philip Sheridan. the Park Servce took over managing the tomb in 1958, but the Park service lacked a program and management plan for the site, leading over the later decades to great deal of neglect and vandalism of the sight. Finally in 1991 Frank Scatturo, a Columbia University student, pushed an effort to restore the tomb, finally publishing a whistleblower report that took the Park Service to task for its lax protection of the site. his efforts paid off in 1994 when Congress passed legislation providing money for the repair and restoration of the Tomb, and it was rededicated on the centennial of its dedication on April 27, 1997. over 80000 visited the memorial in 2005.
* Hamilton Grange NM Established 1962 Covers
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the home of Alexander Hamilton is shove above
The only home Hamilton ever owned, it was completed in 1802, two years before his death in the famous duel with then -Vice President Aaron Burr. (For comparison imagine Mitch McConnell and Joe Biden settling differences at 10 paces. thats how important Burr and Hamilton were in the early US). the house was named" the Grange" after his grandfathers estate in Scotland. after his death the house remained in his fanmily for 30 years and in its original location until 1889 when it was bought and moved by St Luke Episcopal Church a half block east and two blocks to accommodate the new street grid then being put in place. the church removed many of the original features and used the house for services. in 1924 the American Scenic and Historic Preservation society bought it and turned it into a museum, bringing in furniture and decorative items collected from the Hamilton family. in 1960 the house was declared a National Historic landmark and transferred to the Park Service. Congress designated it a National Memorial in 1962, requiring it be restored to what it looked like in Hamilton's time (1802-04) and relocated from its then-present location. opposition to moving it outside the neighborhood kept it from being moved until 2008 when it was moved to the nearby St Nicholas park. the park lies within the boundary of Hamilton's original 32 acre estate, and the park move allowed the original features of the house and grounds to be restored to what they originally had been.
* Home of Franklin D Roosevelt NHS Established 1944 Covers 800 acres
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Springwood estate, part of the historic site, is shown above
The Birthplace to President Franklin Roosevelt, the house that is called Springwood was originally built in 1800 then remodeled in 1845, Franklin's father James bought the house in 1866 as well the land around it which was then about 1 sq mile (640 acres) in size. from 1911 until his death in 1945 , Roosevelt planted more than 400,000 trees on the property. Roosevelt donated the land to the Park Service in 1943 on condition that he and his family have lifetime usage of the property. the estate became an historic site early in 1944, and officially was turned over to the Park Service in November 1945. Over 100000 people visited in 2005
* Kathy Mullany NHS Established 2005 Covers 1 acre
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the Kathy Mullany House part of the historic site, is shown above
An affiliated unit of the Park Service, the site conserves the home of Katy Mullany, who formed the Collar laundry Union in 1864. it was one of the unions to last larger than a single issue(Pay , length of workday, etc). the house was declared an historic landmark in 1998 and an historic site in 2005
* Lower East Side Tenement Museum NHS Established 1998 Covers 1 acre
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the front of Tenement museum is seen above
An affiliated area of the Park Service, Lower East Side Tenement Museum NHS Conserves the building at 97 Orchard Street which was built in 1863, and from 1880-1921 the building saw wave after wave of immigrants pass through its doors, as New York City, and the Lower East side in particular, incorporated millions of new immigrants each year from all over Europe and around the world. it was the deplorable and unsanitary living conditions in tenements like 97 Orchard that resulted in reforms since as the Tenement House Act of 1901. in 1935 the top 4 floors were sealed up and were not reopened until 1988 when the Museum bought the building. despite restoration and renovation since then, parts of the building remain closed to the public for safety reasons. the site was expanded in late 2014 to include the building at 103 Orchard.
* Martin Van Burn NHS Established 1974 Covers 125 acres
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Lindenwald, Van Burens home, is shown above
the home where Van Buren spent his post-presidency retirement, Van Buren bought Lindelwald(German for Linden wood or forest) in 1839 while still president but didnt move in until 1841 when he was defeated for re-election by William Henry Harrison (who died a month into his term), Van Buren ran for the Democratic nomination in 1844 but narrowly lost to James K Polk, who ended be elected president and ended up adding more territory to the US than any other president(over 1 million sq miles), In 1848 Van Buren was nominated by the third-party Free Soil party, Buren did poorly finishing a distant third, but managed to win enough votes to deny Democratic nominee Lewis Cass the White House, electing Whig candidate Zachary Taylor (the last Whig candidate to ever win the White House). Van Buren died at Lindenwald in 1862 at the age of 79, and the home was named an historic landmark in 1961 and was declared an historic site in 1974 . nearly 14000 people visited the site in 2004.
* Sagamore Hill NHS Established 1962 Covers 83 acres
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Sagamore Hill, home to President Roosevelt, is shown above
built in 1885, Sagamore (which means Chieftain in Algonquin) served the home for Roosevelt until his death in 1919 at the age of 60. the home was known as the Summer White House during Roosevelt's presidency, and Congress declared the area an historic site in 1962. Over 38000 people visited the site in 2005, and the site is currently undergoing renovations.
* Saint Paul's Church NHS Established 1943 Covers 6 acres
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the church, part of the historic site, is shown above
Set aside in 1978 to preserve the church and its surrounding grounds, the church was built in 1764 and was originally called the Church of Eastchester, an earlier church had been built on the site in 1695, the parish the church served dates back to 1665, making it one of the oldest in the state(350 years old as of this year). the bell in the church tower was cast in 1758 at the same London foundry that cast the Liberty Bell, the bell was buried by the parishioners during the Revolutionary battle of Pell's Point to save it from the British would likely would have melted in down for bullets. the church ended up being used by the British as a hospital during the battle. the parish began to shrink during the 20th century and the last Sunday service was held in 1977. the church was declared a historic site in 1978 and opened to the public in 1984. Almost 14000 visited the site in 2005.
* Saratoga NHP Established 1938 Covers 3392 acres
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the entrance to the park is shown above
First set aside in 1927 as a state historical preserve, the park conserves the site of the Battle of Saratoga, including the fort itself. Saratoga NHP was selected as New Yorks selection in the National Park Quarters series, it will be the fifth and final quarter released in 2015. over 65000 people visited the park in 2011.
* Theodore Roosevelt Birthplace NHS Established 1962 Covers 0.11 acre
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the reconstructed home that Roosevelt was born in is shown above
Set aside as an historic site in 1962, the building that stands on the site today is not the one President Roosevelt was born in, the house was torn down in 1916 to make room for development. after Roosevelt died in 1919 however the lot was bought by the Womens Roosevelt Memorial Association and work began on rebuilding the house as it was when Roosevelt lived there, as well as a museum to commemorate his life. the architect, a woman named Theodate Pope Riddle, used the house next door (which looked exactly as the former house had looked) as a model, eventually that house was torn down to make room for the museum. over 11000 people visited the site in 2005.
* Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural NHS Established 1966 Covers 1 acre
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the house where Roosevelt took the Oath of Office in 1901 is shown above
Located in Buffalo New York, the house was the home of Anskey Wilcox and his wife mary, prior to it serving as the site for the President Inauguration. After President Mckinley was shot in Buffalo by anarchist Leon Czolgosz, Roosevelt hurried to Buffalo to see the President, but arrived after McKinley had died of his wounds. Szolgosz, who was most likely mentally disturbed, was executed by electric chair on October 29th 1901. Roosevelts inauguration was held in the front library of the house, while no photographs of the ceremony itself survive, plenty of pictures were taken of the room after the swearing in. the home remained in the Wilcox family until their deaths then it became a restaurant until 1961. the house was designated an historic site in 1966 and restored in appearance to what it looked like in 1901. over 13000 people visited in 2005.
* Thomas Cole NHS Established 1999 Covers 3.5 acres
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the home of Thomas Cole, part of the site is shown above
Built in 1812, the home, known as cedar Grove, served as a studio for Thomas Cole from 1833 until his death in 1848. Cole was known as the founder of the Hudson River School of painting, and he often painted the scenery around the house and the surrounding Catskills landscape. after his death, the house became a place of pilgrimage for painters as Cole was held in very high regard by the artistic community in the mid-19th century. however his family fell on hard financial times and pieces of the property were sold off. after the death of Coles last living relative in 1964, efforts were made to preserve the house at the state or federal level. New York declined to buy the property which was purchased in the early 1980s by the Catskills Center for Conservation and Development. In 1982 works began on restoring the property and it was offered to the Park Service, who declinedto buy the property. Finally the Greene County Historical society bought the site in 1998, and it was included in the Park Service as an affiliated area and historic site in 1999.
* Upper Delaware SR Established 1978 Covers 55575 acres (in NY and PA)
Lying on the border between New York and Pennsylvania, the scenic River including 3 counties in New York and two in Pennsylvania and includes the remains of the Delaware and Hudson Canal, which operated from 1828-98, the Zane Grey Museum(former home to the author) and the Roebling Bridge, the oldest wire suspension bridge in the country (built in 1849 as a aqueduct). over 250000 people visited the site in 2005.
* Vanderbilt NHS Established 1940 Covers 211 acres
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Hyde Park, part of the historic site is shown above
built in 1896-1899 as a country residence for Frederick Vanderbilt and his family, the mansion is one of the best examples of the Beaux-Arts style, and includes interior antiques and artwork , as well as plumbing and electric lighting, which was very rare for the time. the grounds contain many different types of trees and plants, including several large rose gardens. After Frederick Vanderbilt died in 1938 , President Franklin Roosevelt (who owned an estate nearby) convinced the owner -a niece of Vanderbilt named Margaret Van Alen, who was nicknamed Daisy- to donate the house and about a third of the Hyde Park lands to the Park Service. This was done in 1940. Overs 370000 people visited the site in 2005.
* Womens Rights NHP Established 1980 Covers 6.83 acres
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Wesleyan Chapel, part of the park, is shown above
Set aside in 1980 to conserve sites associated with the Seneca Falls Convention., the first women's rights convention in the Us. the site consists of the remains of the Wesleyan Methodist Church (where the convention was held in 1848), and the homes of Elizabeth Cady Stanton, Thomas M'Clintock and Richard Hunt. in 2009 the Votes for Women History trial was created and connected the park to other sites important to the movement, including the home of Susan B Anthony. 25000 people visuited the park in 2011.
This concludes my study of new York. Next time I'll be in North Carolina, combing the Outer Banks and trying to find out what happened to the Lost Colony. As always, imput and comments are welcome. See you in the comments!
Prior Diaries
1.Alabama
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2 Alaska
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3 Arizona
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4 Arkansas
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5 California
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6 Colorado
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7 Connecticut
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8 Delaware
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9 Florida
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10 Georgia
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11 Hawaii
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12 Idaho
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13 Illinois
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14 Indiana
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15 Iowa
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16 Kansas
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17 Kentucky
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18 Louisiana
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19 Maine
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20 Maryland
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21 Massachusetts
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22 Michigan
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23 Minnesota
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24 Mississippi
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25 Missouri
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26 Montana
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27 Nebraska
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28 Nevada
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29 New Hampshire
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30 New Jersey
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31 New Mexico
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