Tuesday, July 25, 2023 – TIME FOR SOME LATE SUMMER READING

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FROM THE ARCHIVES

TUESDAY, JULY 25, 2023

ISSUE#  1043

NEW BOOKS FOR SUMMER READING

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The Germond Family Murders: A Forensic Conclusion to a Cold Case

July 18, 2023 by Clare Sheridan 

The multiple murders of James (Husted) Germond; his wife, Mabel; and their two children, Bernice and Raymond, at their Dutchess County farm in November 1930 is one of the most famous crimes ever committed in the Hudson Valley.Despite contemporary attention from Franklin D. Roosevelt, the Pinkerton Detectives, and more recently from amateur sleuths and the press, the Germond murders went unsolved until Dr. Cookingham’s investigation.On the July episode of Crossroads host Clare Sheridan welcomed Dr. Vincent Cookingham who spoke about his book The Germond Family Murders: A Forensic Conclusion to a Cold Case (Outskirts Press, 2019).You can listen to the podcast here:  https://on.soundcloud.com/F158SCrossroads of Rockland History, a program of the Historical Society of Rockland County, airs on the third Monday of each month at 9:30 am, right after the Jeff and Will morning show, on WRCR radio 1700 AM and www.WRCR.com. Join host Clare Sheridan as we explore, celebrate, and learn about our local history, with different topics and guest speakers every month. Our recorded broadcasts are also available for streaming on all major podcasts platforms.The Historical Society of Rockland County is a nonprofit educational institution and principal repository for original documents and artifacts relating to Rockland County. Its headquarters are a four-acre site featuring a history museum and the 1832 Jacob Blauvelt House in New City, New York. www.RocklandHistory.org

Prohibition in St. Lawrence County: Booze, Badboys & Bootleggers

June 29, 2023 by Editorial Staff 

The book Booze, Badboys & Bootleggers: North Country Tales Grandpa Never Told You (Self-Published, 2022) by James E. Reagen chronicles the early days of Prohibition in communities across St. Lawrence County.

During Prohibition, some Northern New York families made a living as smugglers, bootleggers, and booze runners. During the first year of Prohibition alone, a Watertown police officer leaped from a moving taxi onto a fleeing car to arrest Massena bootleggers; Federal agents raided Ogdensburg by land and sea to crack down on rum-running; two Potsdam ministers helped federal agents conduct righteous speakeasy raids; a high-speed chase down the streets of Massena led to the arrest of Potsdam bootleggers; an Ogdensburg mayoral candidate defended the city’s leading speakeasy owner; 12,000 quarts of liquor were seized on a ship docked at Cardinal, Ontario by Prescott Customs agents after the booze showed up in Ogdensburg; an ALCOA crane operator’s suicide in Massena was blamed on bootlegging, smuggling, and gambling; Governor Fred Scozzafava crashed into the New York Central train in DeKalb while hauling a load of smuggled booze; burglars robbed the U.S. Customs House for booze at Rouses Point; Cranberry Lake, Norfolk, Pyrites, and others were raided; and Federal G-Men led raids across Northern New York.

The St. Lawrence County Historical Association will host James Reagen on Thursday, July 13th at noon for a talk about his book as part of their Brown Bag Lunch Series. There is a $5 suggested donation. The Association is located at 3 East Main Street in Canton, NY.

James Reagen was a long-time managing editor of the Ogdensburg Journal and Sunday Advance News. He is the author of two other regional histories, Warriors of La Présentation, a History of the French and Indian War in Northern New York and Fort Oswegatchie, A History of the Revolutionary War in Northern New York. He also published a sword and sorcery novel Wizardry: The League of the Crimson Crescent. He and his wife Donna are the proprietors of the Sherman Inn in Ogdensburg.

Revolutionary Things: Material Culture & Politics in the Atlantic World

2023 by Editorial Staff LI In her new book Revolutionary Things: Material Culture & Politics in the Late Eighteenth- Century Atlantic World (Yale University Press, 2023), Ashli White of the University of Miami, explores the circulation of material culture during the America, French, and Haitian revolutions.White argues that in the late eighteenth century, radical ideals were contested through objects and in texts. She considers how revolutionary things, as they moved throughout the Atlantic, brought people into contact with these transformative political movements. Focusing on a range of objects — ceramics and furniture, garments and accessories, prints, maps, and public amusements — White shows how material culture held political meaning for diverse populations. Enslaved and free, women and men, poor and elite—all turned to things as a means to realize their varied and sometimes competing visions of revolutionary change.On Monday, July 17, 2023 from 6:00 pm to 7:00 pm, White will be speaking at a virtual and in-person event at the Massachusetts Historical Society. The in-person reception starts at 5:30 pm and the program will begin at 6:00 pm. Masks are optional for this event. Click here to register to attend in person.The virtual program begins at 6:00 pm and will be hosted on the video conference platform, Zoom. Registrants will receive a confirmation message with attendance information. Click here to register to attend online.This event is free for MHS Members. $10 per person fee (in person). No charge for virtual attendees or Card to Culture participants (EBT, WIC, and ConnectorCare).

Here in Manhattan: A New Pop-History Guide

June 22, 2023 by Editorial Staff  The new book Here in Manhattan: A site-by-site guide to the history of the world’s greatest city (Sutherland House Books, 2023) by Tom Begnal tells the story of Manhattan, ranging from Fort Washington to Wall Street, bridging important history and pop-culture moments. Here in Manhattan is a site-by-site guide to the wonders of the city.Here in Manhattan takes a look at where Edgar Allan Poe liked to sit and think and Cab Calloway used to perform, where the first Oreo was baked and America’s first pizza joint opened, where “Crazy Joe” Gallo got whacked and Jimi Hendrix opened a recording studio, where General George Washington battled the British and J.P. Morgan was bombed, where Dustin Hoffman screamed at a cabby and Marilyn Monroe felt the breeze, and more.Tom Begnal has been in editing for forty years, and has worked for August Home Publishing, Madrigal Publishing, and The Taunton Press. He has written ten books for Cedar line press, F&W/Penguin/Random House Publishing, Sterling Publishing Company, and Wellfleet Press (The Quarto Group). He has three grown children and lives in Kent, Connecticut with his wife.

Long Island’s Gold Coast Elite & World War I

June 19, 2023 by Chris Kretz  The Gold Coast along Long Island’s North Shore is most often celebrated as a showcase for the rich and famous in the early 20th Century. A decidedly different aspect of that reputation comes into view when you consider the years leading up to America’s entry into the First World War.The Morgan Bank, headed by J.P. Morgan, Jr. with his estate in Glen Cove, played a pivotal role in financing and supplying Britain in the early years of the war. Other famous North Shore families, notably former president Theodore Roosevelt of Oyster Bay, pushed for United States entry into the war.Richard Welch presents this story in his book Long Island’s Gold Coast Elite and the Great War (History Press, 2021). He details the world of the Gold Coast and its prominent families, along with their important industry connections and political leanings. From financial dealings to political activism, large scale rallies, and even pushing their own children to serve, these families helped bring America into the war.At the outbreak of World War One, the Gold Coast of Long Island was home to the most concentrated combination of financial, political and social clout in the country. Bankers, movie producers, society glitterati, government officials and an ex-president mobilized to arrange massive loans, send supplies and advocate for the Allied cause.The efforts undercut the Woodrow Wilson administration’s official policy of neutrality and set the country on a course to war with Germany. Members of the activist families – including Morgans, Davisons, Phippses, Martins, Hitchcocks, Stimsons and Roosevelts – served in key positions or fought at the front.Historian Richard F. Welch reveals how a potent combination of ethno-sociological solidarity, clear-eyed geopolitical calculation and financial self-interest inspired the North Shore elite to pressure the nation into war.The latest episode of the Long Island History Project podcast features Richard F. Welch discussing his book. You can listen to the episode here.The Long Island History Project is an independent podcast featuring stories and interviews with people passionate about Long Island history. It is hosted by academic librarian Chris Kretz.

TUESDAY PHOTO OF THE DAY

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MONDAY PHOTO

THE ORIGINAL LAMP IN THE RI LIGHTHOUSE.
THERE IS NO LAMP IN RESTORED LIGHTHOUSE
MATT KATZ AND HARA REISER GOT IT RIGHT

THE VIEW OF “DOUBLE TAKE” FROM THE ROOF OF THE SUBWAY STATION.
TO SEE MORE OF DIANA COOPER’S ART AND PHOTOGRAPHS CHECK OUT HER WEBSITE:
dianacooper.net 
 

Text by Judith Berdy
Thanks to Bobbie Slonevsky for her dedication to Blackwell’s Almanac and the RIHS
Thanks to Deborah Dorff for maintaining our website
Edited by Melanie Colter and Deborah Dorff

All image are copyrighted (c) Roosevelt Island Historical Society unless otherwise indicated

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THIS PUBLICATION FUNDED BY DISCRETIONARY FUNDS FROM CITY COUNCIL MEMBER JULIE MENIN & ROOSEVELT ISLAND OPERATING CORPORATION PUBLIC PURPOSE FUNDS.

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