history
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Time Passages
One of the many odd byproducts of moving back to my hometown to raise a family was that my kids attended the same elementary school and the same high school that I did. When I would go to those buildings as a parent for open-houses, parent-teacher conferences, or performances, some ghosts of the past would… Continue reading
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I Knew Her When She Was a Health Center
The medical building on the SUNY Oswego campus is called the Mary Walker Health Center. When I was a student there, we used to refer to it simply as “Mary Walker,” as if we were talking about a person rather than a building. If you told someone you were running a fever and experiencing flu-like… Continue reading
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Independence Day Challenge
Today is America’s birthday. People across the country will celebrate by attending parades, shooting off fireworks, cooking out in the back yard, or maybe going to a baseball game. Regardless of the specific activities one chooses, the general focus of the holiday is on patriotism. Of course, patriotism is an abstract concept that is difficult… Continue reading
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Silas Towne, Mexico Point, & Spy Island
A couple weeks ago, I traveled to the Oriskany battlefield and Fort Stanwix. I didn’t know it at the time, but an interesting prelude to the Oriskany battle unfolded at a place called Mexico Point, just 15 miles from my home. The story goes that there was a patriot spy named Silas Towne who was… Continue reading
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Natty Bumppo Slept Here
A fun fact about my hometown: it was the setting for a piece of classic American literature. Sort of. I say “sort of” because the novel in question, James Fenimore Cooper’s The Pathfinder, or, The Inland Sea, was set at a time when the patch of ground that is now Fulton was really just a… Continue reading
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Goethe & Schiller in the Salt City
During a 2016 trip to Germany, my son Grant and I were walking through Frankfurt am Main. We happened across a statue of the great 18th-century polymath Friedrich Schiller. I took a picture and remarked to Grant that one really doesn’t see statues of poets or philosophers in the U.S. It turns out I was… Continue reading
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Oswego’s Other Forts
Anyone who has spent time in Oswego, New York is very familiar with Fort Ontario. It is a centerpiece of the area’s history, having played a role in the French & Indian War, the American Revolution, the War of 1812, and even World War II. What is less known, even among many long-time locals, is… Continue reading
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Fort Stanwix
After visiting Oriskany, I decided to take a short side trip to Fort Stanwix. It’s a little ironic that I would regard Stanwix as the side trip since there’s a lot more there, and historically speaking, the battle at Oriskany was an outgrowth of the siege at Fort Stanwix. The fort is in the middle… Continue reading
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Oriskany
The Oriskany Battlefield State Historical Site is about 50 miles from my house. Despite living so close to it all these years, and despite having read a fair amount about the battle and the larger British Campaign of 1777, I had never visited the site until today. From the National Park Service: Considered to be… Continue reading
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536 A.D. Vibes
Because I am a history nerd, I have a tendency to liken current events to some historical precedent. Because I am a modern-day American, living in 2023, I am prone to catastrophize and think of the present moment in apocalyptic, end-times, “this is the worst thing ever!” terms. Therefore, since this wildfire-induced haze engulfed my… Continue reading
About Me
Researcher. Marketer. Teacher. Father of adult children and dogs. 20th Century holdover. Central New York native. Long-suffering Buffalo Bills fan. History nerd. Traveler. Vintage advertising enthusiast. Hat wearer.