Year: 2015
Merry Christmas
With its music, food, films, television specials, and assorted festivities, Christmas remains a special season. This will sound cliched and sappy, but I always feel a charge or a spell in the air in the days and weeks leading up to Christmas Day. Dear readers, I wish you a Merry Christmas and I hope that…
Returning to the (Virtual) World …
After several months of silence, dear reader, I am returning my attention to Another Town on the Hudson. Since the summer, I’ve been working on a manuscript and teaching. Both efforts have demanded all my creativity and intelligence. In my free moments, I’ve been fixing up my wife’s and my home and puttering around my…
On Hiatus …
Another writing project demands my attention for the next several weeks. Never fear. I shall return.
Don Quixote: Initial Thoughts
The subject of this piece has no relationship with Jersey City. No relationship with New Jersey. Except the subject might be found in a bookstore, a library, or a dusty bookcase and that many New Jerseyans speak the tongue of the author. A few times every year, I try to tackle one of the great,…
Washington Irving’s Sunnyside
My main summer goal is taking more advantage of the cultural and recreational offerings in Jersey City and the New York City region. After writing my post on Washington Irving’s relationship with Jersey City, I decided to visit Irving’s estate, Sunnyside, a National Historic Landmark in Irvington, New York.
From the Pen of Washington Irving
Best known for his classic short stories “The Legend of Sleepy Hollow” and “Rip Van Winkle,” Washington Irving was America’s first man of letters. Being the first American writer to gain a European audience, Irving elevated not only his professional stature but that of American literature. His position allowed Irving to advocate for emerging authors,…
Happy Fourth of July!
While enjoying food, drink, friends, and family, take a moment to ponder the history of our country. Better yet, visit a park, museum, or historic site and experience it for yourself. Just finish before the fireworks begin.
New Netherland in the Public Schools … in New York
A fellow history blogger (follow link for the story) reported that the New York State Social Studies curriculum is placing a greater emphasis on the period of Dutch colonial history in that state. A three-day workshop will be offered for educators at the New York State Museum (a fun place, by the way) in Albany,…
John Quidor
While leafing through Dutch New York: the Roots of Hudson Valley Culture, I discovered the artist John Quidor (See a previous blog post on the book itself). Many historic and literary types likely have seen reproductions of Quidor’s paintings inspired by Washington Irving’s two more popular short stories, Rip Van Winkle and The Legend of…
Book Review: Dutch New York
2009 marked the 400th anniversary of the explorer Henry Hudson sailing the Hudson River. In that year, the Hudson River Museum in Yonkers, New York organized an exhibition on the Dutch colonial experience in the Hudson River Valley and the lasting influence of the Dutch on economics, politics, and culture in the region.