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Unexpected Bravery
The American Civil War divided the United States from 1861-1865. During those years, over two million soldiers served in both the Union and Confederate Armies. What is little known is that not only the numerous children, some as young 12, enlisted on both sides, but also women who disguised themselves as men in an attempt to make a difference in the epic struggle to determine the future of the United States of America.
Patriots and Spies
Spies! Loyalists! Tories! Conspiracy! Strange messages? Codes in invisible ink? The American Revolution was first and foremost a civil war that tore at the very fabric of families as well as society. Patriots were determined to separate from England; while Loyalists were just as determined to defeat what they saw as a rebellion. Many do not know that during several critical periods the war was almost fatally undermined by English sympathizers or in some cases opportunistic Patriots. Patriots and Spies in Revolutionary New York is a compilation of twelve stories regarding important moments in New York State's history during the American Revolution.
Wicked Ulster County
.Situated in the scenic Hudson Valley, Ulster County is a lovely location to make a home and raise a family, but it wasn't always so pleasant. Unsavory characters and immoral events have sullied its name. In the 1870s, the Shawangunk Mountains inspired fear rather than awe, as groups like the Lyman Freer and Shawangunk gangs robbed and terrorized locals, descending from the protection of the wooded peaks. Kingston was torched, arson blazed in Kerhonkson and even the Mohonk Mountain House was threatened by flames. In 1909, the Ashokan Slasher's bloody crimes and sensational trial captured headlines across the country. Discover these and other salacious stories buried in Ulster County's history.
Murder and Mayhem in Ulster County
In 1870, the" New York Herald" proclaimed that Ulster County was New York's "Ulcer County" due to its lawlessness and crime. The columnist supported his claim by citing that in only six months, "it has been the scene of no less than four cold blooded and brutal murders, six suicides and four elopements." Hannah Markle--the bane of the Woman's Christian Temperance Union--ran a Kingston saloon where murder and violence were served alongside the whiskey. John Babbitt confessed on his deathbed to murdering Emma Brooks, and Willie Brown--reputed member of the Eastman Gang--accidentally shot his best friend. The infamous Big Bad Bill, the "Gardiner Desperado," lashed out more than once and killed in a drunken rage. Discover the mayhem and murder that these and others wreaked on one of New York State's original counties.
Washington's Headquarters, Newburgh
In April 1782, Gen. George Washington rode into Newburgh and found a sprawling town. At the end of what is now Liberty Street was the fieldstone house of the late Col. Jonathan Hasbrouck. From April 1782 to August 1783, Hasbrouck's house became Washington's home and his longest-occupied military headquarters. At the end of the American Revolution, Washington left "headquarters," as it came to be known, and the Hasbrouck family reclaimed the house. A period of extended decline followed, until the Hasbrouck family could no longer maintain the property, and it was ultimately purchased by the State of New York. On July 4, 1850, Washington's Headquarters was named a state historic site and became the first of its kind in the nation.
Washington's Headquarters Newburgh: Home to a Revolution
We know that Widow Hasbrouck opened her home to Washington in 1782, but the Hasbrouck family history itself has been distorted over the years by myths and legends. Much like the story of Washington chopping down the cherry tree, legend has it that the Hasbroucks and Washington would take a daily sojourn to the family orchards, where Jonathan Hasbrouck would first taste the general's fruit to ensure it was not poisoned. The truth is that Jonathan and Washington never met. In this revealing book, A.J. Schenkman finally dispels the rumors and relates the history of a prominent Newburgh family whose homestead ultimately became the nation's first publicly owned historic site in 1850.
Franklin's Trees (July 2024)
A.J. SCHENKMAN - ILLUSTRATED BY LAUREN REESE “All that is within me cries out to go back to my home on The Hudson River,” President Franklin Roosevelt once declared. For it was at his home in Hyde Park, New York that FDR could indulge in his favorite avocation—“tree farmer.” This book introduces children to FDR’s love of nature through a lifetime in which he oversaw the planting of over a million trees on his estate. It tells of a childhood hiking the trails through his forest, later widening those trails into roads after polio deprived him of the use of his legs and only able to get around by car. It describes the creation of the Civilian Conservation Corps during the Great Depression, which came to be known as “Roosevelt’s Tree Army.” It also tells the story of how FDR sent England’s Prime Minister Winston Churchill a Norway spruce one Christmas to cheer up the English people. Today, FDR’s love of trees is remembered at the Franklin D. Roosevelt Historic Site in Hyde Park, New York, where many of the trees he planted still rise on the grounds and surrounding forest.