Fort Plain Museum and Historic Park Newsletter Fall 2014
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Summer 2015 Newsletter Fort Plain Museum and Historical Park After a great start to 2015, the Museum keeps it going! 2015 Fall Lecture Series This year’s edition of After his retirement in 1996, he began making our annual Fall Lecture Series consists of four French and Indian War and American presenters on various topics of the 18th century Revolutionary War reproductions in earnest. While and the American Revolution. The presentations not a collector, he is a serious student of original start at 6:30 PM and there is a modest donation eighteenth century request of $5. All presentations are held at the engraved powder Museum located on 389 Canal Street in Fort Plain. horns, enabling him Included in the $5 donation is a self guided tour of to make authentic the Museum. The Museum Shop and Book Store recreations. will be open during these events. All proceeds will John’s horns have go towards future Museum programming. won numerous ribbons at Dixon’s Rufus Alexander Grider’s Powder Horn Gun Makers Fair and at the Honourable Company Legacy On Thursday, September 10, 2015, at 6:30 of Horners annual competition, including “Best of PM, John C. Proud, an 18th century reproduction Show” at both events. His work has been featured hornworker & muzzleloading gunbuilder will give in “Muzzleloader”, “Muzzleblasts”, and the “New a presentation on the Rufus Grider Powder Horn York Conservationist.” Drawings. John will discuss the Grider drawings and their accuracy. John will also discuss powder John is a founding member and past Guildmaster horns in general including the history, use, and of the Honourable Company of Horners, a charter building of horns. Many of you might remember member of the Contemporary Long Rifle John from our Association, a member of First Annual the Kentucky Rifle Conference held Association, and a life in May, when member of the National John had a table Rifle Association. He has set up with many earned certification as a of the horns that Master Horner from the he has worked on. Honourable Company of Horners. John has presented programs and papers on both the John is a native of the Buffalo. The grounds of the Honourable Company of Horners and the Erie County New York Historical Society were a Contemporary Longrifle Association on powder part of his neighborhood playground area, and horn artists Rufus A. Grider and Thomas M. where he first encountered powder horns. That Hartley. He co-chaired a committee of the early exposure blossomed when he made his first Honourable Company of Horners that pursued powder horn around 1986 to go with a rifle he had publication of the powder horn drawings of built. Thomas Hartley. Summer 2015 Newsletter “The Hartley available. Participants will be able to keep their Horn Drawings: creations as a memento. A Collection of Powder Horn The illustrated history lectures will last for about ½ Drawings” will hour each on the evenings of Thursday, September be available for 17th and Wednesday, October 3rd. There is no limit purchase at the on the number of attendees for the lectures, but Museum’s Book the practical potting session will be limited to the Store. To see and first 16 people to sign up. These sessions will last to read all about John and the Horners Guild, for about an hour and a half after the lectures and please visit the Honourable Company of Horners also for a short time on Saturday, September 19th. website at http://www.hornguild.org/ Wayne is a member of the Board of Trustees at the Museum and Charlene and he have lent Decorated Redware Pottery in Colonial helping hands in many of the Museum’s events, America Starting on Thursday, September 17, from the many presentations to baking a variety of 2015, at 6:30 PM, Charlene and Wayne Lenig are refreshments for the holiday event. Wayne and offering a three day seminar that offers an Charlene currently reside in Fort Johnson, NY. introduction to the history and manufacture of one of the most common To The Last Extremity: The Siege of Fort type of earthenware used Stanwix Game On in America during the Thursday, September 24, 1600s and 1700s. A 2015, at 6:30 PM, Allan limited number of D. Foote, will give a brief attendees will participate talk about the 1777 siege in the decorating of their of Fort Stanwix followed own redware. by a demonstration of Sgraffito Redware plate, Pennsylvania, c. 1800 the game, "To the Last Extremity: The Siege of Wayne will present an Fort Stanwix”. There will illustrated account of how also be time allotted for the European industry attendees to partake in developed in Northwestern game play with a tutorial by Allan. The game is Germany beginning about suitable for play for people ages ten to adult. 1550. Various types of slip decorated wares spread to The game was developed in conjunction with Ron other parts of Germany, Toelke Associates of Chatham, New York and Mr. France, Holland and England by 1600. German, Foote's company, Dutch and English slip-decorated redwares have Mohawk Valley History been recovered from Jamestown, Williamsburg, Project of Whitesboro, Plymouth and other Early American colonial sites. New York and provides Before 1700 similar pottery was produced by an exciting simulation of American craftsmen in the epic siege of Fort nearly all of the colonies. Stanwix in the Mohawk Valley in 1777 during the Charlene will coach a limited American Revolution. number of participants The profits from sales of through the process of the game are intended to creating a slip-decorated benefit historical sites and societies, museums, libraries and booksellers redware pie plate. A choice of two forms of in upstate New York. decoration, slip-trailing and sgraffito, will be Summer 2015 Newsletter Allan is the author of over twelve books including Lost Mohawk Valley On Liberty March: The Battle of Oriskany; The Young Thursday, October 1, Liberators: Volume One: 2015, at 6:30 PM, Bob From Civilian to Soldier; Cudmore will give a talk Gateway To Freedom: The on his new book, Lost American Revolution On The Mohawk Valley. After the Northern Frontier; The talk, Bob will be on hand Defiant Dozen: New Yorkers to sign books and talk At The Alamo; The Kaiser 's history. Battle: March 1918; Pathway of Empire: The French & Life in the Mohawk Valley Indian War On The Northern today is vastly different Frontier; and lsandlwana: from generations ago. Long gone are the factory Triumph of the Zulu. He has a B.A. in political whistles calling workers to their shifts in old mill science and an M.S. in higher education towns like Amsterdam. Fort Plain still benefits administration from State University College at from little-known inventor William Yerdon, and Buffalo. baseball player George Burns, with ties to Gloversville and Utica, was so skilled that fans Allan currently is the President of Mohawk Valley called left field "Burnsville." History Project, a company specializing in the research and publication of material of historical Few realize that a local artist shared a special bond interest. He also holds the position of Clinical with musician John Philip Sousa. The Tamarack Supervisor with The Arc Oneida-Lewis Chapter in Playhouse was once the venue of spectacular Utica, New York and was an Adjunct Faculty theatricals, and as time goes on there are fewer member in American History with SUNY Empire alumni to remember Amsterdam's Bishop Scully State College for several years. High School. Allan has served as president for many community In Lost Mohawk Valley (History Press, Sept. 21, organizations including Northern Frontier Project, 2015) Bob shows that while lost, these and other Downtown Utica Development Association, compelling stories no longer need be forgotten. Coliseum Soccer Club, and A Good Old Summertime Festival, and was named “Person of Writer and media the Year” by the Mohawk Valley Chamber of personality Bob Commerce in 1993. The Oneida County Cudmore is the Historian’s Association named him "Historian of author of four the Year" in 2002; in 2003 he received the books: Lost Mohawk prestigious "Pathfinder Award" from Mohawk Valley; Hidden History Valley Heritage Corridor Commission; and in 2004 of the Mohawk Valley; was named an honorary member of the Sons of Stories from the Mohawk the American Revolution, Oriskany Battle Valley; and You Can’t Chapter. He was nominated and selected into the Go Wrong: Stories from Company of Military Historians in 2004 and is Nero, N.Y. Cudmore’s proud to be a member of The Alamo Society. He first project on local has also served as a Historical Consultant to The history was to join History Channel. He was named "Employee of the Steve Dunn to co-produce the WMHT-TV Quarter" by The Arc Oneida-Lewis Chapter in documentary Historic Views of the Carpet City: 2015. Amsterdam, N.Y. in 2000. Allan lives in Whitesboro, New York with his wife The next year Bob began his now weekly column Kathy and their two dogs; Annaleece and Mylo. in the Daily Gazette, Focus on History. He has He is the father of three sons; Joshua, Jason and written over 500 columns about the people, Michael. institutions and happenings of the region. Summer 2015 Newsletter Known for hosting WGY radio’s night time talk Phil Weaver has been an active living historian for show Contact from 1980 to 1993, Bob hosted the over thirty-five years. Most of these years he has morning radio show on WVTL in his home town been a member of the Brigade of the American of Amsterdam from 2004 through 2014. In 2008 Revolution, where (among other things) he has he was awarded the Herbert T.