American Archives Month marks a time for cultural institutions from across the nation to promote the preservation of our country’s documentary heritage.
Check out the incredible materials shared by member institutions and colleagues participating in the North Country Special Collections Collaborative (and even a few colleagues from other regions) to mark the occasion!
Thank you to all who contributed!
John Laurance Papers
Oswego County Historical Society
Oswego, NY | NNYLN Member
This letter is correspondence from Joseph Reed to John Laurance, Judge Advocate General, during the Benedict Arnold Court Martial Trial in the Fall of 1780.
John Laurance (1750-1810) was an unknown founding father that immigrated from England to New York City and became a lawyer under Cadwallader Colden’s mentorship, was promoted to Judge Advocate General who presided over many court martial trials that reformed the Continental Army at Valley Forge, and was a House of Representative member and NYS Senator. He purchased land plots in Oswego County with Alexander Hamilton and Alexander McDougall following the war, and a descendant of his built one of the earliest stone homes in the City of Oswego.
The collection of letters, maps, and other correspondence from Laurance, his descendants, and other related people has been recently scanned, and a new John Laurance exhibit has been designed this summer by the staff and volunteers at the museum. This exhibit will be on display this Fall.
66.1.11; This is Page 1 of Joseph Reed’s Letter. He was a trusted aide-to-camp of General George Washington during the American Revolution.
Image Courtesy of Oswego County Historical Society
Plattsburgh City Directories
Plattsburgh Public Library
Plattsburgh, NY | NNYLN Member
Our local history collection includes Plattsburgh city directories spanning the 1880s to the 1990s, listing residents by name along with their occupation, employer, and address, plus a separate business section organized by trade. Published far more frequently than the census, they’re an invaluable year-by-year record for tracing residents and local businesses over time.
- Public Services Librarian Jen Stone, dialing Phone 1 on Pond Street to see if General Ice Cream Corp still has Fro-Joy in stock.
- View of Plattsburgh City Directories shelved at the library.
Images Courtesy of Plattsburgh Public Library
Portrait of a President
Saranac Lake Free Library
Saranac Lake, NY | NNYLN Member
The Adirondack Research Room recently completed an artwork overhaul. We found art tucked in every storeroom, nook, and cranny, created an inventory, and gave them some much needed attention. One of the most interesting pieces we found was this simple, lovely pencil portrait of President Coolidge signed by Phelps Smith, son of Adirondack legend Paul Smith (namesake of the iconic Paul Smith’s College, even though his real name was Apollos Smith, but I digress).
A handwritten inscription on the back reads: “Drawn when President Coolidge was spending the summer at a camp near Paul Smith’s. Given to me after Phelps Smith died. I am named after him.” The inscription is signed by Phelps Harding and dated September 1970.
Pencil portrait of President Coolidge signed by Phelps Smith.
Image Courtesy of Saranac Lake Free Library.
Crane School of Music at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics
SUNY Potsdam, College Archives & Special Collections
Potsdam, NY | NNYLN Member
SUNY Potsdam’s Crane School of Music was the official music provider for the 1980 Winter Olympics held at Lake Placid. As such, Crane students performed during the opening and closing ceremonies, as well as played national anthems during medal ceremonies. The photos contained in this digital collection document one of the seminal events in SUNY Potsdam and North Country history, offering a glimpse into the Olympic experience of Crane’s students and faculty, from planning meetings with Olympic officials to rehearsals and performances to faculty conducting a valve oil test for brass instruments in the freezer of a local supermarket.
Crane School of Music conductor at Lake Placid Olympics.
Image Source: NY Heritage, Crane School of Music at the 1980 Lake Placid Olympics Collection