History of New York State

John Fiske's The Dutch and Quaker Colonies in America traces their history from the advent of the European explorers to the 18c. Pennsylvania and Rhode Island account for a share of the book — but the rest is about Verrazzano and Hudson, New Amsterdam and the English city of New York, and "Knickerbocker" society; a good and very readable overview.

[ about 150 pages of print ]

Before the Transcontinental Railroad knit the United States together, railway transportation was pioneered in the East, and one of the earliest rail systems was the New York Central: Alvin F. Harlow's The Road of the Century, written for a popular audience, carries the reader with a wealth of anecdote, much of it of course in New York State, from some pretty tentative beginnings thru to 1947. The saga is well told and gives a good picture of the early westward expansion of the railroads and some of the technological advances that made it possible.

[ 439 pages of print presented in 23 webpages;
47 photos, 7 maps, 25 other illustrations ]

The History of West Point is a special case among the local histories of New York communities; the Hudson River landmark and Revolutionary War fort soon became the primary training ground of the officers of the United States Army, a rôle the Military Academy hasn't relinquished yet. As such, much of the material in this large subsite goes well beyond New York; yet the topography and local history are inevitably covered — in depth — in several of the books and articles (those by Roswell Park and Elizabeth Waugh in particular, also items by John Latrobe and Samuel Tillman). The site also includes a 75‑page booklet on the Cadet Chapel, as well as information on Battle Monument and much incidental material.

Historic Old Fort Niagara is a detailed booklet on the monument published after its restoration in the 1920s and 1930s by a consortium of local civic groups; it includes a good account of the French history of the place, and a more summary account of its subsequent history. The map and some of the illustrations are particularly fine.

[ 63 pages of print presented in 8 webpages;
1 map, 33 other illustrations ]

Joseph Bonaparte, brother of Napoleon and once king of Spain, made his home in the United States for many years; "Joseph and Lake Bonaparte" (chapter 5 of a fascinating if uneven book, The Bonapartes in America) details his New York State land purchases and his hunting and summer homes near the lake named for him.