The Adirondack Architectural Heritage (AARCH) is the nonprofit historic preservation organization for New York State's Adirondack Park. Created in 1990, the organization protects a range of rustic buildings, along with a range of other places, including railroad buildings, quarries, and lighthouses. The 428 photos here are derived from an extensive slide collection which was digitized as part of...

Pelham, New York is a city rich with history, dating back to 1654 when Thomas Pell purchased the land from the Siwanoy Native American Indian tribe. The history of the city is detailed in a timeline that begins in the 1500s and includes significant event such as the Battle of Pelham fought in 1776 and the Pelhamville Train Wreck in 1885. This site also highlights some of the more famous people...

The creation of this particular digital collection from the Cornell University Library was started in 1990 when a selection of key historical works dealing with New York state were scanned with equipment developed jointly by Cornell at the Xerox Corporation. Currently this impressive collection consists of 655 individual items, with a total of over 81 thousand pages of material. First-time...

The New York Historical Society is home to some of the most fascinating and extensive archives of photographs of the Boroughs and their surroundings on the web. Starting with street scenes, portraits, and landscapes from the late 1830’s, documentary images progress throughout the decades and culminate with the end of World War II. Scroll through the photographs on the landing page for some...

Greek Revival architecture in upstate New York is worthy of consideration by architects, historians, and the generally curious. This fine document was originally created as a bachelor of architecture thesis at Cornell University in 1939 and it explores a wide range of public buildings from around this distinctive region. Visitors can download the entire document or explore one of its seven...

There are many ways to understand the anti-slavery movements in the United States during the 19th century, and newspapers are but one of the key primary document types used by historians. Cornell University is fortunate enough to have a near complete run of the "Friend of Man" newspaper, which was published between 1836 and 1842. This very intriguing title allows curious visitors to learn about a...

What did New York look like in the late 19th century? Obviously it was a bustling and energetic place, but what were some of its key characteristics? We can tell a bit about it from first-hand narratives, photographs, and maps, but it's also useful to know that there were some intriguing films made around the Big Apple during this time. This marvelous collection from the Library of Congress's...

Created to honor the work and legacy of the late Nelson A. Rockefeller, the Nelson A. Rockefeller Institute of Government is dedicated to enhancing "the capabilities of state governments and the federal system to deal effectively with the nation's domestic challenges." Based at the University at Albany, State University of New York, the Institute's website provides policy makers and others with...