Seneca Village: A Community Lost to Central Park

Posted on June 17, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

By Rachel Walman

Since 1859, millions of people have enjoyed the natural beauty of Central Park. What do you know about the origins of Central Park? Did you know that before the park existed, the land it lies on was home to about 1,600 residents? One neighborhood that once lay within the boundaries of the park was called “Seneca Village” (although residents may not have called it that.) The Reading into History family book club is now reading a wonderful work of historical fiction about this place called Home is With Our Family. On Wednesday, June 19^th, we will host a book wrap here at the museum were visitors can discuss the book, skype with its author, and take a tour of where this community used to be to try and piece it together.

No photographs of Seneca Village survive, and no personal papers or living descendants of its residents have yet been found. So how do we know anything about it, what do we know, and why should anyone care? An important story about this place emerges from newspaper articles, maps, census data, and other records of the day. Seneca Village deserves our attention as one of the first communities of free, African American property owners and immigrants in pre-Civil War New York.

Veile survey: Egbert Viele, Topographical Survey for the Grounds of Central Park, 1856, New-York Historical Society.

Here is what we know: Seneca Village existed between 1825 and 1857. The boundaries of Seneca village were roughly 82^ndstreet to 89^th street between 7^th and 8^th avenues. In this land survey from 1856, you can see a birds-eye-view of it.

The land was hilly and rocky and may have looked something like this.

Photo of Central Park: Land Flooded to Make Central Park Lake, c. 1860,
New-York Historical Society.

Initially, John and Elizabeth Whitehead, a white couple, bought the land the made up Seneca Village. They soon subdivided and sold it to Andrew Young, Epiphany Davis (both African American) and the African Methodist Episcopal Zion Church. In the 1840s, Irish and German immigrants began moving in. All of these groups may have enjoyed being far away from the dirty, crowded slums of downtown Manhattan, where most Irish, German and African American people lived. The 1855 census reported 264 residents of Seneca Village. The census was handwritten, but take a look at this typed page of it that is easier to read.

Census: Population Census of the 22nd Ward, New York (New York State Manuscript Census for 1855), Collection of The New York City Municipal Archives, Bureau of Old Records.

According to this data, this community was comprised of mostly working class people and some rising middle class folks; however, prejudice against African Americans and the Irish sometimes caused newspapers to report otherwise. One newspaper article compared African Americans in Seneca village and Irish residents of a lower part of the park. It states that Seneca Village is “a neat little settlement…[that] present[s] a pleasing contrast in their habits and the appearance of their dwellings to the Celtic [Irish] occupants…in the lower part of the park…if some of the hogs, goats, and other inmates of the shanties in this vicinity do not die of the yellow fever this summer, it will only be because Death himself hesitates to enter such dirty hovels. (New York Daily Times, July 9, 1856).

Other articles refer to the residents of Seneca Village as “squatters,” as though they were living illegally on public lands while they still owned them.

In 1853, the city government approved a plan to use something called “eminent domain” to take over all land in what is now Central Park. Eminent domain is the state’s power to take over private lands for public use. The government offered to pay owners what it claimed was the fair value of their land. They offered nothing to families who rented property in Seneca Village. Many of the land owners believed the government was not valuing the land highly enough.

African American land owners had more to lose than just their property with the destruction of Seneca Village. At this time, African Americans could vote if they owned at least $250 worth of property. Losing their homes meant losing the right to vote, a right that would not be protected by the US constitution until the passage of the 15^th Amendment in 1870 (and that was still not protected in practice for the next century).

Seneca Village still holds many mysteries. What we do know tells us a lot about the lives of African Americans and immigrants at this time, and the battles they fought to win a place in this bustling city and the nation. Join us on Wednesday to explore Seneca Village more through the fictionalized Peters family in Home is with Our Family. It will also be the book club’s first birthday and Juneteenth! See you then!

Image credits:

Leave a reply Posted in Reading Into History Book Club | Tagged Book Wrap, Census, Central Park, Home is With Our Family, Reading into History, Seneca Village

Civil War Medicine: Pills, Ointments and Bitters for Soldiers

Posted on June 14, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

By Rachel Walman

This Father’s Day, June 16th, eminent historian Harold Holzer will be here to answer families’ burning Civil War questions. Following his talk, families are invited to play a choose-your-own-adventure style game where they get to walk in the shoes of a Civil War soldier. Are you sitting there wishing you could really be a Union hero? Perhaps the next few paragraphs will change your mind.

3.2 million men fought on both sides of the war. A recent study has suggested that between 650,000 and 850,000 men and women (mostly men) died because of the war. More Americans died during this war than during any other war in our history.

The greatest wartime killers were not devastating minie balls (new bullets that did a lot of damage), or piercing bayonets, but rather microscopic bacteria. Disease caused roughly 60% of all Union soldier deaths. Ten out of eleven black Union soldiers who died succumbed to disease, not a bullet. No one in America at that time could have imagined that invisible microbes caused fatal epidemics. Doctors and regular folks alike had a hazy theory that illness was transmitted through “miasmas,” or foul air, and that health could be achieved through the balance of four bodily substances called “humors”. Ignorance of the roots of disease combined with poor conditions in Civil War camps and hospitals to cause many deaths – deaths that could be prevented today.

The most common fatal diseases amongst Union (and Confederate) soldiers were diarrhea, dysentery, typhoid, pneumonia and tuberculosis. These diseases, which mostly affect the lungs and intestines, are transmitted through contaminated food and water and contact with an infected person. Bad food, bad water and close quarters were the hallmarks of a Civil War soldier’s life. A staple of the soldier’s diet was a flour-and-water cracker called hardtack that provided them with barely any nutrients or energy, lowering their immune systems. When soldiers did have protein in the form of salted or canned meat, it was often spoiled. And of course, there was the battlefield. Encampment water sources with latrines dug nearby were often contaminated with the soldiers’ waste. Several soldiers shared one tent, allowing disease to spread fast. Of course, there was also the battlefield: a bullet wound could become infected with gangrene or blood poisoning in the field hospital.

So what could a soldier do to keep himself healthy when disease and death lurked around every corner? Camp doctors would often prescribe drugs called purgatives which, guess what, make you poop. That’s not a good idea for a soldier who already has dysentery, diarrhea or typhus! Doctors at the time believed purgatives helped the body expel illness. To avoid untrustworthy doctors, soldiers often treated themselves. Have you ever gone to a drug store for cold medicine or stomach relief? Well, soldiers did too, only their medicines were quite different from yours. We now call these “patent”, “proprietary”, or “quack” medicines. There is no real evidence that any of them worked (in fact, some actually damaged those who took them), and their formulas were kept a secret, which is illegal today.

Medicine Tin, Brandreth’s Pills, 1880-1910, Collection of the New-York Historical Society, Inventory Number: 2002.1.772

Three medicines often marketed to soldiers were Brandreth’s Pills, Hostetter’s Bitters, and Holloway’s Ointment. Soldiers who happened to take these drugs and survive often gave testimonials to the companies that made them. The companies used the soldiers’ words to advertise their miracle cures to other soldiers. In an ad for Brandreth’s Pills, “Sixty Voices from Army of Potomac” stated that the pills “protect from the arrows of disease, usually as fatal to Soldiers as the bullets of the foe.” Hostetter’s Bitters, its producers swore, were “a positive protective against the fatal maladies of the Southern swamps, and the poisonous tendency of the impure rivers and bayous.” Holloway claimed his pills could “so purify the blood and strengthen the stomach…” that Union soldiers could handle whatever their environment threw at them.

Though the formulas for these drugs were a mystery to Civil War soldiers, they are not a mystery to us now. Hostetter’s Bitters claimed its disease-fighting ingredients were exotic herbs; however, the ingredient that probably affected soldiers who drank it the most was the whiskey. One bottle of Hostetter’s Bitters was about 47% alcohol. Some soldiers taking this “medicine” undoubtedly believed they were convalescing when in reality they were just intoxicated. Depending on the illness, the alcohol in Hostetters may have made things worse. Brandreth’s pills and Holloway’s Ointment were medically ineffective, but also fairly safe. Brandreth’s Pills had a vegetable base. Holloway’s products were similar. According to the book “Popular Medicines: An Illustrated History,” and Jim Schmidt of the blog Civil War Medicine (and Writing) “the pills contained aloes and rhubarb, with small amounts of saffron and pepper; the ointment was principally olive oil, lard, and waxes.” (Schmidt, 2009)

Trade sign, Hostetter’s Bitters, 1880-1900, Collection of the New-York Historical Society, Inventory Number: 2002.1.2191

Quack medicines like these became even more popular among Civil War veterans after the war. These soldiers health was permanently compromised, and some became addicted to their wartime maladies.

For more discussion of the life of a Civil War soldier, come hang out with us on Father’s Day! We promise you won’t have to try any little Pink Pills for Pale People (yes, that was a real medicine!)

Sources:

Harper’s Wkly., 7 (1863), 270, 414, and 8 (1864), 30; Vanity Fair, 6 (Aug. 2, 1862), 50; Wilkes’ Spirit of the Times, Oct. 29, 1864.

The Toadstool Millionaires: A Social History of Patent Medicines in America before Federal Regulation Chapter 7: “To Arms! To Arms!” and After James Harvey Young, PhD

Lee, Chulhee. 2009. Socioeconomic differences in the Health of Black Union Soldiers during the American Civil War. Social Science History. 33:4. 427-457.

Jim Schmidt, Civil War Medicine (and Writing) http://civilwarmed.blogspot.com/2009/02/medical-department-22-civil-war-snake.html

Leave a reply Posted in Blasts from the Past | Tagged Brandreth's Pills, Civil War, Confederacy, Dysentery, Father's Day, Harold Holzer, Holloway's Ointment, Hostetter's Bitters, Medicine, Military, Pneumonia, Tuberculosis, Typhoid, Union

Reading into History: An Illustrator at Work and Our First Anniversary!

Posted on May 22, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

By Rachel Walman

This past Sunday, May 19^th, the DCHM Reading into History family book club discussed the graphic novel/biography Around the World and got to meet its wonderful author and illustrator, Matt Phelan. We were especially lucky because Matt brought his sketchbooks that he kept while planning the book. He taught us so much about how he creates emotions in readers through images. He draws small panels when he wants readers to go through them quickly and imagine action moving fast. He draws larger panels when he wants readers to linger on an idea, feeling, or action. Matt even did an illustration demonstration for us! Take a look!

This is Thomas Stevens. As you can see from Matt’s writing, Stevens was the first man to travel around the world by bicycle. He rode 13,500 miles! You can read Stevens’ story in Around the World. Our group also got to visit the DCHM gallery and see the Nellie Bly board game made in 1890, which she designed herself. Check it out! It was a really great afternoon.

Collection of the New-York Historical Society

Now we are already gearing up for June! On June 19^th, we will meet for a wrap event that marks our first anniversary! Can you believe it’s been a year already? June 19^th is also an important African-American holiday called Juneteenth, so there will be a lot to celebrate at the wrap. There will even be special snacks!

Our June book is Home is With Our Family by Joyce Hansen. This book follows Maria Peters, an African-American girl living in New York’s Seneca Village in the 1850s. Maria is about to turn thirteen and she has a lot to worry about. Rumors abound that her neighborhood is going to be destroyed so the city can build a “Central Park,” and Maria’s new friend and neighbor Anna has a secret that could endanger the whole Peters family. Hansen paints a rich portrait of African American life in one of New York’s forgotten communities of free blacks. At the event, we will do something totally new: we will take a walk outside in what was once Seneca Village. Remains of the neighborhood can be found right inside the west 85^th street foot entrance to the park…if you know where to look. And we do!

A note for all those planning to attend summer book wraps: make sure you check out the family programs calendar! June, July, and August wraps all meet on Wednesdays from 3:30 to 5:30 pm. We will go back to having Sunday wraps from 3 to 5 pm in October. As always, email familyprograms@nyhistory.org if you have any questions. See you around the galleries!

Leave a reply Posted in Reading Into History Book Club | Tagged Anniversary, Around the World, Board Game, Book Club, Central Park, Drawing, Home is With Our Family, Illustration, Juneteenth, Jyce Hansen, Matt Phelan, Nellie Bly, Reading into History, Seneca Village, Thomas Stevens

Blast From the Past: Dogs for Defense

Posted on May 20, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

By Liz Stern

During World War II, people all over the country participated in some sort of war effort. If they weren’t actually overseas fighting for our country, they may have been working in factories producing ships, growing vegetables to feed people, or collecting scrap metal.

But did you know that dogs volunteered too? After the bombing of Pearl Harbor on December 7, 1941, the American Kennel Club and “Dogs for Defense” began to advertise for dog owners around the country to donate their pets to serve in the war effort.

Dogs for Defense, Inc.

In the beginning of this program, more than 30 breeds were accepted but then this narrowed to German Shepherds, Belgian Sheep Dogs, Doberman Pinschers, Farm Collies and Giant Schnauzers. They were all part of the “K-9 Corps.”

Training for this elite group of animals was extensive. In addition to basic commands, these dogs needed to get used to muzzles, gas masks, military vehicles and gunfire. More than 10,000 dogs were trained during these years, all donated by families that wanted to contribute to winning the War.

Most dogs became sentry dogs. This job involved warning soldiers on patrol when danger approached. They worked with the Coast Guard patrolling beaches to protect against enemy submarines. They also worked with hundreds of other military units defending the units.

U. S. Coast Guard

Scout or patrol dogs worked with soldiers to detect snipers or ambushes. It was really important for these dogs to alert their handlers with soundless growls so no one else could hear them.

About 150 dogs were trained as messengers. They needed to be comfortable working with two different trainers since they would travel silently between them to transfer important information.

Mine dogs, or M-dogs, were specially trained to detect trip wires, booby traps and mines. These dogs were sent to North Africa to work.

The dogs that were sent to the Pacific front were very effective because the jungles there made it difficult to protect against surprise attacks. Having sentry dogs greatly reduced this risk. Overall, the dogs that served on active war duty boosted the morale of the soldiers and reduced their stress levels during patrols.

Here is Fritzi Dangberg in Nevada (1907-1946). She’s holding the German Shepherd puppies she contributed to the Dogs for Defense program in World War II. The photo is ca. 1942.

Don’t miss the WWII & NYC exhibit at the New-York Historical Society which closes May 27…you can learn a lot more about what we were doing here on the homefront during the War. After the War was over, the dogs were re-trained that every human was friendly and returned to their civilian homes. Today, all the dogs that work in the military are professional dogs and not “borrowed” from family homes, but the dogs that served during WWII taught us that their value is unique and important.

Sources:

K. M. Born, U.S. Army Quartermaster Foundation, http://www.qmfound.com/K-9, May 16, 2013.

Leave a reply Posted in Blasts from the Past | Tagged American Kennel Club, Coast Guard, Dogs for Defense, K-9 Corps, Military, Mine Dogs, Sentry Dogs, WWII & NYC

Blast From the Past: Ten-Foot Cops

Posted on May 17, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

Blast From the Past: Ten-Foot Cops

By Stacey Martin

Have you ever seen a “ten-foot tall cop?” You have if you’ve ever seen a mounted police officer!

There are plenty of them patrolling the busy streets of New York City. As of 2011, the New York City Police Department’s mounted unit has 79 police officers and 60 horses, all specially trained to work in the city.

Charles U. Combes,” artist: David Edward Cronin, 1891, Charles U. Combes (or Combs) served as sergeant in the First New York Mounted Rifles of the Seventh New York Cavalry during the Civil War, and afterward joined the New York City Police Department, New-York Historical Society

Before cars became ubiquitous on the city’s streets early in the twentieth century, the NYPD had approximately 800 horses on staff! But are police horses still important in the twenty-first century? The NYPD certainly thinks so. Police officers on horseback are much more effective than officers on foot when dealing with crowds, as they can see over large groups of people. They are also much more visible, which reduces crime. A police officer on a horse can weave through busy traffic, go the wrong way on a one-way street, and can cover long distances in search and rescue operations.

NYPD Mounted Unit History

Horses are naturally very skittish—to most, a plastic bag blowing in the wind is terrifying—so all NYPD horses go through extensive training at school. There, horses become used to the unexpected sights and sounds they might encounter on the job, such as hissing flares, plastic tarps, even smoke bombs. Police officers also learn how to ride and care for their assigned horse at the school, which is located in Pelham Bay Park. Not every horse passes the final test, though. For every horse accepted into the Police Department, five others are turned down.

So how much does it cost the city to employ these four-legged cops? Each horse costs $4,000, much less than a new car. Their food and bedding costs $10 a day, much less than a tank of gas. The NYPD has even developed a custom grain for the horses to eat that is packed with nutrients and minerals the horses need to stay strong and alert.

In 2011, a brand new stable opened along the Hudson River in Chelsea for some very lucky mounted unit horses. The facility includes a heated training ring, spacious stalls, and a custom horse shower.

To read more about the NYPD mounted unit, I recommend the picture book Finnegan and Fox: The Ten Foot Cop by Helen L. Wilbur and John Manders, this week’s featured Little New-Yorkers story.

I’ve been learning a lot about the NYPD mounted unit while preparing to read Finnegan and Fox at Little New-Yorkers, so imagine my excitement when I left for my lunch break yesterday and saw a mounted police officer on 76^th Street! I told him I was teaching children about mounted police officers and he let me pet his horse. Trooper. I got to feed Trooper a carrot and pose for a photo. He even gave me official NYPD mounted police badges to show the kids. My interaction with the officer made me realize another important reason for the mounted unit’s existence: public relations. It gives everyday people, especially children, a reason to chat with a police officer. Who doesn’t want to pet a pretty horsey?

Stacey with a mounted officer and Trooper

These are the badges the office gave me. Left: Official NYPD badge. Right: NYPD mounted unit badge

Source:

Jacobs, Andrew. (2006, April 18). A New Crime Fighter, for $10 in Hay and Oats. The New York Times. Retrieved from http://www.nytimes.com

Leave a reply Posted in Blasts from the Past | Tagged Blast from the Past, Finnegan and Fox, Helen L. Wilbur, Horses, John Manders, Little New-Yorkers, Mounted Police, NYPD, Ten-Foot Cop

Special Event: Writing About “The Big Apple”

Posted on May 15, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

By Liz Stern

When creative people get together, great things happen. Four creative kids can tell you that first-hand. They met with songwriter and musician David Grover to create an original song. They brainstormed and collaborated to write a song about…what else? NEW YORK!

Catherine McCarthy, Jack Freiser, William Freedman and Lucy Kleinschmidt – all musicians themselves – wrote and performed this song with Grover:

The Big Apple

Chorus:

We love the Big Apple…the Big Apple

New York is our home

It’s the place to be

It’s the place to see

Verse:

Big flashing lights…Broadway nights

East Side, West Side and Washington Heights

Central Park…with dogs that bark

It’s a city that wakes up when it gets dark

We love New York to the top of the Empire State…

To the bottom of our hearts!

Chorus:

We love the Big Apple…the Big Apple

New York is our home

It’s the place to be

It’s the place to see

Leave a reply Posted in Special Events | Tagged Big Apple, Catherine McCarthy, David Grover, Jack Freiser, Lucy Kleinschmidt, New York, Song, Songwriting, William Freedman, Workshop

Author Event: Katie Yamasaki Reads Fish For Jimmy at DCHM

Posted on May 13, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

By Rachel Walman

Until May 27^th, visitors to the New-York Historical Society can experience the WWII & NYC exhibition that has taken over most of the Museum’s main floor. The exhibition explores the experiences of New Yorkers of all different backgrounds during the war. In honor of this exhibition, Katie Yamasaki will read from her beautifully written and illustrated book, Fish for Jimmy: Inspired by One Family’s Experience in a Japanese American Internment Camp, on May 18^th at 1 pm. The event will be free with Museum admission.

As a preview to her event, Ms. Yamasaki answered our History Detectives author questions We hope you enjoy the interview and that you come to hear her read, see photos of her family, and get your book signed on May 18^th!

DiMenna Children’s History Museum: What were you like between the ages of 9 and 12?

Katie Yamasaki: Between the ages of 9 and 12 I was very busy and very athletic! I loved to do gymnastics and play soccer at that time. I also loved drawing and paper maché sculpture at school. I was with friends from my neighborhood and my cousins most days after school and every weekend. If I could describe myself with one word, it would be active!

DCHM: What is your favorite time period in American history? Why?

KY: My favorite time period in American history is probably the 60′s- I am very inspired by all of the social and political resistance movements that were happening at that time.

DCHM: What is your favorite place in New York City? Why?

KY: My favorite place in NYC is probably the middle of the Brooklyn Bridge, Jacob Riis Beach or Brooklyn Bridge Park. I also love the front steps of the Brooklyn Museum. I love all of those places because they always feel like you are surrounded by lots of breezy, fresh air and people who are taking a moment away from their busy lives to enjoy some open space. The fountain in front of the [Brooklyn] Museum is a very joyful place as well with kids splashing and playing all summer long. That brings many people joy.

DCHM: What made you want to write Fish for Jimmy?

KY: For as long as I can remember, I felt that there needed to be more stories about the Japanese Internment. I grew up knowing that it happened, and knowing that it happened to my family. That said, I never had a teacher from kindergarten-12th grade who even acknowledged that it happened. I feel that Fish for Jimmy needed to be told, not only to share an underreported part of history, but also to make connections between violations to our civil liberties of the past with those of the present. I also wanted to tell a story that shows the courage and resilience of children during times of war.

DCHM: What three words best describe Fish for Jimmy?

KY: Honest, Suspenseful, Family

If you have any questions about this program, email familyprograms@nyhistory.org. See you there!

Leave a reply Posted in Special Events | Tagged Fish for Jimmy, Japanese American Internment Camp, Katie Yamasaki, Little New-Yorkers, WWII, WWII & NYC

Baby Pigeons Visited DCHM, Had a Blast!

Posted on May 10, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

By Rachel Walman

The May 4^th Meet the Fledglings program was a huge success thanks to the Wild Bird Fund and the 70+ visitors who came out to meet some of NYC’s most notorious residents- baby pigeons!

The event began with a fascinating presentation by Rita McMahon of the Wild Bird Fund. First, she spoke about the different birds that live in our city. Did you know that Ibises have made nests in the East River? Or that a Snowy Owl has been sighted at Jones Beach? Rita also told us about some birds that have been rehabilitated by the Wild Bird Fund. One great success story was Gully the Laughing Gull who came to the WBF with a broken leg. When Gully’s leg healed enough, he had to use it; so he learned to run on command when his trainer clapped! “Finally, Rita talked about when and when not to rescue a bird, which is also explained well on this “I Found a Baby Bird,Now What?“ flyer that the Wild Bird Fund passed out at the event. Here is Rita giving the presentation:

Then it was time to feed the birds! Each child who came got to feed some baby pigeons a piece of puppy chow or give them seeds from a special feeder. The WBF volunteers helped, and they could tell when the birds were getting full by feeling under their wings. Take a look at how the feeding happened!

After the birds were full, everyone made nests for future baby bird patients at the WBF. All we needed to make a nest were:

- one-foot-square piece of soft, natural fabric

- one pint-sized plastic mesh berry box

- one crew sock

- one pair of kids’ safety scissors

We centered the fabric square over the berry box and pressed it down. Then we cut off the leg part of the sock and placed that at the bottom of the box. That’s all! This nest is soft on the sides and has some scratchy fabric at the bottom for the birds to sink their feet into so they don’t tip over. All the kids donated their nests to the Wild Bird Fund. Here are some photos of the process and finished products.

All in all, everyone had fun, and it was a great way to honor John James Audubon and our exhibition, Audubon’s Aviary. If you haven’t visited the exhibition yet, you have until May 19^th to do so. See you around the galleries!

All photos are by Valeska Stupak

Leave a reply Posted in Special Events | Tagged Audubon's Aviary, Birds, East River, Feeding, Ibis, Jonse Beach, Meet the Fledglings, Nests, Rita McMahon, Snowy Owl, Wild Bird Fund

Reading into History’s May Book: Around the World by Matt Phelan

Posted on May 1, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

by Rachel Walman

May is here and it’s time for a new book club read! Reading into History is now reading our first graphic novel, Around the World, by Matt Phelan. Phelan is a Scott O’Dell Award winning author and illustrator. Around the World tells the stories of three nineteenth-century world explorers.

First, there was Thomas Stevens, a coal miner who bicycled around the globe. Second, there was Nellie Bly, a woman reporter who raced around the world by steamboat in record time…that is, she beat the record of fictional character Phileas Fogg from Jules Verne’s novel Around the World in Eighty Days. Last there was General Joseph Slocum who was the first person to travel around the world by himself on a 36-foot sloop.

Each intrepid explorer’s story tell us a lot about changes in technology and society in the late 1800s. If you come to the book wrap on May 19th at 3 pm, you’ll get to discuss this book with fellow readers, meet Matt Phelan and see him demonstrate his illustration techniques, see Museum artifacts related to the book (we have a Nellie Bly board game!) and get your book signed!

Read our interview with Matt below, read his book, and come see us on May 19th!

DiMenna Children’s History Museum: What were you like between the ages of 9 and 12?

Matt Phelan: Between the ages of 9 and 12 I spent most of my time in my basement workshop. I made puppets, masks, stop-motion animation models, and of course drew pictures. My dad had an early video camera and my brother and I made our own movies, too.

DCHM: What is your favorite time period in American history? Why?

MP: I really love everything about the 1920s and 1930s: the music, architecture, fashion, movies, and books.

DCHM: What is your favorite place in New York City? Why?

MP: The Tenement Museum in the Lower East Side. You really get a feeling for the time period by just walking through that old apartment building. Central Park is my favorite if I just want to go for a walk.

DCHM: What is your favorite object at the New-York Historical Society?

MP: The Nellie Bly Board Game (of course)!

DCHM: What made you want to write Around the World?

MP: I had read the first-person accounts of each of these adventurers at different times over several years. I was deeply impressed by the scope of these travels and the fact that each person overcame huge obstacles to reach their goal. I find these stories very inspiring and the people endlessly fascinating.

DCHM: What three words best describe Around the World?

MP: Determination. Courage. Fortitude. I think Thomas Stevens, Nellie Bly, and Joshua Slocum possessed all three.

All Reading into History book wraps are free with Museum admission, and no RSVPs are required. For more information about the Reading into History family book club, visit the club page on our website or email familyprograms@nyhistory.org

Leave a reply Posted in Reading Into History Book Club | Tagged Around the World, Board Game, Book Club, Interview, Joseph Slocum, Jules Verne, Matt Phelan, Nellie Bly, Reading into History, Thomas Stevens

Special Event: David Grover Shares His Songwriting Process

Posted on April 29, 2013 by Jaya Saxena

By Liz Stern

We live in a musical city. There are orchestras playing in halls, bands playing in the park and musicians trying out their craft in the subway. Sometimes I think even the honking, the whistles and the crowds sound like music!

A very special musician is coming to play in the auditorium here at the New-York Historical Society this Sunday, May 5. David Grover is the former lead guitarist for Arlo Guthrie. For more than 40 years he has used his music and lyrics to teach children about the important things in life – holidays with family, planet preservation and respecting each other. He’s performed in many great places, including the White House!

Before his 12:30 concert, which is free with Museum admission, he is leading a very unique and special songwriting workshop for a group of young songwriters. I know they are very excited. It turns out David is looking forward to it even more!

“Performing and singing is totally fun and connecting with kids live is the best. But for all that, there is nothing that compares with just using your imagination, talent and brains…you can create a song everyone can hear and it’s a song that would never have existed without your effort and caring.”

When I think about a song and the songs that I’ve loved over the years, they all are like poetry (something I love to write). The songs that appeal to me also have an intriguing instrumental component to them. I really like to listen to David’s guitar playing with his lyrical words. Putting it all together seems daunting to me, but not for David. Here’s what he said about writing songs:

“The man who taught me the most about writing had a saying about songwriting: There are 10,000 rules…and there’s also not any rules.

He believed (as do I) that it’s okay to break any rule as long as you know what the rule you’re breaking is.”

David wrote a song called Get On Board. He wrote it when he was in Phoenix, Arizona, and met some people at “Kids at Hope” who wanted to put words from their organization’s mission statement into a song. David really connected to a phrase they used a lot in their communications about every kid being important. The phrase was “No Exceptions!”

“I liked the thought and I also thought, ‘That would be a tough song to write if had to rhyme the word exceptions and have it make sense.’ So of course I had to try. After going through a few (hundred) words like: depression, confession, impression, (I knew we were in a) recession, and many people had professions and got out their aggressions. Anyway you get the idea. Those were maybe one tenth of the words I went through, but go through them you must. It’s fun! It’s better (and harder) than any crossword puzzle in the world, and makes Scrabble look like Candy Land.”

Take a look at some of the handwritten notes from David’s songwriting process. And then look at his final lyrics. Finally, listen to the beautiful song that was created. This is so inspiring! I hope you will be inspired!

SONG NOTES #1

SONG NOTES #2

Get On Board words & music D Grover

Get On Board there’s a train a leavin’

Get On Board we’ve got room for you

rich or poor young and old together

Get up here and get in line

Sing Hallelujah and clap your hands.

Hallelujah every Girl and Boy

Hallelujah every Woman and Man. No one gets left behind

No Exceptions .. It doesn’t matter where you come from

No rejections … We’ll take you just the way you are

This connection feels like perfection and we’re headed down this road feelin’ ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT

There’s a world we’ve got to build together

There’s a world that needs a guiding hand

We can learn to learn from one another

If you see a hand toss them a line

Sing Hallelujah and clap your hands.

Hallelujah every Girl and Boy

Hallelujah every Woman and Man. No one gets left behind

No Exceptions .. It doesn’t matter where you come from

No rejections … We’ll take you just the way you are

This connection feels like perfection and we’re headed down this road feelin’ ALL RIGHT ALL RIGHT

Get On Board .. Get On Board

C 2009 Two Monkeys Music

02 Get On Board

[We have a few more spots for talented songwriters between the ages 9-12 for Sunday’s workshop. Please email familyprograms@nyhistory.org if you know of a child who likes to write songs!]