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"The Unity of New York State: The Upstate/Downstate Divide in Historical Perspective," a lecture by Peter Eisenstadt
Date
Tuesday,
May 13, 2008
Time
7:30pm
Admission
Free
Location
Geneva Historical Society Museum
543 South Main Street
Geneva, NY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 1, 2008

Speaker To Discuss the History of the Upstate/Downstate Divide

Geneva, N.Y.: Those of us living in upstate New York are often heard to complain of the overwhelming influence of New York City and other downstate communities in policy making and the distribution of state economic resources. Peter Eisenstadt will bring an historical perspective to this divisive view of the state in his lecture “The Unity of New York State: The Upstate/Downstate Divide in Historical Perspective.” The program will be presented at the Geneva Historical Society at 7:30 p.m. on Tuesday, May 13 and will include time for questions. This event is made possible through Speakers in the Humanities, a program of the New York Council for the Humanities.

New York State is commonly viewed as a group of loosely connected regions, having little internal cohesion or connection, and as characterized by a sharp division between two ill-defined halves: "upstate" and "downstate." There is some truth to this perception, but much that is misleading as well, and it discounts the ways in which New York State, which has existed in some form for almost four centuries, has often functioned as a coherent social, economic, and political entity.

It has been through the efforts to overcome the state's inherent heterogeneity, from the building of the Erie Canal, to the reform efforts of mid-twentieth century Governors Al Smith and Franklin Roosevelt, that New York State has been at its best, and has often led the way in showing the nation how to combine its diversity with a sense of unity and purpose.

Peter Eisenstadt is a scholar who has worked extensively on the History of New York City and New York State. He was the managing editor of the Encyclopedia of New York City (1995), and editor-in-chief of the Encyclopedia of New York State (2005).

Parking for the program is on the street or in the Trinity Episcopal Church lot across the street. For more information about this lecture, call the Society office at 315-789-5151.

The Geneva Historical Society Museum is located in the Prouty-Chew House at 543 South Main Street and is open Tuesday through Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. and Saturday 1:30 to 4:30 p.m. Admission is free.

The Geneva Historical Society receives major funding from the New York State Council on the Arts, the Institute for Museum and Library Services, the New York Council for the Humanities and the Town and City of Geneva.

Since its launch in 1983, the New York Council for the Humanities Speakers in the Humanities program has linked distinguished scholars with diverse audiences through the presentation of lectures on a broad range of topics. Each year hundreds of cultural institutions and community groups take advantage of this program, which offers the very best in humanities scholarship to thousands of citizens in every corner of New York State.

The New York Council for the Humanities is a private, not-for-profit organization working to ensure the presence of the humanities in the cultural life of New York State. The Council’s programs train teachers; encourage excellence in student scholarship; support public programs and New York State’s cultural organizations; and forge relationships between young people, their families and New York’s extraordinary range of humanities institutions.

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In Brief

Event
Annual Dinner and Meeting Featuring "Where No One's Gone Before: Underwater Exploration in Seneca Lake,"
a presentation by Milton Shares
Date
Tuesday,
May 27, 2008
Time
6pm
Admission
$28 per person
Location
Club 86
Avenue E
Geneva, NY

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

May 6, 2008

Go “Where No One’s Been Before” at the Geneva Historical Society’s Annual Dinner

Geneva, N.Y.: The Geneva Historical Society’s 2008 Annual Dinner and Meeting will be held on Tuesday, May 27, 2008 at Club 86 in Geneva. The program for this year’s dinner is “Where No One’s Been Before: Underwater Exploration in Seneca Lake” presented by Milton Shares. The evening will begin with a social hour at 6 p.m. Dinner will be served at 7 p.m. A short business meeting will also be held to highlight last year’s activities, elect new officers and trustees, and to recognize the Volunteer of the Year, Charlotte Hegyi.

Following the dinner, SCUBA diver and photographer Milton Shares will show a multi-image presentation chronicling his 1983 exploration of Seneca Lake. That year, Rochester divers Shares, Jim Kennard, and Scott Hill searched for and found the remains of an Erie Canal Boat in the frigid waters near Glass Factory Bay. Attendees will learn a bit of Erie Canal history they may not know and then dive with the men as they explore and photograph a classic example of a mid-1800’s canal boat in 110 feet of water

An early pioneer in diving and underwater photography, Milt Shares has roamed the world “shooting” fish with his camera and capturing Earth’s last frontier on film. He owns his own production company and has done audio-visual work for many large companies, including Eastman Kodak and Xerox.

The dinner is open to the public, but reservations are required. Tickets are $28 per person. Meal choices are Club 86 baked chicken, grilled salmon, eggplant Parmesan, or New York Strip Steak. For more information or reservations call the Society office at 315-789-5151 by Tuesday, May 20.

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Geneva, NY

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Geneva, N.Y.:

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