POSTPONED UNTIL EARLY 2021 Water! Where do we want it? And where DON'T we want it? Having a predictable level of water in the Erie Canal has always been a challenge. Craig Williams, formerly of the NYS Museum, is our region's foremost scholar on the Erie Canal. He'll be here to discuss where the Canal's water come from, how it flows, how much is enough, and how much is TOO much. $5 or free for SCHS members. No advanced tickets. Tickets available day and place of event.

This winter, make time for thinking deeply about a single idea from a variety of perspectives. Led by City Historian Chris Leonard, this reading and discussion series invites participants to delve into the history and literature of American crime. We'll meet five times, to discuss five pioneering works of new journalism and true crime writing. At each session, participants will come together with others in our community to discuss what we've read. Dates (6pm-7:30pm): -Feb. 26: Defining True Crime (Book: Compulsion, selections from True Crime: An American Anthology) -Mar. 11: Writing True Crime (Book: The Poisoner's Handbook: Murder and the Birth of Forensic Medicine in Jazz Age New York) -Mar. 25: POSTPONED -Apr. 8: POSTPONED -Apr. 22: True Crime outside of books (selections from True Crime: An American Anthology, selected clips from podcasts/TV/movies) -May 6: Crimes that changed us (Book: Kitty Genovese: The Murder, the Bystanders, the Crime that Changed America) -May 20: Serial killers and True Crime (Book: Blind Eye: The Terrifying Story of a Doctor who Got Away with Murder) Books are available to borrow from SCHS with a small security deposit. To register, email librarian@schenectadyhistorical.org or call 518-374-0263x3

This concert has been postponed due to COVID-19. The 2020 Howlin' at the Moon concert series kicks off with Running the River! The weather may be wet, but we'll stay warm to Running the River's signature blend of classic country, rock, folk, Irish, blues, and fiddle tunes! Sponsored by Wolf Hollow Brewing Co. Admission is $6, tickets available at the door. Refreshments served.

THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN POSTPONED FOR LATER IN 2021 For artist Tony Murray, it all begins with a title. That vision is sculpted to life using precision machined scrap metals and found objects. Whether daydreaming or contemplating the nature of things, Murray’s subjects range from the playful and the serious to the cynical and the philosophical, leaving the viewer to ponder the deeper, religious, political, or social meanings behind the work.   In addition to both regional and national exhibitions, Murray’s work can be found in permanent installations at the Virginia Air and Space Center, LaGrange Art Museum, and Fontbonne University. While his media of choice is pressed metal sculpture and recycled/found objects, Murray also works in scratchboard, photography, “sculptography,” and poetry. Born and raised in Queens, NY, Murray now resides in Glenville, N.Y.   The exhibition will run March-May 2020 at the Mabee Farm Historic Site. A special reception will be held on April 11th at 2pm featuring a presentation by the artist followed by a Q&A. Light refreshments served. $5 or FREE for members.

Cancelled due to COVID-19. In this a-maize-ing program kids will explore one of the most important crops on a colonial farm. Using stone corn grown on our own farm, we’ll shell, crack and grind our own meal. We’ll then fry up some tasty, bright red corn cakes to eat. Pre-registration required. Tickets are $8 for kids over 3 years, sign up at www.schenectadyhistorical.org/programs.

THIS PROGRAM HAS BEEN POSTPONED FOR LATER IN 2021 Join us for our 2020 Annual Meeting, featuring a talk by Dr. Kori A. Graves, UAlbany Associate Professor of History. Dr. Graves will discuss women's suffrage in New York. When women throughout the U.S. won the right to vote in 1920, women in New York had been voting for three years. In 1917, New York State became the first state west of the Mississippi River to grant women the right to vote. Although many people heralded these victories as signs of the nation’s move toward greater equality for some citizens, the battle for women's suffrage in New York, and across the nation, had been contentious. The question of whether women wanted the rights and responsibilities that came with the vote was central in the woman suffrage struggle. As women on both sides of the debate articulated the reasons they either supported or opposed the question, they revealed other forms of oppression that limited women’s opportunities. In the Capital Region, women on the anti-suffrage side of the debate were often more successful than their pro-suffrage counterparts. Dr. Graves will discuss some of the reasons for this pattern. In many ways, the suffrage debate our region demonstrates how some women related the right to vote with many other rights, and why the anti-suffrage position remained popular even as support for suffrage increased in the U.S. About Dr. Kori A. Graves Dr. Kori A. Graves is an Associate Professor of History at the University at Albany, SUNY. A graduate of the Program in Gender and Women’s History at the University of Wisconsin-Madison, Professor Graves teaches courses that explore gender and women’s history, the history of marriage and family, and histories of the body, beauty and identity politics in the U.S. Her book, A War Born Family:African American Adoption in the Wake of the Korean War tells the story of the first African Americans who adopted Korean children, and the ways their efforts revealed the contested nature of adoptive family formation across racial and national color lines. Her research and teaching interests explore the significance of political and popular representations of race, nation, and family - with a specific emphasis on the histories of motherhood and transracial adoption. Dr. Graves is also a dedicated teacher who has won awards for teaching excellence. The SCHS Annual Meeting will be held from 1:30pm-2pm, with the speaker starting at 2pm. Light refreshments will be served. Admission is $5 or FREE for SCHS members. Tickets are available at the door.

THIS EVENT HAS BEEN POSTPONED DUE TO THE COVID-19 PANDEMIC At the Historical Society, we love maps! You might even say we'd be lost without them. In this program, we'll explore our incredible collection of historic maps. We'll learn how they work and what surprising things we can learn from them. Kids will complete a scavenger hunt for prizes and finally, make a map of their own. This activity is free for kids and recommended for ages 5 to 14.