NYSM Magazine-Sp06-final - New York State Museum - New York ...

The Magazine
of the
New York
State Museum
VOL. 1 • NO. 4
SPRING 2006
INSIDE:
Minerals Up Close
Keeping Family
History Alive
Upcoming Lectures
A “Song to Joy”

2005 Corporate Sponsors
The New York State Museum Institute is honored to recognize these sponsors,
whose generosity, vision, and commitment to the greater good of the community
demonstrate the essence of corporate citizenship.
PRESENTING SPONSORS
EDUCATIONAL PROGRAMS SPONSOR
CORPORATE SUPPORTERS
CORPORATE FRIEND
CORPORATE DONORS
CORPORATE CONTRIBUTORS
MEDIA SPONSORS
The New York State Museum
Institute, a private charitable
organization recognized
under IRS Code 501(c)(3) as
a tax-exempt public charity,
exists solely to support the
exhibitions, programs, and
research of the New York
State Museum.
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contents
VOL. 1 • NO. 4
SPRING 2006
Fire Department of New York
Ambulance 485, a 1997
Ford-Horton
features
10
13
14
All in the Family by John L. Scherer
Preserving family history provides an important
link between and among generations.
NYSM … In Person
Educator Cecile Kowalski talks about how a visit to the
Museum turns into an experience.
New Yorkers in Bloom by Dianne Siegfried
Perennial New York in Bloom volunteers Anthony Macarelli
and Michele Peters team up for the 15th annual New York in
Bloom and their own new venture.
departments
2
Director’s Note
3
Museum News
7
Discovery Now
The just-in-time discovery of a new species of wild orchid
and a glimpse into 19th century life along the Delaware and
Hudson Canal by Dr. Charles Sheviak and Scott Cardinal
8
Hidden Treasures
Minerals Under the Microscope by Dr. Marian Lupulescu
Tompkins family clock, c. 1815
Platanthera huronensis
16
New York Stories
After the Horror of War, a “Song to Joy” by Ronald J. Burch
Minerals seen under a polarizing
microscope
www.nysm.nysed.gov
On the Cover
Treasured heirlooms from the Tompkins
Collection, featured in the current
exhibition Preserving Family History: The
Heritage of an Albany County Family
IMAGES BY TED BEBLOWSKI, NYSMS
FLORAL ARRANGEMENT BY WILLIAM BURDETT; OTHER IMAGES FROM NYSM COLLECTIONS

JOHN WHIPPLE
The Magazine of the
New York State Museum
director’s note
Maria C. Sparks, Managing Editor
Janice Kissick, Design Consultant
Christine Carpenter, Copy Editor
As I write this, I can see the snow blown against my window by a gusty
wind. However, I am thinking about the field research season this spring,
when the search for new knowledge and understanding about our
natural world revs up again. Sure, research continues throughout the
winter, but there’s nothing like the prospect of the coming field season
to generate a flurry of hypotheses and planning, and make the natural
scientist look forward to the arrival of spring. This is true not only in
my research, but also across the staff of the Museum. It is the quest
for new knowledge through collections-based research that sets the
State Museum apart from most museums around the world.
Research museums have dual missions: discover new knowledge
through collections-based research and disseminate that knowledge
through publications, exhibitions, and public programming. Fewer than
2 percent of museums worldwide are considered research museums,
and unfortunately, their numbers continue to dwindle.
Research museums are often the only research institutions capable
of investigating the biodiversity and natural resource issues related to
creating a sustainable environment. However, the expenses of providing
proper stewardship for their vital collections can place insurmountable
fiscal hardships on many museums. The unfortunate solution for too
many institutions has been the elimination of research programs and
the closure of their collections, followed by the “reinvention” of the
institutions as science centers.
We are working with institutions across the state to help them
provide good stewardship for their collections as we work to ensure that
our own collections—the treasures of New York State—are preserved
and accessible for all New Yorkers. We continue to transform our
galleries to make our collections accessible and to share our discoveries
with our visitors. Your membership and continued support for the
Museum helps us build upon the legacy of excellence that has defined
the Museum for many years and provide proper stewardship for the
natural and man-made treasures of New York.
Cliff Siegfried
Director, New York State Museum
www.nysm.nysed.gov
Design
2k Design
Contributors
Ronald J. Burch
Scott Cardinal
Leah Elizabeth Ennis
Cecile Kowalski
Marian Lupulescu
John L. Scherer
Charles Sheviak
Dianne Siegfried
Geoffrey N. Stein
Advisory Board
Harry M. Rosenfeld
Clifford A. Siegfried
John P. Hart
Mark Schaming
Jeanine L. Grinage
Robert A. Daniels
Penelope B. Drooker
Editorial Board
Carrie Bernardi
Penelope B. Drooker
Cecile Kowalski
Geoffrey N. Stein
Chuck Ver Straeten
Legacy is published quarterly by the
New York State Museum Institute,
Third Floor, Cultural Education
Center, Albany, NY 12230. The
New York State Museum Institute,
a private single-purpose 501(c)(3)
charitable organization, supports the
exhibitions, research and programs
of the New York State Museum.
The magazine is sent to members
of the New York State Museum as
a benefit of their membership. For
information about membership,
call 518-474-1354 or send an e-mail
to membership@mail.nysed.gov.
2 ■ Legacy

museum news
New York in Bloom …
for the 15th Year
This year’s New York in
Bloom—February 24–26—
features two illustrated
lectures by Dr. Steve Chamberlain,
the scientific editor of The
Hosta Journal published by the
American Hosta Society. By day,
Dr. Chamberlain is a professor of
biomedical engineering and
neuroscience at Syracuse University,
but hostas are his passion—he
breeds, names, introduces, and
registers the perennial plant.
Chamberlain’s talks include
“Hosta Obsession” on Saturday
and “Hostas: Foliage and
Flowers” on Sunday at 11:30 a.m
on each each day. Previously,
Chamberlain was a featured
speaker at the Gem, Mineral
and Fossil Show and Sale, held
annually in conjunction with New
York in Bloom. He is an
avid collector of minerals
found in New York
State, some of
Floral
arrangement
by William Burdett
which are on loan to the Museum.
In a separate talk, Museum
scientist Dr. Charles Sheviak will
provide an overview of orchids
native to North America and
show images of the plants and
their habitats.
New York in Bloom is the
Museum’s annual fund-raiser for
its two after-school programs,
Museum Club and Discovery
Squad. More than 100 floral
arrangements, designed to complement
the Museum’s exhibits,
will be on display throughout the
galleries. The hours for the event
are Friday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.;
Saturday, 9:30 a.m. to 7 p.m.;
and Sunday, 9:30 a.m. to 5 p.m.
For that weekend only,
admission to the Museum is $5.
The admission fee includes entry
to New York in Bloom and the
Gem, Mineral and Fossil
Show and Sale.
Gem,
Mineral and
Fossil Show
Returns
Thousands of gems, minerals,
fossils, and jewelry will be
on display for browsing and
buying during the 13th Annual
James Campbell Memorial Gem,
Mineral and Fossil Show and Sale
on February 25–26 at the State
Museum. The only gem and
mineral show in the Capital Region,
the event draws thousands of
visitors each year and has become
one of the largest gem and
mineral shows in the Northeast.
The Gem, Mineral and Fossil
Show and Sale helps to fund
new acquisitions for the Museum’s
gem and mineral collections.
It’s held in conjunction with the
annual New York in Bloom
fund-raiser for the Museum’s
after-school programs. For that
weekend only, admission to the
Museum is $5. The admission fee
includes entry to both events.
During the show, Museum
staff will give guided tours of the
mineral and fossil exhibits and
identify visitors’ own minerals and
fossils. Lectures are planned for
At left: Fluorite from Penfield,
10 cm x 12 cm x 22 cm. Photo by
George and Barbara Gearhardt.
Below: Fluorite from Star Lake,
4 cm x 7 cm x 9 cm. Photo by
Erik Rutnik, NYSM.
Spring 2006 ■ 3

museum
news
both Saturday and Sunday afternoons.
Dr. Marian Lupulescu, the
Museum’s curator of geology,
will discuss “What’s New in
New York State Mineralogy” on
Saturday at 1 p.m. Dr. Ed Landing,
the state paleontologist, will speak
on “Earth’s Oldest Trees and a
360 Million-Year-Old Logjam in
the Catskills” on Sunday at 1 p.m.
The event highlights the
Museum’s active mineral program,
and recent acquisitions will be
exhibited in the mineral gallery
and at the show. “Since we’re
constantly expanding and
upgrading the gallery, there’s
something new to see each year,”
says Michael Hawkins, geology
collections manager.
The State Museum, the Capital
District Mineral Club, and the
New York State Academy of
Mineralogy sponsor the event.
On the
Bookshelf
One of the largest volumes
ever published by the
State Museum rolled off
the press this winter. Bulletin #505,
James Eights, 1798–1882, Antarctic
Explorer, Albany Naturalist, His Life,
His Times, His Work, presents
a synopsis of the life and times
of a little-known but respected
19th century scientist from Albany.
Contributing to various fields
of natural history, James Eights
explored extensively in New York
and participated in forays ranging
from Antarctica to Chile, Panama,
Mexico, and possibly the American
Southwest. He donated many
of the biological and geological
specimens he collected to the
New York State Museum.
By gathering information from
many sources, author Daniel
McKinley brings to life Eights’
professional career. The 456-page
volume emphasizes the theory
that Eights’ contributions to science
have been underestimated and
misunderstood. It is an enlightening
book sure to capture the
interest of both the professional
scientist and the general public.
Other recent publications
include:
■ Map and Chart 45, Stratigraphy
of the Devonian and Upper
Silurian in the Vicinity of the
Retsof, Sterling, and Hampton
Corners Mines in Livingston
County, New York.
■ A color, page-sized map of the
surficial deposits in New York.
This map complements the
8 1 /2" x 11"x 2" generalized
bedrock map, and is available
free-of-charge.
■ Bulletin #502, Natural History
of the Albany Pine Bush, by
Jeffrey K. Barnes, with an
accompanying trail map.
For more information about
Museum publications, visit
www.nysm.nysed.gov/publications
or call 518-502-5344.
F.D.N.Y.
Ambulance
on Exhibit
A1997 Ford-Horton ambulance
at the World Trade
Center on September 11,
2001, has been acquired by the
State Museum as a gift of the
Fire Department of New York.
Representing the increasing role
fire departments play in emergency
medical services, the vehicle is
displayed in the Museum’s fire
apparatus exhibit.
Featured in the recent Help Is
Here exhibit, the F.D.N.Y. rig until
October 2004 was part of the
largest fleet of ambulances operated
by any municipality in the
United States. Although showing
the scars of 125,000 miles of use—
mostly in Queens as Ambulance
485 of EMS Battalion 49—the
ambulance remains operational
and was driven to Albany from
New York for the Help Is Here
opening in November 2004.
On September 11, 2001,
paramedics Carlos Lillo and
Roberto D. Abril, the crew for
Ambulance 485, responded to
4 ■ Legacy

Above, top: Fire Department of New York
Ambulance 485, a 1997 Ford-Horton
Above: Delhi Volunteer Fire Department
ambulance, a 1987 Ford-Medical Coaches
the World Trade Center catastrophe.
Driver Abril, ferrying victims
of the initial airplane crashes and
fires, survived the collapse of the
towers. Lillo, who was treating
patients on the scene, did not.
He was one of six EMS providers
who died in service at the Trade
Center that day.
The F.D.N.Y. ambulance is one
of two vehicles borrowed for the
Help Is Here exhibit that are now
part of the Museum’s permanent
collection. In 2005, the Museum
also acquired a 1987 Ford-Medical
Coaches Type III modular ambulance
used by the Delhi village
fire department until 2004. The
product of the then only major
manufacturer of ambulances in
New York, the rig combines a Ford
chassis with a Medical Coaches
NYSM
body. Medical Coaches, based in
Oneonta, continues to build
other types of mobile medical
equipment and generously
underwrote half the acquisition
cost of the ambulance.
– Geoffrey N. Stein, Senior
Historian
A Look Back
Theodore Roosevelt Speaks
at Opening of State Museum
Because of his avid interest
in natural history, Theodore
Roosevelt was asked to
speak at the event celebrating
the opening of the New York
State Museum. In his comments
on December 29, 1916, Roosevelt
indicated that the State Museum
should be a museum of arts and
letters as well as a museum of
natural history.
“Here should be in this
museum, for the instruction and
inspiration of our people, a
full representation of American
History since the time when New
York cast off its provincial
character and became an integral
portion of the American republic.
Finally there should be here all
the representation possible of the
great arts and great literatures of
the nations of the past, and the
nations of the present; so that,
enriched by the knowledge of
what has been done elsewhere,
in time and in space, our own
people shall be better equipped
to work in the fields of original
productive scholarship. All this
lies in the future,” Roosevelt said
in his remarks.
– Leah Elizabeth Ennis, Intern
Must Sees
Ann Zane Shanks:
Behind the Lens
Through February 26
Bank of America
Great Art Series
The World in Brooklyn:
Selections from the
Brooklyn Museum
Through March 6
Miracles: New York’s
Greatest Sports Moments
Through March 26
Driven to Abstraction:
Contemporary Work by
American Artists
Through March 26
Right, top: Tadasky (Kuwayama),
Untitled B #125, 1964. Oil on canvas,
32 1 /2 x 32 1 /2 inches, Collection
Albright-Knox Art Gallery, Buffalo,
New York
Right, middle: Grouse, Karen
Allaben-Confer (N.Y.), graphite and
color pencil on paper
Right, bottom: Stingray, Juan Cristobal
Calle (Colombia), computer/pen and ink
See The Museum Calendar
for details.
Upcoming
Exhibitions
Bank of America
Great Art Series
Op Art Revisited:
Selections from the
Albright-Knox Art Gallery
April 8–August 13
COM.EN.ART
April 20–August 30
Focus on Nature IX
April 20–September 10
Spring 2006 ■ 5

museum
news
GLENN JOHNSON
Northeast
Natural
History
Conference
Emydoidea blandingii,
Blanding’s turtle
The Museum Series Lectures
on Biology and Conservation
Atalk on a rare species of
turtle kicks off a series
of free noontime lectures
on Wednesdays this April.
Sponsored by the New York State
Biodiversity Research Institute,
the lecture series highlights
research and conservation efforts
to preserve the biodiversity of
New York State. All lectures take
place in the Museum Theater.
The series includes:
■ A talk on April 5 by Dr. Glenn
Johnson, associate professor of
biology at SUNY Potsdam, on
the status and ecology of a
newly discovered population of
Blanding’s turtle, a New York
State Threatened Species.
■ A lecture on April 12 by
Stephanie Gifford, director of
ecological management for the
Eastern Chapter of The Nature
Conservancy, on the role of fire
in the ecology of the Albany Pine
Bush, Long Island Pine Barrens,
and northern Shawangunks.
■ A presentation on April 19
by Dr. Roland Kays of the
State Museum and Dr. George
Robinson of the University at
Albany on the ecological background
of Lyme Disease in the
Albany Pine Bush.
■ A discussion on April 26 by
Dr. Antonio (Toni) DiTommaso,
associate professor of weed
science at Cornell University, of
how the perennial, non-native
pale and black swallow-wort
(Vincetoxicum spp.) threaten
the diversity and stability of
several natural ecosystems in
the state.
More than 300 people are
expected to attend the
Northeast Natural History
Conference at the Empire State
Plaza Convention Center on April
20–21. During the conference,
researchers will present current
information on various aspects of
the natural history of northeastern
United States and Canada. The
conference, organized by the New
York State Biodiversity Research
Institute and the State Museum,
is geared to scientists, students,
and those who work for organizations
involved with natural
history research and conservation.
For more information, visit
www.nysm.nysed.gov/nhc/.
Lectures on
Earth’s History
Aseries of mini-lectures on
the 4.6 billion-year-old
history of the Earth and
life begins May 4. The free series
continues on Thursdays at 7 p.m.
through May 25. Each night
features three 20-minute lectures.
The first three weeks address Earth
and life through deep time, including
the origins of the Earth and
moon, climate change through
time, and mass extinctions. Lectures
on May 25 explore New York’s deep
geological and life history. See
The Museum Calendar for details.
NYSM
6 ■ Legacy

discovery now
At Home on the Delaware & Hudson Canal
Excavations at a site in
Deerpark, N.Y., have so far
produced 3,711 artifacts, part
of a house foundation, a stonelined
well, and partial foundations
of at least one outbuilding. These
artifacts and features correspond
to a dwelling marked on an
1859 map as belonging to “D&G
Rhoades” and have begun to tell
about life on the property.
Historical research indicates that
Darius and George Rhodes had
purchased the property in 1852
(the name was misspelled on the
map). From the 1860 federal
census, it was found that Darius
was a carpenter and that his older
brother George was a foreman
on the Delaware & Hudson
Canal. The brothers (with their
wives and children) shared the
home until 1866 when Darius
and his family moved to nearby
Port Jervis. By 1870, George had
been promoted to a supervisor of
the canal. No further record of
George and his family could be
located. Darius appears in the
historical records once more in
the 1900 federal census, still
living in Port Jervis with his wife
Harriet. George sold the house
in 1876 and it no longer appears
on maps by 1905, suggesting
that it been abandoned before
then and returned to use as an
agricultural field.
The artifacts suggest aspects
of the daily lives of the family as
well as show increased affluence
as the brothers’ financial status
improved. Most of the items
are typically found in a mid-19th
century household. These can be
used to address research questions
of general life in 19th century
households and the effects of the
Delaware & Hudson Canal on the
local economy and community.
– Scott Cardinal, Principal
Investigator, Cultural Resource
Survey Program
Know Thine Own Flora
CRSP
CRSP
Smoking pipe bowl fragment
recovered from the Rhoades site
Eastern wall of the house
foundation
Platanthera huronensis
Many people are surprised
to learn that orchids
grow wild in New York,
and even botanists are sometimes
surprised at the secrets still to be
learned about these plants.
Orchids of the genus Platanthera
are found throughout the Great
Lakes region and eastward. One
familiar orchid, P. hyperborea,
occurs throughout Upstate New
York. Fieldwork by Museum
botanists, however, disclosed a
second, equally frequent plant that
was going under the same name.
Similar in appearance, the two
plants are but parts of a bewildering
complex that has puzzled
systematists for 150 years. Part of
the problem has been the vast
transcontinental range of the group:
The Northeast is at its southeastern
limit, and the group is especially
diverse in the western mountains
and North. To fully understand
these plants, field study was
needed throughout their range.
Field and laboratory study
showed the two plants to be
distinct species, the second being
Platanthera huronensis, a name
proposed in 1818 but never really
understood until now. A paper
delineating the second species
was near publication when an
inconsistency in a single detail led
to an unexpected discovery: the
plant known as P. hyperborea
was actually new to science.
This story illustrates an important
point. Although much conservation
and media attention focuses
on tropical biodiversity, we have
much to discover about what’s
growing in New York!
– Dr. Charles Sheviak, Curator of
Vascular Plants
Spring 2006 ■ 7

hidden treasures
This picture shows the mineral composition
of a gabbro (a rock formed
deep in the Earth). The plagioclase is
twinned—a combination of mineral
grains of the same composition with
different optical orientation (lighter
lamellae alternating with darker ones).
The colored minerals are pyroxene
grains. Daters Mine, Hudson Highlands,
Orange Co.
BY DR. MARIAN LUPULESCU
Minerals
New minerals replace the early formed ones with the help of the fluids (e.g., “fingers”
of pyroxene in rainbow-colored scapolite). The green mineral from the right lower corner
is also pyroxene. Hogencamp Mine, Hudson Highlands, Orange Co.
The minerals react with different components from the atmosphere
a long time on a mine dump, the barren material excavated with th
(yellow relics) is almost completely replaced by marcasite, an iron b
This type of “wormy” appearance
called myrmekite appears between
quartz (light gray “worms”) and
plagioclase (dark), and probably
formed as a result of an exchange
reaction in solid state. Spanish Mine,
Hudson Highlands, Orange Co.
It is sometimes difficult to
identify minerals from
in-hand specimens, especially
when they are in rocks and
ores or when they are very
fine-grained. To look deeper
into the minerals and see their
hidden secrets, mineralogists
use the polarizing microscope
or the electron microscope to
study minerals that are within
thin (30 microns thickness) and
polished sections.
When ordinary light, consisting
of waves vibrating in all
directions, is passed through
a polarizing microscope, it
becomes plane-polarized light
(and all the time vibrates in
a single plane). The planepolarized
light is transmitted
into the minerals or is reflected
from their surface and generates
a variety of optical properties
called relief, birefringence,
extinction, dispersion, optical
angle, or interference colors.
These properties are used to
identify and distinguish between
different mineral species and
varieties.
Mineral grains that are
extremely small are studied
8 ■ Legacy

Left: Large, red-brown crystals of a titanium-bearing amphibole (kaersutite) float in a
groundmass of smaller amphiboles and plagioclase. The crystal displays zones of
different colors reflecting the changes in the composition of the melt that generated
the amphibole. O’Neil Mine, Hudson Highlands, Orange Co.
Right: The metallic minerals in polished sections reflect the light. The color and tint of
the mineral is created from wavelengths of light, some that are more strongly reflected
than the others. The pyrrhotite (darker yellow) hosts chalcopyrite (yellow) and pyrite
(white-yellow). Hogencamp Mine, Hudson Highlands, Orange Co.
Under the Microscope
and their composition and structure slightly changes if they stay
e ore and left outside the mine. Pyrrhotite, a low iron sulfide
i-sulfide (yellow with a green tint).
Large olivine crystal in a camptonite rock. The groundmass contains amphibole (reddish-brown), pyroxene (vivid colors) and plagioclase
(white). Camptonite is a rock formed deep in the Earth. O’Neil Mine, Hudson Highlands, Orange Co.
IMAGES: MARIAN LUPULESCU, NYSM
using electron microscopy. In
this approach, a broad beam of
incident radiation (electrons)
strikes the specimen in the
thin and polished sample. An
instrument called a spectrometer
captures the secondary
radiation emitted by the
mineral, analyzes it and gives
information on the composition
of a few cubic micrometers
of material. The worldwide
development of spectrometry
combined with electron
microscopy allowed for the
discovery of new species in the
chemically complex group of
rare minerals.
The New York State Museum
has a large collection of thin
and polished sections from rocks,
ores and minerals that were
found across the state. These
are used for fundamental
research projects by Museum
staff and outside researchers.
Shown on these pages are
microphotographs of some
mineral specimens from the
State Museum’s collection
that were taken by looking
through the polarizing
microscope. ■
Dr. Marian Lupulescu is the
curator of geology at the
New York State Museum.
Spring 2006 ■ 9

BY JOHN L. SCHERER
All in the Family
What inspires a family to collect and
preserve things through the generations?
made falls into this category.
Or perhaps items were saved
because they belonged to a
distinguished ancestor who served
in government or the military.
The State Museum has a family
collection that was donated by the
daughter of Rear Admiral William
Potter who commanded the
“Great White Fleet” that traveled
the world in 1907 and 1908 to
display U.S. might and power.
The donor spent most of her
later life attaching labels to family
items to indicate where they were
acquired and who owned them.
Above: Tobias Ten Eyck
family bible, 1730;
Tompkins barn, Stephen Jr.
at right with sons, William
and Vanderzee, c. 1892
John L. Scherer is in his
39th year as curator
of decorative arts at the
New York State Museum.
The reasons that families save
their belongings are as varied
as the families themselves.
Relatives commemorate major
events in the lives of family
members by preserving objects
associated with that event. My
great-great grandfather, Francis
Betts, was proud that he fought
in the Civil War, and the family
has preserved his discharge papers,
pistol, and a photo of him in his
uniform. My wife’s mother’s family
came from Denmark in the early
20th century. The trip across
the ocean in steerage to a new
country was certainly a major event
to be remembered and related
over and over to children and
grandchildren. Her family has
saved the printed flyer from the
ship as well as a dinner menu.
Often families will preserve
handmade artifacts that can be
displayed. An object actually
created by a family member has
additional intrinsic value. A quilt or
tablecloth that great-grandmother
Connecting Generations
Together
The most important motive for
families to preserve their history
is linkage—to remind us we are
forever and unbreakably joined.
We belong to each other. We are
one. It is for this reason that we
revere owning something that was
made or used by our ancestors.
Status is another important
motive expressed in family collections.
Families tend to save those
items that represent status and
emphasize the importance of the
family. For example, many wealthy
New England families have
preserved beautiful silver and
hand-crafted furniture from the
18th and early 19th centuries.
10 ■ Legacy

Secretary that belonged to Andries Ten
Eyck, Albany County, c. 1780
IMAGES: TED BEBLOWSKI, NYSM
Objects associated with
recording a family’s history are
treasured. Family bibles, framed
marriage certificates, portraits,
and photographs are all saved to
document a family’s history.
In addition, families tend to save
objects associated with remembrance
and commemoration.
Jewelry owned by one’s grandparents
commemorates their life.
In the 19th century there was
also mourning jewelry that was
distributed to family. It often
contained the hair of the deceased.
Sometimes framed wreathes were
made from the deceased’s hair.
Coffin plates were also saved, as
were hand-painted and needlework
memorials to family members
who had died.
Of course, there are also family
heirlooms that pass down through
several generations of a family. It
could be the family clock or some
prized piece of furniture or silver.
My great-great grandfather, George
Scherer, arrived in the United
States from Germany in 1854,
and for his 64th birthday in 1894
his family gave him an engraved
gold-headed walking stick. The
walking stick had descended to
the eldest son for several generations.
I was so pleased when my
grandmother presented it to me
as the eldest grandson.
Revisiting the Family Tree
In this country, interest in family
history was promoted in the
early 19th century by renewed
interest in the Pilgrims who arrived
on the Mayflower in 1620. Exhibits
in Plymouth, Massachusetts,
displayed chairs, cradles, and relics
that were once owned by the
Pilgrims, but were now owned by
their descendants. The rock that
the Pilgrims first set foot on was
memorialized, and it became not
only desirable, but also fashionable
to claim Mayflower descent. A
romanticized view of our nation’s
first settlers inspired others to search
out their family history and discover
family heirlooms of their own.
The Centennial Exposition in
Philadelphia in 1876 created
additional incentive to explore
family history. Descendants of
those who fought in the American
Revolution loaned family pieces
for exhibit, and their ancestors
were commended. Patriotism
fostered family pride, and the
Centennial encouraged an interest
in our country’s history and in
American antiques. Older families
retained the belongings of
great-grandparents to represent
continuity with the past.
Finally, an important boost to
preserving family history came
100 years later during the Bicentennial
in 1976. This time it was
a television adaptation of a novel
by Alex Haley called “Roots.” The
five episodes detailed the family
history of an African-American
family whose immigrant ancestor
arrived as a slave. All of America
now searched for their roots, and
genealogy became and still is a big
time business. Interest in family
encouraged the saving of family
memorabilia and heirlooms.
Eight Generations
of Treasures
The New York State Museum
has recently acquired an
important family collection from
the Tompkins family of Coeyman’s
Hollow, Albany County. The
exhibition Preserving Family
History: The Heritage of an
Albany County Family, now on
view in the Crossroads Gallery
through 2006, features this
collection. The exhibit explores the
material culture and heritage of
the Tompkins family and provides
insight as to why families care
about their history and what they
tend to collect and preserve.
The Tompkins family gathered
a large collection through eight
generations, spanning over
250 years. Beginning with the
possessions of Andries Ten Eyck,
who settled in southern Albany
County in 1749, the collection
grew as it descended through
the Ten Eycks and Vanderzees to
the Tompkins family. It includes
furniture, monogrammed silver,
quilts, coverlets, jewelry, farm
equipment, framed marriage
certificates, family bibles, account
books, ledgers, and hundreds
of family photographs, all docu-
Jane Vanderzee
Tompkins and her
son Stephen Jr.,
c. 1861
Silver spoon,
c. 1790, and
fork, c. 1860,
monogrammed
for Jane and
Maria Ten Eyck
Tompkins family quilt, c. 1865, and
coverlet, c. 1830
Spring 2006 ■ 11

Left: Decorative marriage certificate for Stephen Tompkins and Elizabeth Cole, 1879
Middle: Homespun linen sheets initialed for Jane Vanderzee, c. 1860, and Maria Ten Eyck, c. 1820
Bottom: Hudson Valley chair stamped ATE for Andries Ten Eyck, c. 1750
menting the life of this family.
Most family collections are
formed by several generations
living in the same homestead. It
is easy to gather a collection in
this manner as the family possessions
are inherited along with the
house. As the Tompkins family
married into other nearby families,
the collection grew. It remained in
the family homestead in Coeymans
Hollow for several generations
until John Tompkins (1919–1977)
inherited the farm in 1966.
John was fascinated with
his family history and treasured
and cared for the large family
collection. While his brother
Stephen (1914–1998) went off
to college and became a vice
president for Chrysler Motor
Corporation in Detroit, John
ran the family farm. He
pursued the family genealogy
and acquired other family
heirlooms from aunts and
distant cousins. When he died
in 1977, the farm was sold to
the Sycamore Country Club.
The farm house was demolished,
but the huge barn is now the
club house.
Brother Stephen became the
next family curator and the
collection went to the suburbs of
Detroit, Michigan, and eventually
to Paradise Valley, Arizona. The
first donation to the Museum
from Stephen and Georgann
Byrd-Tompkins arrived in 1990,
with the bulk of the collection
donated by Georgann shortly
after Stephen’s death in 1998.
Stephen’s daughter Polly Tompkins
of Rochester Hills, Michigan, added
other items in 2002 and 2004.
Like those who are proud of
their Mayflower ancestry, the
Tompkins family was very proud
of their early New York Dutch
ancestry. They preserved this in
the naming of their children. Ten
Eyck was used as a middle name
for several generations, and John
and Stephen’s father was named
Vanderzee Tompkins. The centerpiece
of the family collection is
the original early New York Dutch
furniture used to furnish the 1749
home of ancestor Andries Ten
Eyck (1718–1802). This furniture
passed through eight generations
before arriving at the Museum.
Safeguarding Family
Collections
As the Tompkins family experience
shows, there needs to
be an interested family member
in each generation—or at least
every other generation—to continue
the preservation of the
family possessions. It is a major
responsibility, and although some
relish the privilege of living with
history, others may find it a burden.
If family heirlooms have a
high monetary value, they are
sometimes sold at auction to the
highest bidder and both provenance
and history are lost.
Other objects once held dear
may not survive the challenges of
time. Treasured by earlier generations,
family photographs may be
disposed of by their descendants
who see only unidentifiable
strangers. This is especially true if
no family member took the time
to identify the people in the
photographs. It is common to see
family photographs sold in some
antique shops to become someone
else’s instant ancestors.
Oftentimes, however, museums
come to the rescue and continue
to preserve the history along with
the artifacts. Family collections are
important to museums because
they have context. If the history
of a family is known, it is easier
to understand how their material
goods were used and what they
meant to the family. It is just
such collections that can be used
to gauge isolated artifacts that
appear on the market with little
or no history associated with them.
The New York State Museum
has numerous family collections
covering different areas of New
York State and spanning several
time periods. These collections,
once treasured by family members,
were eventually donated to the
Museum because the family suddenly
ran out of heirs or because
recent generations did not have
the interest or space to continue
caring for these antiques.
When families preserve their
past and traditions along with
their treasured possessions, it
allows earlier generations to speak
to the present. This intimacy
with the past provides a personal
insight into the lives of early New
Yorkers, enabling museums to
interpret the families whose lives
define our history. ■
IMAGES: TED BEBLOWSKI, NYSM
12 ■ Legacy

NYSM … in person
Educator Cecile Kowalski
draws connections
between Museum exhibits
and life experiences
Q. What do you enjoy about
being an educator at the State
Museum?
A. With each new group I teach,
I have the opportunity to help
people see things in a new way
and make connections that
they hadn’t thought of before.
Visitors come to us with different
backgrounds and experiences,
and I have the opportunity to
help them take their experience
one step further.
Q. Describe your typical day
at the Museum during the
school year.
A. The most “typical” day
would involve teaching three 4th
grade classes for “People of the
Longhouse” programs. But on
any given day, I could also teach
three age groups—pre-K through
adult—and as many different
programs. At the same time,
there could be many other groups
that are having programs with
other educators or viewing the
exhibits on their own.
In addition to “People of the
Longhouse,” the current regularly
scheduled school programs
include: “A ... B ... What Do You
See?,” “Birds and Mammals,”
“Cradleboards and Cornhusk
Dolls,” “Ellis Island Experience,”
“Fur and Feathers,” “Geology—
Gastropods to Garnets,” “Street
Scenes: NYC in 1895,” “Seashore
and Salt Marsh,” “Adirondack
Peaks,” “Metro Intro,” and “Native
People of New York.”
During the fall and winter,
we teach a lot of “People of the
Longhouse” programs. Some days
all the students will be about
the same grade level (usually 4th
grade). Recently, I had a pre-school
group followed by a combined
2nd/3rd grade group with adult
chaperones who were also
asking questions and interacting
along with the kids. This was
followed by an 8th grade group.
The same materials were covered,
but at very different levels of
sophistication.
Q. How do you make
history and science come alive
for visitors?
A. I like to teach programs that
I can connect or relate to. I like
to use the exhibit that has the
figure based on my likeness in it
[Hester Street in the New York
Metropolis section]. I use this
exhibit to talk about how the
Museum creates figures that are
as “real” looking as possible.
This usually generates questions
about where the clothing and
other objects in the exhibit come
from and whether they are “real.”
It’s a hook to get the students
thinking more in-depth about
the exhibit.
I also like to use the subway
LEAH ELIZABETH ENNIS
token my sister gave me or the
cradleboard that has my son’s
teddy bear in it. Anything that
makes it personal to me helps me
make it personal to the visitor.
Q. What exhibit or program
do you find particularly
intriguing?
A. That would change from week
to week because it will always
be the exhibit or program that
has most recently touched me
personally.
Q. Why is education an
important part of the State
Museum?
A. As a kid my parents took
me to museums all the time, so
I am very comfortable going to
museums. Not everyone has that
same comfort level. It’s up to us
to help visitors take their knowledge
and experience and use
it in new and different ways so
they can relate to the exhibit.
It’s not all about “What is it?”
or what facts they know about
something. A museum is not a
book—it’s an experience. ■
Cecile Kowalski, an educator
at the Museum since 1974,
helps make visiting the Museum
a personal experience.
Spring 2006 ■ 13

NewYorkers
in
BY DIANNE SIEGFRIED
THE NEW YORK IN BLOOM FUND-RAISER BRINGS
OUT THE CREATIVE AND ENTREPRENEURIAL SPIRIT
OF ANTHONY MACARELLI AND MICHELE PETERS
Anthony Macarelli and Michele
Peters, co-chairs of the exhibits
committee, participate in a
planning session.
Dianne Siegfried is a
member of the New York
in Bloom committee.
More than 15 years ago
Anthony Macarelli, a
successful hair stylist with
his own business, attended a juried
flower and garden show. One of
his customers had entered a floral
arrangement and won first place.
Macarelli says he looked at the
arrangement and thought, “I could
do that.”
And he did. He became known
in garden club and professional
floral designing circles as an amateur
with a lot of talent. Through
his new friends and associates he
learned of the New York State
Museum’s New York in Bloom
fund-raiser, which supports the
Museum’s after-school programs
for local children and teens. One
weekend every February, visitors
are greeted by the extraordinary
eye-catching colors and wafting
exotic fragrances of spectacular
floral arrangements that interpret
the Museum’s permanent and
temporary exhibits. New York in
Bloom, now marking its 15th year,
showcases floral arrangements by
garden club members and amateur
and professional designers from
throughout New York State.
On February 24–26, more than
100 exhibitors’ arrangements will
be on display in the first floor
galleries of the Museum.
Macarelli’s involvement in New
York in Bloom reaches back to
1992, when he was an exhibitor
at the second New York in Bloom
event. In 1997, he joined the
event’s planning committee and
two years later, became co-chair
of the exhibits committee. Macarelli
says he increased his involvement
in New York in Bloom because
he loves participating in the show
and the end result of benefiting
the programs is worth the effort.
“I enjoy the camaraderie of
working with such a diverse group
of people—Museum staff, professional
floral designers, garden
club members, the Museum
Club and Discovery Squad kids—
volunteers from all walks of life all
working together to put on this
extravagant show with a purpose,”
says Macarelli.
He brought Michele Peters, a
professional florist and associate
of his through a local flower and
garden show, to New York in
Bloom in 2001. With her usual
enthusiasm and boundless energy,
Peters jumped in feet first. She
became exhibitor, committee
member and Macarelli’s co-chair.
Peters, with her formal training
through SUNY Cobleskill’s
Environmental Horticulture program
and work at area florists, and
Macarelli, with his self-taught
amateur status, have formed a
dedicated, hardworking team. By
all accounts, they have taken a
successful program and made it
into a great program. Through
their leadership, New York in Bloom
has grown from 35 exhibitors in
a portion of the Museum to more
than 109 exhibitors displaying
their work throughout the first
floor galleries. Attendance at the
14 ■ Legacy

Floral arrangements by Michele Peters
IMAGES: DIANNE SIEGFRIED
event has grown, too, with more
than 28,000 people streaming
through the galleries last year.
Peters and Macarelli believe in,
and are committed to, the cause
of fund-raising for the Museum
Club and Discovery Squad afterschool
programs. They both say
they have loved being on board
to watch the after-school programs
grow as New York in Bloom has
grown. “It is rewarding to know
that we have contributed to a
fund-raising effort that enriches
children’s lives and helps maintain
a safe, fun learning environment
where they can set academic and
social goals … and meet them,”
says Peters.
They are also driven by the
challenges of interpreting the
Museum’s exhibits and providing
that opportunity for creative
expression to other floral designers.
Each year, they aim to top the
number of exhibitors.
“I can’t imagine any more
dedicated volunteers,” says Cliff
Siegfried, director of the State
Museum. “They unselfishly give of
their time and work well with the
Museum staff and the New York
in Bloom committee to put on
this event. They lead with an
example of excellence and set
the standard for everyone else.”
As they wrap up New York in
Bloom 2006, they will start the
yearlong preparation for the
2007 event. Meanwhile, these
self-starters have teamed on
another endeavor. Along with
Michael Harbison, a professional
florist and fellow exhibitor at
New York in Bloom, they opened
Ambiance, Florals and Events in
December 2005.
Macarelli says that his experiences
at the Museum and the
professional and personal contacts
he has made through New York
in Bloom all influenced his
decision to switch careers and
become a professional floral
designer. For Peters, opening her
own business is the realization of
a lifelong dream that began when,
as a young child, she would sit
at a table with her grandmother
to arrange flowers. “I always
wanted to have my own business,”
says Peters. “I wish my Nana
could see me now. She’d be very
proud of me!”
“Those of us who have worked
“It is rewarding to know that we have contributed to a fund-raising effort that
enriches children’s lives and helps maintain a safe, fun learning environment …”
—Michele Peters
with Anthony and Michele through
the years know what a winning
team they are,” says Siegfried.
“We wish them success and are
grateful that even though their
lives and careers are changing
dramatically, they are committed
to keeping in touch with, and
being involved in, the community
through New York in Bloom.” ■
Editor’s note: The New
York State Museum offers
many interesting and
educational opportunities
for volunteers, interns, and
those interested in community
service placements.
For more information on
how to become involved,
call 518-402-5869.
Spring 2006 ■ 15

new york stories
“Lied an Die Freude” by Miriam Sommerburg, 14 x 18 inches
TED BEBLOWSKI, NYSM
After the Horror of War, a “Song to Joy”
BY RONALD J. BURCH
Ronald J. Burch is curator
of art and architecture
at the New York State
Museum.
In June 1944, President Franklin Delano Roosevelt
signed an Executive Order creating the War Refugee
Board, which sent representatives to Europe to
select 1,000 refugees to come to America for the
duration of World War II. After crossing the wartime
Atlantic on a U.S. Army transport, the 982 refugees
traveled by rail to the Fort Ontario Emergency Refugee
Shelter in Oswego, N.Y., where they stayed, behind
barbed wire, from August 1944 until January 1946.
They were the only group of European refugees
officially sheltered by the United States during the war.
Artist Miriam Sommerburg (1910–1980) was
among them. When the Fort Ontario shelter closed,
allowing her and her fellow refugees to enter the
United States officially and seek citizenship, she settled
in New York City’s Greenwich Village. During her
career there, she held nine one-woman shows and
won a number of prizes. Her work is in the collections
of several museums, including the Metropolitan
Museum of Art and the New York State Museum.
Sommerburg’s polychrome woodcut, “Lied an
Die Freude” (“Song to Joy”), was recently donated
to the State Museum by Robert J. Maurer, former
executive deputy commissioner of the New York
State Education Department. It becomes the
second Sommerburg in the Museum’s collection.
A small woodcut by Sommerburg of the Fort
Ontario shelter, dated 1944, is already on display
in the Museum’s Bitter Hope: From Holocaust to
Haven exhibition.
In “Lied an Die Freude,” brightly colored abstract
figures dance across the image, conveying a sense
of joy and physical release. This post-war piece stands
in interesting contrast to the quiet landscape from
1944 currently on exhibit, a piece that documents a
less than joyful time and place. ■
16 ■ Legacy

New York State Museum
Summer Day Camp
An exciting, fun-filled way for your child to fill her or his summer days!
Open to children entering first through seventh grades, Time Tunnel is a
beloved and respected museum-based day camp. Three two-week sessions
encourage children to catch the joy of exploration and discovery
through educational programs using the Museum’s exhibits, arts and crafts,
cooperative games, computers, swimming and much, much more!
Time Tunnel fills quickly so take advantage of this awesome summer camp
opportunity soon. See you this summer!
JULY 3 – JULY 14
Private Eye: Calling All Museum Detectives
JULY 17 – JULY 28
Symbols, Signs and the Museum’s “Chamber of Secrets”
JULY 31 – AUGUST 11
Time Tunnel’s Greatest Hits!
For more information,
call the Time Tunnel Registrar at 518-402-5019, e-mail
jgreenou@mail.nysed.gov or visit www.nysm.nysed.gov/.
This program is made possible, in part, by the Citizens Bank Foundation.

close-ups
IMAGES: TRUEMASTER TRIMINGHAM, NYSM
Clockwise starting top right: Empire State Building, Skyscraper City; classroom discussion on citizenship at
P.S. 52 in Brooklyn, City of Neighborhoods; water bug, Ancient Life of New York; and Oscar, Sesame Street.
Tell us what you think about Legacy. Send your comments to nysmfeedback@mail.nysed.gov.
For a schedule of exhibitions, programs and events, see The Museum Calendar or visit
www.nysm.nysed.gov/calendar
The New York State Museum is a program of The University of the State of New York/The State Education Department