Author: hiddenheritage
A Glimpse Into The Past Of An Underrated Borough
Authored by Annelisa J. Purdie
This map, from the NYPL Firyal & Pincus Map Division, is the fourth in a series of forty plates. The atlas was first published in 1886.
As a third-generation Brooklynite, I knew that I wanted to find something that represented my borough as a part of my AS-L project. Brooklyn occupies a unique place in the cultural memory of New York City. It is a rich cultural hub with a long history, and a “flavor” that is instantly recognizable to those who visit the borough. Even with current concerns over gentrification, Brooklyn has still managed to hold on to the things that make it an attractive spot for residents and visitors alike. Continue reading
The Historical Delaplaine
Authored by Olivia Shea
Courtesy of the Historical Society of Frederick County, the Mountain City Mill prior to construction of the Delaplaine (circa 1906? – 1958?)
The history of the building that the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center resides in is as remarkable as the Center itself. What began in 1850 as a whiskey refinery, and later a steam flour mill, now exhibits the art of national and international artists.1 The path from “Mountain City Mill” to “the Delaplaine” was a long and strenuous one. Since its initial use in 1850, the Mountain City Mill has succumbed to two devastating fires, changed owners several times, and faced various funding controversies.2
Yet, despite these obstacles, the Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center was officially opened to the public in 1993.3 To this day, the Delaplaine strives to offer “art for the masses”.4 The mission of the Delaplaine is to “provide the greater Frederick community with opportunities to participate in the creation and appreciation of visual arts and crafts”.5 Art is capable of providing an inclusive forum through which the communication of thoughts, feelings, and ideas can be shared. The Delaplaine does not censor the artwork it displays, therefore giving a voice to all members of the community in an open forum. In this respect, the Delaplaine is an exemplification of the Vincentian core values of respect and truth. By leaving art uncensored and promoting art without bias, the Delaplaine both refuses the ethically controversial practice of censorship and promotes an awareness for all individuals, and artists, in the community. Hence, the official vision statement of the Delaplaine is simply “Everyone deserves art”.6
The strongest account of Vincentian principles at the Delaplaine is apparent in the image above. The image of the Mountain City Mill prior to renovation is indicative of the change that can be accomplished through human excellence and a dedication to serving the community. As Holly writes, “[workers] in the [Mountain City Mill] never could have imagined that 100 years hence paintings would hang on gleaming white walls and sculptures would sit on bleached-wood floors”.7 What remains of the old mill today is a framed flour bag hanging on the wall adjacent to the main exhibition room, which last year alone had 81,870 visitors.8
1Brooke Elizabeth Gleason, A Del ightful History (Frederick, MD: The Delaplaine Visual Arts Education Center).
2Karen Gardner, “Delaplaine Receives a Piece of History,” The Frederick News Post, last modified August 30, 2015, http://www.fredericknewspost.com/places/local/frederick_county/frederick/delaplaine-receives-a-piece-of-history/article_3853b5cc-851d-5235-8a08-e20b3dc1dc50.html
3 Gleason, A Del ightful History.
4Susan Holly, “Home is Where the Art is,” Frederick Premiere, 1994, 15.
5Community Bridge (Frederick, MD: Shared Vision), 27.
6“Mission & History,” Delaplaine.org, last modified 2015, http://delaplaine.org/about/mission-history/
7 Holly, “Home is Where the Art is”, 13.
8“Annual Report ’15,” Delaplaine.org, last modified 2015, http://delaplaine.org/wp-content/uploads/2016/02/Annual-Report-FY15.pdf
Bibliography
“Annual report ’15.” Delaplaine.org. Last modified 2015. http://delaplaine.org/wp-content
/uploads/2016/02/Annual-Report-FY15.pdf
Community bridge. Frederick, MD: Shared Vision. 1995.
Gardner, Karen. “Delaplaine Receives a Piece of History.” The Frederick News Post. Last modified
August 30, 2015. http://www.fredericknewspost.com/places/local/frederick_county/
frederick/delaplaine-receives-a-piece-of-history/article_3853b5cc-851d-5235-8a08
-e20b3dc1dc50.html
Gleason, Brooke Elizabeth. A Del ightful History. Frederick, MD: The Delaplaine Visual
Arts Education Center.
Holly, Susan. “Home is Where the Art is.” Frederick Premiere, 1994.
“Mission & history.” Delaplaine.org. Last modified 2015. http://delaplaine.org/
about/mission-history/
A Heart Rekindled
Authored by Michael Larson
Refurbished Blue Garden Facade, 2016 ©TriffenDesign
Whether it is from the big screen of American Graffiti, Grease or Jack Rabbit Slim’s from Pulp Fiction or the small screen in Happy Days or Scooby Doo, the malt shop is part of the American consciousness. Dallas, a small town of 14,000 in the heart of Oregon wine country, has a treasure in the Blue Garden Restaurant. After being closed for over a decade, Bob Collins, a Dallas resident, purchased the building and is restoring it to its former glory with the intention of reopening the landmark within the year.1 Continue reading
Sunrise Bavarian Village
Authored by Kelly K. Ronayne
Menu, program and lyrics to songs at Sunrise Bavarian Village
Sunrise Bavarian Village
I was tasked with organizing many of the boxes that were left for the Bellmore Historical Association. As I weeded through the material, I came across a unique looking, pamphlet in the shape of a beer stein. As I opened it, I noticed it contained photographs of a restaurant and entertainment hall with the entertainers in traditional German garb. In addition to this, song lyrics are given to both English and German songs. There was a notation of September 4, 1936 hand written and I wondered, what is this place? Continue reading
A Perspective on Italian Immigration in the 1960s
Authored by Pamela Griffin Hansen
Letter from Maxime
Maurice Caretti
A letter dated June 15, 1963, from Maxime Maurice Caretti of Brooklyn to the House of Representatives Committee on Immigration, is archived in the Endres Collection held by the Center for Migration Studies (CMS). Arthur P. Endres was legal counsel to the House of Representatives Judiciary Committee, Subcommittee on Immigration, Refugees and International Law, from 1973 to 1989. (CMS Archivist 2015) The Endres Collection is comprised of thirteen linear feet of documents and records kept by Mr. Endres as part of his immigration-related legal work for the House of Representatives, ibid. Mr. Caretti’s letter is one of just a few pieces of original correspondence from private citizens found in the Endres Collection, ibid. Continue reading
Take Up And Read
Authored by Ian Ustick
St. Augustine Hall on the Queens campus of St. John’s University.
Saint Augustine was one of the foremost intellectual thinkers of his time. He lived in the Roman Province of Northern Africa, which today would be modern-day Algeria. In a pluralistic society, not unlike ours, there were competing thoughts, ideologies, and religious faiths. With Christianity now legalized and having become the official state religion of the Roman Empire, Augustine, who had formerly been a pagan, took it upon himself to become the intellectual defender of the church[1]. Continue reading
The Ethiopian Committee on Immigration, Inc.: Social Justice in Action
Authored by Leslie Wybiral
The Ethiopian Committee on Immigration, Inc. 1983 Fundraising Letter
The Ethiopian Committee on Immigration, Inc. (ECI) was formed in October, 1982. (Mekbib, 1983). ECI’s main objective is to find a suitable solution to immigration problems faced by Ethiopian citizens in the United States. (Mekbib, 1983). Its principal concern is therefore humanitarian. (Mekbib, 1983).
Emanuel Bowen: Royal Mapmaker
Authored by Kimberly A. Meyer
“An accurate map of South America : drawn from the best modern maps and charts, and regulated by astron’l. observatns. / by Eman. Bowen, geog’r. to His Majesty, 1747.”
As I combed through the many thousands of maps on the NYPL Map Warper, I knew that I wanted to work with a map of South America because I was born in Colombia. What immediately caught my eye about this map, above the others, was the caption that the mapmaker made this map for His Majesty in 1747. Just who is this “Eman. Bowen” who presented this map to His Majesty?
The History and Significance of Baptisms in the Catholic Church
Authored by Chante Gaines
Baptism Register book from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church
Introduction
The image, pictured to the left is a Baptism Register book from Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church. Our Lady of Mount Carmel was the first Catholic community in Queens, organized in 1840 by Father Michael Curran (who later became the first pastor of the Church). The following year, in 1841, the trustees obtained property in Astoria to build the church; it was the first Catholic Church in Queens to have a resident priest, and the first to conduct Mass service in its own building, in 1841 (“History of Our Lady,” n.d.). Some regard Our Lady of Mount Carmel Church or “Mother Church of Queens County” as the oldest parish in Queens. Continue reading