A New York Minute In History

About A New York Minute In History

A New York Minute In History is a podcast about the history of New York and the unique tales of New Yorkers. It is hosted by State Historian Devin Lander, Saratoga County Historian Lauren Roberts and Don Wildman. Jesse King and Jim Levulis of WAMC produce the podcast. A New York Minute In History is a production of the New York State Museum, WAMC Northeast Public Radio and Archivist Media. Support for the project comes from The William G. Pomeroy Foundation, the National Endowment for the Humanities and a Humanities New York Action Grant. Find us on social media! Twitter: @NYHistoryMinute

Publisher

WAMC

Category

arts · society & culture

Language

en

Explicit

No

First episode

10 May 2018

Latest episode

28 May 2025

Latest episodes

1 of 64 episodes have a transcript.

1. 

   28 May 2025

   Happy 200th Birthday to the Erie Canal!

   William J. Hochul Jr., Brian U. Stratton, and Derrick Pratt discuss the Erie Canal's bicentennial celebration, highlighting its historical significance and future importance in an interview.

2. 

   30 Apr 2025

   Troy Trailblazer: Garnet Douglass Baltimore

   On this episode of the podcast, Devin and Lauren were able to attend the unveiling of the brand-new Garnet Douglass Baltimore historical marker at the Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute (RPI) in Troy along with Bill Pomeroy himself. Garnet Douglass Baltimore was the first African American graduate of RPI and went on to a long and very successful career as a civil and landscape engineer. Interviewees: Dr. La Tasha A. Brown, Director of Community Relations at RPI Unveiling Ceremony Speakers: Bill Pomeroy, founder of the William G. Pomeroy Foundation and Dr. Martin A. Schmidt, President of RPI Marker of Focus: Garnet Baltimore, Rensselaer County Devin Lander and Lauren Roberts by the Garnet Baltimore marker. Photo courtesy of Lauren Roberts. Garnet Douglass Baltimore. Image courtesy of the Hart Cluett Museum William G. Pomeroy speaking at the Garnet Douglass marker dedication, April 15, 2025. Photo courtesy of Lauren Roberts. William G. Pomeroy speaking at the Garnet Douglass marker dedication, April 15, 2025. Photo courtesy of Lauren Roberts. Further Reading: Kenneth Aaron, “Troy Street Paved with Family Pride,” Albany Times Union, February 11, 2021. RPI Alumni Hall of Fame. “Garnet Douglass Baltimore, 1859-1946,” The Cultural Landscape Foundation. “Garnet Douglass Baltimore,” Black Past. Suzanne Spellen, “Garnet Douglass Baltimore: Troy’s Landscape Master,” New York Almanac. “The History of Oakwood Cemetery,” Oakwood Cemetery. Teacher Resources: Hart Cluett Museum, Educator Resources Follow Along: Devin & Lauren Welcome to a New York Minute in History. I'm Devin lander, the New York State historian, and I'm Lauren Roberts, the historian for Saratoga County. Lauren Roberts: On this month's episode, we're taking you to a brand new historic marker located at one oh 5/8 Street in the city of Troy, which is part of Rensselaer County. The sign is located at the top of an elaborate granite staircase known as the approach, which connects the city of Troy to Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute, better known as RPI. And the text reads, Garnett, Baltimore first black RPI graduate class of 1881 lifelong Troy resident, civil engineer who designed Prospect Park and parts of Oakwood Cemetery, William G Pomeroy foundation. 2025. Now many of our lis...

3. 

   26 Mar 2025

   Women’s History Month: Sojourner Truth and Her Groundbreaking 1828 Court Case

   This episode of A New York Minute in History commemorates Women’s History Month by uncovering the groundbreaking 1828 court case of Sojourner Truth, a self-emancipated Black woman who took on a white slave owner to free her young son from bondage. Interviewees: Barbara Allen, author and Sixth-Great Granddaughter of Sojourner Truth and Taylor Bruck, Ulster County Clerk and the City of Kingston Historian Marker of Focus: Sojourner Truth, Ulster County Office of the Ulster County Clerk Library of Congress Library of Congress Further Reading: Barbara Allen, Remembering Great Grandma Sojourner Truth, and Journey with Great Grandma Sojourner Truth New York State Education Department, “Sojourner Truth’s Historic Supreme Court Documents From the New York State Archives on Display in Kingston” New York State Archives: People vs. Solomon Gedney Sojourner Truth, Narrative of Sojourner Truth, 1850. Nell Irvin Painter, Sojourner Truth: A Life, A Symbol, 1996. Teacher Resources: National Park Service: Ain’t I a Woman Lesson Plan PBS Learning Media: Sojourner Truth: Abolitionist and Women’s Rights Activist Consider the Source NY: Sojourner Truth's Fight for African American and Women's Rights in 1...

Inside a recent episode

Centering Authentic Indigenous Voices | A New York Minute in History

Published 29 Nov 2023 · Transcript excerpt

[…] And we said it also has to emphasize our contemporary presence and communities. To get us away from a museum as things in the past, as things put on the shelf to look at and contemplate without thinking, now this is actually the representation of a long -term multi -generational, multi -euro nation that lives within this region. There's a great book by the scholar Amy Lone Tree. She's a Ho Chiang scholar, teaches out in the UC system in California called Decolonizing Museums. And she holds up the Inish Nabe Cultural Center called Zibwing in Mount Pleasant, Michigan as a primary example of a Decolonized Museum. […]

Who has been a guest on A New York Minute In History

Names identified in recent episode analyses. Showing up to five guests.

• William J Hochul Jr
• Brian U Stratton
• Derrick Pratt

Reach and audience

Public platform figures. Ratings count people who left a rating, not total listeners.

Apple Podcasts (US)

4.7 / 5

51 ratings

Spotify

5.0 / 5

6 ratings

Podcast Authority Score: 52 / 100

A composite of feed quality, social presence, YouTube performance and engagement. Read the methodology.

Quality

69

Social presence

0

YouTube

0

Engagement

85

Contact A New York Minute In History

Guest appearances

Books guests

Based on episode analysis; this does not confirm that the show is currently accepting guests.