New-York Historical Society

The Civil War Draft Riots began #OnThisDay 161 years ago. It was the largest civil disturbance in U.S. history—and it took place in New York City. A mob of more than 50,000 people voiced their opposition to the Civil War Draft in a violent outburst that took place over the course of four days and targeted African American residents. Rich men could buy their way out of the draft for $300 (about a year’s salary), leaving mostly working class men—many Irish immigrants—to shoulder the burden. They wreaked havoc across the city and targeted Black civilians. (African Americans were exempt from the draft, as they were not yet considered citizens.) When this draft wheel was donated to the New-York Historical Society at the end of the Civil War in 1865 it still contained more than 3,600 unread draft cards—some of which you can see on display in the Museum's 4th floor. The mob also zeroed in on the Colored Orphan Asylum on 43rd Street and Fifth Avenue. Thankfully, the 250 orphans who lived inside were evacuated, but the orphanage was never rebuilt in the same location. Before the crowd torched the orphanage to the ground, one young girl was able to save this family Bible from the dining room and it's on display in our Objects Tell Stories gallery.

Last chance! Explore our special installation commemorating the 400th anniversary of the Dutch founding of New Amsterdam. On view is the Castello Plan, a map depicting New Amsterdam at the peak of its settlement circa 1660, just before the English took control. Through documents and objects, the installation explores how settlers, Indigenous people, and enslaved Africans experienced the world illustrated in the Castello Plan. "New York Before New York: The Castello Plan of New Amsterdam" closes this Sunday, July 14, 2024. Learn more: https://bit.ly/43fYq27

“Who lives, who dies, who tells your story.” On this day in 1804 Alexander Hamilton and Aaron Burr faced off in the most famous duel in U.S. history. Click through for related objects from our collection.

"Popular understanding of New York history is about to get even more robust, with three new niche exhibits to debut at the New-York Historical Society this fall." Explore women’s history through everyday clothing, Robert Caro’s life and publication of The Power Broker, and three centuries of New Yorkers and their pets. Read more about what's coming up from Forbes! https://bit.ly/45WVvNe

"New York’s lost landmarks live again in an engaging museum show." Read the latest on our special exhibition Lost New York. https://on.ft.com/3LfR3Qc

A certificate of freedom 😮 In 1649, Manuel d’ Spanje, an enslaved African man, purchased his freedom from Dutchman Philip Jansen Ringo. Five years earlier, the West India Company had begun granting “half freedom”—freedom with conditions—to some of its enslaved workers. Some were given land so they could farm and earn income, a portion of which would go to their previous enslavers. In this 1651 document, Peter Stuyvesant grants “Manuel de Spangie Negro” property in an area north of New Amsterdam that would become known as the Land of the Blacks (today’s Greenwich Village). The deed vowed that this grant was “permanent, immutable, unbreakable and irrevocable.” "New York Before New York: The Castello Plan of New Amsterdam" explores how settlers, Indigenous people, and enslaved Africans experienced the Dutch colony of New Netherland. 🚨 Visit before the installation closes on July 14, 2024. https://bit.ly/43fYq27

NYC’s first subway was an engineering marvel when it opened in 1904. Particularly impressive was the construction of tunnels connecting Manhattan and the Bronx beneath the Harlem River. In February 1902, the New York Times described the ongoing work and planning for the new route: "Up to date the work on the river section has been confined to dredging, but the driving of sheet piling will begin next month. The sheets, or planks, are to be driven through the water and into the soil beneath until their lower ends reach the depth of the tunnel’s bottom. Then a wooden platform will be lowered across their upper ends, after which the excavators will dig out the earth enclosed by the three wooden walls. In the resulting trench steel tubes, lined with concrete inside and with a layer outside, are to be laid, and the trains will run through these tubes, of which there will be two.” In photos from the Subway Construction Photograph Collection, we can see workers alongside the timber, pile drivers, and sections of tunnel still in the process of being placed and connected. Browse more online here: https://bit.ly/3vltImi

Sip on a lil' NYC cocktail history 🥂 How many of you knew the answer? 👇 Tell us in the comments! Join us on Friday evenings after 5:00 p.m. for pay-as-you-wish admission, live jazz, and "lost" cocktails from New York's bygone days. Visit our special exhibition "Lost New York" and explore the landmarks, pastimes, and monuments that once defined this city. https://bit.ly/3RSiymA

The park hang of our dreams 😍 Maurice Brazil Prendergast's painting "At the Park" prompted a writer to declare in 1900 that the artist was the “brilliant” and "high-pitched poet laureate of the picnic, the holiday, the park, the circus, and the celebration; a sort of pictorial embodiment of the Fourth of July, blazing with fiery color and dazzling with festal activity.” 🔎 Can you spot the American flag waving in the distance? See it on view now in our newest exhibition "From Paul Revere to Edward Hopper: Treasures from the Leonard L. Milberg Collection of American Prints, Drawings, and Watercolors." Visit now through October 27, 2024. https://bit.ly/3XMl29R 🎨 Maurice Brazil Prendergast, At the Park (Telegraph Hill), ca. 1896–1897, Watercolor on paper, Collection of Mr. & Mrs. Leonard L. Milberg.

Happy #FourthOfJuly! ⁣The Museum is OPEN today! Bring your family for a special celebration today from 11 am to 2 pm. (Kids ages 17 and under get *free admission.*) Celebrate with street food and ice cream that would have been familiar to New Yorkers of 1776. Meet historical interpreters and learn about chef Hercules Posey, an enslaved cook of George Washington who self-emancipated in 1796. Enjoy games, crafts, and a dress-up photo booth. Learn more: https://bit.ly/3VT2bJ2 ⁣ 🎨 Childe Hassam, The Fourth of July, 1916 (The Greatest Display of the American Flag Ever Seen in New York, Climax of the Preparedness Parade in May), 1916. Gift of Richard Gilder, 2016