Travels in the 2nd half

The town of Seneca Falls, NY has a long history in the movement for women’s rights. In 1848 the town was the site of the Seneca Falls Convention, the first women’s rights convention in the United States. So, when organizers were looking to found the National Women’s Hall of Fame , Seneca Falls was the natural place for its home. The National Women’s Hall of Fame (NWHOF) was incorporated in 1969, and inducted its first class in 1973. The NWHOF was first hosted on the campus of Eisenhower College in Seneca Falls. In 1976 it moved into its second home, a refurbished bank building on Fall St., the town’s main drag.  In 2007, the Hall acquired the former home of the Seneca Falls Knitting Factory, the town’s last tie to its industrial history. It then took on a thirteen year renovation project, and in 2020 the third home of the NWHOF opened. Its new home offers two large floors of exhibition space. On the ground floor is the their permanent exhibit, showcasing the history of the women’s ...

  Lorenzo Mansion from the formal garden Central New York has many historic homes and estates. One that is sometimes overlooked, but is historically important, is the Lorenzo State Historic Site , in the town of Cazenovia. John Lincklaen by Charles B. J. Févret de Saint-Mémin, CC0, via Wikimedia Commons The home was built in 1807 by John Lincklaen (1768-1822), the founder of the town of Cazenovia. Lincklaen was an agent for the Holland Land Company, a syndicate of Dutch investors based in Philadelphia. In the early 1800’s foreigners were not allowed to own land in New York State, so the investors hired Americans to purchase and develop tracts of land in the central and western parts of New York and Pennsylvania. Lincklaen brought a large swath of land along the what became Lake Cazenovia, developed the land, and began selling lots to settlers moving in to the area. Lornzo Mansion by rossograph via wikicommons media John Lincklaen married Helen Ledyard (1777-1847). They built a mans...

  Last week I journeyed along U.S. 20 from Boston to Springfield MA, the eastern-most section of the country’s longest road. This week we continue  along that route through some of the most beautiful land in Massachusetts, the Pioneer Valley and the Berkshire Mountains. Western Massachusetts is loosely defined as the the area between the Connecticut River and the New York Border. There are several routes that cross the area, but U.S. 20 may be the least touristy of them. As I head west from the city of Springfield, U.S. 20 passes through some of the city’s suburbs, but most of these have been around for while, and it shows in some of the buildings that line the route. West Springfield Fire Station No. 2 Leaving the suburbs behind, U.S. 20 enters the town of Westfield, MA. Westfield was first incorporated in 1669 and was the westernmost settlement of the Massachusetts Bay Colony. In the 19th century its main industries were cigars and buggy whips. While its industrial base has ...