Albany, NY -- The New York State Archives and New York State Thruway Authority are officially unveiling the newest History Happened Here kiosk to the public on Monday, February 25, 2008 at 11:00 AM. This kiosk is located at the Thruway’s Oneida Travel Plaza (I-90 eastbound) between Interchange 33 (Verona-Rome) and Interchange 32 (Westmoreland-Rome), at Milepost 244, in Oneida County.
The dedication ceremony will include remarks from Richard Garrabrant, Division Director, New York State Thruway Authority; Christine W. Ward, New York State Archivist and Chief Executive Officer of the Archives Partnership Trust; Frederick E. Miller, Executive Director, Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission; and Debbie Conway, Superintendent, Ft. Stanwix National Monument, National Park Service. Refreshments will be provided compliments of HMS Host Corporation. All funding for this kiosk was provided by the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission and National Park Service.
History Happened Here kiosks are hexagon-shaped exhibits that provide interesting and visually compelling displays about New York State’s history to travelers taking a break from their journey along the Thruway. The images and content appearing on the Oneida Travel Plaza History Happened Here kiosk tell many stories:
• How the Mohawk River Valley, as the only natural east–west break through the Appalachian Mountains, gave early travelers access to inland rivers, creeks, and lakes that could take them from the Atlantic Ocean to the Great Lakes and beyond
• The Battle of Oriskany, one of the most violent battles of the American Revolution, was fought just four miles from the travel plaza. On August 6, 1777, 800 Mohawk Valley militiamen and Oneida Indians advanced on Fort Stanwix (located in what is now Rome) to end a British siege. They were ambushed by British Loyalists and their American Indian allies. Most of the Patriots were casualties and both sides claimed victory
• The first commercial telegraph company in the world was founded in Utica in 1846 and is currently known as the Associated Press
• In 1851 in Rome, Jesse Williams developed the first factory in the world that could make large quantities of high-quality cheese from milk
• Abolition and religious revivalism thrived in the area. People organized to demand everything from women’s right to vote, and the prohibition of alcohol, to the banning of tight corsets.
The State Archives and the Thruway Authority, with support from various sponsors, have partnered to install History Happened Here kiosks at seven other travel plazas along the Thruway. All of the kiosks contain a general theme based on historical events that happened within twenty-five miles of the travel plaza. The following list contains the Thruway travel plazas with History Happened Here kiosks and the overall theme for each exhibit:
• Sloatsburg: The American Revolution
• Pattersonville: The Mohawk River Valley
• Chittenango: The Erie Canal
• Junius Ponds: The Finger Lakes Region
• Pembroke: The Western Frontier
• Guilderland: The Transportation Corridor
• Ulster: The Hudson River Valley
The New York State Archives preserves and makes accessible the essential recorded evidence––past and present––of New York's governments, organizations, peoples, and events. At its Albany facility, the Archives cares for more than 200 million archival records of New York State government dating from the 1630s to the present. The State Archives also offers technical assistance, financial support and other services to local governments and community organizations in every region of the state.
Established in 1950, the New York State Thruway Authority oversees both the
641-mile superhighway system and the state's 524-mile Canal System, including
the historic Erie Canal. Committed to preserving its past, the Thruway Authority
has transferred its archival records to the State Archives for safekeeping.
These records help all citizens appreciate the Thruway and Canals as remarkable
engineering accomplishments and as major influences on the growth and development
of the Empire State.