Files on local historic sites and monuments

Arranged alphabetically by county, then by name of town, village or city.

This series contains photographs, summary data cards, some correspondence, and occasional newspaper clippings giving information on marked and unmarked historic sites in the State.

The information was collected from local historians who responded to a 1922 request by the division for information to be used in the compilation of a catalog of historic sites. Information on a site's location and significance and the name of the local historian is recorded on 3" x 5" cards, yellow cards for unmarked sites and blue cards for marked sites.

Occasional correspondence with local historians provides additional background information on sites or monuments. Photographs or postcards of most sites and monuments are included.

At the beginning of the series is a file containing lists of: 1) historic sites, buildings, and monuments, 2) Revolutionary War sites and monuments, and 3) Revolutionary War memorials created by the Daughters of the American Revolution (dated 1926).

There is one map in the series, a photograph of part of a U.S. Geological Survey topographic map showing the town of Vestal in Broome County. It was submitted by the town historian of Owego, Charles Cafferty, with correspondence requesting the opinion of the state historian. The map is annotated with a black circle indicating the exact location of the tombstone of one William Plat, which the writer suggests may mark the burial place of the first white man to die in the area. The accompanying correspondence, dated December 18, 1921, refers to the map and gives exact details of the site. The photograph measures 18 x 24 cm. The base map is done to a scale of 1:125,000 with a contour interval of 40 feet. The back is labeled "William Plat Tombstone Vestal N.Y. Photo by Charles Cafferty Appalachin N.Y. 1 of 6".

There are no restrictions regarding access to or use of the material.