Major General Schuyler at the Northern Department
11th Annual History Month Lecture Series at Schoharie Crossing
Fort Hunter, NY – Schoharie Crossing State Historic Site will host Kayla Whitehouse of Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site as part of their 11th Annual New York State History Month Lecture Series on October 10th at 1pm. The lecture series covers a wide variety of topics related to state history as it connects to America 250 commemorations. The Erie Canal historic landmark site is recognizing the work of historians by offering Saturday afternoon presentations inside the Enders House, adjacent to their Visitor Center and Museum on Schoharie Street.
On October 10th, Schuyler Mansion staff Kayla Whitehouse will offer the presentation, “Topography and Transportation in the Northern Department.” It will look at Major General Philip Schuyler as a skilled planner and logistician. Whitehouse will look at the early years of the Revolutionary War and Schuyler’s work to supply troops with provisions. This presentation will also examine historical maps and letters to explore the different ways in which the natural environment affected the Continental Army during the Revolutionary War, with a focus on the Northern Department.
Whitehouse is the Historic Site Assistant at Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site. Whitehouse is also the former director of the National Bottle Museum in Ballston Spa and holds a BA from Colgate University and MA from Southern Illinois University.
The series continues with Thacher State Park educator, Peter Farquharsson who will offer a look into the “Helderberg Anti-Rent War” during his presentation on October 17th. In the mid-1800s, tenant farmers across eastern New York sought to end feudal land practices still common across the region. This introductory lecture will explore the origin of this system, how tenants sought to end it, and the enduring legacy of their pursuits.
Historian Jeff O’Conner will finish up our NYS History Month series on October 24th with the presentation, “On Penalty of Death.” O’Conner takes a look at the late spring of 1776, before the Declaration of Independence as Loyalists began recruiting in the region.
NYS History Month was established in 1997 as a way to recognize historians, scholars, curators, preservationists, librarians, archivists, genealogists, re-enactors, and educators across the state. The month has evolved to also celebrate and promote New York’s rich and complex history in public places as we honor the essential role we all have to document our heritage and the importance of safeguarding it for future generations.
These programs are free and open to the public. They are held inside the Enders House on Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, adjacent to our Visitor Center and Museum. For more information, please call the Visitor Center: 518-829-7516 or email SchoharieCrossing@parks.ny.gov. Schoharie Crossing, PO Box 140, 129 Schoharie Street, Fort Hunter, NY 12069.
The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation oversees more than 250 parks, historic sites, recreational trails, golf courses, boat launches and more, and welcomes over 88 million visits annually. For more information on any of these recreation areas, visit parks.ny.gov, download the free NY State Parks Explorer app or call 518-474-0456. Connect with us on Facebook, Instagram, X, LinkedIn, the OPRHP Blog or via the OPRHP Newsroom.
Published October 6, 2026.
