Virtual Exhibits at the Library
Almanacs
Bryologia Europaea
Frederick Douglass Letters
Firefighters Collection
Lincoln's Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation
Steamboats on the Hudson
Theodore Roosevelt and His Era
George Washington Collection
This page features a closer look at some interesting materials that are part of the New York State Library's vast collection.
Steamboats on the Hudson: To mark the 200th anniversary of Fulton's trip to Albany and back, the New York State Library mounted an exhibit in 2007 of materials from its collections that document the history of the development of steamboats. Many of the items were later scanned to create this online exhibit.
Frederick Douglass Letters: These six letters were written by Frederick Douglass, former slave and prominent black anti-slavery activist and orator, to Miss Hannah Fuller, organizer of the Skaneateles Ladies Anti-Slavery Society. Written between 1855-1857, the letters show the close working relationships that Douglass forged with white women leaders of the anti-slavery movement. It is clear from the letters that Douglass was an ardent proponent of women's rights and recognized the contributions women made to the anti-slavery movement.
Theodore Roosevelt and His Era - An illustrated exhibit of books, manuscripts, magazine articles, sheet music, memorabilia and artifacts related to Theodore Roosevelt based on the collection gathered by Lyall Squair of Syracuse. Included are the papers of John D. Miley, aide-de-camp of Gen. William Shafter, commander of U.S. troops in Cuba during the Spanish-American War; a collection of postcards depicting Theodore Roosevelt and subjects related to him, things named after him, teddy bears and animals he hunted, and the papers of Frederic Sturdevant, a newspaper columnist who traveled with Roosevelt in Africa.
Fred Abele Transportation History Collection: The print collection includes thousands of photographs and slides of trains and train stations, as well as many, if not most of the negatives from which they were made. There are also ticket stubs, postcards, timetables and even a few blueprints for railroad stations, stock certificates as well as some illustrations drawn by Mr. Abele. This exhibit uses the Abele collection to demonstrate how the Manuscripts and Special Collections Unit of the Library processes a newly-acquired collection. It provides a behind-the-scenes tour as State Library staff process a collection of 38 cubic feet of photographs, prints, postcards and other ephemera so that researchers can use it.
The George Washington Collection: One of the most famous documents in American history, George Washington's Farewell Address, is preserved in its first draft in the collections of the New York State Library. Penned in Washington's own handwriting, complete with strike-outs and corrections, the 19-page document was drafted and sent to Alexander Hamilton for comment on May 15, 1796. The online exhibit contains sample pages from this document plus photos of a bronze bust of Washington, a sword, pistol, and compass which belonged to him, and more.
Lincoln's Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation: One of the nation's greatest documentary treasures, the Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation issued by President Abraham Lincoln on September 22, 1862, has been part of the New York State Library's collection since 1865. The unassuming appearance of this four page declaration in Lincoln's hand tends to mask the significance of what one source declared to be the "most important and far-reaching document ever issued since the formulation of this government."
The Firefighters Collection: The New York State Library in Albany has one of the most extensive collections anywhere of historic resources on the individual fires, firefighters and firefighting equipment of New York State, and the collection played a pivotal role in completing a memorial to fallen firefighters unveiled at the Empire State Plaza on October 5, 1998.
Bryologia Europaea: One of the most significant natural history books from the 19th century has become part of the Library's collections. The rare, 140-year old publication is teaching biologists something about the little known biodiversity of New York's Adirondack High Peak region.
Almanacs: In its simplest form, an almanac contains a calendar with notations for holidays and holy days, as well as astronomical information such as the rising and setting of the sun and moon, the phases of the moon and high and low tides. By the nineteenth century, however, many almanacs had expanded to other information deemed useful, and there were also a variety of almanacs aimed at specific populations. This online exhibit highlights a variety of almanacs from the Library's collection, which includes paper copies of over 10,000 almanacs, dating from 1684 to the present, including several editions of two of the best known American almanacs: the Old Farmer's Almanack and Poor Richard's Almanac.