Latest Episode
About The Show
The winner of two Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards, a Journalists Association of New York Award and two New York State Broadcasters Association Awards, A New York Minute In History tells the unique tales of New Yorkers throughout American history. With the state’s hundreds of historical markers as a guide, join Devin Lander and Lauren Roberts as they explore the people, places, and experiences that made New York. How is the Erie Canal used today? Where did baseball get its start? And who inspired the story of the headless horseman?
A New York Minute In History is a production of the New York State Museum and WAMC, with support from The William G. Pomeroy Foundation. The podcast is produced by Jesse King and Jim Levulis of WAMC Northeast Public Radio. Original episodes were co-hosted by Don Wildman of Mysteries at the Museum on Travel Channel.
Meet The Hosts
Devin Lander is New York’s 16th state historian. Previously, he was the executive director of the Museum Association of New York (MANY) and worked for the chair of the state Assembly’s Tourism, Arts, Parks, and Sports Development and Governmental Operations Committees. He holds a BA in History from SUNY Plattsburgh and a MA in Public History from the University at Albany, where he is currently finishing his PhD. Devin is also co-editor of the New York History journal, published by Cornell University Press. He was elected a New York Academy of History fellow in 2020.
Lauren Roberts has been the Saratoga County historian since 2009. She holds a BA in Anthropology and American Studies from Skidmore College, and earned her MA in Public History from the University at Albany. Roberts co-produced the successful 2017 documentary “Harnessing Nature: Building the Great Sacandaga,” chronicling the construction of New York’s largest reservoir. She also serves as the coordinator for municipal historians in the Capital Region, through the Association of Public Historians of New York State.
More Episodes
The Fox Sisters and the “Great American Hoax” | A New York Minute in History
For our season finale, Devin and Lauren tell the story of the Fox sisters, who rose to fame as early practitioners of modern...
The Florence Farming Association | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren tell the story of the Florence Farming and Lumber Association, a settlement of free African Americans...
Las Villas | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren learn about an enclave of restaurants, bars and resorts that catered to predominately Latin American...
Radio Cloak and Dagger | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren tell the recently declassified story of a covert radio station built by the FBI on Long Island to...
New York’s Anti-Rent Wars | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren delve into the history of the Dutch patroon system in New York state, and tell the story of the...
The Persistence of Dr. Mary Walker | A New York Minute in History
For Women's History Month, Devin and Lauren tell the story of Dr. Mary Walker: physician, heroine of the Civil War, and the only woman...
Aaron Mossell and the Struggle to Integrate Lockport’s Schools | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren discuss a William G. Pomeroy marker recognizing the contributions of the Mossell family in western...
Hell’s Acres: Bare Knuckle Boxing in the Taconic Mountains | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren tell the forgotten story of Boston Corners, which once belonged to Massachusetts, but was ceded to...
Preparing for the 250th | A New York Minute in History
Believe it or not, the 250th anniversary of the American Revolution is right around the corner. On this episode, Devin and Lauren...
Ithaca’s Tuskegee Airman | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren tell the story of Verdelle Louis Payne from Ithaca in Tompkins County, who joined the Army Air Forces...
Live From the APHNYS | A New York Minute in History
In this live, special episode of A New York Minute in History, Devin and Lauren visit the annual Association of Public Historians of...
Discovering the Nation’s “Founding Fossils” | A New York Minute in History
It's a new season of A New York Minute in History! In this episode, Devin and Lauren dig into the 19th Century discovery of a mastodon...
The Fulton County Courthouse: 250 Years of Legal History | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren visit New York’s oldest continuously operating courthouse, located in the City of Johnstown in Fulton...
Georgia O’Keeffe and Her Visit to Wiawaka | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren discuss how the poor conditions of female textile workers in Capital Region cities led to the...
Early Auto Racing in New York | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren discuss a William G. Pomeroy marker recognizing a 1900 auto race in Suffolk County, New York, and the...
Margaret Hastings, the “Shangri-La WAC” | A New York Minute in History
In honor of Women's History Month, Devin and Lauren highlight a Pomeroy marker in Tioga County and tell the story of Corporal Margaret...
Rapp Road and the Great Migration | A New York Minute in History
On this episode, hosts Devin and Lauren delve into the history of Albany County's Rapp Road Community, an African American neighborhood...
Thomas Paine’s Lost Body | A New York Minute in History
In the first episode of our new season, Devin and Lauren look to a William G. Pomeroy marker in Westchester County to learn about...
Historical Markers | A New York Minute In History
On this episode, Devin and Lauren tackle all of New York's historical markers at once — sort of. Devin and Lauren discuss how the...
The Burned Over District | A New York Minute In History
In this episode, Devin and Lauren discuss the "Burned Over District," and how upstate New York became a “cauldron” of emergent...
Drinking The Waters: The Healing Springs Movement | A New York Minute In History
This episode delves into the public health industry that emerged in New York in the 19th Century. As the understanding of medicine and...
Discovering Timbuctoo | A New York Minute In History
Devin and Lauren dive into the history of Timbuctoo, an African American settlement founded by philanthropist Gerrit Smith in response...
Audrey Munson: America’s First Supermodel | A New York Minute In History
In this episode, Devin and Lauren research the life of Audrey Munson, America’s first supermodel. Born in upstate New York, Munson was...
The Irish Invasion Of Canada | A New York Minute In History
In this episode, Devin and Lauren investigate the invasions of Canada by the Fenian Brotherhood, a group of Irish Nationalists intent...
75 Years Later, NY Native Recalls Japan’s Surrender Aboard U.S.S. Missouri | A New York Minute In History
On September 2, 1945 the hostilities of World War II ended when Japan’s formal surrender was signed aboard the U.S.S. Missouri in Tokyo...
The Inspirations Behind The Headless Horseman And Ichabod Crane | A New York Minute In History
In the third episode of our series: Legends and Lore of the Empire State, A New York Minute In History explores the inspirations behind...
Who Is The Real Natty Bumppo? | A New York Minute In History
In the second episode of our series: Legends and Lore of the Empire State, A New York Minute In History explores the mystery of the...
Remembering The Greatest Generation | A New York Minute In History
75 years after the end of World War II, the ranks of the so-called Greatest Generation are dwindling. Among those still able to tell...
Documenting A Pandemic In Real Time | A New York Minute In History
On this special episode of A New York Minute In History, we explore how historians are documenting the coronavirus pandemic in real...
Historical Society Collecting Pandemic Stories | A New York Minute In History
The coronavirus pandemic has altered the world. And it’s upended how many people go about their daily lives. One organization in New...
40 Years After The Miracle | A New York Minute In History
On this episode of A New York Minute In History, we recall the Miracle On Ice, when the U.S. Men’s Hockey team upset the Soviet Union...
Slavery In New York And Resistance To It | A New York Minute In History
On this episode of A New York Minute In History, we explore slavery in New York and specifically the resistance to the institution,...
Extra Innings: The Johnny Evers Story | A New York Minute In History
On this “extra innings” episode of A New York Minute In History, co-hosts Devin Lander and Lauren Roberts chronicle the life of Troy...
Albany Mansion Marks 19th Century Murder | A New York Minute In History
On this Halloween episode of A New York Minute In History, we explore a murder in the state’s capital of Albany. In May 1827, a member...
Baseball: Myths And The Early Game | A New York Minute In History
On this episode of A New York Minute In History, co-hosts Devin Lander and Lauren Roberts take a crack at early baseball. Through...
Cardiff Giant Celebrates 150th Birthday | A New York Minute In History
On this special episode of A New York Minute In History, we attend a birthday party for one of America’s greatest hoaxes. The Cardiff...
The Story Behind 1969’s Woodstock Music Festival | A New York Minute In History
Now regarded as one the most iconic cultural expressions of American society, the Woodstock festival of 1969 served to encapsulate the...
100 Years Of New York’s Local Government Historians Law | A New York Minute In History
One hundred years ago, on April 11, 1919, New York Governor Al Smith signed the “Historians Law.” The first law of its kind in the...
The Story Behind New York City’s Water Supply | A New York Minute In History
A reservoir system capacity of 570 billion gallons. A watershed area that covers 1.2 million acres. And a supply that is 90 percent...
Capital Region History Day | A New York Minute In History
On this special episode of A New York Minute In History, we come to you from the New York State Museum in Albany. The occasion is...
Al Smith, FDR And The Progressive Movement
On this episode of A New York Minute In History, co-hosts Devin Lander and Don Wildman examine how two New Yorkers – Al Smith and...
A New Future For The New York History Journal
On this special edition of A New York Minute In History we discuss an exciting development regarding the New York History Journal....
The Dutch And New Netherland
On the fourth episode of A New York Minute In History, we detail Henry Hudson's exploration of what would become the Empire State and...
The Erie Canal: Compressing Time And Distance
On the third episode of A New York Minute In History we explore the Empire State’s most ambitious engineering feat…the Erie Canal....
The Women’s Rights Movement: From Seneca Falls To Today
The second episode of A New York Minute In History explores the Women’s Rights Movement from the Seneca Falls Convention in Central New...
Spirits Of Sacrifice
The first episode of A New York Minute In History explores the lives of Henry Johnson and Tommy Hitchcock Jr., World War I heroes with...