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About The Show
The winner of a Regional Edward R. Murrow 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, WAMC, and Archivist Media, 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
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 skeleton in Orange County. The "Orange County Mastodon" was one of the earliest, if not the first, complete mastodon skeletons...
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 County. Built in 1772 by Sir William Johnson, the Fulton County Courthouse has seen the transition from British colonial rule to...
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 creation of a retreat where women could “escape” the cities. Wiawaka was founded by Mary Fuller, an advocate for women workers in Troy,...
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 importance of racing in automobile history. Was that race to Babylon really the first of its kind in the U.S.? And how did...
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 Hastings, a member of the Women's Army Corps who survived 47 days in a New Guinea jungle during World War II. Marker of Focus:...
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 built by southern immigrants who moved north for a better life in the late 1920s. Marker of Focus: Rapp Road Community Historic...
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 American patriot Thomas Paine, his influence on the American and French Revolutions — and just how and why his body went missing. Where...
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 state's historical marker program got started, what happened to it, and how communities can apply for a marker today. As an added...
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 religions and alternative communities during the 19th century. How did the Burned Over District collide with state and national history?...