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The 2007 Western Frontier Symposium on October 20-21 in Johnstown NY examines the shifting dynamics of interdependent European & Native American cultures in the Mohawk Valley in the time of Sir William Johnson.
Drawing from Johnson’s voluminous papers and other sources, scholars will explore the agents of change at work on the western borderlands of Colonial New York. Special keynote addresses feature Colin Calloway, Fintan O’Toole, Timothy Shannon and Alan Taylor.
All presentations are open to the public free of charge, thanks to a grant from the New York Council for the Humanities, a state affiliate of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
Scholars from America, Canada & Ireland will share their research on the changing economic and cultural relationships among colonial British, Dutch, German and Native American residents of the eighteenth century Mohawk Valley.
The Irish-born William Johnson – British Commissioner of Indian Affairs, honorary Mohawk, international war hero, town builder and New York’s largest landowner ¬– moved easily through these multiple cultures, creating an unique window into the world of this region. His complete papers are being digitized as a legacy project by the NYS French & Indian War 250th Anniversary Commemoration Commission.
A concurrent exhibit, “Re-Envisioning History,” features the work of contemporary artists such as Geoffrey Harding, Robert Griffing, and Peter Jemison who bring these eighteenth century worlds to life. Books and prints will be available for sale.
All sessions will be held at Fulton-Montgomery Community College, Johnstown New York. The presentations on Saturday (8-5 pm) and Sunday (8-1 pm) are free and open to the public. Associated historic sites will have open house tours on Sunday 1-5 pm.
The 2007 Western Frontier Symposium is co-sponsored by the Mohawk Valley Heritage Corridor Commission, NYS Office of Parks Recreation & Historic Preservation, Fulton-Montgomery Community College, the New York Archives Partnership Trust, NYS French & Indian War 250th Anniversary Commemoration Commission, Johnson Hall SHS, Herkimer Home SHS, Schuyler Mansion SHS, Crailo SHS, Old Fort Johnson Historic Landmark, Fort Klock Historic Restoration, Palatine Settlement Society/ Nellis Tavern, Montgomery County Department of History & Archives, The Arkell Museum at Canajoharie, Fort Plain Museum, and Old Stone Fort Museum.
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