The Pirate Queen: Discovering Grace O'Malley
Irish-born Grace O'Malley (a.1530-1603) is one of the most famous pirates of all time. She is the subject of folk songs and sea shanties, a Broadway musical was made in her honor, and a castle in Ireland still bears her name. From the age of fourteen, she forged a career in seafaring and piracy and was considered a fierce leader at sea and a shrewd politician on land. Yet, little is known about Grace's exciting face-to-face confrontation with her nemesis, Elizabeth I of England.
In this program, Author Robin Maxwell recounts that scene and others from her novel The Wild Irish and explains her process of discovering Grace O'Malley and writing the book.
Robin Maxwell
Jewish Pirates of the Caribbean
A lecture and musical performance based on stories of Jews who took to the high seas in the aftermath of the Spanish Inquisition on ships bearing the names Prophet Samuel and Queen Esther.
Sherrie Baver, Ph.D.
Professor Baver received her Ph.D. from Columbia University (1979). She has served as the Director of the CCNY Latin American and Caribbean Studies Program. She has written Political Economy of Colonialism: The State and Industrialization in Puerto Rico (Praeger, 1993) and co-edited Latinos in New York: Communities in Transition (Notre Dame University Press, 2017 [2nd ed.]). In 2006, she co-edited (with Barbara D. Lynch), Beyond Sun and Sand: Caribbean Environmentalisms (Rutgers University Press, 2006). Her present research focuses on environmental justice/environmental democracy in Latin America. Professor Baver has received various CUNY awards and two Fulbrights to Latin America. She has recently published peer reviewed articles in Callaloo, Caribbean Studies, and Idees d'Ameriques (Paris: Sorbonne). Professor Baver has also been named "Contributing Editor" to Handbook of Latin American Studies (Library of Congress). Professor Baver participated in a 2015 summer seminar on 'Peacebuilding in Indonesia,' funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
Sarah Jacques and Ian Cook
Sarah and Ian are members of the G String Orchestra, a traditional and inspired Klezmer, Eastern European, and modal music folk band, which began as the G String Quartet in the spring of 2006. Basing themselves loosely between New Orleans and Alaska, their music has brought them to the far reaches of this planet. The band has undergone many incarnations over the years existing as a simple trio, from a five-piece band to sometimes a ten-piece ensemble, featuring instrumentation such as guitar, viola, banjo, cello, washtub bass, washboard, drums, trumpet, trombone, saxophone, and even piano. Each additional person has added their own influences and experiences to the band, giving flavors of punk, blues, Americana, and New Orleans Jazz, resulting in music to make you cry, music to make you dance, and music to get lost in the reverie.
The Quarantine Islands: Hoffman and Swinburne
Hoffman and Swinburne Islands are viewable from the shoreline of South Beach or from the eastbound lane of the Verrazanno-Narrows Bridge. But their history is not commonly known. They were not always islands. In fact, they were simple sandbars during the mid-1800s. After the famous burning of the Quarantine Hospital at Tompkinsville on September 1 and 2, 1858, something had to be done to accommodate the thousands of arriving immigrants with contagious diseases.
Patricia M. Salmon retired as Curator of History at the Staten Island Museum in 2012. A Staten Island resident for almost fifty years, she was a Naturalist/Historian at Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve in that borough for eight years. Ms. Salmon has authored the books Realms of History: The Cemeteries of Staten Island, The Staten Island Ferry: A History, Murder & Mayhem on Staten Island and Staten Island Slayings: Murderers and Mysteries of the Forgotten Borough. A board member of the Tottenville Historical Society, she is a consultant to the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island and an adjunct professor at Wagner College in Staten Island.
Shipwrecks and Calamities of New York Harbor
Numerous catastrophes have occurred in and around the waters of Staten Island. Why they occurred, who was responsible, and their ultimate effects on Staten Island will be examined. Incidents to be explored include the Vanderbilt Landing bridge collapse in 1852; the Westfield ferry explosion of 1871; the New Street building collapse in New Brighton during 1937; the mid-air plane collision over New Dorp in 1960; the crash of the Sea Witch and Esso Brussels under the Verrazano-Narrows Bridge in 1973, and others. Discover how several of these occurrences changed governmental rules and regulations.
Read MoreNellie Bly: Around the World in 72 Days
History buff Gerard Thornton returns to the museum to present the story of 25-year-old New York World reporter Nellie Bly, whose voyage on the luxury ocean liner SS Augusta Victoria in 1889 marked the beginning of a 72-day journey around the world.
Gerard Thornton was born in Coney Island, New York, and attended SUNY Maritime College, where he earned his degree in marine transportation and became licensed to serve as officer in the United States Merchant Marine. He has worked in positions both afloat and ashore in the maritime industry for over 30 years, with much of his work devoted to the operation of tugboats and barges. Gerard is currently operations and logistics manager for Covanta Sustainable Solutions, an energy from waste company that transports New York City garbage by barge and rail to be used in powerplants to provide electricity. Gerard is a fan of anything nautical or old, including ships, trains and early cinema. He lives in New Jersey with his wife Cathy, and two children, Cassandra and Gage, and their dog named Howie.
Murder on the High Seas of Staten Island
Murder on the High Seas of Staten Island, a pre-recorded online lecture by Historian Patricia Salmon. Staten Island was not the quiet place that people thought it was in years gone by. On May 12, 1889, Mary Tobin’s remains mysteriously washed up at the dock of the Clifton Boat Club. Two years later a man’s body was discovered bound and gagged floating off of Tottenville. From South Beach to West New Brighton, the waters around Staten Island and its surrounding coastline have yielded some disturbing secrets.
In “Murder on the High Seas of Staten Island,” historian Patricia M. Salmon presents several of the most meticulously researched murders and mysteries that have occurred in and around the bays, harbors, and inlets of our borough.
Read MoreHaenyeo: Matriarchs of the Sea
Co-founder of the Chosun Taekwondo Academy Patty Cook takes a close look at the Haenyeo, sea women, of Jeju Island, South Korea who hold their breath while diving 40 feet into the Yellow and East China Seas. Often referred to as mermaids, the divers catch urchins, abalone, and red sea cucumber from the ocean floor in wet suits without oxygen tanks. Many of the sea women are now in their 70s and 80s, and follow traditions, such as free-diving and singing work songs, that date back to 1629. The program culminates with Korean musicians in traditional costume performing a sea song about the light of the sunset in green-blue water as they return from a day in the deep.
This program is supported by public funds from Councilman Borelli of District 51 and the New York City Council in partnership with the Department for the Aging. It originally premiered in collaboration with the JCC for its members earlier this year.
Untold Stories of the Titanic: Last Port of Call
Titanic: Last Port of Call, a virtual lecture by Sonia Joyce of the Titanic Experience Cobh, Ireland. The Titanic Experience Cobh is a museum housed in the original White Star Line Ticket Office. On the morning of April 11, 1912, the RMS Titanic dropped anchor in Cork Harbor. In this lecture, Ms. Joyce will tell the history of the town and introduce the story of the Odell and May family, who took some of the last photos of the Titanic. She also notes that the Irish passengers traveling in Third Class had a party below deck that included dancing and musicians playing traditional instruments. Niall O’Leary, a World Champion Irish dancer, celebrates the lives of the passengers with a special dance and spoon performance, as the presentation's finale.
Former All-Ireland and World Champion Irish dancer Niall O'Leary introduces the program. He formed the Niall O'Leary School of Irish Dance in Dublin in 1995, in New York City in 1996, in Florida in 2007, and Mexico in 2012. During the lecture, Ms. Joyce notes that the Irish passengers traveling in Third Class had a party below deck that included dancing and musicians playing traditional instruments. Mr. O'Leary celebrates the lives of the passengers with a special dance and spoon performance, as the presentation's finale.
Mabel Normand & Sailors’ Snug Harbor
Back by popular demand, historian Gerard Thornton is returning to speak about the life of silent film actress Mabel Normand (1892-1930), a program he presented at the museum in 2018. Normand is famous for her roles alongside stars such as Charlie Chaplin and Roscoe “Fatty” Arbuckle. A Staten Islander, her father was a master carpenter at Sailors’ Snug Harbor, and their family lived in a house on Tysen Street just outside the retirement home’s gates. The program also features a music video of "Time Heals Everything," a song from the Broadway show Mack and Mabel. The musical premiered on Broadway in 1974 starring Bernadette Peters, and is based on the relationship between Hollywood director Mack Sennett and Mabel Normand. The song is the grand finale of the lecture, and we are delighted to include the talents of local performing artists in the program. Jenny Kelly is the Business Manager of Snug Harbor Cultural Center and Botanical Garden. She is accompanied by pianist Carolyn Clark, founder of the Staten Island Philharmonic, and by saxophone player Ray Wheeler.
Gerard Thornton was born in Coney Island, New York, and attended SUNY Maritime College, where he earned his degree in marine transportation and became licensed to serve as officer in the United States Merchant Marine. He has worked in positions both afloat and ashore in the maritime industry for over 30 years, with much of his work devoted to the operation of tugboats and barges. Gerard is currently operations and logistics manager for Covanta Sustainable Solutions, an energy from waste company that transports New York City garbage by barge and rail to be used in powerplants to provide electricity. Gerard is a fan of anything nautical or old, including ships, trains and early cinema. He lives in New Jersey with his wife Cathy, and two children, Cassandra and Gage, and their dog named Howie.
The Maritime Years of Cornelius Vanderbilt
The shipping and railroad empire started by Cornelius Vanderbilt began on Staten Island. Eventually, he became the second richest man in the world owing to his passion for success. Cornelius Vanderbilt's Staten Island connections will be examined as we discuss family lineage, Vanderbilt properties and homes on the island, the Vanderbilt Cemetery and Mausoleum, and more.
Patricia M. Salmon retired as Curator of History at the Staten Island Museum in 2012. A Staten Island resident for almost fifty years, she was a Naturalist/Historian at Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve in that borough for eight years. Ms. Salmon has authored the books Realms of History: The Cemeteries of Staten Island, The Staten Island Ferry: A History, Murder & Mayhem on Staten Island and Staten Island Slayings: Murderers and Mysteries of the Forgotten Borough. A board member of the Tottenville Historical Society, she is a consultant to the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island and an adjunct professor at Wagner College in Staten Island.
Rockaway Blue: An Evening with Larry Kirwan
When terrorists attacked on September 11, 2001, Lieutenant Brian Murphy rescued seven people from the World Trade Center. Even as steel girders buckled and groaned, Brian rushed back up the stairs of the North Tower in search of those in need. He died a hero, one of more than four hundred police officers, firefighters, and other first responders who perished that fateful day.
Three years later, Vietnam veteran and retired NYPD detective-sergeant Jimmy Murphy is on a mission to find the truth behind his son’s death. Why was Brian in the tower that morning? Had he anticipated the attack? Suspecting a cover-up of a deeper truth, Jimmy must confront his family, friends, and old colleagues in the police department to discover what happened to Brian and who his eldest son really was.
Murphy’s investigation takes him from his home turf in the Irish American enclave of Rockaway Beach to Muslim Atlantic Avenue and beyond in order to find his own truth about 9/11. Dry-eyed and determined, Murphy battles barstool patriotism, the NYPD blue wall of silence, and a ticking clock—all the while haunted by his own secrets and the raw memory of his difficult relationship with his dead son.
Written by author and musician Larry Kirwan, Rockaway Blue is a thrilling and poignant story of a family struggling to pull itself together after an unthinkable trauma. Larry Kirwan was the leader of New York-based Irish political rock band Black 47 for 25 years. He is author of five previous books, including, Liverpool Fantasy, Rockin’ The Bronx, and Green Suede Shoes, and sixteen plays and musicals, including Hard Times and Rebel in the Soul. Kirwan also hosts Celtic Crush a popular radio show on Sirius/XM.
Untold Stories of the Titanic: The Only Black Passenger
A virtual lecture by Kellie Carter Jackson Ph.D. The sinking of the Titanic in April 1912 generated a plethora of books, films, and exhibitions. But the tragic story of Haitian engineer Joseph Laroche (1886-1912), his French wife, and their children and descendants have been largely excluded from history. In this lecture, Carter Jackson explores the unexplored aspect of race, and traces how Laroche’s story allows us to better understand the possibilities and limitations of black travel at the time of the Titanic tragedy.
Kellie Carter Jackson is the Knafel Assistant Professor of the Humanities in the Department of Africana Studies at Wellesley College. She was also the 2019-2020 Newhouse Faculty Fellow for the Center of the Humanities at Wellesley College. Carter Jackson's research focuses on slavery and the abolitionists, violence as a political discourse, historical film, and black women’s history. She earned her B.A at her beloved Howard University and her Ph.D from Columbia University working with the esteemed historian Eric Foner. Her book, Force & Freedom: Black Abolitionists and the Politics of Violence (University of Pennsylvania Press), examines the conditions that led some black abolitionists to believe slavery might only be abolished by violent force. In Force and Freedom, Carter Jackson provides the first historical analysis exclusively focused on the tactical use of violence among antebellum black activists. Force and Freedom is a finalist for the Frederick Douglass Book Prize, winner of the James H. Broussard Best First Book Prize given by SHEAR (Society for Historians of the Early American Republic) and a finalist for the Museum of African American History (MAAH) Stone Book Prize Award for 2019. The Washington Post listed Force and Freedom as one of 13 books to read on the history of Black America for those who really want to learn. Her interview, “A History of Violent Protest” on Slate’s What’s Next podcast was listed as one of the best of 2020.
Carter Jackson is also co-editor of Reconsidering Roots: Race, Politics, & Memory (Athens: University of Georgia Press). With a forward written by Henry Louis Gates Jr., Reconsidering Roots is the first scholarly collection of essays devoted entirely to understanding the remarkable tenacity of Alex Haley’s visual, cultural, and political influence on American history. Carter Jackson and Erica Ball have also edited a Special Issue on the 40th Anniversary of Roots for Transition Magazine (Issue 122}. Together, Ball and Carter Jackson have curated the largest collection essays dedicated to the history and impact of Roots. Carter Jackson was also featured in the History Channel's documentary, Roots: A History Revealed which was nominated for a NAACP Image Award in 2016.
Carter Jackson is a co-host on the podcast, “This Day in Political Esoteric History” with Jody Avirgan and Nicole Hemmer. Her essays have been featured in The Washington Post, The Atlantic, The Los Angeles Times, NPR, Time, The Conversation, Boston’s NPR Blog Cognoscenti, Black Perspectives, and Quartz. She has also been interviewed for her expertise for MSNBC, SkyNews (UK) New York Times, PBS, Vox, The Huff Post, the BBC, Boston Public Radio, Al Jazeera International, Slate, The Telegraph, Reader’s Digest, CBC, and Radio One. Carter Jackson also sits on the board for Transition Magazine where other essays of hers have been published. She has been featured in a host of documentaries on history and race in the United States. Carter Jackson is also a commissioner for the Massachusetts Historical Commission, where she represents the Museum of African American History in Boston.
Her current book manuscript is titled, “Losing Laroche: the Story of the Only Black Passenger on the Titanic.” She examines the story of the Haitian Joseph Laroche, his French wife, and their descendants which is largely unknown and demonstrates how we have imagined Atlantic travel on the Titanic as a set of white privileges. While much has been researched on the Titanic regarding its construction, crew, and passengers; Carter Jackson explores the unexplored aspect of race and our obsession with one ship thought to be supreme. She traces how Laroche allows us to better understand the possibilities and limitations of black travel in the Titanic moment and our love affair with whiteness and wealth.
The Oystermen of Captains' Row
Tonight's program kicks off with a fun and clever musical round by Bob Wright & Harbortown! Followed by a virtual lecture by historian Patricia Salmon. One stretch of Richmond Terrace, historically known as the Shore Road, was referred to as “Captains’ Row” owing to the many ship captains who purchased or built fine homes along the thoroughfare. This program will analyze their lives and livelihoods, as well as the local oyster industry which provided their income.
Patricia M. Salmon retired as Curator of History at the Staten Island Museum in 2012. A Staten Island resident for almost fifty years, she was a Naturalist/Historian at Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve in that borough for eight years. Ms. Salmon has authored the books Realms of History: The Cemeteries of Staten Island, The Staten Island Ferry: A History, Murder & Mayhem on Staten Island and Staten Island Slayings: Murderers and Mysteries of the Forgotten Borough. A board member of the Tottenville Historical Society, she is a consultant to the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island and an adjunct professor at Wagner College in Staten Island.
The History of the Staten Island Ferry
Most people do not realize that ferries have existed to and from Staten Island since the time of the Lenape. As the island evolved and its transportation system became more elaborate the ferries that operated also changed. This video features more than 400 years of Staten Island ferry service, and it includes the entrepreneurs involved, the ferryboats themselves, and the landings that existed all around this once isolated island.
Patricia M. Salmon retired as Curator of History at the Staten Island Museum in 2012. A Staten Island resident for almost fifty years, she was a Naturalist/Historian at Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve in that borough for eight years. Ms. Salmon has authored the books Realms of History: The Cemeteries of Staten Island, The Staten Island Ferry: A History, Murder & Mayhem on Staten Island and Staten Island Slayings: Murderers and Mysteries of the Forgotten Borough. A board member of the Tottenville Historical Society, she is a consultant to the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island and an adjunct professor at Wagner College in Staten Island.
Mariners' Family Asylum
Historian Pat Salmon's presentation looks at an institution that was officially opened in Stapleton in 1853. Over the years it was home to thousands of women who were unable to care for themselves after the mariners who supported them retired, were lost at sea, or were permanently injured. The history of how and who built the facility, who the 'inmates" were, and why Staten Island was chosen to house these women is featured.
Patricia M. Salmon retired as Curator of History at the Staten Island Museum in 2012. A Staten Island resident for almost fifty years, she was a Naturalist/Historian at Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve in that borough for eight years. Ms. Salmon has authored the books Realms of History: The Cemeteries of Staten Island, The Staten Island Ferry: A History, Murder & Mayhem on Staten Island and Staten Island Slayings: Murderers and Mysteries of the Forgotten Borough. A board member of the Tottenville Historical Society, she is a consultant to the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island and an adjunct professor at Wagner College in Staten Island.
Virtual Reading: The Tempest
Jill Levenberg discovered Shakespeare at 12-years-old and fell in love with his writings. She earned her MA in Literature with her Master’s thesis titled “The Indeterminate Nature of Ariel and His Determinate Humanity” from the College of Staten Island She has worked as an Adjunct Lecturer teaching writing as well as working on her PhD in Literacy from Hofstra University. She sports a tattoo of the famous writer.
Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre Company presents the works of Shakespeare, and other classical theatre, in ‘site-specific’ locations, to provide an environmental theatrical experience. Dedicated to the cultural enrichment and education of the borough and beyond, SIST strives to illuminate the universal and lasting relevance of the classics for contemporary audiences.
Since 1975 the mission of Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre (SIST) is to bring high quality Shakespearean, classical, and original theatre to the residents of Staten Island, and to provide an artistic opportunity for the actors, directors, and designers who have chosen to make that community their home.
SIST embraces its present itinerant circumstances and is the only theatre company on Staten Island that presents at least one full production that is outdoors and free to the public at beautiful and exciting locations throughout Staten Island. Although we continue to travel throughout the Island, SIST is in the partnership with the National park Service as the official resident theatre company of Fort Wadsworth, Gateway National Recreation Area.
As one of the oldest theatre companies on Staten Island, SIST has been through many challenges and changes. For over 25 years, the company was in residence in its exclusive performance space in the Nurse’s Residence on the grounds of the Seaview Hospital and Rehabilitation Center in the center of Staten Island. In 2006, The Staten Island Shakespearean Theatre was forced to leave its long time home to make way for much needed senior citizen assisted living facilities on the hospital campus. The company, which was then being guided by actor, designer, and director Wayne Miller, embarked on its first “site-specific” series of performances at the Third County Courthouse in Historic Richmond Town. This was continued under the guidance of subsequent directors, including Ritty Mahoney and Ken Tirado, who spearheaded the first free outdoor productions in front of Borough Hall and the Greenbelt.
Today under the artistic direction of Frank Williams, and a new galvanizing Board of Directors headed by Cara S.Liander, a momentum has been created that is propelling the theatre company towards a future of expansion and growth.
Made on the Kill Van Kull
The Kill Van Kull was an important waterway going back to the 1700s. Villages soon developed where ferries had begun operating. Nineteenth-century industrial inventions and innovations brought economic changes to Staten Island around 1818 when a dye house and printing works was established in West New Brighton. The New-York Dyeing and Printing Establishment was soon followed by an array of companies from Mariner’s Harbor to New Brighton. Flour, paint, soap, gypsum board, ships, ferries, and more were manufactured along the Kill Van Kull. Even a whaling company-operated! Discover the stories behind these enterprises during “Made on the Kill Van Kull.”
Patricia M. Salmon retired as Curator of History at the Staten Island Museum in 2012. A Staten Island resident for almost fifty years, she was a Naturalist/Historian at Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve in that borough for eight years. Ms. Salmon has authored the books Realms of History: The Cemeteries of Staten Island, The Staten Island Ferry: A History, Murder & Mayhem on Staten Island and Staten Island Slayings: Murderers and Mysteries of the Forgotten Borough. A board member of the Tottenville Historical Society, she is a consultant to the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island and an adjunct professor at Wagner College in Staten Island.
Haunted Tales of Old Staten Island
We are pleased to present Haunted Tales of Old Staten Island, a virtual lecture by historian Patricia Salmon. Travel back to a darker, quieter Staten Island, before automobiles and street lights illuminated the roadways, when British soldiers trotted through our current neighborhoods on horseback, and strange occurrences happened around every bend. Pat recounts the folklore of local historic houses, and talks about the mysterious characters who shaped the borough's spooky past.
Patricia M. Salmon retired as Curator of History at the Staten Island Museum in 2012. A Staten Island resident for almost fifty years, she was a Naturalist/Historian at Clay Pit Ponds State Park Preserve in that borough for eight years. Ms. Salmon has authored the books Realms of History: The Cemeteries of Staten Island, The Staten Island Ferry: A History, Murder & Mayhem on Staten Island and Staten Island Slayings: Murderers and Mysteries of the Forgotten Borough. A board member of the Tottenville Historical Society, she is a consultant to the Friends of Abandoned Cemeteries of Staten Island and an adjunct professor at Wagner College in Staten Island.
Credits
The Noble Maritime Collection's public programs are supported, in part, with public funds from the New York City Department of Cultural Affairs, in partnership with former District 49 Councilwoman Debi Rose and the City Council; the New York State Council on the Arts with the support of Governor Kathy Hochul and the New York State Legislature; a Humanities New York SHARP Grant with support from the National Endowment for the Humanities and the federal American Rescue Plan Act*; and grants from the Lily Auchincloss Foundation and the Investors Foundation.
*Any views, findings, conclusions or recommendations expressed in this publication do not necessarily represent those of the National Endowment for the Humanities.
