Letter from the Editors

Welcome to the second century of New York History! This new century marks several changes here at the journal, all of which will ensure its continued success for another 100 years and beyond. New York History is now under the proprietorship of Cornell University Press and edited by the New York State Museum staff members Jennifer Lemak, Chief Curator of History, and Devin Lander, State Historian, along with the University of Maryland's Robert Chiles. State Museum Senior Historian Aaron Noble is the new Reviews Editor. Over the years the State Museum has worked to bridge the gap among historians across New York – academic historians, museum professionals, municipal historians, public historians, and students – and we expect the journal will augment those efforts. To this end, we anticipate expanding offerings pertaining to public history, digital scholarship, museum studies, and new standing features such as Artifact NY and Community NY, while continuing to feature more traditional academic essays and maintaining a rigorous process of peer review. The journal will also begin volume 100 by transitioning to semi-annual publication and will once again be available in both print and digital formats.

Begun in 1919 as the The Quarterly Journal of the New York State Historical Association, the journal came into existence the same year that the New York State Legislature passed the law giving every village, town and city the legal power to appoint a historian responsible for preserving the history of his or her locality and fostering a local interest in history. The journal has always been connected with the idea that a proper understanding of history is a necessary good of public life. Indeed, the first two editors of the journal were the State Historians James Sullivan (1919–1924) and Alexander Flick (1924–1939) and, with the current State Historian acting as a co-editor, the journal is returning to its roots connecting public and academic history.

We are indebted to Professors Thomas D. Beal, D.L. Noorlander and Susan Goodier from the SUNY Oneonta Department of History for much of the material present in this issue, for which they began the editorial process. From 2012-2019, these historians acted as editors and stewards of New York History and gave countless hours of tireless dedication to ensuring the continued success of the publication. Their work left a lasting mark on New York History and we are honored that they have joined the journal's Editorial Advisory Board. A sincere thank you to Thomas, D.L. and Susan for all of their hard work.

We would also like to thank the members of the journal's Editorial Advisory Board. This is a diverse group of academic and public historians from across New York State who bring decades of experience and professional qualifications to their role as advisors. Their collective vision and understanding of the complexities of New York State history will help guide the journal forward into its second century. We would especially like to acknowledge the continued participation on the Editorial Advisory Board of Patricia U. Bonomi, who has served as a member of the journal's board since 1974 and continues to offer insightful guidance to the editors.

And finally, we would like to thank Cornell University Press for their dedication to ensuring that New York History thrives into its second century. Without the Press taking over publication duties for the journal, it would have faced an uncertain future. We are particularly, thankful for the dedication and hard work put forth by Senior Editor Michael J. McGandy.

The Empire State's history is rich and diverse; full of triumph and tragedy. It is our goal to ensure that New York History continues to represent the best that the field of New York State history has to offer. We take this task and responsibility extremely seriously and look forward to beginning the next chapter of the journal's history.