CALL FOR PAPERS

The Rensselaer County Historical Society in Troy, New York is presenting a
call for papers to be delivered at its Fall 2001 conference, "Advancing
Prosperity: Reexamining Life and Culture in Upstate New York, 1825-1861."
The recent exhibition, Art and the Empire City, New York 1825-1861, and the
accompanying publication, both produced by the Metropolitan Museum of Art
in New York City, has provided the impetus for a reexamination of the
period 1825 to 1861 for upstate New York as well.  On the occasion of the
grand reopening of the Rensselaer County Historical Society's Joseph B.
Carr Building at 57 Second Street, Troy, New York, RCHS will hold a two-day
conference which will bring together curators, historians, students of
history and material culture, and interested members of the public to focus
on upstate New York during the first half of the nineteenth century.  Carol
Kammen, Cornell University, well-known historian and author of On Doing
Local History, will be the keynote speaker for the conference and will
provide an overview of upstate New York at this time.

The conference will augment RCHS's temporary exhibition entitled "Advancing
Prosperity: Life and Culture in Troy and Rensselaer County, 1825" which
will focus on the pivotal year 1825 to look at a number of forces, national
and local, that were at work in Troy and Rensselaer County.  These forces,
used as themes in the exhibit, included changing consumer trade patterns,
improvements in household technology, increased ethnic and religious
diversity, the change from a commercial/craft-based economy to one based on
industrial production, developments in urban planning, architecture, and
the fine and decorative arts, and, of course, transportation with the
opening of the Erie Canal.  They not only produced the well-known
industrial strength of Troy later in the century and impacted the rest of
the county well into the 20th century, but also were at work in many other
upstate communities during the same period.

The goal of the conference is to inspire renewed interest in this important
period of New York State history and highlight recent scholarship.  RCHS is
soliciting program ideas for this conference which will be held in the
newly renovated Carr Building facility November 2 and 3, 2001.
Participants will be asked to prepare a half hour presentation, preferrably
with visuals, on topics related to the themes noted above.  Panel
discussions are also encouraged.

Please submit a one page description of your proposed session by May 31,
2001 to Stacy Pomeroy Draper, RCHS Curator (RCHS, 59 Second Street, Troy,
NY 12180).  Final decision on the conference program will be made by June
15, 2001.  Each participant will be asked to provide a paper for possible
publication of conference proceedings by RCHS at a later date.  Any
questions may be directed to Ms. Draper at [log in to unmask] or
(518)272-7232.

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