“Immigration in New York State, 1650-1950,” a New York Heritage Digital Collections display, is coming to Montauk Library where it will be on view for the whole month of October.
The traveling exhibit is provided by the Long Island Library Resources Council and it focuses on historic immigration to New York State starting from the arrival of Dutch settlers through the end of World War II.
New York State has long been the destination for thousands escaping persecution, natural disasters, financial ruin and conflict in their homelands in the hope of building new lives for themselves and their children. “Immigration in New York State, 1650-1950” honors the ways in which immigrants have built a vibrant, diverse and modern New York State. At the same time, it does not overlook the suffering New York’s history represents and the disruption caused by the arrival of European immigrants — Indigenous people were pushed off their lands; enslaved African peoples were bought and sold and subjected to harsh if not horrific conditions; and many immigrants themselves were subjected to exploitation through indentured servitude, low wages and unsafe working conditions. New York’s history bears all of these imprints.
This New York Heritage Digital Collections exhibition was curated by David Hochfelder (SUNY University at Albany) and Karen Pastorello (SUNY Tompkins Cortland Community College), with project management and additional contributions from Julia Corrice (Cornell University), Claire Lovell (SCRLC), Ryan Perry (CLRC), Nicole Menchise (LILRC), and Heidi Ziemer (WNYLRC).
The New York Heritage Digital Collections lacks significant representation of immigrants — particularly recent immigration to New York. To address this shortcoming, New York Heritage is actively prioritizing the addition of materials depicting under-represented groups. If you have access to materials of note, please reach out to New York Heritage.
Staff Writer on Sep 19, 2023