Farewell, George Washington

nys library washington farewell addressThis weekend at the State Museum: From New York to the White House, New York Residents Who Became President, which runs Friday-Sunday. Blurbage:

The exhibition will include several important artifacts from the George Washington Collection at the New York State Library, including an original draft of George Washington's Farewell Address, penned in his hand, which was sent to Alexander Hamilton for comment and revision on May 15, 1796. It was rescued from the fire that ravaged the State Capitol in 1911. One of Washington's dress swords will also be on display. According to Washington family tradition, the sword was presented to Washington by Frederick the Great, King of Prussia. The sword was purchased by the State of New York directly from Washington's family in 1871 and is depicted in the Washington portrait that hangs in the United States House of Representatives.

Speaking of presidential documents... Abraham Lincoln's preliminary Emancipation Proclamation will also be on display on the second floor of the Capitol this Friday and Saturday.

Gordon Parks: You can rack up a triple-exhibit score if you also stop by the Gordon Parks photography exhibit at the State Museum.

Oh, and by the way: the State Museum is closed on President's Day. (Mondays are its usual closed day.)

photo: New York State Library

Comments

Washington's sword survived the capitol fire - though it needed to be straightened out after it was pulled from the ashes.

Say Something!

We'd really like you to take part in the conversation here at All Over Albany. But we do have a few rules here. Don't worry, they're easy. The first: be kind. The second: treat everyone else with the same respect you'd like to see in return. Cool? Great, post away. Comments are moderated so it might take a little while for your comment to show up. Thanks for being patient.

What's All Over Albany?

All Over Albany is for interested and interesting people in New York's Capital Region. In other words, it's for you. It's kind of like having a smart, savvy friend who can help you find out what's up. Oh, and our friends call us AOA.

Search

Recently on All Over Albany

Thank you!

When we started AOA a decade ago we had no idea what was going to happen. And it turned out better than we could have... (more)

Let's stay in touch

This all feels like the last day of camp or something. And we're going to miss you all so much. But we'd like to stay... (more)

A few things I think about this place

Working on AOA over the past decade has been a life-changing experience for me and it's shaped the way I think about so many things.... (more)

Albany tightened its rules for shoveling snowy sidewalks last winter -- so how'd that work out?

If winter ever gets its act together and drops more snow on us, there will be sidewalks to shovel. And shortly after that, Albany will... (more)

Tea with Jack McEneny

Last week we were fortunate enough to spend a few minutes with Jack McEneny -- former state Assemblyman, unofficial Albany historian, and genuinely nice guy.... (more)

Recent Comments

My three year old son absolutely loving riding the train around Huck Finn's (Hoffman's) Playland this summer.

Thank you!

...has 27 comments, most recently from Ashley

Let's stay in touch

...has 4 comments, most recently from mg

A look inside 2 Judson Street

...has 3 comments, most recently from Diane (Agans) Boyle

Everything changes: Alicia Lea

...has 2 comments, most recently from Chaz Boyark

A few things I think about this place

...has 13 comments, most recently from Katherine