ALBANY WEEKEND - DECEMBER 8-9

Special thanks to TIME WARNER CABLE, the City of Albany and all who participated for their time, support and partnership!  

Highlighted below is the Albany programming that will air throughout this weekend. In addition to having the below pieces sprinkled in throughout the weekend on the respective networks, both AHTV and BOOK TV will have a block of programming where ALL of the respective Albany pieces for their networks will air. 

• C-SPAN2’s BookTV - SATURDAY, DECEMBER 8^th at 12 pm
• C-SPAN3’s American History TV (AHTV) – SUNDAY, DECEMBER 9^th at 5pm. 

AHTV FEATURES

Tour

• The historic New York State Capitol building to learn about the history, art and architecture of this distinctive structure. While there, we’ll also hear the    stories of numerous New York governors who have run for and either won or lost their races for the US presidency- as we look at their portraits in the building’s Hall of Governors.

Visit

• The September 11^th Exhibit at the New York State Museum. The New York State Museum holds the world’s largest collection of artifacts gathered from Ground Zero following the 9/11 attacks in NYC. Walk through that day and those that followed with the museum’s director. 

See

• Early American documents, including the correspondence of Benedict Arnold that proved him to be a traitor, as we take you inside the collections of the New York State Archives 

• Abraham Lincoln’s Preliminary Emancipation Proclamation as we visit the New York State Museum’s exhibit on this rare document. The exhibit examines the document and shows how its wording was used by Martin Luther King in his speeches during the American Civil Rights movement. 

Explore

• The USS Slater. Docked in Albany, this WWII destroyer escort is the only ship of its type still afloat in America. While on board, our tour will take us through the different areas of operation as we learn about the role these ships played in sinking German U-boats during the war and what life was like on board for crews made up mostly of teenage boys.

BOOK TV FEATURES

Visit

• The New York State Writers Institute. While there, we talk with the Institute’s director about this state mandated and funded place that promotes cultural initiatives for the general public as well as sponsoring author visits and residencies, writing workshops, stage readings and other activities.

• The New York Talking Book and Braille Library. This federally funded library is part of the Library of Congress and provides Braille, recorded books, magazines and the necessary equipment to residents unable to read standard printed materials.

• The Book House of Stuyvesant Plaza as we hear about this local independent bookstore’s history and the Albany literary scene.

Learn about

• “O Albany” with author William Kennedy as he discusses the history of party politics in New York’s capital city. 

Tour

• SUNY Albany Library Special Collections as we see their Death Penalty books and artifacts collection. This part of the library is a unique collection detailing the over 16,000 death penalty cases in the history of the United States.

Hear

• Author Sally Friedman talk about her book “Dilemmas of Representation: Local Politics, National Factors, and the Home Styles of Modern US Congress Members.” In her book, Friedman profiles 10 members of the New York US Congressional delegation and focuses on their styles while back in the state compared to their workings in Washington.

• Author Jack Casey on his book “Kateri Tekakwitha: Lily of the Mohawks.” Kateri was a Mohawk woman who survived smallpox, lost her family to the disease, and was eventually baptized as a Roman Catholic. The book was recently re-released in light of Tekakwitha becoming the first-ever Native American saint this past October.

• Author and Port Commissioner of Albany Robert Cross talk about “Shepherds of the Sea.” This book details the unique role of US Destroyer Escort ships in the sinking of German U-boats during World War II.

For more information on the Local Content Vehicles tour of U.S. cities, go to www.c-span.org/localcontent

C-SPAN's MONTPELIER WEEKEND - NOVEMBER 3-4

Special thanks to COMCAST, the City of Montpelier and all who participated for their time, support and partnership!

Highlighted below is the Montpelier programming that will air throughout this weekend. In addition to having the below pieces sprinkled in throughout the weekend on the respective networks, both AHTV and BOOK TV will have a block of programming where ALL of the respective Montpelier pieces for their networks will air. 

• C-SPAN2’s Book TV - SATURDAY, November 3^rd at 12 pm
• C-SPAN3’s American History TV (AHTV) – SUNDAY, November 4^th at 5pm. 

AHTV FEATURES

Tour 

• The historic Vermont State House with State curator David Schutz. Learn about the two men from Vermont who became President and landmark legislation passed by the legislature including the right to form civil unions.  

Visit 

• Morse Farm Maple Sugarworks with 7th generation owner Burr Morse. Hear about the history of Maple Syrup, the sugaring process and how maple syrup was first discovered.  Vermont is the biggest U.S. producer of Maple Syrup which is an economic and cultural staple that has helped to shape the identity of the state. 
•  Rock of Ages Granite Quarry. Hear about the history of the granite industry in Vermont and what is believed to be the largest deep hole dimension granite quarry in operation in the world, located right outside of Montpelier. Rock of Ages granite is used in some of the country’s most historic memorials and structures. 

 See

• Vermont Historical Society Icons, Oddities and Wonders Exhibit. Curator Jackie Calder highlights exhibit items including a flag used by the Ku Klux Klan in Montpelier and a rare U.S. Tax Act Stamps set created in1798 thought to be the only one of its kind left. 

Explore

• Vermont State Archives special Eugenics Movement collection.  Hear state archivist Tanya Marshall talk about the history of the eugenics movement in Vermont and see a study conducted by a University of Vermont  professor interested in eliminating "defective" traits in Vermonters.  

Learn about

• Montpelier native Admiral George Dewey and his role in the Spanish-American war, launching the U.S. onto the world stage. Dewey was also the only person in the history of the United States to have attained the rank of Admiral of the Navy, the most senior rank in the United States Navy.
• Historic Vermont floods. Go inside the Vermont State Archives to see damage from two storms that hit Vermont nearly a century apart. See the records from the flood of 1927 and the damage from hurricane Irene that hit Vermont in 2011

BOOK TV FEATURES

Learn about

• Author Howard Coffin’s new book “Something Abides: Discovering the Civil War in Today's Vermont”.  Hear Coffin talk about Vermont's role in the Civil War  and visit several Civil War historical sites highlighted in  his new book   
•  “Freedom & Unity: A History of Vermont” from author Michael Sherman. 

Visit

• Montpelier independent bookstore Bear Pond Books. Hear owner Claire Benedict talk about the store’s longstanding role in the community, the impact of commercial competition and how the store has survived for nearly 40 years.  
• Vermont Historical Society Library's Vault to see items including Calvin Coolidge's photo album, a collection of Civil War photography from George Houghton, a rare first edition copy of Vermont's Revolutionary War Hero Ethan Allen's Reason, the Only Oracle of Man and more.

Hear

• Vermont College of Fine Arts Founder and President Tom Greene talk about the Montpelier literary culture and one of the first low residency Masters of Fine Arts in Writing Programs in the country. 
• Author Woden Teachout talk about the topic of her new book (co-authored with Susan Clark) “Slow Democracy: Rediscovering Community, Bringing Decision Making Back Home” and how citizens can successfully govern themselves on a local level. 

See

• Author Frank Bryan talk about his book (co-authored with Susan Clark) “All Those In Favor: Rediscovering the Secrets of Town Meeting and Community”.

For more information on the Local Content Vehicles tour of U.S. cities, go to www.c-span.org/localcontent

MAINE'S CAPITAL CITY WEEKEND - October 6-7

Special thanks to Time Warner Cable, the City of Augusta and all who participated for their time, support and partnership!

Highlighted below is the Augusta programming that will air throughout this weekend. In addition to having the below pieces sprinkled in throughout the weekend on the respective networks, both AHTV and BOOK TV will have a block of programming where ALL of the respective Augusta pieces for their networks will air. 

• C-SPAN2’s Book TV - SATURDAY, OCTOBER 6^th at 12 pm

• C-SPAN3’s American History TV (AHTV) – SUNDAY, OCTOBER 7^th at 5pm. 

 AHTV FEATURES

Tour

• the Blaine House with Maine State Historian Earle Shettleworth. Learn about Maine's governor's mansion and its namesake James G. Blaine, an American political figure during the mid- to late-19th century.
• the Maine State House as we go inside this historic building. Tour guide Dan Fournier tells the history of the building and some of the stories related to governors throughout the state's history.

See

• Malaga Island's artifacts archaeologists uncovered after its mixed-race inhabitants were ordered to leave in 1912. Hear from a descendant whose family was evicted about life on the island.
• Civil War documents that tell the story of Maine's role during the Civil War and hear how the war impacted the state from Maine's state archivist David Cheever.

Learn about

• Supreme Court Justice Melville Fuller from his great, great grand-nephew Robert Fuller. Fuller was the eighth chief justice who presided over Plessy v. Ferguson, which decision established the phrase "separate but equal."

Visit

• Old Fort Western. Built during the French and Indian Wars, this fort served as stopping point on the Kennebec River, and later turned into a trading post for American settlers. We take you inside this historic fort to hear how it impacted the growth of the town now known as Augusta.
• the Edwards Dam as we learn about its history and the U.S. government's role in the removal of the dam in 1999. Built on the Kennebec River in Augusta in 1837, its elimination led the way for other dam removals across the country.
• the Maine State Museum Penobscot Expedition as we learn about artifacts removed from the underwater wreckage of the Defense -- a small ship that took part in the Penobscot Expedition in 1779. The Penobscot Expedition was the worst U.S. naval defeat until Pearl Harbor.

Hear

• Maine's First Lady Ann LePage as she talks about life inside the Blaine House and what it's like being the first lady of Maine.

·         Pulitzer-prize winning journalist Barbara Walsh talk about covering the Willie Horton story and its impact on the Bush/Dukakis campaign.

 BookTV FEATURES

Learn about

• American abolitionist and author Harriet Beecher Stowe, as we visit the church where she had the vision of Uncle Tom, the inspiration and main character of Uncle Tom's Cabin; the home where Beecher Stowe and her family lived while she wrote the book; and Bowdoin College Special Collections to see original National Era editions and first edition books of her works. 
• Hitler's African Victims: The German Army Massacres of Black French Soldiers in 1940 as we hear author Raffael Scheck talk about black colonial troops serving with the French army who were murdered by members of the German military during its WWII campaign against France.

Explore

• the Maine State Library Special Collections as we learn about their first edition copy of the Book of Mormon (published 1830), the diaries of midwife Martha Ballard, Comfort Magazine (the first magazine to reach a million subscribers), and the collection of pictures and writings from Myron Avery, creator of the Appalachian Trail. 
• the life and career of Oliver Otis Howard through his collection of letters, pictures, and writings housed at Bowdoin College. Oliver Otis Howard, an 1850 graduate of Bowdoin College, was a career United States Army officer, Union general in the American Civil War, and founder of Howard University.

 See

• Maine's former Senator George J. Mitchell's personal collection, located at the Bowdoin College Special Collections, where we learn about his political career and his life before and after public office.

 Hear

• Pulitzer Prize-winning journalist and author Barbara Walsh talk about the story of two storms, the 1935 Newfoundland Hurricane that claimed several of her ancestors and the family storm created by her grandfather in August Gale.
• Elizabeth Leonard talk about her 2012 Gilder Lehrman Lincoln Prize-winning book Lincoln's Forgotten Ally.
• author Larissa J. Taylor talk about her book The Virgin Warrior: The Life and Death of Joan of Arc.

  

For more information on the Local Content Vehicles tour of U.S. cities, go to www.cspan.org/localcontent