WHAT IS NORTH COUNTRY AT WORK?

NORTH COUNTRY AT WORK (NCAW) is a North Country Public Radio project exploring the work history and contemporary economic landscape of each of the communities in the Adirondack North Country. Our starting point is photographs—images of people at work, the tools they use, the spaces their work occupies or impacts. From that starting point, we expand to personal stories, oral histories and other content to deepen our understanding of how the livelihoods of people across northern New York looked in earlier times, how the work has changed and continues to change, how the work we do in one community relates to work being done elsewhere in the region, and how our experience is part of a larger rural experience throughout the United States.

Our basic premise: everyone has a photo or work-related story to share. We all work. It all adds up to make this NCAW as illuminating and meaningful as possible.

The content for this digital space has been gathered—and continues to be gathered—at locations across the region. We collaborate with town historians, librarians, scholars, museum staff, nonprofit organizations and citizens who have collected and cherish the often hidden history of their communities. NCAW is a cooperative undertaking, and we encourage your contribution to the big story.

Contact us at [email protected]. 

 

DONORS and SUPPORTERS

Early and generous support for this on-going, ever-growing project has come from the following sources—people at each of these organizations believed in our vision. Thank you.

• National Endowment for the Humanities (NEH) Digital Division
• NY Humanities
• Cloudsplitter Foundation
• Adirondack Foundation (Charles B. Decker Fund)
• Northern New York Community Foundation
• Public Employees Federation, Region 7 (Essex, Clinton, Franklin and St Lawrence Counties)
• J.M. McDonald Foundation, Inc.
• Wyncote Foundation
• NY State Regional Economic Development Councils
• AIR (Association of Independents in Media) : Localore LIVE grant

 

COLLABORATING INSTITUTIONS

Here is the growing list of organizations which have provided assistance to the project—allowing us access to their photography collections, connecting us with community members who have photos and stories to share, and making us feel welcome in towns across the North Country. Thank you all.

Historical Associations and Town Historians of the Adirondack North Country

• Hammond Historical Society
• Philadelphia Historical Society
• Heuvelton Historical Society
• Historic Saranac Lake
• Dexter Historical Association
• Colton Historical Society
• Jefferson County Historical Association
• Lawrence County Historical Association
• Four Rivers Historical Society (Town of Champion)
• Goodsell Museum
• Hamilton County Historian
• Alexandria Township Historical Society
• Clinton County Historical Association

Regional Public Libraries and Spaces

• Whallonsburg Grange Hall
• Bodman Memorial Library
• Pickens Hall in Heuvelton
• Saranac Lake Free Library
• Dexter Free Library
• Lawrence University Library Archives
• Carthage Free Library
• Long Lake Public Library
• Keene Valley Library

Regional Museums

• Hammond Museum
• Potsdam Museum
• Town of Clifton Museum
• Adirondack Experience: Museum on Blue Mountain Lake
• Adirondack History Center Museum
• Chapman Museum
• Town of Diana Historical Museum
• Gateway Museum
• Lyon Mountain Mining and Railroad Museum

Other participating organizations

• TAUNY, Traditional Arts in Upstate New York (Jill Breit)
• ANCA, Adirondack North Country Association (Kate Fish)
• Akwesasne Cultural Center (Sue Herne and Derrick King)

 

OUR TEAM

The North Country at Work core team is:

• Ellen Rocco, Project Director
• Amy Feiereisel, Project Coordinator and Designer
• Claire Mendes, Outreach Coordinator
• Dale Hobson, Digital Editor
• Bill Haenel, Digital Manager
• Graeme Hoffman, Digital Developer
• Bryan Thompson, Project Historian
• Eric Williams-Bergen, Archives Advisor

Interns (big thanks for their hard work and day-in-day-out dedication): 

• Ana Williams-Bergen, Platform Content Assistant (Summers of 2017 and 2018)
• Tyler Flanagan (Fall 2018)
• Nora Bradford (Summer 2018)
• Erin Waters (November 2017 – Spring 2018)
• Cleo Muller (November-December of 2016)
• Ricky Blackburn (March-May of 2017)

Special Advisors: 

• Jordan Walker
• Elizabeth Folwell
• Hallie Bond

Scholars: 

• Gerald Taiaiake Alfred (University of Victoria)
• Thomas Baker (SUNY Potsdam)
• Larry Boyette (St. Lawrence University)
• Ileen Devault (Cornell University)
• Kenneth Fones-Wolf (West Virginia University)
• M.J. Heisey (SUNY Potsdam)
• Scott Manning (Syracuse University)
• Jason Newton (Cornell University)
• Christopher Robinson (Clarkson University)
• Melissanne Schrems (St. Lawrence University)
• Randi Storch (SUNY Cortland)
• Gerald Zahavi (SUNY Albany)