Martin Van Buren National Historic Site

Economic crises often define the periods of history in which they occur and are remembered powerfully because of it. Before the Great Depression defined the 1930's however, the Panic of 1837 defined Van Buren's presidency. It began today, May 10th 1837, when several New York banks announced they would no longer redeem paper money at face value. The Panic of 1837 may have been the worst financial crisis in U.S. history until the Great Depression hit almost 100 years later. Out... of the over eight hundred banks in the United States half would fail either completely or partially, with most of them failing completely. Thousands lost their jobs as businesses collapsed across the entire nation and those who kept their jobs experienced a sharp deflation of wages. It would take over five years for the economy to fully recover. The causes of the panic were not fully understood at the time, but are now understood to be both domestic and international in origin. Speculative lending practices, and a land bubble in the United States as well as strict British banking policies were all responsible for the economic collapse. At the time however Martin Van Buren, and his predecessor Andrew Jackson, received most of the blame. In Van Buren's case this is in spite of the fact that he had taken office less than five weeks before the Panic broke out! Ultimately the panic came to define Van Buren's presidency. He attempted to effectively divorce the government from banking by creating the Independent Treasury of the United States. Although the treasury would last until it was replaced by the Federal Reserve many decades later, it was seen as too little too late by the average American and this played a major role in Van Buren's defeat when he ran for reelection. Pictured: A political cartoon lampooning a Van Buren supporter (with Van Buren and Jackson's portraits on the wall) being unable to support their family.

Sharing this post as a head start on welcoming Ranger Annette to Kinderhook, NY. Safe travels and see you soon!

Martin Van Buren was very familiar with horsepower. He loved to ride, both as a means of transport and as a way to spend his time. He also got to experience the development of horsepower in machines both in trains and steamships which were pioneered in his lifetime. Yet one of the most amusing examples of horsepower in machinery was something Van Buren likely never saw in person which was South Carolina's experimentation with horse powered trains. Amusingly given our subject ...the train was given the title "The Flying Dutchman" and it was put into service in 1830 by The South Carolina Canal and Railroad Company in Charleston. The contraption, a model of which is in the Smithsonian, had a horse running on a treadmill as its power source and could transport 12 passengers on two outwards facing benches. The tracks ran only six miles, and could be traversed at the breakneck speed of up to 12 miles an hour. "The Flying Dutchman" was a short lived experiment however, as the company decided to make the change to steam power. Introducing one of the United States first steam locomotive's by the end of the same year. It is unclear how many passengers rode on "The Flying Dutchman". It also wasn't the companies only experiment with unusual propulsion with them experimenting with sail powered locomotives as well. It is easy to forget given the rapid pace of technological progress in Van Buren's time, but it was not always clear which direction a given piece of technology was going to go. Thus perhaps the uncertainty whether the phrase "horsepower" would remain literal or become a figure of speech!

Today we'd like to step slightly outside Van Buren's lifetime to celebrate a birthday! Today marks the 138th anniversary of the passage of the legislation which would create Niagara Reservation, now Niagara Falls State Park, USA! Over the years since the state park has worked to protect the landscape of the falls while also making them accessible to the public. Although efforts to preserve Niagara Falls began at the tail end of Van Buren's lifetime, it would take a number of ...years for those efforts to come to fruition. As a result of this early founding Niagara Falls State Park is in the running for the oldest continually operated state park in the nation! In other state park related news tomorrow here in NY its "I Love My Park Day" which is the largest volunteer day of the year in New York State Parks. If you have the time and inclination we encourage you to help out or visit our fellow parks in the state system! More information can be found here: https://www.dec.ny.gov/public/109545.html

#WordWednesday A new word and new skills! Phenology is the study of cyclic and seasonal natural phenomena, especially in relation to climate, plant, and animal life. https://rangermac.org/ Here in Kinderhook, ten species of trees are being observed, from a historic sycamore to apple trees to lilacs! We go around every week with binoculars and a short checklist for changes during the spring season. ... *Have the first leaves appeared? *Have flower buds or flowers appeared? *Estimate the percentage of open flowers and leaves that are increasing in size. Stay tuned for weekly photographs and observations. We are excited to share this project with you! Image Captions: Three citizen scientists at work! A glimpse of pink color on an apple tree. Apple blossoms.

The last, but certainly not least, day of #NationalParkWeek is a personal favorite of ours, #BARKRangerDay! BARK Rangers are more than just a way to get the furry friends in your life out to parks responsibly it is also an acronym that stands for: Bag your waste Always leash your pet Respect wildlife Know where you can go... Being a responsible BARK Ranger is important and although we may be a little biased we are always excited to see our four legged visitors to the park. So if you have the time on this important day get on out to your local park and let your BARK ranger take you for a walk! Special thanks to BARK rangers, April, Cupcake, Eleanor, Georgia, Ned, and Tibby for giving us such glamorous photos.

#NationalParkWeek #JuniorRangerDay Too nice to stay inside? Look at the Neighborhood and Community pages of the Junior Ranger Activity Book and go for a walk near your home! Who lived and worked there in the past and in the present? https://www.nps.gov/mava/learn/kidsyouth/beajuniorranger.htm

160 years ago today, Abraham Lincoln was declared the victor in the election of 1860 and thus the soon-to be President of the United States. The election of 1860 was a rocky one. With slavery, and its expansion, taking center stage political discourse was increasingly becoming a whirlpool of anger and violence. This divisiveness of slavery created an election that was incredibly contested, and unique in many ways. The election was a four way contest between the Republican pa...rty, the Democratic party split into northern and southern halves, and the Constitutional Union party. All four of these parties received electoral votes making it one of only 2 elections in U. S. history where this has occurred. The Democratic party struggled greatly to choose a candidate that their party, which spanned the nation, could agree on. Ultimately they failed, and after their convention choose Stephen Douglas, the south was furious. Douglas believed in "popular sovereignty," where a territory would choose whether it would allow slavery or not. This was not radically proslavery enough for the south, so with the backing of then President James Buchanan, a separate convention was held. They nominated Vice President John Breckinridge as their candidate. The Constitutional Union party sought to avoid secession by pushing the issue of slavery out of politics, as had been done before. They nominated John Bell of Tennessee as their presidential hopeful. The Republicans campaigned on a platform of leaving slavery alone where it existed, but preventing it from expanding ever again, and Lincoln was nominated as their candidate. Ultimately when it came to the results of the election it is possible that the rapidly expanding population of the north had far more to do with Lincoln's victory than the division of his opponents, as he won absolute majorities in enough states to win the electoral college. However, because Lincoln was not even allowed on the ballot in 10 southern states, he emerged as the victor with less than 40% of the popular vote. Throughout the entire election, Van Buren was uncharacteristically quiet. With the exception of his third party bid in 1848, he had been incredibly consistent in his support of Democratic candidates, even supporting Buchanan in 1856 despite negative private remarks about him. Van Buren quite liked Lincoln as a person; they had met over a decade before in 1842. Yet Van Buren seemingly endorsed no candidate during the election. In the aftermath, as southern states began to secede and the fate of the nation Van Buren had served for 40 years of his life hung in the balance, Van Buren endorsed Lincoln and the war effort against the Confederacy.

Check out this great internship opportunity at our sister parks to the south! The Northeast Archeological Resources Program of the National Park Service is hosting a Community Volunteer Ambassador to be stationed at Hyde Park, NY. The intern will work with regional and park staff to implement an archeological site monitoring program that incorporates volunteers and engages descendant communities associated with the parks near Hyde Park, NY. To learn more and apply for this paid, 50-week internship, visit: https://www.cvainternships.org/ner Scroll down to the Northeast Archeological Resource Program link to view the position description. If you have any questions about the internship position, please contact Dr. Amy Roache-Fedchenko via email at: [email protected]

Following Mortimer the Turtle's strong showing in the Lindenwald Election, Foxy the Fox has officially conceded. Read his statement below: "The people have spoken, and as much as it hurts my heart to say this, Mortimer won. However, we must continue to be friendly. Issues affecting Lindenwald do not need to be completed slowly, and those hard-working rangers deserve their ice cream. Thank you to the wonderful people who cast their vote for me. Continue to be fast and always ...be friendly. Hugs, Foxy the Fox" Thank you to all voters who participated in our special election! #LindenwaldDecision2020 #vote #election #education #kids

The votes are in, and Mortimer the Turtle has emerged victorious as the president-elect of Lindenwald! With both in-person and absentee votes tallied, Mortimer won the election by a margin of 55-33. Mortimer would like to thank his supporters for their votes. Read his acceptance speech here: "Thank you to those who believed in my message enough to vote me President of Lindenwald for the next four years.... I will uphold my promise to provide carrots for the many bunnies who have made their homes on the grounds of Lindenwald. Also, I will be careful with all choices affecting the beautiful house and farm once belonging to our eighth President of the United States, Martin Van Buren. Slow and Steady did win the race in 2020! Thanks again for believing in me!" Thank you to all who made their voices heard in this election! #LindenwaldDecision2020 #vote #election

The polls are open! In-person voting in the Lindenwald election is available at the park until 3 pm today. You may also vote absentee on Facebook (check the pinned post at the top of the page) or twitter. Will you choose Mortimer or Foxy? #LindenwaldDecision2020 #vote #election #campaign #education #kids #MVBtheMVP

It's election day at Lindenwald! Will you choose slow and steady Mortimer the Turtle? Or fast and friendly Foxy the Fox? Vote for the next president of Lindenwald by liking the photo of your chosen candidate! You may also comment with the name of your choice below. Still undecided? Learn more about the candidates and elections with our interactive virtual activities: https://www.nps.gov//learn/kidsyouth/learn-about-voting.htm... Remember that you also have the option of voting in-person at Lindenwald between 1-3 pm today. Adults are encouraged to vote as well, but only one vote per person. Your voice, your vote! #LindenwaldDecision2020 #vote

Your voice, your vote. The story of voting in America is a complex one, filled with contradictions, inconsistent progress, and brave calls for change. Many Americans had to fight to be counted at the ballot box. Victories such as the 15th and 19th Amendments and the Voting Rights Act of 1965 were the result of tireless efforts of individuals pushing for a more equitable society. For generations, in times of hardship and in the pursuit of hope, Americans have exercised thei...r right to vote. What does voting mean to you?

A happy and spooky Halloween from all of us here at Martin Van Buren National Historic Site. Although Halloween was not widely celebrated in the United States during Van Buren's lifetime, the spirit of the modern holiday certainly existed. In 1785 the Scottish Poet Robert Burns wrote a poem titled "Halloween," wherein he said that Halloween was "thought to be a night when witches, devils, and other mischief-making beings are all abroad on their baneful midnight errands." One ...of the most famous American "baneful midnight errands", to put our own spin on this European holiday, is Washington Irving's "The Legend of Sleepy Hollow," which was first published 200 years ago! The story, which culminates in the climactic chase between Ichabod Crane and the Headless Horseman, proved popular at the time and continues to be a Halloween icon to this day. Van Buren and Irving were contemporaries and knew each other personally, so it seems quite likely that he would have read much of his work. So if you desire a spooky story this Halloween that has stood the test of time, spend some time with Ichabod Crane today... if you dare!

Make sure your vote is counted this November! Kids (and kids at heart) are invited to vote in our special Lindenwald election on Tuesday, November 3. Mortimer the Turtle and Foxy the Fox have both decided they want to be President of Lindenwald for the next four years! You can vote for the candidate you think will do the best job either in person at Lindenwald from 1 pm to 3 pm on Tuesday, November 3 or absentee via poll on our Facebook or twitter pages.... Choosing the president of Lindenwald is a very important job. The best way to make a choice is to learn about what is important to the candidates and what they are promising to do. This is called their platform. It is also important to understand how elections work. You can complete activities to help you learn about voting and the candidates by checking out our website here: https://www.nps.gov//learn/kidsyouth/learn-about-voting.htm #LindenwaldDecision2020 #vote

Mortimer the Turtle and Foxy the Fox have both decided they want to be President of Lindenwald for the next four years! Choosing the president of Lindenwald is a very important job. The best way to make a choice is to learn about what is important to the candidates and what they are promising to do. This is called their platform. Learn more about the candidates and their supporters by watching this short video, and participate in our special election activities here: https://...www.nps.gov//learn/kidsyouth/learn-about-voting.htm Kids (and kids at heart) can vote for the candidate you think will do the best job either in person at Lindenwald from 1 pm to 3 pm on November 3, or via poll on our Facebook or twitter pages! #LindenwaldElection2020 #vote #education

Alert: Poison Ivy Sighting! I practiced social distance for a fall foliage photo. The pileated woodpecker that makes its' presence known in Lindenwald's historic orchard area, along with other birds, will feast on the berries of this vine. Deer and black bears and smaller mammals eat the leaves and stems as well as the fruit. #WildlifeWednesday #FallColors #Foliage

The race between Foxy the fox and Mortimer the turtle continues as we approach the election for President of Lindenwald! Toes has made an unprecedented move in supporting Foxy for the election after hearing that Bark Ranger Jane is supporting Mortimer! To learn more about the election check out our park website: https://www.nps.gov//learn/kidsyouth/learn-about-voting.htm #LindenwaldDecision2020 #nps #mvb #cat #vote Image text: Toes says, Don’t sleep on Foxy! Vote Foxy for President of Lindenwald