Local History Resources
Bethlehem History
Bethlehem Historical Association – Established in 1965 and located in the historic “Little Red Schoolhouse” on River Road, BHA is both museum and historic archival space.
Town of Bethlehem Town Historian – Historian’s page on Bethlehem’s official website.
Bethlehem Records of People of the Town of Bethlehem – Essential compilation of early town records for serious researchers.
Bethlehem NY History – Previous town historian Susan Leath’s great personal blog of Bethlehem lives and times.
Bethlehem Public Library (BHA Speaker Series Event Recordings) – Great repository for BHA’s wildly popular public programming on various history topics.
Slingerland Family Burial Vault – Immaculately restored 19th century resting place of one of Bethlehem’s most prominent families.
New Scotland Historical Association – New Scotland was a part of Bethlehem until 1832, and our diligent neighbors in our area’s rich history.
Cliff Lamere’s BCHS Archives – A former BCHS science teacher’s remarkable “labor of love” repository honoring the lives of administrators, teachers and students.
Bethlehem Central Randomness – Excellent alumni-managed social media forum with member sharing memories of their lives as BCHS students and more.
New York Heritage Digital Collection – Bethlehem Public Library’s digital holdings here include Tri Village phone directories and great old periodicals predating The Spotlight.
Historic Cherry Hill – Home of Bethlehem’s first town supervisor, Philip Van Rensselaer, and located within town borders when built in 1787.
Clarksville Historical Society – Many familiar names in Bethlehem’s history had roots in Clarksville, which is still part of Bethlehem Central School District.
Ravena Coeymans Historical Society – Many Selkirk and South Bethlehem families attended Bethlehem Schools following centralization in the 1930s.
Historic Heath Farm Initiative – The largest land conservation project in Bethlehem’s history, this ongoing work to preserve the land & structures of Heath’s Shady Lawn Dairy Farm continues to move forward.
Albany County History
Albany County Historical Association – ACHA preserves the historic 1798 Ten Broeck Mansion and offers greenspace and numerous cultural events every year.
Helderberg Hilltowns of Albany – Good resources here for lovers of the lands of the limestone.
Albany Group Archive (Flickr) – Deep archive of photographs, adverts and other images from Bethlehem and other Albany County towns.
Albany Colony Society of Mayflower Descendants – Old school website, but updated regularly and fascinating.
Huyck Preserve and Biological Research Station – F.C. Huyck’s original mill site before relocating to the now-vanished Bethlehem hamlet of Kenwood on the Normans Kill.
Schuyler Mansion State Historic Site – Home to Philip J. Schuyler, Revolutionary War Major General, US Senator, agrarian, and businessman.
Hoxie! – Carl Johnson’s local history site featuring information and ephemera relating to the history of Albany, Schenectady and Troy.
98 Acres in Albany – Cautionary tale of development, right next door.
Historic Albany Foundation – For 50 years, HAF assists, educates, and advocates for local preservation efforts and has an amazing architectural salvage warehouse as well.
New York State History
New York Almanack – Comprehensive & sometimes eclectic, searchable by NY region.
New York State Archives – A must-have bookmark for researchers, writers, and history nerds alike.
New York State Museum, Office of State History – Regular updates, events and a podcast from the New York State Historian.
New York Genealogical and Biographical Society – Very active organization with a host of Capital Region events.
New Netherland Institute – Important not-for-profit organization that supports the transcription, translation, and publication of state owned 17th-century Dutch colonial records.
Newspaper Archives
Spotlight Archive – Read Spotlight issues from 1955 through 2022. Surprisingly searchable!
NYS Historic Newspapers – Albany County Post and other small papers can be found here, searchable by county.
Fulton History – Mind-boggling collection of newspapers from New York and beyond, some dating back to the early 1800s.