This locally produced documentary will premiere online, Thursday, July 16th at watch.wpbstv.org and will broadcast Monday, July 20th at 10pm on WPBS. Repeats will be aired Wednesday, July 22nd at 7:30pm and Sunday, July 26th at 3pm.
WPBS-TV’s latest documentary, "Trailblaze a Path Through History: Central New York," focuses on the many stories that are Central New York’s history, stories that uncover a trail of innovation and reform that makes its way through Madison, Oswego, Cortland, Cayuga and Onondaga counties.
The story begins in the middle of the state, where a historic feat of innovative engineering began, that would transform New York State into the Empire State. The Erie Canal was conceived in 1817 and completed in 1825. The Erie Canal Museum in Syracuse, New York showcases the hardship of the Canal construction and life on the canal. In nearby Chittenango, the Chittenango Landing Canal Boat Museum has preserved three original Erie Canal dry docks, circa 1855.
The Syracuse home of suffragist and abolitionist Matilda Joslyn Gage features an interesting link to the author of "The Wizard of Oz" books. Oswego’s Fort Ontario State Historic Site played pivotal roles in several wars, from the Revolutionary War to World War II. There, during WWII, Fort Ontario became a ‘safe haven’ for over 983 European refugees, whose fascinating stories are chronicled in the nearby Safe Haven Holocaust Refugee Shelter Museum.
In Auburn, at the home of statesman William H. Seward, a bloody sheet hangs as a reminder of the other assassination attempt on the night President Lincoln was shot. Just down the road, The Harriet Tubman Home tells the story of the former slave who served as spy, scout, and nurse during the Civil War and helped to free over 750 slaves.
The 1890 House Museum in Cortland contains some pretty innovative features as it should, since it was the home of industrialist Chester Wickwire, who built an empire on weaving wire used in window screens and strainers.
Other places featured in the documentary include Cazenovia Lake, Canastota, Peterboro, and Oneida. Trailblaze a path through the five counties on a quest to discover Central New York’s treasured history, its forward-thinking statesmen and landowners, and its courageous women.
Locally Themed Programming
Saturday, July 4
3:30pm – Mysterious Origins of Thousand Island Dressing
4:30pm – Lighthouses of the Seaway Trail
Sunday, July 5
3:00pm – Tour of Singer Castle
Monday, July 6
11:30pm – Park It
Friday, July 10
10:30pm – Raquette River Experience
Saturday, July 11
5:00pm – Preserving North America’s Boating Heritage
Sunday, July 12
3:00pm – Tribute to Love: The Story of Boldt Castle
Saturday, July 18
6:30pm – Thousand Islands Bridge An Arm of Friendship: 75th Anniversary
Monday, July 20
9:00pm – Exploring the 1000 Islands
10:00pm – Trailblazing a Path Through History: Central New York
10:30pm – Raquette River Experience
Wednesday, July 22
7:30pm – Trailblazing a Path Through History: Central New York
Saturday, July 25
5:00pm – Exploring the 1000 Islands
6:30pm – Fort Henry: Hard Rock & Heavy Metal
Sunday, July 26
2:00pm – Exploring the 1000 Islands
3:00pm – Trailblazing a Path Through History: Central New York
When
Wednesday July 15, 2015
5:00 PM to 7:00 PM
Where
The American Foundry
246 W Seneca St.
Oswego, NY 13126
