1609 January 12, 2010

Two worlds collided in 1609 when Henry Hudson and the Dutch sailed up the "great river" and met the Native People of New York. This exhibition introduces visitors to information about Henry Hudson, Native People of New York and the Dutch period in New York State by dispelling some commonly held myths and showing the legacy these groups left to the residents of the state and the nation. The New York State Museum collaborated with the State Archives, State Library and Office of Educational Television and Public Broadcasting on 1609, and these institutions provided additional expertise, documents and artifacts for the exhibition. Archaeologist James Bradley, an expert on Native Americans, Russell Shorto, an authority on colonial Dutch history, and Steven Comer, a Mohican Indian living within the original territory of the Mohican people, consulted on the project. The exhibition also features paintings by Capital District historical artist L. F. Tantillo.