Lunch & Learn
Co-sponsored by Friends of the Folsom Library
and the Rensselaer Retirees Forum
"The Hudson-Mohawk Region:
Silicon Valley of the Nineteenth Century”
Presenter: Michael Barrett
Executive Director
Hudson Mohawk Industrial Gateway
Friday, May 15
12:00 noon to 1:00 p.m.
Fischbach Room
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| From Fra Burmeister og Wain's Iron Foundry, by Peder Severin Krøyer, 1885. |
Many scholars agree that the Capital District is one of several “birthplaces of the American industrial revolution.” Nineteenth century entrepreneurs consciously used the cutting-edge technology of their day to transform the dominant rural-agrarian lifestyle into an infrastructure devoted to advancement of industrial enterprise. Developments in transportation, including the Erie Canal and railroads, were coupled with development of investment banking resources as well as advanced educational opportunity, to lead to a modern urban-industrial way of life. Inventions and developments here produced many of the components of our modern lifestyle, such as practical clothing, effective labor organizations, labor saving devices and mass-produced food. Their clear understanding of the cultural dimension of this technological change gave direction to some highly celebrated engineering innovations.
Free! Everyone is invited. Bring your lunch or you can purchase one in the Library Café. Dessert will be provided.
Adrienne Birchler
Coordinator
Friends of the Folsom Library
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