U.S.S. New York

Location:   The Seven Seas

Year:   1776

There have been seven U.S. Navy vessels named New York, and one named New York City.

The original U.S.S. New York was a gondola built in 1776, that served on Lake Champlain during the Revolutionary War. 

The second New York was a 36-gun frigate built in 1798, alongside the U.S.S. Constitution ("Old Ironsides"). She fought in the Quasi-war with France (1800-1801), in the War with the Barbary Pirates (1802-1803), and in the War of 1812. She was captured and scuttled by the British in August 1812.

The third New York, a 74-gun frigate was built in 1820. She never left the shipyard, and was scrapped as obsolete in 1861 at the beginning of the Civil War.

The fourth New York was built in 1863. She was a sloop with an auxiliary engine, similar to U.S.S. Kearsarge and C.S.S. Alabama. Like her predecessor, she never left the shipyard, and was decommissioned and sold in 1883. 

The fifth New York was an armored cruiser built in 1883. She served in the Spanish-American War, eventually decommissioned, and was scrapped in 1941 for her steel. 

The sixth New York was built in 1911. She was the lead battleship of her class, carrying 14-inch guns. She served with distinction in World War I, being the only U.S. ship to sink a German U-boat. In World War II, she originally served in the Atlantic Fleet. She took part in Operation Torch, the invasion of North Africa in late 1942. Afterward, she served as a training ship until 1945, when she was sent to the Pacific to participate in the invasions of Iwo Jima, Saipan, and Okinawa. After World War II, she was used as a target ship in A-Bomb tests, did not sink, and was studied for her survival capacity. She met her end as a target ship in 1948.

The seventh New York is an amphibious transport dock built in 2004, using steel salvaged from the World Trade Center in New York City. She has served in the Persian Gulf.

 

The U.S.S. New York City is the only U.S. Navy ship named for the City of New York as opposed to the State, in conformity with other Los Angeles-class submarines. Launched in 1977, she was decommissioned in 1997, and is due for eventual "recycling."

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor

Location:   New Windsor, New York
Year:    2002

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New York's Hudson River Valley honors the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart. The location of the Hall of Honor, on the same grounds as the New Windsor Cantonment, commemorates the awarding of the Purple Heart to 138 local World War I veterans on these grounds in 1932. The Purple Heart is awarded only to those who have been killed or wounded by enemy action and is America's oldest military decoration.
The Hall of Honor is the first in the nation dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of the more than 1.8 million recipients of this award. The mission of the Hall of Honor is to collect, preserve and share the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of service and across all conflicts for which the award has been available. One way their history and stories are preserved is through the Roll of Honor an electronic database where visitors can search for Purple Heart recipients, or view a changing selection of Featured Recipients. There are currently over 192,000 names enrolled here at the Hall, and visitors who are recipients, or who know of recipients are encouraged to enroll in the Roll of Honor. Information on enrollment can be obtained by contacting the site.
In addition to the Roll of Honor, there are exhibits chronicling the experiences of recipients and three interactive kiosks where visitors can watch excerpts of videotaped interviews of recipients who are describing their experiences. A film "For Military Merit" provides visitors with the history and significance of the Purple Heart. Special programs and events throughout the year highlight the experiences and sacrifices that have been made by the men and women of America's military.
For more information or to enroll a Purple Heart recipient, please call the site or visit: www.thepurpleheart.com  

- See more at: http://nysparks.com/historic-sites/38/details.aspx#sthash.1sUTX8M8.dpuf

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor keeps records of, and commemorates the history of the 1.8 million American servicemen and women who have been wounded in service to their country and received the Purple Heart, this nation's oldest military decoration, commissioned and designed by General George Washington himself in 1782.  

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New York's Hudson River Valley honors the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart. The location of the Hall of Honor, on the same grounds as the New Windsor Cantonment, commemorates the awarding of the Purple Heart to 138 local World War I veterans on these grounds in 1932. The Purple Heart is awarded only to those who have been killed or wounded by enemy action and is America's oldest military decoration.
The Hall of Honor is the first in the nation dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of the more than 1.8 million recipients of this award. The mission of the Hall of Honor is to collect, preserve and share the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of service and across all conflicts for which the award has been available. One way their history and stories are preserved is through the Roll of Honor an electronic database where visitors can search for Purple Heart recipients, or view a changing selection of Featured Recipients. There are currently over 192,000 names enrolled here at the Hall, and visitors who are recipients, or who know of recipients are encouraged to enroll in the Roll of Honor. Information on enrollment can be obtained by contacting the site.
In addition to the Roll of Honor, there are exhibits chronicling the experiences of recipients and three interactive kiosks where visitors can watch excerpts of videotaped interviews of recipients who are describing their experiences. A film "For Military Merit" provides visitors with the history and significance of the Purple Heart. Special programs and events throughout the year highlight the experiences and sacrifices that have been made by the men and women of America's military.
For more information or to enroll a Purple Heart recipient, please call the site or visit: www.thepurpleheart.com  

- See more at: http://nysparks.com/historic-sites/38/details.aspx#sthash.1sUTX8M8.dpuf

The National Purple Heart Hall of Honor in New York's Hudson River Valley honors the men and women who have been awarded the Purple Heart. The location of the Hall of Honor, on the same grounds as the New Windsor Cantonment, commemorates the awarding of the Purple Heart to 138 local World War I veterans on these grounds in 1932. The Purple Heart is awarded only to those who have been killed or wounded by enemy action and is America's oldest military decoration.
The Hall of Honor is the first in the nation dedicated to commemorating the sacrifices of the more than 1.8 million recipients of this award. The mission of the Hall of Honor is to collect, preserve and share the stories of Purple Heart recipients from all branches of service and across all conflicts for which the award has been available. One way their history and stories are preserved is through the Roll of Honor an electronic database where visitors can search for Purple Heart recipients, or view a changing selection of Featured Recipients. There are currently over 192,000 names enrolled here at the Hall, and visitors who are recipients, or who know of recipients are encouraged to enroll in the Roll of Honor. Information on enrollment can be obtained by contacting the site.
In addition to the Roll of Honor, there are exhibits chronicling the experiences of recipients and three interactive kiosks where visitors can watch excerpts of videotaped interviews of recipients who are describing their experiences. A film "For Military Merit" provides visitors with the history and significance of the Purple Heart. Special programs and events throughout the year highlight the experiences and sacrifices that have been made by the men and women of America's military.
For more information or to enroll a Purple Heart recipient, please call the site or visit: www.thepurpleheart.com  

- See more at: http://nysparks.com/historic-sites/38/details.aspx#sthash.1sUTX8M8.dpuf

The State Gem

Location:  North River, New York
Year:   1969

The red garnet is a semiprecious stone, declared the State Gem in 1969. New York has the largest garnet mine in the world in the town of North River, located in Adirondack Park. Garnets are used in jewelry, and have many commercial applications.

The Four Corners --- West --- Twentymile Creek

Location:   Twentymile Creek, New York
Year:   1785

Although most of the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania lies south of New York State, in 1785 New York ceded to Pennsylvania a small area of its extreme western frontier, giving the Quaker State access to Lake Erie. This created a longitudinal north-south border between New York and Pennsylvania at a right angle to their shared latitudinal east-west border. The borderline is mostly straight, a surveyor's plumb line on a map. 

The small tributary of Twentymile Creek, a popular bass fishing site, rises in western New York State, and meanders across the State line into Pennsylvania, tending northwestward to Lake Erie. 

At the point where Twentymile Creek crosses the State line, a slight curve in the river marks the extreme western border of New York State at 79.76 West. 

The spot is in the Township of Ripley, New York, modestly famous as the terminus of the New York State Thruway, and the onetime home of tire magnate B.F. Goodrich. 

The Four Corners --- East --- Montauk Point

Location:   Montauk Point
Year:   1664

Montauk Point at the end of the south fork of Long Island is New York State's easternmost point, at 71.9506° West. 

Although apparent visual isolation and distortions in map projection sometimes make it appear that the eastern point of Fishers Island is east of Montauk Point, Montauk Point actually lies three miles further east.

The Four Corners --- South --- Billops Point

Location:   Billops Point
Year:   1776

The Conference House (Bentley Manor) at Billops Point, Staten Island, is the only remaining pre-Revolutionary War manor house in New York City. It was built in 1680. On September 11, 1776, it was the site of an unsuccessful peace conference held between the British and Americans in hopes of ending the Revolutionary War without further bloodshed. Benjamin Franklin, John Adams and William Rutledge refused the British terms for the Patriots' surrender.

Billops Point overlooks Raritan Bay. It is the southernmost point in New York State, at 40°30′10.3″ North, and lies in the neighborhood of Tottenville, in the Borough of Staten Island (County of Richmond), of the city of New York.  

 

The Four Corners --- North --- Barnhart Island

Location:   Barnhart Island
Year:   1783

It was not until the Treaty of Paris in 1783 that most of the northern limits of the United States, including New York State, were formalized along the 45th and 48th parallels. The international boundary with Canada divides a portion of the St. Lawrence River and the Great Lakes (except Lake Michigan, which lies wholly within the United States). The northernmost point of land in New York State is Barnhart Island (Robert Moses State Park), part of the Township of Massena, in the St. Lawrence River, at 45.01 degrees north.