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Harvesting the Wood |
OnRust ProjectA Fallen Oak Finds New Life by Don Rittner
There is an old saying that small beginnings can often produce huge results. It certainly was proven when the Sisters of St Joseph were founded in LePuy, France in 1650; came to Carondelet, Missouri 170 years ago, and to Oswego, NewYork in 1858. The countless humanitarian contributions by the Sisters have been felt worldwide. Likewise, almost 400 years ago, a small acorn began its life at the base of the Sisters’ Meanwhile, an idea was germinating in nearby A new non-profit organization, New Netherland Routes, Inc. (NNR), was created last year to build the OnRust replica. It will be built over a three-year period, beginning this fall, with authentic seventeenth-century shipbuilding techniques, and this floating museum will offer a first-hand education in maritime exploration and a unique opportunity to learn about early shipbuilding methods, New York maritime history, and the impact of early Dutch settlement in the Mohawk and Hudson Valleys. We are striving to make The OnRust as historically accurate as possible. Fortunately, the dimensions of the OnRust were recorded as well as many of its journeys. Unfortunately, seventeenth-century Dutch building techniques were lost during the eighteenth century. Luckily, we have the expertise of Gerald de Weerdt, Director of the Maritime Museum of Terschelling in the As a teaching tool, the OnRust shows the challenges of a group of men stranded thousands of miles away from home, who had to rely on their ship building knowledge, adjust to a new environment, utilize local resources, and create safe working relationships with the local Native population, all within a three-month period. The project also will illustrate the importance of map-making to the river routes of the east which was one of the primary missions of the OnRust. In addition to creating trading relationships with the Native population, several invaluable maps were produced that charted the The OnRust was launched into Upper New York Bay in April 1614 and its crew explored the New York coastal areas and rivers, sailed through the treacherous passage called Helle-gat (Hell Gate) in the East River, explored the harbors of Long Island and Connecticut discovering the Housatonic and Thames Rivers, and sailed up the Connecticut (de Versche Rivier) River past the site of Hartford. The Onrust continued on to Narragansett and In his honor, Block was immortalized with a small island, named Block is credited with the 1614 manuscript map of his voyage on which many features of the mid-Atlantic region appear for the first time, and on which the term The last historical account of the OnRust describes her 1616 expedition down the coast of Construction of the OnRust replica will take place on the banks of the (Several months ago, NNR received an e-mail from Jim McKinney, an architect working on the
Click HERE to view an exciting video update which features Sister Mary Ellen Putnam, CSJ!
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Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet • 385 Watervliet-Shaker Road • Latham, NY 12110-4799 Main Provincal House Number (518) 783-3500 • Fax (518) 783-5209 All Artwork Copyright © 2012 Sisters of St. Joseph of Carondelet |