Christopher Carosa receives the APHNYS Award for Excellence in Promoting Local History from (left to right) Christopher Carosa: APHNYS Award Chair Mary Ellen Matise, Town of Montgomery Historian; Devin R. Lander, New York State Historian; and APHNYS President Samantha Hall-Saladino, Fulton County Historian. Photo by Jason Parkman.
State’s Public Historians Honor Mendon Deputy Historian for Lafayette Bicentennial Work
Award recognizes research, writing and two dozen public events marking the 200th anniversary of Lafayette’s 1825 tour of the Greater Western New York Region
Utica, NY (October 2, 2026) – Christopher Carosa, Deputy Historian of the Town of Mendon, NY, has received the Award for Excellence in Promoting Local History from the Association of Public Historians of New York State (APHNYS). The award was presented Tuesday evening, September 29, at the association’s annual conference in Utica, NY. Presenting the award were APHNYS President Samantha Hall-Saladino, Fulton County Historian; APHNYS Award Chair Mary Ellen Matise, Town of Montgomery Historian; and Devin R. Lander, New York State Historian.
The award capped a project that began with Carosa’s research into a largely overlooked portion of the last surviving Revolutionary War General, Marquis de Lafayette’s 1824-1825 farewell tour of the United States. That research resulted in his book, History Unleashed: Lafayette’s Remarkable Tour of the Greater Western New York Region, which traces Lafayette’s journey through the region during June 1825. Carosa retraced this journey two hundred years later during his book tour in Spring/Summer 2025, including a special public event in the Hamlet of Mendon.
The Award for Excellence in Promoting Local History honors those in New York State through their research, writing and related accomplishments. Unlike several of the association’s honors, which are reserved for government-appointed historians, nominations for this award are open to all, including municipal historians, deputy historians and co-historians.
“I am honored to receive the recognition,” says Carosa. “I share this with all those groups and organizations who helped in everything from research to outreach. I am equally thankful to Lafayette and all those 19th century Western New Yorkers who expressed such enthusiasm for his visit. I am especially grateful to all the journalists from that time, who wrote such detailed articles describing the events as they happened.”
“Chris Carosa was chosen for this award based on his experience as a municipal historian, and for how he has expanded that role to attract a broader audience to an appreciation of history.” says Mary Ellen Matisa, APHNYS Award Chair, “Through his books, speaking engagements and coordination and participation in high profile history events including commemorating the anniversary of LaFayette’s visit to America Chris brought this story to life.”
“Public history is about more than just remembering dates; it’s about reconnecting communities with the shared stories, civic spirit, and local heritage that built them,” organizers noted during the presentation.
Commemorating Lafayette’s Historic Bicentennial
The statewide recognition highlights Carosa’s initiative commemorating the 200th anniversary of Major General Gilbert du Motier, Marquis de Lafayette’s historic 1825 farewell tour across the Greater Western New York Region.
Between 1824 and 1825, Lafayette—the French hero of the American Revolution—returned to the United States as the guest of the nation, embarking on a triumphant journey through all 24 states. His journey along the newly opened sections of the Erie Canal and through the towns, villages, and frontier settlements of Western New York served as a unifying cultural milestone in regional history.
Drawing upon deep archival work, Carosa chronicled the visit in his book, History Unleashed: Lafayette’s Remarkable Tour of the Greater Western New York Region. Rather than letting the bicentennial remain on library shelves, Carosa took the history on the road, organizing and headlining roughly two dozen public events, lectures, and panel discussions across nine counties in Western and Central New York.
His regional tour culminated in a well-received keynote address at the American Friends of Lafayette annual meeting in Buffalo, bringing regional historical scholarship to an audience of national historians and descendants of Revolutionary figures.
Chuck Schwam, executive director of the American Friends of Lafayette, has said the book “would make a wonderful film,” praising how it lets readers picture each scene as if they were there.
A Passion for Community Heritage
This year’s APHNYS conference, themed “Revolutionary New York,” ran September 28–30 at the Delta Hotel by Marriott in Utica. Marking the nation’s 250th anniversary, the conference drew government-appointed historians and affiliates from across the state.
The Lafayette project reflected an approach to local history that connected the stories of individual Western New York communities to a broader regional and national narrative. Lafayette’s travels took him through a Western New York that was still developing rapidly in 1825, allowing the bicentennial programs to explore not only Lafayette himself but the people, places and communities he encountered along the way.
Carosa’s tour events connected libraries, historical societies, fraternal organizations, and educational groups across the region, encouraging local communities to rediscover the sites Lafayette visited, the local citizens who turned out to greet him, and the lasting civic impact of his visit.
The Association of Public Historians of New York State is a 501(c)3 non-profit professional organization that represents the 1,600+ government-appointed historians in the state. Under state law, every county and municipality in New York is required to have an appointed historian to document, preserve, interpret, and share the history of their communities. It is part of the state’s commitment to ensuring that New Yorkers have access to quality educational experiences enriched by cultural heritage resources. Our state’s local historians are here to serve you! For more information please visit https://www.aphnys.org/.
To read more about Lafayette’s tour of Greater Western New York, please visit historyunleashed.chriscarosa.com
