Our staff can present these informative (and entertaining!)
programs to groups in the New York–New Jersey Metropolitan area.
Scroll down to find information on booking and fees
MEET THE PRESENTERS
Anthony Taranto
Anthony has served as the official photographer for the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey since 2003, and is the park’s Director of Operations.
Francesca Costa
Francesca started at the park after graduating from Gettysburg College in 2019. She continued to work here as she earned her graduate degree from the University of Edinburgh, and she is now a full-time public historian for the park and supervises the park's Interpretive Ranger Program & the Park website.
OUR PROGRAMS
The Unknown Palisades: A Slideshow through Time
Through images and narrative, our public historians brings the story of the Palisades to life: from fishermen’s villages to palatial estates, the epic struggle to preserve the ancient cliffs, and the thriving beaches and campgrounds of the Depression and New Deal era.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: enelsen@njpalisades.org.
Millionaires Row on the Palisades: A Glimpse of the Gilded “Edge”
Artists, captains of industry, showmen — all were among the men and women who had unique and often lavish homes built upon the precipices of the New Jersey Palisades centuries ago. Using newly discovered letters and diaries they have transcribed from the Miles family, our Public Historians bring the story of the grand estates — and the families and servants who lived at them — into vibrant focus.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: enelsen@njpalisades.org.
Cliff Shots: A Photographer’s Exploration of the New Jersey Palisades
In this program, Anthony Taranto, who has served as our staff photographer since 2002, shares some of his favorite images of the Palisades — along with the stories behind them. The images capture both the landscape and the people who come to it to relax, to exercise, to learn, and to admire the beauty of this “great playground next door.”
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: ataranto@njpalisades.org.
Hidden on Closter Mountain
Learn about the history of enslaved people in New Jersey and those who were able to create a thriving Freedman Community along the Palisades. Public Historian Francesca Costa will delve into her own research into this area and share stories about the people who called Closter Mountain home.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: fcosta@njpalisades.org.
An Oft Repeated Anecdote
“Rockefeller built this park!” … Or did he? Public Historian Francesca Costa busts some common myths about the Palisades, Rockefeller, and undisturbed views. After all is said and done, an even richer story lies under the surface.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: fcosta@njpalisades.org.
Recovering from the Big Ones
Climate change is making storms stronger and less predictable. Look back at historic storms with Public Historian Francesca Costa and learn how our climate impacts our park today.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: fcosta@njpalisades.org.
A Wilde Story
In 1882, the Palisades Mountain House got a visit from Oscar Wilde during his American Tour... or did it? Go back in time and learn how to solve a mystery about this famous figure of the 1800’s with Public Historian Francesca Costa.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: fcosta@njpalisades.org.
Colonial Magic
Learn about what kept people up at night during the early days of colonial America. This program focuses on magic through the lens of law, foreign policies on colonization, and those targeted for magical rituals.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: fcosta@njpalisades.org.
Artists on the Cliffs
The towering cliffs of the Palisades have inspired generations of creators, but who were the people behind the canvases? Join Public Historian Francesca Costa from the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey for an illuminating look at the artists who once called these landscapes home.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: fcosta@njpalisades.org.
Miss Bugbee and the Palisaders
It’s June 1920: Come “Palisading” at the brand-new Interstate Park! You’ll meet some of the thousands of park visitors — most of them arriving by ferry or canoe from the New York side of the river — and learn some of the tricks of the trade from the more experienced “Palisaders” among them. Based on an article and accompanying cartoon illustrations from the New-York Tribune, this illustrated talk will also introduce participants to the author of the piece, writer Emma Bugbee, a pioneering woman journalist and suffragist. To help bring Bugbee’s spirited account to life for this illustrated talk, our Public Historians have also reached into the Palisades Interstate Park’s vast photo archives of the period.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: enelsen@njpalisades.org.
“Cornwallis Headquarters”
The historic Kearney House in the Palisades Interstate Park in New Jersey is the last of its kind, the sole survivor of dozens of similar homesteads that once hugged the shore beneath the Palisades. Today it helps bring to life the stories of more than two centuries of families who depended on the Hudson for their lives and livelihoods. Yet the little house was saved not for that purpose, but by a myth, a bit of local folklore that has long since been discredited. How it became known as the “headquarters” of a British general in 1776 (even ghosts got involved!), the fight to reclaim its “true” identity (which brought at least one more misnaming in the process), and some of the forgotten people who have been brought out of the shadows along the way are the subjects of this lively illustrated talk.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: enelsen@njpalisades.org.
“How the Job Is Done” The CCC on the New Jersey Palisades
Through some of the darkest days of the Great Depression, a pair of Civilian Conservation Corps camps on the New Jersey Palisades served as “home” to hundreds of young men who performed conservation work in the Interstate Park. Park photographs – along with stories and illustrations from camp newspapers that the “CCC boys” themselves published during their time on the Palisades – highlight this illustrated talk by our Public Historians.
This program is about an hour long, including a question-and-answer period. To book this program: enelsen@njpalisades.org.
Fee is $100 for an in-person presentation made in Bergen (NJ) or Rockland (NY) Counties or if presented remotely (via Zoom or similar) from our own offices.
Fee is $150 for an in-person presentation made outside these counties.
Important Note: For presentations outside Bergen or Rockland Counties, we are only able to travel up to about 1 hour driving time from our Park Headquarters in Alpine, New Jersey, to your site (we use Google Maps to determine if your site falls within this range). An exception to this policy may be made for larger events, such as regional conferences or similar, but increased fees apply — please inquire.
All program fees are payable to Palisades Interstate Park Commission only, and can be paid in person on the day of the presentation or mailed to PIPC, Box 155, Alpine NJ 07620.
All our programs are presented using PowerPoint or Google Slides.
We are able to bring all necessary equipment for an in-person presentation except a projection screen, but please let us know if instead we can bring the program on a flash drive or connect to your internet and use your projection equipment instead — thank you!
For remote presentations, you must be able to provide a platform (such as Zoom) for us to use.
If our presentation to your group is open to the general public, we will be happy to post it on our own calendar and otherwise help to publicize it — please ask!