History, Natural History & the Arts
Trivia clue: Who introduced American corn bread to England? Correct response: Jeremiah Rusk of Wisconsin, U.S. Secretary of State from 1889-1893.
“It must never be forgotten of Hon. Jeremiah Rusk that when he was secretary of agriculture, he made a market for American pork that was shut off for many years,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls editorialized on December 19, 1893. [Read more…] about Tidbits From Northern New York Newspapers
Robert Sims played a fiddle and the dancing in April 1894 was livelier than that of antiquity. Nevertheless, the ancient Greek muse of dance and chorus must have been smiling on a group of devotees from Sandy Hill, now Hudson Falls, in Washington County, NY. [Read more…] about Unusual 19th Century Vocabulary Found in Northern New York Newspapers
New York Gov. Roswell Flower used his keynote speech to a national audience on “New York Day” at the Chicago World’s Fair to downplay the threat of the Panic of 1893, which started the nation’s worst depression up to that time.
“This business men of this country deserve the greatest praise for the manner in which they have held their heads above water during these frightful days,” he said, speaking on September 5, 1893. [Read more…] about The Panic of 1893: Among The Most Severe Financial Crises U.S. History
Don’t throw away your worn-out linen napkins and pillow cases. “For grease and milk and acid spots upon furniture, rub the place with cold water, then polish with soft linen,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls suggested on Aug. 19, 1890. “Save old napkins and pillow cases for such work.”
Following are more 19th century household hints collected from historic Northern New York newspapers. I cannot vouch for the veracity of any of these suggestions, as I am only a collector, not an experimenter. [Read more…] about 19th Century Household Hints
Question: How dies a mine worker who lives in Port Henry arrive at work in Mineville at 7 am, works an eight hour-day, with a half-hour lunch break, and gets back to his home in Port Henry a little after 2:30 pm. [Read more…] about Political News From Historic Northern New York Newspapers
“A cloudburst of the harshest kind ever known in local baseball history,” hit Port Henry on Lake Champlain, June 14, 1923. It was not the kind of cloudburst of rain which disrupts a ballgame and sends fans scrambling, but a cloudburst of talent that finds local fans cheering for the visiting team.
The Brooklyn Royal Colored Giants professional baseball team defeated the Port Henry semi-professional team, comprised primarily of local players, 20-1 in a game the home team was not expected to win. Sourian, the Giants pitcher, had 19 strikeouts. [Read more…] about Brooklyn Royal Colored Giants Baseball in Northern New York
There was an early-season exodus of semi-professional baseball talent from Glens Falls, NY in 1913 as theology and politics collided. “George ‘Ham’ Wagner, one of the most popular players that donned a spiked shoe in this city, will leave tomorrow for Port Henry to affiliate himself with the team representing that village in the Essex County League,” The Post-Star of Glens Falls reported on July 11, 1913. [Read more…] about 1913: Glens Falls’ Sunday Baseball Law
In September of 1890, infrastructure improvements were under way at Whitehall, in Washington County, long a major railroad hub. “It is said that the new freight yard at Whitehall will be one of the best on the road. The main tracks will be straightened and will pass over the ground where the old shops are located,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls reported on September 24, 1890. “The new shops have been completed, and the men are removing from the old shop, which is being torn down. Next spring work will begin on the new station for Whitehall.” [Read more…] about Northern New York 19th Century Railroad News
Trivia clue: This U.S. President had late strawberries imported from Canada after a shooting which eventually took his life. [Read more…] about Editorial Wit & Wisdom from NYS Historic Newspapers
The Whitehall team competing against the new Glens Falls Athletics had an urgency not to let the game go into extra innings. It would be a long walk home if they missed the train.
“At the finish of the fourth inning, the score stood five and five,” The Glens Falls Morning Star reported on July 12, 1890, the morning after the game. “In the ninth inning, the Whitehall club succeeded in making one run, thereby winning the game.” Management of the Athletics had arranged with the Delaware and Hudson Railroad to have the 6:15 pm train stop at the Warren Street crossing, near the new ball diamond, to pick up the visiting Whitehall nine. [Read more…] about 1890 Baseball: The Glens Falls Athletics