The term paparazzo and its plural form paparazzi were first used in English in a Time magazine article dated April 14th, 1961, entitled “Paparazzi on the Prowl.” The piece put the spotlight on a new type of photographer that was giving Rome’s elegant district around Via Veneto an unpleasant reputation. [Read more…] about Weegee the Famous: Paparazzo of the Nameless
Fires
Albion Hall: The Destruction A Sullivan County Historic Building
It was February of 1903, and the embers were still smoldering from the fire that had destroyed one of the most historically significant buildings in Sullivan County, NY, just a few days before. [Read more…] about Albion Hall: The Destruction A Sullivan County Historic Building
The Great New York Fire of 1776
The new book The Great New York Fire of 1776: A Lost Story of the American Revolution (Yale Univ. Press, 2023) by Benjamin L. Carp takes a look at who set the mysterious fire that burned down much of the city of New York shortly after the British took the city during the Revolutionary War. [Read more…] about The Great New York Fire of 1776
Along The Mohawk & Malone: Forest Fires & Logging South of Big Moose (1900-1920)
Born in England, John Gerald Fitzgerald (1850-1925) attended seminary in Troy, NY, accepting his first assignment as a priest in the Diocese of Ogdensburg. Following pastorates in upstate New York, Father Fitz – as he was affectionately called – was given the daunting challenge of establishing a parish in Old Forge, in the Adirondacks.
In 1896, Northern Herkimer County was a heavily forested region dotted by tiny hamlets, scattered lumber camps, and remote railroad stations along the Mohawk & Malone Railroad. For the next twenty-nine years, he got off the Mohawk & Malone at stations like McKeever, Carter, Big Moose, Beaver River, Brandreth, Keepewa, Nehasane, and Horseshoe Lake, carrying his bible and sacraments from these stops to remote lumber camps on snowshoes, wearing his trademark coonskin cap and woolen mittens. His parish stretched over a 200 square-mile area. [Read more…] about Along The Mohawk & Malone: Forest Fires & Logging South of Big Moose (1900-1920)
The Schenectady Fire of 1861
The City of Schenectady is no stranger to fires. Every school child learns of the destruction of the fledgling village in February 1690 at the hands of the French and their Native American allies. Many know the story of the Great Fire of 1819, which started in a currying shop (where the stretching and finishing of tanned leather was carried out) on Water Street, was spread by strong winds in a northeastern direction, and ultimately destroyed most of the buildings in city west of Church Street from Water Street to the Mohawk River.
The Schenectady Fire of 1861 started innocently enough: boaters on the Mohawk River noticed wisps of smoke emanating from a pile of brush near the southwest corner of a large frame warehouse along the north side of West Front Street (Cucumber Alley) around 4 pm on August 6, 1861. [Read more…] about The Schenectady Fire of 1861
Wildfires Fought In Nine New York Counties Last Weekend
From Friday, November 4th through Monday, November 7th, New York State Forest Rangers responded to at least nine wildland fires in nine different counties caused by campfires, debris burning, and power lines. [Read more…] about Wildfires Fought In Nine New York Counties Last Weekend
Adirondack Search Turns to House Fire and Rescue
On October 31st at 9:40 pm, New York State Police (NYSP) requested Department of Environmental Conservation Forest Ranger assistance in locating a subject originally reported as an overdue hunter.
The family of the 25-year-old from Hudson in Columbia County, NY, had reported the individual missing and indicated he might be despondent and suicidal. [Read more…] about Adirondack Search Turns to House Fire and Rescue
Big Fires At Bloodville: An Industrial History
The fires that destroyed both the axe and scythe factories in Bloodville in Saratoga County did not completely end the industrial era of the hamlet, as is widely believed.
There were actually a few valiant efforts to reestablish manufacturing in the years that followed. [Read more…] about Big Fires At Bloodville: An Industrial History
The Great Boston Fire of 1872
For two days in November, 1872, a massive fire swept through Boston, leaving the downtown in ruins and the population traumatized. Coming barely a year after the infamous Chicago Fire, Boston’s inferno turned out to be one of the most expensive fires per acre in US history.
Yet today few are aware of how close Boston came to total destruction. [Read more…] about The Great Boston Fire of 1872
NYS Forest Rangers Battle Numerous Wildfires Exacerbated By Dry Conditions
New York State Forest Rangers joined local firefighters from multiple fire companies to fight numerous wildfires in New York State on Sunday as careless campfires and debris burning combined with dry conditions. About 40 acres were burned in three locations in Washington, Fulton and Herkimer Counties. [Read more…] about NYS Forest Rangers Battle Numerous Wildfires Exacerbated By Dry Conditions