New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Glens Falls

Weather Prognosticators: Warren County’s John Brady & Nathan Davis

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synoptic table for weather forecasting from La Nature, 1889With weather events often predicted down to the minute, it is hard to imagine life without today’s real-time forecasts. Looking 120 years back into Warren County history, often that forecast came from old men sitting around a pot-belly stove who talked of woolly caterpillars and the color of the sky at sunset.

That changed in the late 1800s, when not one, but two weather prognosticators stepped into the limelight to share their predictions with the public. [Read more…] about Weather Prognosticators: Warren County’s John Brady & Nathan Davis

Grocers & The Rise of the Supermarket Chain

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A still extant traditional grocery store, 1920At the turn of the twentieth century, grocery retailing was still dominated by small, independently owned stores operating under what was commonly known as the “service” or “credit-and-delivery” model.

In this system, goods were kept behind a counter; clerks retrieved items upon request; and purchases were frequently charged to customer accounts and delivered to the home. Even early chain grocers followed this pattern. [Read more…] about Grocers & The Rise of the Supermarket Chain

Some 1896 Lighter Side of Political History Anecdotes

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A New York Times pressman checking a newspaper for defects in 1942In an era long ago, Republicans had a majority in the New York State Assembly. But Democrats were better at baseball. [Read more…] about Some 1896 Lighter Side of Political History Anecdotes

Environmentalists Have Big Stake in Finch Pulp Mill Closure

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An Adirondack Tigercat 822E track feller buncher during logging operations (Timberline Magazine)The purely economic decision by Finch Paper in Glens Falls, now part of a global company, to stop purchasing Adirondack regional trees for its pulp to paper operation and to instead acquire its pulp from far beyond New York’s borders is serious – and deserves the attention it’s getting at New York Almanack, and the worries from forest product industries, harvesters, truckers, suppliers, and landowners elsewhere. [Read more…] about Environmentalists Have Big Stake in Finch Pulp Mill Closure

Finch Paper Closing Glens Falls Pulp Mill; Logging Affected

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Finch Paper wood-yard in Glens Falls, NY, ca 2026The Finch Paper mill in Glens Falls, NY, a facility which has been buying pulp wood from the region’s loggers since 1865, has announced they will stop making their own pulp from local logs and will transition to buying it from suppliers outside the area.

Finch has been blending its own pulp with about 20% outside purchases. Going forward Finch is likely to source all its pulp from Canada, or buy market pulp, eliminating the work associated with the 45-50 log trucks who arrived at the mill daily. [Read more…] about Finch Paper Closing Glens Falls Pulp Mill; Logging Affected

Workers Unearth Mysterious Cannonballs in Lake George

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Ephraim Williams Monument, Route 9, Lake GeorgeThe Williams Monument lies several miles south of the head of Lake George along Route 9. On September 21, 1921, workers digging a hole for a sign near the obelisk revealed five cannonballs believed to date to the French & Indian War (1754–1763).

Following the unexpected discovery, made in 20 inches of soil, the laborers refilled the excavation. They then dug a post-hole in a different spot. [Read more…] about Workers Unearth Mysterious Cannonballs in Lake George

1925 Radio News from Northern New York

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A man tuning a Grebe Synchrophase vacuum tube tuned radio frequency (TRF) receiver in 1925, made by the AH Grebe CompanyIt was said to be the closest thing to actually being in the grand stand at Forbes Field for the Pittsburgh Pirates attempt to unseat the reigning champion Washington Senators.

“Today is probably one of the most exciting World Series ever played. Throughout the series, the Simpkins hardware store has entertained a goodly portion of the baseball fans in Ticonderoga with a running account of the games by that most marvelous invention, the radio,” The Ticonderoga Sentinel reported on Oct. 15, 1925. “Seats have been installed for the convenience of listeners.” [Read more…] about 1925 Radio News from Northern New York

Featured Collections: Warren County’s Austin Historical Collection

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Warren County Historian Dr Stan Cianfarano and new Judge John Austin research library, 2026 (provided by Warren County)The late Judge John Austin’s unrivalled collection of books and documents related to the history of Warren County, its towns and families has been reassembled as a reference library in the Warren County Clerk’s Office. There, hundreds of books, folders and much more, including documents that are particularly useful for those who research genealogy, are accessible to researchers by appointment. [Read more…] about Featured Collections: Warren County’s Austin Historical Collection

1827: An Old Cannon from Bloody Pond Explodes in Glens Falls

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Postcard showing Bloody Pond on Glens Falls and Lake George Road, ca. 1912 (American News Company, courtesy Adirondack Experience)July 4, 1827 was a special day in New York and certainly one for celebratory events around the state. It was the 51st anniversary of the signing of the Declaration of Independence (July 4, 1776). Moreover, July 4, 1827 was the final emancipation of enslaved people in the state of New York, the anniversary of which is being commemorated statewide next year.

Peleg Weaver, age 22, always enjoyed the merriment of commemorative festivities. With a few friends, Weaver planned some July 4th fireworks on Warren Street in Glens Falls, behind the Abraham Wing residence. Abraham Wing (1721–1795) was a founder of Glens Falls and Queensbury. [Read more…] about 1827: An Old Cannon from Bloody Pond Explodes in Glens Falls

Some Early History of Glens Falls

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early bridge and development at Glens Falls on the Hudson River (Courtesy Chapman Museum)Human presence in the Adirondacks, including Warren County, dates back thousands of years. The rugged peaks, valleys, and lakes of the Adirondacks were the hunting grounds for several Native American people, notably the Mohicans, Mohawk, and the Abenaki.

The Haudenosaunee arrived in the region around 1,200 to 4,000 years ago. Both the Mohawk and Oneidas claimed the Adirondacks as part of their territory. [Read more…] about Some Early History of Glens Falls

25 Properties Recommended to State, National Registers

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Grinnell-Satterlee House Wappingers Falls Dutchess County ca 2025The New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation (State Parks) have announced recommendations by the New York State Board for Historic Preservation to add 25 properties and districts to the State and National Registers of Historic Places.

The nominations include an intact 1905 metal casting foundry complex in Hudson, an 1873 house that reflects Syracuse’s layered history of immigration, urban renewal, and grassroots historic preservation, a cohesive group of Colonial Revival apartment buildings in Kenmore built during the 1920s and 1930s suburban housing boom, and an amendment to the 1971 nomination for Revolutionary-era Senate House in Kingston to include its 1920s commemorative museum annex. [Read more…] about 25 Properties Recommended to State, National Registers

When America Scrapped Its History For The War Effort

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'Get in the Scrap,' World War Two scrap program poster (courtesy Franklin D. Roosevelt Presidential Library and Museum)It was October 1942, ten months after America’s entry into the Second World War (1941–1945). A cannon ball, said to be from the Battle of Lake George, was donated to a scrap metal drive in Fort Edward.

The Battle of Lake George was a series of three military engagements on September 8, 1755, near the waterway’s south end. The outcome was a British victory over the French and their Indigenous allies during the French & Indian War (1755–1763). [Read more…] about When America Scrapped Its History For The War Effort

When Smuggling Swiss Watches Was A Thing

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This 1930 advertisement showcased one of the many high-quality Swiss timepieces (courtesy Rolex Watch Co.)It was 1930, during the era of Prohibition (1920–1933). So, it was not unusual when law enforcement personnel caught bootleggers on the Glens Falls-Lake George Road attempting to transport illegal alcohol from Canada to a local speakeasy.

What was uncommon, however, was arresting a smuggler who tried to sneak a large cache of untaxed contraband, Swiss watches, into the United States. [Read more…] about When Smuggling Swiss Watches Was A Thing

Naturalist & Bathysphere Explorer William Beebe

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William Beebe (left) and Otis Barton (right) pose next to their bathysphere in 1934 (photo courtesy NOAA)In the 1930s William Beebe (1877–1962), director of the Bermuda Oceanographic Institution sponsored by the New York Zoological Society (now the Wildlife Conservation Society), was described as “the most popular scientist in the world.”

Beebe began his career studying exotic birds, insects, and marine biology. The Brooklyn-born naturalist then gravitated to exploring the Atlantic Ocean’s abyss. [Read more…] about Naturalist & Bathysphere Explorer William Beebe

That ‘Other’ Massacre: Blood and Chocolate at Half-Way Brook

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Still from the 1992 movie Last of the Mohicans showing the surrender of Fort William HenryThe dramatic massacre at Fort William Henry on August 10, 1757 has been told in 18th century newspaper accounts, witness diaries, by historians, movie makers, and of course the famed novelist James Fenimore Cooper.

Another attack at Half-Way Brook a year later has been overshadowed by the carnage at Lake George. The events of July 28, 1758 were every bit as horrendous, bloody and gut-wrenching. That story has been largely overlooked. [Read more…] about That ‘Other’ Massacre: Blood and Chocolate at Half-Way Brook

Sweet Mama Stringbean: Lake George’s Shirley McFerson

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Shirley McFerson of Lake George Glens Falls Warren County NYThe Shoulder Rider, Beatriz Roman’s tale of the life and times of Shirley McFerson , aka “Sweet Mama Stringbean,” for young people is now available through the Warren County Historical Society.

Shirley McFerson, the Lake George librarian, storyteller and trustee of the Lake George Historical Museum, died at the age of 71 in 2005. She was the daughter of Samuel and Dorothy McFerson, the owners of the Woodbine Hotel in Lake George Village. [Read more…] about Sweet Mama Stringbean: Lake George’s Shirley McFerson

Closing the Champlain Canal Season in 1895

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Champlain Canal, 1895 by Howard PyleThe 1895 Champlain Canal navigation season was nearing its end. “The Morgan Lumber Company is hurrying large quantities of lumber to tidewater,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls reported on November 19th.

“Its boats are discharged of their up cargoes of coal as rapidly as possible, and immediately load lumber for the return trip.” There was evidence a few days later that, indeed, the remaining days of the navigation season were numbered. [Read more…] about Closing the Champlain Canal Season in 1895

The Lake George Trip That Inspired ‘Last of the Mohicans’

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A watercolor of Lake George, painted by Captain Joshua Rowley Watson, an English traveler who visited Lake George a few years before James Fenimore CooperJames Fenimore Cooper’s knowledge of the French and Indian War may have been sketchy, but he was interested enough in its history to contemplate a visit to Lake George, which he finally did with a party of Englishmen in August, 1824.

Lord Edward Stanley (1799-1869), who would later become the 14th Earl of Derby and thrice Great Britain’s Prime Minister during the reign of Queen Victoria, was the leader of that party. His account of the visit to Lake George was committed to his journals, portions of which were published in 1930 in a limited edition of fifty copies commissioned by his grandson. [Read more…] about The Lake George Trip That Inspired ‘Last of the Mohicans’

A Sketch of the Great Northern or Champlain Canal, 1822

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Champlain Canal, 1895 by Howard PyleThe following article, “INTERNAL IMPROVEMENT. A Sketch of the Great Northern or Champlain Canal. Waterford, 28th Nov. 1822” was first published in The American Farmer of Baltimore, Maryland, on December 20, 1822.

On this day the last stone of the Northern or Champlain Canal, was laid by Governor Clinton, President of the Board of Canal Commissioners, in the presence of a great assemblage of people. [Read more…] about A Sketch of the Great Northern or Champlain Canal, 1822

1925 Northern New York Radio History

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Family listening to the radio in Washington, DC, circa 1925Orrie Gould had a radio and would travel. “Gordon Russell and George Wilson were at J. Hebert Bly’s Sunday evening and enjoyed a radio entertainment furnished by Orrie Gould of Ticonderoga. The main feature was a church service from Albany, after which several stations were tuned in for musical selections,” the Crown Point Merchant’s Row correspondent reported in the Ticonderoga Sentinel on April 11, 1925.

“A few of our members were privileged to listen to a radio entertainment at the home of John Andre Saturday yesterday evening,” the Crown Point correspondent reported April 23rd. Orrie Gould of Ticonderoga brought the radio. [Read more…] about 1925 Northern New York Radio History

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