New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Glens Falls

“Strange things about Mrs. Simeon Hays,” The Woman That Lived Without Eating

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Chestertown and Horicon map 1858Night and day for three full weeks six well-dressed men would take shifts standing watch over Betsey Hays in her bed. They planned to stay with her two at a time in her one room cabin and make careful scientific notes.  For Betsey, who spent most of her time tormented by uncontrollable bodily contortions and seizures, it was something she was used to.

Over the past two years, thousands of people had come to Chestertown in Northern Warren County to stand over her as she suffered. [Read more…] about “Strange things about Mrs. Simeon Hays,” The Woman That Lived Without Eating

The Hyde Collection Names New Curator

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Dr, Derin TanyolThe Hyde Collection in Glens Falls, NY has announced that Dr. Derin Tanyol, a nineteenth- through twenty-first-century art specialist, has been named Curator of Modern & Contemporary Art. She will oversee The Hyde’s contemporary exhibition programming and modern art collections. She began in the new role on October 24th. [Read more…] about The Hyde Collection Names New Curator

Carleton’s Raid in 1780 Devastated Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties

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Map of Carleton's RaidThe 1780 Carleton Raid devastated the present-day New York State counties of Saratoga, Warren, and Washington. It was known as the “Great Burning” because many of the structures along the “Old Military Road” south of Fort George at the southern end of Lake George were destroyed.

British Maj. Christopher Carleton’s raid was part of a larger strategy that played out across upstate New York and Vermont. Together with Carleton’s raiders, Sir John Johnson swept across the Schoharie and Mohawk Valleys, Col. John Munro attacked Ballston Spa, and Lt. Richard Houghton raided Royalton, Vermont during the autumn of 1780. [Read more…] about Carleton’s Raid in 1780 Devastated Saratoga, Warren, and Washington Counties

Call to Artists for Glens Falls Electrical Boxes

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Leah Hofgesang, on Ridge StreetThe Arts District of Glens Falls (ADGF) has announced a call for a second round of artists to create public art on three more electrical boxes in downtown Glens Falls. The Arts District, launched in 2015, is a group of 14 organizations working with the City of Glens Falls on a public arts trail as part of the Downtown Revitalization Initiative. [Read more…] about Call to Artists for Glens Falls Electrical Boxes

At Spier Falls Immigrants Built America, Or Died Trying

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Spier Falls DamAdirondack history is naturally rife with river-related stories — wildly successful fishing trips, damaging floods, wilderness exploration, and dam construction.

Rivers were the lifeblood of development: settlements sprang up along waterways, where partial diversion of streams provided the wheel-turning power necessary to many industries. But freshets were so common and destructive that dams were introduced as flood-control measures, and then for hydropower as the electrification of society unfolded. [Read more…] about At Spier Falls Immigrants Built America, Or Died Trying

1860: A Southern Tourist Gives Saratoga, Lake George Mixed Reviews

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Saratoga Springs Hotel Life in 1874 (photo by Record and Epler)George Mercer, a graduate of the University of Virginia School of Law, took a summer trip to Saratoga Springs with a buddy after sightseeing at West Point. He had a pretty good time, but not a great time.

He enjoyed the nightlife, but wasn’t impressed with the ladies; he went boating on Lake George, but complained of the heat. Sounds like today, right? Try 1860. [Read more…] about 1860: A Southern Tourist Gives Saratoga, Lake George Mixed Reviews

Charles Evans Hughes Doc Screening in Glens Falls on Saturday

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My Native Air (Charles Evans Hughes & The Adirondacks)Charles Evans Hughes, a Glens Falls native, was Governor of New York from 1907 to October 1910, when he resigned to accept appointment as a U.S. Supreme Court Associate Justice. He resigned from the court in June 1916 to accept the Republican nomination for President, narrowly losing to incumbent Democrat Woodrow Wilson. He later served as U.S. Secretary of State and Chief Justice of the United States.

Many places in the Adirondacks lay claim to the distinction that Charles Evans Hughes slept there. A century ago, it was at the home of Louis and Charlotte Hyde, now The Hyde Collection art museum, where Charles and Antoinette Hughes stayed overnight on June 24th, 1922, the night before dedication of the Helen Hughes Memorial Chapel, built in memory of their daughter, at Silver Bay Association in Hague on Lake George. [Read more…] about Charles Evans Hughes Doc Screening in Glens Falls on Saturday

Arts District of Glens Falls Unveiling New Public Art April 30th

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Adirondack chair created by Adirondack Folk SchoolThe Arts District of Glens Falls has announced plans to unveil the latest installment of public art during the Glens Falls Collaborative’s Wing Fest, held from noon to 3 pm on April 30th in Downtown Glens Falls. The unveiling ceremony with remarks by the artist, sponsor, and the Arts District will be held at 1 pm. [Read more…] about Arts District of Glens Falls Unveiling New Public Art April 30th

Political Anecdotes from the Past

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Trivia clue: He was the vice-presidential running mate of Grover Cleveland in 1888.

Correct response: Who was former U.S. Sen. Allen G. Thurman of California?

“The patriot of Columbus cannot be allowed to wither in retirement,” M.F. Tarpey said, when placing Thurman’s name in nomination, according to June 8th, 1888 report in The Morning Star of Glens Falls. “His fame is not his alone; it is the proud heritage of the American public.” [Read more…] about Political Anecdotes from the Past

The Little Newspaper That Hoped It Could

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First edition of the Sandy Hill (Hudson Falls) Commercial Advertiser Nov 26, 1879Call it the little newspaper that hoped it could.

“What! another paper in Washington County!” publisher George A. Nash wrote in the first issue of The Commercial Advertiser of Sandy Hill, now Hudson Falls, on November 26th, 1879. [Read more…] about The Little Newspaper That Hoped It Could