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Little Falls

Aeronaut Carlotta Myers In The Clouds Over Saratoga

July 28, 2022 by Dave Waite 1 Comment

Carlotta and Zepher in Congress ParkIt was a quiet September afternoon at Saratoga Springs’ Grand Union Hotel, with families and small groups gathering to relax and be seen by Saratoga’s high society. As the clock struck 4:30, a hush fell over the hotel’s piazza and every eye was drawn across Broadway to Congress Spring Park where a huge net shrouded sphere slowly rose above the trees.

When the giant ball had cleared the treetops, hanging below it was a small figure standing suspended in an open wire cage waving a handkerchief to the onlookers below. The crowd that day in 1884 witnessed a gas-filled balloon ascension by female aeronaut Carlotta Myers. [Read more…] about Aeronaut Carlotta Myers In The Clouds Over Saratoga

Filed Under: Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Aviation History, Herkimer COunty, Little Falls, Saratoga County, Saratoga County History Center, Saratoga County History Roundtable, Science History, womens history

In Little Falls, An Old Bank Building Survives and Thrives

February 8, 2022 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The old bank building in Little Falls as it appeared prior to scheduled demolitionThe wisdom of historic preservation has not always been a given. The desire by some to preserve old buildings and places is at times pitted against those who would rather “start over” with new construction.

In the early 1970s many residents of Little Falls, Herkimer County, NY wanted to tear down the old Herkimer County Bank, the county’s first. Some hoped it was be transformed into a parking lot, while a handful of preservationists fought to preserve the Greek Revival architectural treasure and a community resource. [Read more…] about In Little Falls, An Old Bank Building Survives and Thrives

Filed Under: History, Mohawk Valley Tagged With: Herkimer COunty, Historic Preservation, Little Falls, Little Falls Historical Society, National Register of Historic Places

3,300 Acres Protected Along East Canada Creek Tributary

December 29, 2020 by Editorial Staff 3 Comments

Spruce Creek by Bob StoneThe Open Space Institute (OSI) has announced the permanent protection of more than 3,300 acres in the Herkimer County towns of Salisbury and Norway. The tract is comprised of hardwood and softwood forests and significant wetlands within the Mohawk River watershed.

OSI purchased the Spruce Creek property for $3 million from Datum 9 Forestry LLC. [Read more…] about 3,300 Acres Protected Along East Canada Creek Tributary

Filed Under: Adirondacks & NNY, Mohawk Valley, Nature, Western NY Tagged With: conservation, East Canada Creek, Ferris Lake Wild Forest, Herkimer COunty, Little Falls, Mohawk River, nature, Norway, Open Space Institute, Salisbury, water quality

George Lunn: The 1912 Socialist Victory in Schenectady

October 30, 2019 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

George Lunn 1912 socialist victory in schenectadySchenectady County Historian Bill Buell’s new book George Lunn: The 1912 Socialist Victory in Schenectady (The Troy Book Makers, 2019) looks back at Schenectady native George Lunn, and his life in politics.

An Iowa native, George Lunn came to Schenectady in 1904 to become senior pastor at the First Reformed Church in the city’s Stockade Neighborhood. He entered politics in 1911 and was elected mayor of Schenectady as a member of the Socialist Party of America. [Read more…] about George Lunn: The 1912 Socialist Victory in Schenectady

Filed Under: Books, Capital-Saratoga, History Tagged With: Al Smith, Books, Little Falls, Mohawk Valley, Political History, Religious History, Schenectady, Schenectady County

Indian Castle Church 250th Anniversary Celebration Set

June 10, 2019 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Indian Castle ChurchHistoric Indian Castle Church is set to celebrate its 250th anniversary with a variety of activities on June 14th through 16th at its 109 Dillenbeck Road location in Little Falls, NY.

The Indian Castle church was erected in 1769 by Sir William Johnson on land donated by siblings Joseph and Molly Brant, two prominent Mohawk in their village of Canajoharie, located on the south side of the Mohawk River. [Read more…] about Indian Castle Church 250th Anniversary Celebration Set

Filed Under: Events, History Tagged With: Little Falls, Palatines

Little Falls’ Lock 17: An Engineering Marvel

July 7, 2016 by Craig Williams Leave a Comment

lock 17 postcardThe Little Falls Journal and Courier proclaimed in a banner headline on their July 4th, 1916 edition that the celebration for the completion of Lock 17 “will go down in history.”

The paper stated that the pageantry and parades of the previous Friday and Saturday were a tremendous success. “Nothing so elaborate, so gorgeous, so successful from an historic, an artistic and idealistic point of view was ever before undertaken in this city… The crowd on Friday was conservatively estimated at four thousand and on Saturday it was as large or larger.”

Featured throughout the festivities were the recently arrived immigrant communities, the “New Americans” that Governor Whitman especially recognized in his remarks that Friday. [Read more…] about Little Falls’ Lock 17: An Engineering Marvel

Filed Under: History, Capital-Saratoga, Mohawk Valley, Western NY Tagged With: Barge Canal, Engineering History, Erie Canal, Little Falls, Transportation History

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