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

September 9, 2026 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

With 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

Rapping with the Dead: New York’s Spiritualist Fox Sisters

August 27, 2026 by Thomas Rosenthal, MD 2 Comments

The first indication that the Fox Sisters had spiritualist talents occurred on the evening of March 31, 1848 when 11-year-old Kate and 14-year-old Maggie Fox claimed they heard knocking sounds coming from the east bedroom of their parents’ rented farmhouse in Hydesville, Wayne County, NY, about 30 miles east of Rochester.

The next night, the young ladies revealed this strange knocking spirit to their mother and older sister, Leah. The family’s excitement about communicating beyond the grave took no note that the inaugural demonstration had been staged on April first. [Read more…] about Rapping with the Dead: New York’s Spiritualist Fox Sisters

East Line Hamlet: A Forgotten Crossroads

August 12, 2026 by Guest Contributor 4 Comments

Before East Line Road marked the boundary between the town line between Ballston and Malta, it marked a community. Today, only a roadside sign hints at what once stood at the crossroads of Route 67 and East Line Road:

“East Line. An early community ca. 1780. ME Church built in 1809. Nearby was a hotel, a tavern, and by 1837 an RR stop.” [Read more…] about East Line Hamlet: A Forgotten Crossroads

Some 1896 Lighter Side of Political History Anecdotes

July 29, 2026 by Maury Thompson Leave a Comment

In 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

1908 Work At The Jefferson County Journal

July 25, 2026 by Phil Brown Leave a Comment

Alice Mabel Allen (1886-1976) grew up in the village of Adams in Jefferson County. In 1908, while attending Syracuse University, Mabel, as she was known, kept a diary which New York Almanack is publishing each week.

Monday, July 27

Arose early and Edna [her sister] and I started for home at about 9. Very warm as the horse travelled with the wind. On reaching home found Mr. Cooper had slight relapse. After dinner went down to [Jefferson County Journal] office. Copy was scarce for a while. After supper got locale of Edith and Helen and went down with them after the mail. Went into Clark’s. Letter from Harriet this A.M. and proscriptions from Dr. Craton. [Read more…] about 1908 Work At The Jefferson County Journal

Small & Scarce: Early New York Paper Making History

July 19, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

About 1768, New York’s first paper mill was established, but throughout the 1700s New Yorkers suffered from a lack of paper, no more so than during the American Revolution. The industry grew from the need for paper and owes its early history to the rise of printing in America. [Read more…] about Small & Scarce: Early New York Paper Making History

The 1922 ‘Shifters’ Moral Panic

June 7, 2026 by Dave Waite Leave a Comment

With the 19th Amendment offering greater rights for women, and the nation’s economy recovering from the First World War, the Roaring Twenties opened the door for young and old alike to shake off the Victorian Era restraints of the previous century. This was the era when women were “flappers,” and their men “sheiks.” It also gave rise to the speakeasy and to jazz. It was a time when numerous crazes, such as flagpole sitting and a dance called the Charleston, swept the country.

Another of these crazes was a secret society whose members went by the name of Shifters. The origin of this movement has never been discovered, with theories ranging from a prank by New York City high school girls to a marketing scheme by a novelty jewelry company. [Read more…] about The 1922 ‘Shifters’ Moral Panic

Mabel’s 1908 Diary: Working the Jefferson County Journal

June 6, 2026 by Phil Brown Leave a Comment

In 1908, while attending Syracuse University, Alice Mabel Allen (1886-1976), or Mabel as she was known, kept a diary which New York Almanack is publishing each week. In these entries, she is back in Adams, working on her father’s weekly paper, The Jefferson County Journal.

Monday, June 8

Late for breakfast. Washed dishes alone and dusted. Washed out the white waists and handkerchiefs and frosted Sarah’s cake. After dinner I straightened out the room and went down to the office to fold the Annual [of Jefferson County Journal]. [Read more…] about Mabel’s 1908 Diary: Working the Jefferson County Journal

1925 Radio News from Northern New York

June 4, 2026 by Maury Thompson 1 Comment

It 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

Clint Wescott: ‘Bum with a Bank Account’

June 3, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

$20,000 in 1968 is estimated to be worth about $190,000 today. Would you pass that up if it were offered to you and it were legitimately yours? Clint Wescott would — and did.

Missing from his hometown of Burnt Hills, NY, for 15 years, when he was finally found and told of his windfall, he was dressed in rags and had 44 cents in his pocket. [Read more…] about Clint Wescott: ‘Bum with a Bank Account’

Four New Yorkers Being Inducted into Abolition Hall of Fame

May 6, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

The institution of race-based slavery in what is now New York dates to 1627 when 22 enslaved Africans were brought to New Amsterdam (now New York City) by the Dutch West Indies Company. From that day forward some Americans opposed slavery and sought its abolition.

The National Abolition Hall of Fame and Museum in Madison County, NY, has announced four abolitionists will be inducted this fall: Black Americans William Wells Brown and Samuel Ringgold Ward, and also William and John Jay II – descendants of American Patriot John Jay. [Read more…] about Four New Yorkers Being Inducted into Abolition Hall of Fame

Nat Fein: The Man Behind The Iconic Babe Ruth Photo

April 22, 2026 by Clare Sheridan 1 Comment

Most people don’t know Nat Fein’s name — but they know his work. Fein, who lived in Tappan, in Rockland County, NY, for many years, captured one of the most iconic images in American sports history.

Babe Ruth’s final appearance at Yankee Stadium occurred June 13, 1948, and the photograph, which earned Fein the 1949 Pulitzer Prize, became known as “Babe Ruth Bows Out.” [Read more…] about Nat Fein: The Man Behind The Iconic Babe Ruth Photo

An New Biography Explores Andy Rooney’s Lucky Life

April 10, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

A soon to be published biography of Andy Rooney (1919-2011) carries readers through the arc of a true American original, a New Yorker who was once one of the country’s most popular television and newspaper commentators.

Born in Albany, he attended Albany Academy, and later Colgate University in Hamilton, NY, before he was drafted into the United States Army in August 1941. [Read more…] about An New Biography Explores Andy Rooney’s Lucky Life

Will He Or Won’t He? Charles Evans Hughes in 1906

March 6, 2026 by Maury Thompson Leave a Comment

On January 4, 1906 The Argus of Albany offered its readers a nugget of political wit. “The insurance office boy who receives your card is likely to reply, nowadays, ‘The boss can’t see nobody. He is busy writing his resignation.’”

New York City lawyer Charles Evans Hughes had just completed his work during the investigation of the life insurance industry on behalf of the state’s legislature (part of the Armstrong Investigation). Hughes, born in Glens Falls, was eager to get as far from the Albany quagmire as possible. [Read more…] about Will He Or Won’t He? Charles Evans Hughes in 1906

Woman Dies Hiking Mount Marcy; Another Skier Died at Whiteface; No Local Reporting

February 15, 2026 by John Warren 3 Comments

Two recreationists died in the Adirondacks recently, though a lack of daily local journalism limited public information about the deaths. State Police say Andrew L. Sargent, 52, of Lake Jackson, Texas, was found unconscious on January 24 at Whiteface Mountain Ski Area. Sargent struck a tree when descending Lower Northway, police said. His family said he was wearing a helmet.

The incident was not reported in the media until February 12th, following the death of a second skier at Whiteface on February 4th. And then last week, 67 skiers were trapped the Northwoods Gondola at Gore Mountain Ski Area, some for many hours, after they broke down. There was no news for days. [Read more…] about Woman Dies Hiking Mount Marcy; Another Skier Died at Whiteface; No Local Reporting

An 1805 Visitor to the Springs in Ballston and Saratoga

February 12, 2026 by Guest Contributor 1 Comment

On Friday, August 30th in 1805, Matthew Prendergast set off on horseback from Sharon, Connecticut. Matthew was about 50 years old, a resident of Amenia in Dutchess County, NY, just across the state line from Sharon. He was comfortably well off, but definitely not super rich, and he suffered from rheumatism.

He had a few errands to do on the way, but he was planning on heading north and taking the waters at Ballston Springs, where he had visited in the past. He took his time, stopping several times, including at Kinderhook, Albany and Troy. [Read more…] about An 1805 Visitor to the Springs in Ballston and Saratoga

The Creation of the Postal Service & American Political Culture

February 2, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

The founders established the post office before they had even signed the Declaration of Independence, and for a very long time, it was the U.S. government’s largest and most important endeavor — indeed, it was the government for most citizens.

This was no conventional mail network but the central nervous system of the new body politic, designed to bind thirteen quarrelsome colonies into the United States by delivering news about public affairs to every citizen — a radical idea that appalled Europe’s great powers. [Read more…] about The Creation of the Postal Service & American Political Culture

Strike! 13 Strikes Every New Yorker Should Know About

January 23, 2026 by Editorial Staff Leave a Comment

Today the state of Minnesota is engaged in the first General Strike in nearly 80 years. There have been thousands of strikes in American history, but only about a dozen General Strikes. One of the first strikes took place in the city of New York in 1677. Afterward a dozen cart-men (one-horse cart operators) were criminally prosecuted “for not obeying the Command and Doing their Dutyes as becomes them in their Places” and fined.

About 80 strikes in the U.S. have involved over 100,000 workers. Here are 13 strikes every New Yorker should know about: [Read more…] about Strike! 13 Strikes Every New Yorker Should Know About

Martin Luther King’s Northern New York Legacy

January 19, 2026 by Lawrence P. Gooley Leave a Comment

Today is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, and if you lived through the 1960s, you’ll never forget that turbulent decade. Even turbulent is putting it mildly: weekly classroom drills for nuclear attacks (Get under my desk? What the heck is this thing made of?); riots over race, poverty, the draft, and the Vietnam War; the assassinations of JFK, King, and Bobby Kennedy; and so much more.

Martin Luther King Jr. was a leading figure of those times, beloved and hated nationally and internationally. Love him or hate him, he was remarkable. Against the worst of odds, he effected change through peaceful protest. The impact was clear, even here in Northern New York. [Read more…] about Martin Luther King’s Northern New York Legacy

The New York State Historic Newspapers Project

January 14, 2026 by Guest Contributor Leave a Comment

This week Kaatscast features Chuck Henry, the Project Lead of New York State Historic Newspapers, a digital archive containing over 1,200 newspaper titles, 1.5 million editions, and more than 15 million searchable pages spanning from 1725 to 2025.

It’s one of the largest newspaper archives in the country and is completely free, with no paywalls or subscriptions needed. [Read more…] about The New York State Historic Newspapers Project

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