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Little Falls, NY

  • This day in history: September 15

    1821

    The first newspaper published in Little Falls, the “People’s Friend”, by Edward Griffing, was printed in Mechanic’s Hall on Main Street, and later at the brick house on Garden Street at the head of Mary Street.

    1843

    The boat “The Champion” left her dock at Little Falls for Troy with a mammoth load: 1944 boxes of cheese, 43 cases of cheese, 3 boxes of woolens, and 1 box of leather. The cargo weighed 150,561 pounds and the toll was $56.50.

    1885

    One of the oldest and most honored citizens of Little Falls, Judge Arphaxed Loomis, passed away. Born in 1798 in Connecticut, he moved to to Salisbury as a young boy in 1803. Long prominent in local affairs, he ranked among the foremost men in the State, and was an acknowledged leader in shaping its course as the Empire State. Arphaxed Loomis, is remembered most for his successful efforts in forcing the Ellice Estate to sell their holdings in Little Falls. He was village president (1831-1836,) County Judge, member of the NYS Assembly, and member of Congress. He built his home at 676 East Main Street in 1832.

    1901

    A memorial service for all churches in the city was held for President William McKinley at the Skinner Opera House. McKinley had been assassinated nine days earlier in Buffalo, New York.

    1982

    New officers were installed for the Little Falls Bocce League. Charlie Raiello, Ugo Taverni, and John Casullo took over the reins from Lou Colangelo and Paul Terenzetti.  The local bocce ball courts are located at the Veterans Memorial Park complex.

    2010

    A flotilla enroute to Rochester for the 2010 World Canals Conference stopped in Little Falls today. The flotilla is made up of pleasure and tour boats, as well as several historic and operational vessels from the New York State Canal Corporation.

  • Many thanks to Louie Baum for his research for This Day in History.

    ALL EXHIBITS

    • 1912 Little Falls Textile Strike
    • 1940 Gulf Curve Train Wreck
    • 240th Anniversary of the Battles of Stone Arabia and Klock’s Field
    • Athletics Wing Collection
    • Battle of West Canada Creek
    • Camp Jolly Exhibit
    • Church Street Cemetery Tour
    • City Hall – A History
    • Distant Drums – Little Falls during the Civil War Era
    • Early Base Ball in Little Falls
    • Early Little Falls Buildings and Organizations
    • First U.S. Cheese Market Exhibit
    • Frog Fountain
    • Herkimer County Bank
    • Little Falls African American History
    • Little Falls Diamonds Collection
    • Little Falls Music Exhibit
    • Little Falls Waterways
    • Little Falls and Women’s Suffrage
    • Making History Today
    • Making History Today Student Edition
    • Massacre at the Little Falls Grist Mill
    • Myjava, Slovakia, Sister City of Little Falls
    • Native American Exhibit
    • Prohibition Exhibit
    • Rockton Exhibit
    • Urban Renewal Exhibit
    • Vietnam War Exhibit
    • World War II and Korean Conflict Exhibit

    Old School House Audio Tour

    January 29, 2022/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    The Old School House Audio Tour by Mary Zell Galen. Narrated by Anna Rutenbeck, Cooperstown Museum Studies Graduate Program, SUNY Oneonta, Class of 2021.

    Read more
    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Old-Schoolhouse.jpg 570 1488 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2022-01-29 18:42:332022-04-08 11:54:32Old School House Audio Tour
    Little Falls Grist Mill Attack historic marker | Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Attack on Petrie Gristmill Audio Tour

    January 29, 2022/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Attack on Petrie Gristmill Audio Tour by Robin Cochrane. Narrated by Anna Rutenbeck, Cooperstown Museum Studies Graduate Program, SUNY Oneonta, Class of 2021.

    Read more
    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Little-Falls-Grist-Mill-Attack-Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum_.jpg 900 1200 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2022-01-29 18:31:302022-04-08 11:55:57Attack on Petrie Gristmill Audio Tour
    Grist Mill Attack Historic Marker in Little Falls, New York.

    Petrie Gristmill Audio Tour

    January 28, 2022/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    The Petrie Gristmill Audio Tour by Robin Cochrane. Narrated by Anna Rutenbeck, Cooperstown Museum Studies Graduate Program, SUNY Oneonta, Class of 2021.

    Read more
    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Grist-Mill-Attack-marker-scaled.jpeg 1350 1800 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2022-01-28 18:03:272022-04-08 11:51:04Petrie Gristmill Audio Tour
    Church Street Cemetery Vault | Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Church Street Cemetery Audio Tour

    January 28, 2022/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    The Church Street Cemetery Audio Tour by Anna Rutenbeck. Narrated by Anna Rutenbeck, Cooperstown Museum Studies Graduate Program, SUNY Oneonta, Class of 2021.

    Read more
    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2019/03/Church-Street-Cemetery-Vault.jpg 424 632 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2022-01-28 17:29:562026-06-22 16:19:40Church Street Cemetery Audio Tour
    Octagon Church oil painting by Gwen Lee | Little Falls Historical Society Museum_-3

    Octagon Church & Burying Ground Audio Tour

    January 28, 2022/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    The Octagon Church Site and Burying Ground Audio Tour written and narrated by Anna Rutenbeck, Cooperstown Museum Studies Graduate Program, SUNY Oneonta, Class of 2021.

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    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2020/07/Octagon-Church-Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum_-3.jpg 969 1200 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2022-01-28 16:33:332022-04-08 13:27:00Octagon Church & Burying Ground Audio Tour
    A view of the building as it appeared prior to scheduled demolition.

    The Old Bank Building Survives and Thrives by Pat Frezza-Gressler

    January 28, 2022/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    The 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.

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    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/Old-Bank-Lovenheims-3.jpg 777 1200 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2022-01-28 07:48:002022-03-31 12:21:02The Old Bank Building Survives and Thrives by Pat Frezza-Gressler

    2021 Annual Report

    January 20, 2022/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    View the 2021 Little Falls Historical Society Annual report Including elections, membership, sponsors, online activities, writing series, and more.

    Read more
    http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png 0 0 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2022-01-20 09:43:022023-02-08 12:29:242021 Annual Report
    View of the Mohawk Valley looking south towards Little Falls, NY.

    Palatine Germans in Search of a Land to Call Home by Ginny Rogers

    January 17, 2022/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    January 17, 2022 marks the 300th anniversary of the Burnetsfield Patent. 

    The earliest European settlers in the Mohawk Valley came from what is now southwest Germany. Under near constant threat of destruction, whether from multiple wars, invasions, or the plague, in the near hundred years leading up to the 18th century, the southwest German population experienced extreme hardship.

    Read more
    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2022/01/IMG_3016.jpeg 1200 1600 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2022-01-17 07:25:002022-08-18 12:21:11Palatine Germans in Search of a Land to Call Home by Ginny Rogers
    Helen Dunteman

    MISS HELEN DUNTEMAN

    January 3, 2022/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Helen Dunteman was a highly respected social studies teacher in the Little Falls school district for many years, retiring in 1962. Helen was both a lifelong Little Falls resident and a graduate of Oneonta State Normal School. She passed away in 1984.

    Read more
    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2021/09/Helen-Dunteman-smaller.jpg 1200 911 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2022-01-03 13:31:002024-01-24 11:11:50MISS HELEN DUNTEMAN

    Explore our history

    • The Privy and the Pear Tree: Unearthing Little Falls History in Your Own BackyardJuly 15, 2026 - 2:42 pm
    • Francis Skinner Municipal PoolFrancis Skinner Municipal Pool
      More than 150 Donors Help Reopen Francis Skinner Municipal PoolJuly 1, 2026 - 5:00 pm
    • COMMITTEE OF FIVE PRESENTING THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE TO CONGRESS IN 1776.
      THE DECLARATION OF INDEPENDENCE 1776 – 2026June 26, 2026 - 8:01 am
    • Little Falls Historical Society Membership PicnicJune 5, 2026 - 1:51 pm
    • Charles P Colby
      A Capacity For AchievementMay 7, 2026 - 7:35 am
    • Fort Herkimer Church
      Patriots Day Event Saturday, May 16, at the Fort Herkimer ChurchMay 5, 2026 - 8:55 am

    Explore the history of the Mohawk Valley

    Visit MohawkValleyMuseums.us

    Museum Exhibits

    • Little Falls and Women's Suffrage
      Little Falls and Women’s Suffragein: Current Exhibits
    • Rockton Exhibit | Little Falls Historical Society | Little Falls, NY
      Rockton Exhibitin: Current Exhibits
    • Camp Jolly Little Falls Historical Society Museum
      Camp Jolly Exhibitin: Current Exhibits
    • Prohibition Exhibit | Little Falls Historical Society | Little Falls, NY
      Prohibition Exhibitin: Current Exhibits
    • Athletics Wing | Little Falls Historical Society | Little Falls, NY
      Athletics Wing Collectionin: Current Exhibits, Ongoing Exhibits
    • 1940 train wreck | Little Falls Historical Society Museum
      1940 Gulf Curve Train Wreckin: Ongoing Exhibits, Past Exhibits
    • Native American Exhibit | Little Falls Historical Society Museum | Little Falls NY
      Native American Exhibitin: Ongoing Exhibits
    • Little Falls Diamonds Exhibit | Little Falls Historical Society Museum | Little Falls NY
      Little Falls Diamonds Collectionin: Ongoing Exhibits
    • World War II Exhibit | Little Falls Historical Society Museum | Little Falls NY
      World War II and Korean Conflict Exhibitin: Past Exhibits
    • Little Falls Cheese Market | Little Falls Historical Society Museum | Little Falls NY
      First U.S. Cheese Market Exhibitin: Ongoing Exhibits
    • Myjava, Slovakia Exhibitin: Ongoing Exhibits
    • Little Falls Waterwaysin: Past Exhibits

    Explore events happening in the Mohawk Valley

    See what's happening on MohawkValley.Today

    OLD BANK BUILDING MUSEUM HOURS

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    OPEN SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 9-2
    OPEN FOR CHRISTMAS IN LITTLE FALLS ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13TH

    Explore the history of the Mohawk Valley

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