Little Falls Historical Society Museum
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Little Falls, NY

  • This day in history: September 2

    1911

    Hundreds of old family keepsakes, unearthed from forgotten nooks and corners, are on display in several store windows along Main Street. Items included a pocketbook used in 1757, an old German bed warmer, a 118 year old spinning wheel, one of the first cameras used in Little Falls, Nicholas Herkimer’s commission appointing him a general in the U. S. army dated September 5, 1776, and a 200 year old Ox yoke.

    1916

    It was hoped that Little Falls would escape the infantile paralysis, but that was not the case. An eight year-old local boy seems to have contacted the disease in Syracuse, and was diagnosed here and has died. Several families in the neighborhood who had been exposed are under a strict quarantine.

    1945

    WW II Era – With V-J Day, World War II is finally over. The formal Japanese surrender ceremony was held in Tokyo Bay aboard the battleship, U.S.S. Missouri. People took to the streets in Little Falls and celebrated. During the war, twenty-eight Little Falls boys served as pilots in the military.

  • 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
    Historic Entry Sign. Little Falls, NY

    LITTLE FALLS HISTORIC ENTRY SIGNAGE NOW IN PLACE

    Historic Entry to Little Falls, NYOver five years in the planning and execution stage, the Little Falls Historic Entry is now a physical reality. The project represents a multi-year collaboration between city government and the Little Falls Historical Society with an assist from the NYS Department of Transportation.

    The virtual version of the Little Falls Historic Entry has existed for over a year on the Little Falls Historical Society’s website.

    Benton Hall Academy, St. Mary’s Church complex, the Richard Ray Ward house, Little Falls Public Library, the Loomis Burrell home, Little Falls City Hall, the Little Falls Old Bank Building Museum, and the African American Burial Grounds section of Church Street Cemetery are all highlighted as part of thishistoric entry.

    The purpose of the HISTORIC ENTRY sign on Route 5 east of the city is to encourage more westbound traffic onto East Main Street.

    Once off Route 5 and onto East Main Street, visitors can then pull over at the bottom of Ward Square to view the CONFIRMATION SIGN listing the eight points of historic interest. The QR code on the bottom of this sign provides users with easy access to a virtual interactive map displaying the locations and descriptions of various Little Falls historic homes and other buildings, and other points of historic interest. The eight historic entry items are also narrated.

    At present, most of these historic buildings and the African American burial ground have descriptive signage, similarsignage for the other buildings is also in the planning stage.

    This project represents the best of small-town collaboration. A volunteer-led community non-profit organization, city government, and a NYS department combined their efforts to bring to fruition  a community resource.

    Historic Entry Sign. Little Falls, NY

    Explore our history

    • “Auld Lang Syne”, a short story with the main character being Dudley Burwell, who was known to the villagers of Little Falls as ”The Hermit of Burwell Hill,” was written in 1903 by Frances Ledyard Haun,, twenty-five years after the death of Burwell
      THE HERMIT OF BURWELL HILL POSTHUMOUSAugust 26, 2026 - 8:16 am
    • Little Falls Historical Society Mohawk Valley GivesLittle Falls Historical Society Mohawk Valley Gives
      MOHAWK VALLEY GIVES HAS ANNOUNCED SEPTEMBER 18TH AS COMMUNITY-WIDE GIVING DAYAugust 19, 2026 - 9:02 am
    • 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

    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

    By appointment only after October 4, 2025 until May 2026.
    SPECIAL DATES:
    OPEN SATURDAY, OCTOBER 11, 9-2
    OPEN FOR CHRISTMAS IN LITTLE FALLS ON SATURDAY, DECEMBER 13TH

    Explore the history of the Mohawk Valley

    Visit MohawkValleyMuseums.us
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