The Little Falls Historical Society Museum Annual Reports

TWO SCHOLARSHIPS AWARDED

In 2023, the History Society proudly awarded two $500 scholarships to graduating Little Falls High School students. One scholarship was awarded to Brayton Langdon who will major in history or a related field in college and our Charles P. Colby scholarship was awarded to Suzanne Begley for overcoming challenges to achieve academic success. This second scholarship was awarded through the generosity of an anonymous donor / Society member. Our board recently decided to increase both scholarships to $750 in 2024.

We have established a separate financial account for scholarship funds, additional donations to this account for future scholarships are welcomed.

SIGNAGE AND HISTORIC MARKERS

The Society partnered with several other organizations to design, purchase, and put in place a historic marker and three other historic signs in 2023.

The signage near the guard gate for the 1795 Western Inland Navigation Lock Canal was badly deteriorated until we partnered with both the Pomeroy Foundation and Little Falls Rotary to significantly upgrade this important historic site. The former provided funding for the manufacture of a beautiful New York State Waterways light blue and black historic marker, while Rotary provided part of the funding for the replacement of the two guard gate-related signs located at this site near the bridge to Hansen Island. An anonymous Society member donated the funding for the other sign in the memory of former Little Falls High School history teacher Ralph Van Horn. Various Society members coordinated their efforts to develop the verbiage and graphics for the marker and signs. City of Little Falls DPW workers provided essential assistance for the placement of the historic marker. Thank you.

The Society also partnered with the Cheese Festival board of directors to finance the replacement of the Cheese Market street-side sign located directly above the Old Bank Building Museum on South Ann Street. Several years ago, the Society orchestrated the replacement of the two other Cheese Market signs on South Ann Streetbetween Albany Street and Route 5.

The Society also donated a copy of an original mural for display in the Rotary Park Marina building. This Society-designed, beautiful mural uses a number of old Little Falls postcard images to capture four categories of community history  –  Parks and Nature, Waterways and Bridges, Buildings and Streets, and Business and Industry.

Bob Critser of DSP Images in Herkimer produced the mural and signs described above.

LITTLE FREE LIBRARY

Many Society members have likely noticed the beautiful addition to the portico on the front of the Museum. The small wooden structure was designed, built, and installed by Missy and Mike Smith resembling the architectural style of our Main Street buildings. We have developed an inventory of books for both young and old alike, and any number of books have been taken. The Little Free Library was painted bright green to match the three wooden museum signs. The Little Free Library was moved inside the museum for the winter.

2023 PATRIOTS DAY AT YELLOW CHURCH CEMETERY

The Society partnered with the Manheim Lutheran Church Association for the May 20 Patriots Day observance in the historic Yellow Church Cemetery where as many as fifty Revolutionary War veterans are interred. Short addresses were delivered by Sarah Israel, Nancy Cioch, Louis Baum, Pat Stock, Michelle Baum, Pat Frezza-Gressler, and Jeffrey Gressler. The DAR laid a commemorative wreath, Bob Schmelcher provided Colonial Era musical accompaniment, and Dr. Oscar Stivala closed out the program by playing “Taps.” This event was wellattended on this picture-perfect, sun-filled day.

SUNY ONEONTA COOPERSTOWN MUSEUM STUDIES GRADUATE PROGRAM

Year four of this collaborative partnership resulted in a bumper crop of eleven additions to the Society’s narrated driving tour of key local historic sites. Our combined work also produced the virtual version of the historic entry to Little Falls that Society members have long worked on.

These carefully narrated historic tours and other Society tours can all be accessed from the landing page interactive map on our website.

Year five of this collaboration will likely produce a Monopoly-like board game entitled Little Fallsopoly, featuring Little Falls streets and historic buildings and sites.

Since 2019, the Society has worked directly with SUNY Oneonta / Cooperstown professor Dr. Erik Stenglerand at least twenty-five of his students. Most of these newly minted graduate degree students have gone onto meaningful museum-related professional employment nationwide. They all should remember both Little Falls itself and the Historical Society quite fondly. Our newest board director Laura Laubenthal is herself a 2013graduate of this same master’s degree program.

CHURCH STREET CEMETERY AFRICAN AMERICAN BURIAL GROUNDS

As most of you are aware, the Historical Society has been an integral part of efforts to better recognize the old “Colored Burial Ground” section of Church Street Cemetery. In 2015, a monument was put in place, and in 2023, we worked with the city to put four granite cornerstone markers in place to more permanently establish the boundaries of this section. Society member Dan Enea helped with the acquisition of these markers, each engraved with a broken chain, signifying release from slavery.

The Historical Society once again hosted a walking tour of a number of significant gravesites in Church Street Cemetery during the 2023 Canal Days Celebration. The tour began at the African American burial ground monument highlighting five graves in that section before moving onto the balance of the cemetery tour. The event was well attended, despite inclement weather.

VINTAGE BASE BALL

For the past three years, the Historical Society has helped sponsor the vintage base ball team the Little Falls Alerts. In 2023, the Little Falls Alerts played four vintage base ball games, two in Meredith, N.Y. at the Dairy Festival, and two during Canal Days Celebration in Little Falls. Fourteen different players represented the Alerts. All four games were against a veteran team, the Delhi Polecats. Unfortunately, all four games resulted in Alerts losses. The Canal Days Celebration games were heartbreakers, as the Alerts were on the verge of their first wins. In each of these games the Alerts held the lead as the Polecats took their final at bat. But the gods of base ball prevailed, and the Delhi batsmen won each game by one run.

A modest schedule of games is expected for 2024, with a potential set of games to be played at Grant’s Cottage in Wilton, N.Y. The Alerts invite newcomers, male or female, to join the team.

DIGITAL MEDIA

The Historical Society is most fortunate to have a state-of-the-art website thanks to Ginny Rogers and a great Facebook and Instagram presence thanks to Missy Smith. Year-end data collection from this electronic media activity is quite revealing.

During 2023, our website was visited 395,443 times, our Facebook page had 377,412 visits, and our Instagrampage was visited 17,447 times. The Historical Society’s virtual footprint continues to resonate.

In collaboration, the Little Falls Historical Society, Mohawk Valley Today and Mohawk Valley Museums continue to work together to share local history. Mohawk Valley Today* and Mohawk Valley Museums** help other organizations in the region get the word out about the history, updates, and events that serve local communities and residents. Mohawk Valley Today serves the six Mohawk Valley counties and continues its commitment to offer front-page status for all news releases and writing series pieces that serve to educate and inform residents and friends of the Mohawk Valley.

* https://mohawkvalley.today                                                                                                  **https://mohawkvalleymuseums.us

RESEARCH COMMITTEE

The Historical Society is fortunate to have directors, officers, and other members who are dedicated and skilled researchers. The Society receives many research requests on topics including family genealogy, the names and locations of former City businesses and industries, the history of individual homes and historic buildings, and other areas of inquiry. Some of these requests get handled expediently, but others require hours of research effort.

The research committee has developed a professional, well-organized approach to serving these research requests, including comprehensive electronic and physical recordkeeping. The research committee serviced no fewer than sixty research requests in 2023.

PLANNED FOR 2024

As referred to previously, the Historical Society website already contains a virtual historic entry into Little Falls.The purpose of this historic entry is to route more incoming west-bound traffic onto and along East Main Street to drive past some of the City’s most important historic buildings  –  Benton Hall Academy, St. Mary’s Church, the Richard Ray Ward house, the Little Falls Public Library, the Loomis Burrell mansion, City Hall, and then onto the Old Bank Building Museum itself.

The next phase of this project is to put in place the physical signage. The Society is at present working with city government and DSP Images to create this signage which hopefully will be put in place in 2024. The City of Little Falls Board of Public Works and DPW, along with City Engineer and Society member Chet Szymanski,have provided invaluable service on this historic entry and other important projects.

CONCLUSION

Unfortunately, 2023 saw the passing of a number of Historical Society members. It is with sadness that we note the passing of Eleanor Buckley, Harold Cheney Jr., Ellen Sterziner Henry, Jane Bugaj Olesek, Joseph Vespasiano Sr., and Arthur Withington. Apologies if we left anyone off this list of departed members.