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Little Falls, NY

  • This day in history: September 26

    1792

    A meeting was held and eighty- eight subscribers agreed to furnish funds to build an eight sided union church to be known as the Octagon Church. John Porteus donated the land and burial ground for the church as well as twenty pounds. The eight sides of the church denoted that it was intended for all denominations.

    1831

    In a letter entitled “Dear Posterity,” 33 year old Hon. Arphaxed Loomis wrote a letter which was put in the cornerstone of the Presbyterian Church at the corner of Albany and Ann streets. In it he recounts what was happening in the community, then a small village of 1,300 inhabitants when he was village president.

    1910

    “The MacKinnon mills have closed, but there is nothing to worry about” said the Evening Times. Soon later, owner Robert MacKinnon, who was earning $90,000 to $120,000 per year filed for bankruptcy, and then lost $110,000 in Mexican Bonds. He went to work in Livingston’s shirt waist company in Little Falls for $25 a week.  He died here at the home of his sister.

    1930

    Former local south side merchant, Louis Malkoon, and his son, Rocco, were found shot to death, at close range, alongside a road in the Town of Frankfort. State Police believe the slayings were a result of a bootleg war. Some local men were quizzed regarding the crime.

  • 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
    FIGURE 2.16 Alexander–Snyder Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.FIGURE 2.16 Alexander–Snyder Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.

    THE ALEXANDER–SNYDER HOME

    September 15, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Imagine North Ann Street during the early nineteenth century, when Little Falls was beginning to expand beyond its earliest settlement.

    Read more
    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_3410.jpeg 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 Museum2026-09-15 08:24:302026-09-15 08:24:32THE ALEXANDER–SNYDER HOME
    FIGURE 2.14 Horace Burch–Ford Trask Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.FIGURE 2.14 Horace Burch–Ford Trask Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.

    HORACE BURCH – FORD TRASK HOME

    September 1, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Imagine walking along North Ann Street during the first half of the nineteenth century, when Little Falls was growing beyond its earlier canal settlement and substantial brick residences were beginning to appear along the village streets.

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    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/09/IMG_3288.jpeg 799 1200 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2026-09-01 09:36:122026-09-01 09:36:14HORACE BURCH – FORD TRASK HOME
    FIGURE 2.12 The First Schoolhouse. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.FIGURE 2.12 The First Schoolhouse. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.

    THE FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE

    August 21, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Imagine Church Street in the closing years of the eighteenth century, when Little Falls was still a small settlement surrounded by rugged terrain, scattered homes, mills, and unpaved roads.

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    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_3219.jpeg 770 1200 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2026-08-21 08:17:082026-08-21 17:19:09THE FIRST SCHOOLHOUSE
    FIGURE 2.10 James Sanders Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.FIGURE 2.10 James Sanders Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.

    JAMES SANDERS HOME

    August 13, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Imagine Garden Street in 1827, when Little Falls was beginning to feel the effects of canal construction, new commerce, and a growing population.

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    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_3183.jpeg 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 Museum2026-08-13 11:46:012026-08-13 11:46:03JAMES SANDERS HOME
    FIGURE 2.6 Nathaniel Benton Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.FIGURE 2.6 Nathaniel Benton Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.

    NATHANIEL BENTON HOME

    August 6, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Imagine Garden Street during the early decades of the nineteenth century, when Little Falls was still growing beyond its earliest settlement.

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    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_3087.jpeg 800 1200 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2026-08-06 08:26:032026-08-06 08:26:05NATHANIEL BENTON HOME
    FIGURE 2.4 David Petrie Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.FIGURE 2.4 David Petrie Home. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.

    DAVID PETRIE HOME

    August 3, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Imagine Garden Street in 1825, when Little Falls was still a growing village and the Erie Canal was nearing completion.

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    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/08/IMG_3055.jpeg 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 Museum2026-08-03 08:35:242026-08-03 08:35:25DAVID PETRIE HOME
    FIGURE 1.1 General Nicholas Herkimer Home, Herkimer Home State Historic Site. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.FIGURE 1.1 General Nicholas Herkimer Home, Herkimer Home State Historic Site. Photograph © Elizabeth Spraker.

    GENERAL NICHOLAS HERKIMER HOME

    July 28, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Beginning today, the Little Falls Historical Society Museum invites you to step inside the story of our community through a new weekly series, Echoes of Legacy.

    Read more
    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/07/IMG_3012.jpeg 856 1200 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2026-07-28 09:37:042026-09-16 16:12:02GENERAL NICHOLAS HERKIMER HOME
    Preamble

    Imagine That…We the People of the United States of America

    June 29, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    The concept of our country exists in our imaginations. We are a country formed by imagined truths turned into powerful words that united us in a Revolution

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    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/06/Mohawk-Valley-Today-Upstate-NY.jpeg 750 1200 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2026-06-29 11:32:042026-06-29 11:35:06Imagine That…We the People of the United States of America
    Church Street Cemetery Vault | Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    Common Burial Ground Monument Dedication Ceremony on June 6th

    June 1, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    This is an open invitation, and all are welcome. We’re looking forward to having you join us!

    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 Museum2026-06-01 07:15:152026-06-02 07:16:13Common Burial Ground Monument Dedication Ceremony on June 6th

    Save Summer for Our Children in Little Falls By Rick Hartman

    April 13, 2026/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum

    The Francis Skinner Municipal Swimming Pool in Little Falls, which has been relied upon for generations since it first opened in 1961, is in danger of not opening this summer.

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    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2026/04/IMG_1680.jpeg 788 940 Little Falls Historical Society Museum http://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/10/Little-Falls-Historical-Society-Museum.png Little Falls Historical Society Museum2026-04-13 13:11:242026-04-13 13:11:26Save Summer for Our Children in Little Falls By Rick Hartman
    Page 1 of 212

    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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