The Little Falls Historical Society and the Norway Historical Society will hold a partnered Patriots Day observance program beginning at 11:00 AM on Saturday May 14 in Norway Rural Cemetery, also known as Four Wars Cemetery. 

This cemetery has a storied past and is located near the intersection of Military Road and the Newport-Gray Road in the Town of Norway.

The Little Falls Historical Society’s annual Patriots Day programs pay tribute to our ancestors’ role in the Revolutionary War. Past programs have been held at Yellow Church Cemetery, the Herkimer Home historic site, Fort Herkimer Church, Indian Castle Church, Snells Bush Church, Historic Four Corners in Herkimer, the former Masonic Temple in Little Falls, Historic Trinity in Fairfield, Paines Hollow Methodist Church, and in 2019, in Emmanuel Episcopal Church in Little Falls. There were no Patriots Day programs in 2020 or 2021 due to Covid health concerns.

Each year’s program consists of a number of short addresses by various local historians on area history topics, the placement of a Daughters of the American Revolution cemetery wreath, and the playing of “Taps” by Dr. Oscar Stivala. This year’s program will also include an honor guard rifle salute and a short prayer. Programs last about one hour.

The program is free and open to the public. The rain date for this event is Sunday May 15 at 11:00 AM.

Please be advised that Norway Rural Cemetery is somewhat hilly and has no paved roadways. There are no bathroom facilities. Attendees may want to bring their own chairs.

The Little Falls Historical Society much appreciates the opportunity to work with the SUNY Oneonta’s Cooperstown Graduate Program of Museum Studies. Some background history about Little Falls will add perspective.

The City of Little Falls is a community of around 4700 residents situated in southern Herkimer County astride both the Mohawk River and the Erie Canal. Little Falls’ development and rich industrial history were impacted by geology and topography, particularly its waterside proximity.

The first inhabitants of the immediate area around Little Falls were members of the Iroquois Confederacy, primarily the Mohawks, one of the five tribes making up the Confederacy. The Mohawks were the keepers of the Eastern Gate of Iroquois territory. They called the area “Astenrogan” or “tumbling waters.”

The region’s first European visitors in the early 1600’s were Dutch and French traders and French Jesuit priests all in pursuit of favorable relations with Native Americans. The French first referred to the area as “little falls” to distinguish it from the “big falls” at Cohoes. In 1664, England seized New York from the Dutch

England used Palatine Germans in their upper Hudson Valley naval stores project; the Palatines eventually migrated into the central Mohawk Valley in the early 1700’s. Divided loyalties, largely based on ethnicity, characterized the entire region during the Revolutionary War.

The six lock Western Inland Lock Navigation Canal began operation in 1794 in order to make easier waterway passage around the Little Falls rapids. Little Falls was incorporated as a village in 1811. The Erie Canal was completed in 1825 and Little Falls began to thrive as the industrial hub of the central Mohawk Valley. Little Falls was later chartered as a city in 1895.

In 1833, the present Old Bank Museum, made of native rock and cut limestone, began operation as the first bank in Herkimer County. The building was placed on the National Registry of Historic Places in 1970 and it is the present home of the Little Falls Historical Society.

Fast forward to 2018 when Dr. Erik Stengler resided in Little Falls with his family for a short period before taking up residence in Cooperstown. During his stay in Little Falls, Dr. Stengler became enamored with the community’s history. He was the first to conceptualize of Little Falls history as a potential area of study for his museum studies students. In 2019, Dr. Stengler reached out to the Historical Society to serve as an educational partner for his students.

The board of directors and officers of the Historical Society responded most favorably to this overture and this collaborative partnership was born and the byproduct of this collaboration is this book. Please enjoy this wonderful piece of work that has been generated by this fine group of students.

Jeff Gressler

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.

The recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in Herkimer County has forced our board directors and officers to rethink our Canal Days Celebration calendar of events and museum operation. Foremost in our thinking is public safety. We regret any inconveniences that these adjustments may cause.

The CHURCH STREET CEMETERY TOUR was scheduled for Friday August 13 at 6:00 PM. Due to concerns over crowd density and social distancing, the event has been cancelled. We have made provisions so that people can individually enjoy self-guided tours. You can either pick up a tour brochure from the sealed plastic container that has been placed on the visitor bench near the caretaker’s cabin inside the main Monroe Street entrance to the cemetery or download the cemetery tour from our website. The brochure’s thirty-five graves have all been marked in sequence by stakes with surveyor’s tape. The tour begins at gravesite #1 in the area behind the African American monument nearby the caretaker’s cabin.

HISTORICAL MARKERS DEDICATION CEREMONIES  –  Twin dedication ceremonies for the Old Bank Building historic marker and the 1782 Gristmill Attack historic marker will begin at 10:30 AM at the base of the west ramp off Burke Bridge near the intersection of West Mill Street and the industrial park roadway. There will be no historic marker dedication ceremony outside the museum that had been scheduled for 10:00 AM.

VINTAGE BASE BALL TOURNAMENT  –   Games for the three-team, round-robin tournament will be played at 10:30 AM, 1:00 PM and 3:30 PM on Field #3 behind the main field at Veterans’ Memorial Park. The Historical Society is the primary financial sponsor of the Little Falls Alerts, one of the three tournament teams.

MUSEUM VISITATION APPOINTMENTS are not being accepted at this time. Please visit our website linked below.

We urge all persons attending any of these events to follow CDC COVID-19 safety protocols regarding mask wearing and social distancing. 

The Old Bank Building Museum has not been open to the public since Christmas in Little Falls in December 2019, a year and a half ago. Somehow it seems even longer ago than that. This is about to change.

The museum has a number of new exhibits since 2019, most notably, the centennial exhibit celebrating women gaining the right to vote and the role played by local women in that quest. 

The museum will be open by appointment only beginning on Monday July 5. The museum will not be open for walk-in visitations at this time.

Appointments must be scheduled at least 24 hours in advance and can be arranged by calling either Louie Baum at 315/867-3527 or Maryanne Terzi at 315/823-1502.  

When calling to schedule an appointment, you will be asked a number of COVID-19 related questions. It is requested that only COVID-19 vaccinated persons call for appointments.

Museum visits will be limited to three visitors plus two volunteer docents to conduct tours. Masks and social distancing protocols will be in place during visits.

No public restrooms are available at the museum at this time.

The officers and directors of the Little Falls Historical Society wish to thank our members and the general public for understanding the need for these restrictions and guidelines in the interest of protecting the health of visitors and museum volunteers alike. Hopefully, we can eventually operate with a less-restrictive visitation policy. 

Our goal is to once again have a “full house” with various groups of visitors walking around this  community facility admiring the many Little Falls artifacts on display. 

Please visit the Historical Society’s following social media sites: 

Website:    https://littlefallshistoricalsociety.org/

Facebook:  https://www.facebook.com/littlefallsNYmuseum 

Instagram:  https://www.instagram.com/littlefallshistory/