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Little Falls, NY

  • This day in history: October 31

    1825

    The flotilla of boats bearing Governor Clinton and party arrived in Little Falls at 10 o’clock in the morning as a part of the grand opening of the Erie Canal. His boat, “Seneca Chief,” was towed across the aqueduct to the basin. Following a parade, a banquet was held at McKinster’s Tavern. This occasion was the first authentic appearance of what was later known as the Little Falls Military Band. Elijah Case, Jr. was the leader of the band.

    1908

    The Little Falls Fish & Game Club received a carload of pike fry from the state hatchery in Constantia. The consignment was dumped into the Mohawk River near Jacksonburg. Anglers are looking forward to good fishing.

    2019

    Father J. Thomas Connery, age 82, as swept away in flood waters in the town of Norway while endeavoring to get to Newport to say mass on All Saints Day. Father Connery’s first assignment as a priest was at St. Mary’s church from 1963 to 1966, and he later returned to Little Falls as pastor from 1981 to 1990.

  • 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
    • Writing Series
    Bailey's Mill

    Small Town Collaboration Inspired by NYC-based Labor Group

    “The Lockout of the 20,000”

    Thursday June 5th brought a remarkable program to Little Falls Public Library. Steven Davis of the New York Labor History Association was the primary speaker during an hour-long program focused on an 1886 Mohawk Valley factory strike and resulting preemptive action taken by a consortium of area factory owners to lock out some 20,000 local, mostly unskilled knitting mill workers from their factory jobs.

    In response to this strike and lockout, the Knights of Labor workers’ union sent representatives to Little Falls to help support and organize local factory workers. Approximately 1,500 Little Falls factory workers belonged to this organization, referred to locally as the Rockton Labor Club.

    Davis and the New York Labor History Association had in their possession two notebooks containing great amounts of information, including secretary’s minutes, from 1886 Knights of Labor / Rockton Labor Club meetings in Little Falls. TheNYC-based organization has graciously donated these important primary source documents to the Little Falls Historical Society’s Old Bank Building Museum.

    The June 5th program was centered around information contained in these two important notebooks.

    As part of the program, a number of Little Falls middle school teacher Adam Jodway’s students read excerpts from these notebooks. The program also included video displays of a number of time period pictures of Little Falls factories and workers.

    This program would not have been possible without the strong, working cooperation of the Little Falls Public Library, Little Falls Central School District, My Little Falls, and the Little Falls Historical Society.

    The two Knights of Labor notebooks can be viewed at the Old Bank Building Museum.

    Jeffrey Gressler is a member of the Little Falls Historical Society.

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    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

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