Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events

  • This day in history: December 16

    1886

    About one thousand people were present at the public meeting under the auspices of the Knights of Labor, at the Skinner Opera House. The assemblage was addressed by Mr. T. B. Barry who talked about the local labor situation, and his unsuccessful attempts to meet and negotiate with head of the Little Falls Manufacturers Association.

  • This day in history: December 17

    1845

    The first electric communication through Little Falls was the telegraph line of the Utica and Schenectady railroad. A contract was made on this date and the telegraph line was installed in 1846.

    1917

    A good number of recently built US submarine chasers, moving down the canal, stopped in Little Falls on their way to New York City. They will bolster our shore defenses.

  • This day in history: December 18

    1830

    Disgusted with alien ownership, Little Falls citizens met to petition the New York State legislature to enforce the Alien Land Law of 1817.

    1896

    James Riley has secured, for the sum of $25, the privilege from the State, of using the part of the canal known as Leigh’s Level for an ice skating rink. Little Falls school children are allowed free at specific times. The general public is to pay an admission charge of five cents for using the rink. 

  • This day in history: December 19

    1898

    The old Girvan House suffered severely from fire forcing forty-five guests and other inmates out into the cold. The fire was believed to have started in the rear of Joe Wright’s fruit store.

    1933

    It’s full speed ahead to get the Melrose Slipper company of New York City into operation in Little Falls. All doubts about the ability of the company to secure a sufficiency of help would seem to be removed by the number of applications made to the company’s New York office. 125 to 150 jobs are projected.

    1941

    WW II Era – A record 181 trains on the New York Central line passed through Little Falls in a single day.

From the Cooney Archives

News and Updates

Manheim youth pictured in front of Cecconi’s Marine in the late-1950s.

Remembering the Old Manheim Neighborhood

Much of today’s third ward of the City of Little Falls was once widely referred to as “the Manheim neighborhood.”

Christmas Dinner

2025 Little Falls Historical Society Christmas Luncheon

After a six-year pause, we’re bringing back the holiday magic—with a nod to our rich local heritage! Join us for a festive afternoon filled with delicious food, warm company, and a celebration of the city we love.

SEPTEMBER 23 LITTLE FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY EVENT AT WCA

Town of Herkimer historian James Greiner’s latest book THE HOYT-WALLIS MURDER MYSTERY IN HERKIMER COUNTY will be the topic for his September 23 presentation

Captain Stephen R. Stegich, III, USMC (Ret) accepting award

57 Years Later, Reflections on the Tet Offensive

On the night of January 30th 1968, the first day of the Vietnamese New Year (Tet), communist forces launched an enormous, concerted attack on American strongholds throughout South Vietnam.

BURIAL GROUND SIGN PLACEMENT COMPLETES LONG PROJECT

BURIAL GROUND SIGN PLACEMENT COMPLETES LONG PROJECT

The combined efforts of the City of Little Falls and the Little Falls Historical Society over a ten-year period culminated in a Thursday August 7th well-attended sign dedication ceremony at the African American Burial Ground section of Church Street Cemetery.

The Victor Knitting Mills, courtesy of the Little Falls Historical Society.

VICTOR ADAMS, A MAN OF PAPER, AND THE EARLY HISTORY OF THE NORTH WOODS

In the years when Little Falls was renowned in the Mohawk Valley as the center of the knit-goods industry, Victor Adams’ Box Manufactory provided employment opportunities to many of its local citizens with the manufacturing of paper boxes.

Little Falls Canal Days Celebration

Off-site programs and activities for Canal Days of the Little Falls Historical Society Museum