Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events

  • This day in history: April 20

    1831

    A group of Albany men, purchased the Ellice’s holdings, and held a meeting at the McKinster House to dispose of the lots and property.

    1883

    It has been decided to build a footbridge on the east side of the Mohawk River bridge. This will accommodate foot passers who currently risk being knocked off should a runaway team happen along, or have to wade through slush and mud during spring and autumn.

    The Board of Health should compel the removal of all slaughter houses to outside the corporate limits, at least during the summer months. No one wants to be near the numerous establishments on Mill Street and vicinity that are close to our mills and many dwellings. Windows had to be closed on account of the nauseating odors emanating from them.

    1887

    There will be a balloon ascension tonight at 8 o’clock on Main Street.

    1918

    As a part of the Liberty Loan campaign, a seven foot diameter ball is being rolled from Buffalo to New York City. The jouncing sphere was pushed through Little Falls by Boy Scouts ahead of a five division parade with twenty five hundred people in line including fifteen hundred union members. After a speech by Mayor Zoller, the scouts rolled the ball to East Creek.

    1940

    The recently remodeled and redecorated Sokol Hall on Flint Avenue will host a big gymnastic meet and exhibition today with venues at both the Y.M.C.A. and the hall. Teams from Rochester, Gloversville, Binghamton, Johnstown, and Little Falls will be in competition.

From the Cooney Archives

News and Updates

A FAN’S NOTES ON THE RETURN OF VINTAGE BASE BALL TO LITTLE FALLS

This author admits upfront that he is both a local history nut and a diehard New York Yankees fan. The intertwined paths of baseball and American history resonate with me. Older readers of this piece will likely recall watching Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and the transformational impact of Jackie Robinson. This author’s baseball roots trace […]

Jan Holick taken at Caroga Lake Photo Booth.

“Surviving Childhood in Little Falls” by Cynthia Holick Foley

When asked if I had any siblings, I often quipped, “My brother and I were only children.” While my first decade was spent in the peaceful and prosperous 1950s, his was spent just prior and during World War II. Recently my big brother, Jan Holick Sr., (born 1935, and graduated from Little Falls High School 1953,) sat down with me, (born 1951, and graduated 1969,) and shared his memories of a time I never knew except in history books. He was kind enough to open a window to his past, and this article invites you to share that view.

UPDATED HISTORICAL SOCIETY CANAL DAYS CELEBRATION EVENTS SCHEDULE

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 […]

Long Ago From a Far Away Land by Jessie Snyder Thompson Huberty

In February of 1935, while snow fell heavily over Herkimer County in upstate New York, a cable arrived at the home of The Honorable Homer P. Snyder on Ann Street in Little Falls. It announced the birth of H.P.’s first great grandchild. It read: “Mother and child doing fine. Father barely survived!” Thus, I arrived amidst tropical breezes in the city of Manila, on the island of Luzon, in the Philippines, set between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Manila: 8324 miles away from the city on the Mohawk River.

Bushnell monument

HISTORICAL SOCIETY CANCELLING CEMETERY WALKING TOUR AND HISTORIC MARKER DEDICATIONS

Most Little Falls residents know who Nathaniel Benton, H.P. Snyder, and D.H. Burrell were, but who were Enoch Moore, Arphaxed Loomis, Titus Sheard, and Peewash and how did each of these individuals impact community history? What do gravestones with weeping angels, shrouded urns, and tree stumps represent? What interesting life stories are hidden away in […]

John Frazier – Prisoner of War, Hero by John Frazier, Jr.

Personal and societal beliefs and principles certainly change with time. Sometimes people are shocked or amazed to hear stories of people or events from the past, yet these tales may not be so difficult to comprehend if we’re able to empathize, and put ourselves back into that situation and moment in history.

The Little Falls Lock 17 Dedication Celebration of 1916 by Angela Harris

“Will Go Down in History: Historical Pageant and Lift Lock Celebration Greatest Ever Held in Mohawk Valley. July 4, 1916” The Little Falls Journal and Courier may be forgiven for the hyperbole of its banner headline and sub heading on July 4, 1916. The overflowing pride of the language reflects the premise and themes of The Little Falls Historical Pageant and Lift Lock Celebration. The civic pageants of the first twenty years of the 20th century were testaments to civic pride and patriotism, and Little Falls was no slacker.