Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events
This day in history: April 27
1866
By a 49 to 0 vote, approval was given to build the South Side Hose House on Mohawk Street,, opposite the river bridge, at a cost of $3,000 to be raised by a special tax.
1881
A new church, made of native stone, was dedicated by the Little Falls Presbyterian community. The cost for the new building was $39,706 and the lot on Jackson and East Lansing streets was $5,562.
1883
The aqueduct crossing the river has been declared unsafe, and sign- boards were erected at each end forbidding persons from crossing it.
1889
A seventy-two hour “go-as-you please” walking match was held at Quackenbush Hall. Rules indicate each contestant must make 110 miles to secure his entrance money. The track is 28 laps to the mile and walkers were inspired by Eldridge’s orchestra. Prizes ranged from $10 to $100. Gardner Austin won with 197 miles.
1901
A search of former mayor Hadley Jones’ safe revealed a book containing blank stock certificates of the local National Herkimer County Bank. Seventeen of the certificated, worth at least $25,000, had been used with the names of William A. Milligan , president, and Albert Story, cashier, forged thereon.
1917
Rev. Father O’Connor, of St. Mary’s, said that all lands surrounding the church property would be dug up and used for garden purposes. He also suggested that parish members do the same around their homes.
1981
Herkimer County Trust Company is offering six month money market certificates at an annual interest rate of 13.871% and saving certificates (2 ½ years) at 11.75%.
From the Cooney Archives
The Little Falls Lock 17 Dedication Celebration of 1916 by Angela Harris
/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum“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.
LITTLE FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO ACCEPT MUSEUM VISIT APPOINTMENTS
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe 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 […]
Mayor Hadley Jones – A Saint or a Sinner (Part 2) by Louis Baum
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe writing was on the wall. Since there was no way of getting out of debt, much of it a result of illegal activities, Hadley Jones had a choice of, most likely, going to prison or to flee from Little Falls to parts unknown. His choice was to get out of town fast, with as much as he could. The exit was well planned.
Mayor Hadley Jones – A Saint or a Sinner (Part 1) by Louis Baum
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumEverybody enjoys a “rag to riches“ story especially if it involves a local boy or girl. Think about John Riccardo. John was the son of hard-working Italian immigrant parents. His father had a shoe store on John Street in addition to working long hours in a local bicycle factory. John rose to become president and chairman of the board of Chrysler Corporation.
A Sun Shower Without End by Ray Lenarcic
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumWhile driving down Flint Avenue in my hometown of Little Falls the other day, I happened to look to my right and for no apparent reason, my mind flashed back to the 1950’s. I recalled in vivid detail searching for diamonds on a rocky hillside behind the Ave with my buddy Rog Kopp.
Patriots Day Honors Those Who Were Not Sunshine Patriots by Jeffrey Gressler
/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum“These are the times that try men’s souls.” So begins Thomas Paine’s December 23, 1776 epic treatise “The Sunshine Patriot,” written at perhaps the darkest point of the American Revolution, George Washington’s half-starving, dis-spirited troops were in their Valley Forge winter quarters.
Sometimes Distributing Vaccines Easier Said Than Done by Schuyler Van Horn
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumWith all the buzz about COVID-19 vaccines, it brought back memories of vaccines administered when I was in Vietnam in 1971-72. I was not a Medic but an intelligence officer stationed in a remote place named An Loc. Not far from the Cambodian border, 70 miles north of Saigon, straddling Route 13 (Thunder Road), I was one of 32 Americans in MACV advisor team 47, next to 2,000 ARVN (Army of the Republic of Viet Nam).