Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events
This day in history: April 12
1847
The Benton House, on the site of the future Hotel Snyder, opened for business to the public. The owner was Hon. Nathaniel Benton. The Post Office was also located there.
1866
An effort is being made locally to raise funds to send an agent to England to report upon the process of manufacturing and marketing cheese, the probable effect of the cattle plague, and other matters pertaining to the dairying interests in the state.
1877
Louis Ransom, the inventor of the steam street cars which are so successful in Philadelphia, is a native of Little Falls.
1941
An explosion in the cellar of the Murray gas station and home at the corner of Ward and East Main Streets demolished the building. William Murray was seriously hurt and later died from his injuries. It was thought that a buildup of gas fumes in the cellar caused the explosion.
1965
A wrecking crane was brought in to begin razing old structures in the “Downtown Urban Renewal” project. The first buildings to go will be the former Jay Smith Garage and the Grange Store at the corner of Albany and Second streets.
1972
Demolition is nearing completion on the First Presbyterian Church at the corner of Jackson and Lansing streets.
This day in history: April 13
1824
Gresham Skinner, a native of Connecticut, died in the Town of Columbia (south of Ilion) at age 76. Mr. Skinner was the miller at the Little Falls gristmill at the time of the June 1782 attack by Royalists and Indians. He escaped by hiding under the water wheel.
1904
The people of Little Falls were sorry and shocked to learn of the death today of the Hon. Titus Sheard who was well known throughout the entire state. As a young boy, he worked in the mills in Yorkshire, England, and came to the United States in 1856. He saved his money for school, became a teacher and eventually was the owner of several large mills in Little Falls.
This day in history: April 14
1795
A complete inventory of the property at the little falls under the management of John Porteous listed twelve houses, and also a bark mill, smith shop, currier’s shop, joiner shop, cooper’s shop, grist mill, fulling mill, saw mill, in addition to his dwelling and store. These buildings represented the beginning of the village of Little Falls.
1902
John R. Taylor, proprietor of a local hardware store, inaugurated a movement to form a retail hardware dealers association in New York State.
1917
A great loyalty demonstration was held with two thousand men, young and old alike, parading prior to the patriotic meeting in the City theatre. Rev. C.B. Papa of Utica spoke in Italian and Steve Zeman in Slovak.
This day in history: April 15
1915
Workman began tearing down the Wheeler – Harding block at the northeast corner of Main and Ann streets to make way for the new Burrell building.
MAY 14 PATRIOTS DAY PROGRAM AT NORWAY RURAL CEMETERY
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe 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.
SPORTS CITY U.S.A. – LITTLE FALLS, N.Y. by Ray Lenarcic
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumAs I get on in years, I’m often asked what factors accounted for my becoming the person I am. And surprisingly, given my legendary longwinded nature, the answer is five words. Music. Sports. Church. Little Falls.
LITTLE FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNOUNCES 2022 WRITING SERIES
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe officers and directors of the Little Falls Historical Society are proud to announce that their 2022 writing series will be dedicated to former Little Falls social studies teacher Helen Dunteman.
The Old Bank Building Survives and Thrives by Pat Frezza-Gressler
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe wisdom of historic preservation has not always been a given. The desire by some to preserve old buildings and places is at times pitted against those who would rather “start over” with new construction.
Palatine Germans in Search of a Land to Call Home by Ginny Rogers
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumJanuary 17, 2022 marks the 300th anniversary of the Burnetsfield Patent.
The earliest European settlers in the Mohawk Valley came from what is now southwest Germany. Under near constant threat of destruction, whether from multiple wars, invasions, or the plague, in the near hundred years leading up to the 18th century, the southwest German population experienced extreme hardship.
MISS HELEN DUNTEMAN
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumHelen 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.
Growing up on the South Side from the early 1950’s through the late 1960’s By Donald F. Staffo
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumIn the 1950s and 1960s, Little Falls was a bustling blue-collar mill town of about 9,000 people with many hard-working citizens employed in its numerous factories. Most of the factories were on Mill Street which ran parallel to the railroad tracks on the southern side with a few factories on the other side of the tracks. My parents, and most of the parents of my friends, worked in the mills. None wore a tie to work.