Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events
This day in history: December 15
1891
The toboggan chute off East Monroe Street is ready for business. Water pipes have been laid so the slide can be sprinkled and kept in condition. Tobogganing will doubtless be one of our popular winter sports.
1931
An ambulance, once owned by the Mary Imogene Bassett hospital in Cooperstown, has been refinished inside and out, and was donated to the city by Dr. H. W. Vickers. The firemen will care for the machine.
1933
Fifty-five men went to work on approved CWA projects in the city. These tasks include construction of the Summit Avenue storm sewer, building new sewer manholes, and graveling roads within the city. Working six hours a day for five days a week, foremen receive $1.20 an hour and laborers 53 cents an hour.
1949
John Crowley, Editor and chief stockholder of the Evening Times for nearly sixty years passed away today. He influenced much of what went on in Little Falls through his stinging editorials in his newspaper.
2007
The inaugural “Christmas in Little Falls” celebration was held.
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.
Industrialization in Little Falls, New York, 1790-1960
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe Little Falls Historical Society much appreciates the opportunity to work with the SUNY Oneonta’s Cooperstown Graduate Program of Museum Studies. Some background history about Little Falls will add perspective.
Every Legend Has a Beginning The Hubie Brown Story by David Dinneen
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumOlder people in Little Falls, especially those sports fanatics, know who Hubie Brown is. However, the name may not be familiar with the younger folks. Hubie rose from the ranks of coaching basketball at St. Mary’s Academy in Little Falls to the apex of his profession, enshrinement in the National Basketball Hall of Fame.
Tour Guide, Organizer and Historical Society Member, Gary Staffo, has requested that the Little Falls Historical Society share the Southside Walking Tour VIII – 1st FALL Tour!
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumGrowing Up on the Southside 1957 – 1970 (By popular demand SATURDAY November 06, 2021 for the 1st FALL TOUR!) WHEN: Saturday November 06, 2021 Sign In begins at 8AM (Registration, Questions, Safety Briefing), and the Tour STARTS at 9AM. Allow 2 to 3 hours, but participants can leave at any time (Please inform Tour Guide when […]
Dairy Farming In Herkimer County: The More Things Change… by De Wayne W. Perry
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumDairy farming has been integral to life in Herkimer County since the first European settlers—the Palatine Germans—arrived in the Mohawk Valley in the early-1700s, and some of their descendants still operate dairies around Little Falls and elsewhere throughout the county.
The Magnificent Mile at Little Falls by Louis W. Baum, Jr.
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumWhen it comes right down to it, Little Falls is all about water. The earliest explorers in America found it easiest to move along the waterways and rivers as did the Native Americans living here. In the 1600s and 1700s the British colonies extended inward from the Atlantic Ocean to the Appalachian Mountains.
Burwell Street Namesake and Moreland Park Visionary
/by Little Falls Historical Society Museumby Jeffrey Gressler
Since 1911, Moreland Park has played an important role in community life for generations of Little Falls residents. Family picnics, group outings, community events and celebrations, wedding receptions, birthday and graduation parties, family and class reunions, and kids squealing with delight on the playground equipment are all common occurrences on the park’s bucolic grounds. We all have our own Moreland Park memories.
by Jeffrey Gressler
He Still Sustains: Pitt the Painter’s Studio Loft
/by Little Falls Historical Society Museumby Laura Laubenthal
From 2011 to 2013, I wrote my master’s degree thesis for the Cooperstown Graduate Program about “Pitt the Painter” and his role in showcasing the identity of Little Falls by means of his artwork. The project was largely based on oral histories told by those in town who remembered him since his death on September 4, 2007. While I spoke with several people, there were so many more I did not reach, as Pitt’s sphere of influence seemed immeasurable. The project went on, and it was apparent that these stories meshed together as modern-day folklore about talent, humor, addiction, and belonging.
by Laura Laubenthal