Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events

  • This day in history: March 23

    1928

    The Slovenian Home, first formed in 1905 as a cultural, social, and beneficial society, became incorporated under New York State law on this date. The members had immigrated  to Little Falls from the Slovenia area of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.

    1984

    Leon Dussault, born in Little Falls in 1895, and co-owner of the “Journal & Courier” printing company, died on this date. Mr. Dussault founded the Little Falls Symphony Orchestra in 1927, and conducted the exceptional ensemble of local and area musicians through its final concert in 1971. National and international acclaimed performers  frequently appeared with the orchestra.

  • This day in history: March 24

    1791

    Elbana Williams offered a resolution to the State Legislature to make a survey around the rapids in the Mohawk River.

    1842

    As of this date, Little Falls has 3,000 population, 40 stores, 2 printing offices, 5 hotels, 1 bank, 5 churches, numerous schools,  – the manufacturies consists of 2 paper mills, 3 paper mills, 2 saw mills, 3 foundries, 1 machine shop, 1 sash factory, 1 axe factory, 1 woolen factory, 1 clothing factory, 1 distillery, 1 brewery, 1 plasster mill, 2 trip-hammers, and numerous factories in the n=manufacture of Copper, cabinets, carriages etc.

    1894

    A. M. Kinney, dealer in horses, will have two car loads of horses for sale today.

  • This day in history: March 26

    1993

    The former Andy’s Grill on Loomis Street, a long-time bar and meeting place in the Manheim section of Little Falls, is no more. As a part of Urban Renewal, the property has been turned into a residence for which applications are being made from first-time home owners.

  • This day in history: March 27

    1885

    The “Wang Sing Chinese Laundry,” was started in the Fleming block on the corner of South Second and Albany Streets. Shortly afterwards a second Chinese laundry started in Little Falls.

    1907

    The first train station in Little Falls will soon be razed. The station is located between West John Street and the railroad tracks near the “Flatiron” building which holds the office for the S.F. Jones Coal Company.

    1942

    WW II Era – The FBI said 3,637 aliens had registered in Herkimer County including 1,128 “enemy aliens,” 950 from Italy, 146 from Germany, and 32 from Romania and Hungary. The Little Falls Post Office had issued certificates of identification to all aliens of enemy nationalities age 14 and older. Police confiscated radios, cameras, and firearms.

From the Cooney Archives

News and Updates

South Side Cigar Stores by Gary Staffo

This article came about as part of the research started for the Southside Veteran’s Recognition Project, which was displayed during the September 2013 Southside Reunion.  It covers the period from the 1930s through the mid-1970s and the role three Southside cigar stores played in the lives of the young men who grew up hanging out around them.

Industrialization in Little Falls, New York, 1790-1960

The 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.

Moose Club Basketball Team

Every Legend Has a Beginning The Hubie Brown Story by David Dinneen

Older 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!

Growing 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 Farmers Dumping Milk During The Great Depression

Dairy Farming In Herkimer County: The More Things Change… by De Wayne W. Perry

Dairy 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.

When 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.

Late 19th century map of Moreland (Park).

Burwell Street Namesake and Moreland Park Visionary
by 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.