Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events

  • This day in history: July 26

    1848

    Village Trustees contracted with J. Clark Company of Cazenovia for a town clock for $250. It was to be placed in a church designated by the trustees. The clock was to run without winding for eight days, and strike loud enough to be heard two miles away.

    1895

    The Alumni Association of the Little Falls Academy raised money for the library. The subscription netted over $1,000 and the Regents Department added $500 for the fund.

  • This day in history: July 27

    1802

    From the diary of Rev. John Taylor of Deerfield Massachusetts: “… a small village, called Little Falls, by which the canals built in 1795 containing six locks pass. The village is built upon a ledge of rock and promises to be a place of business as to trade. They have a new and beautiful meeting-house, standing 40 rods back on the hill, built in the form of an octagon. The appearance of the falls is sublime.”

    1854

    Sanford’s Minstrels were at the Temperance Hall Admission 25 cents.

    1885

    Farmers who were selling their cheese on Albany Street were ordered off the street by Sheriff Abbott after a couple of residents claimed their teams were a nuisance. After the sellers threatened to go to Utica, better accommodations were found for them on Bridge Street.

    1998

    Six bicyclists making a 3,741, seven week trip across the country from San Francisco, Califiornia to Portsmouth, New Hampshire, stopped today in Little Falls – the 3,445 mile marker. The group is making the ride in support of Habitat for Humanity

  • This day in history: July 28

    1892

    A public spirited citizen, Mr. P. W. Casler, having watched hundreds of boys swimming in the river from the point of Hansen Island, has generously donated some bath houses to be located there. In the name of decency and cleanliness, a small fee might be charged for the use of bathing suits and towels.

    1895

    It is said that Little Falls has more pneumatic tired carriages than any other place of even double its size in this section of the state.

    1921

    A grateful community turned out at St. Mary’s church for the funeral of Deloir A. Marco, the first of its boys to make the supreme sacrifice on the battlefields of France, and the first whose body was brought home to its final resting place.

  • This day in history: July 29

    1913

    Stones, undoubtedly the walls of the 1796 Octagon Church, were unearthed by workmen employed on a drainage and heating system project for the Church Street School.

    1923

    The Italian Roman Catholics in Little Falls now have their own parish. The wood-framed church at the northeast corner of East John and South Mary streets was opened today under the leadership of Rev. Anthony Spina.

From the Cooney Archives

News and Updates

Little Falls Pool Halls – Reflections on a Bygone Era

Coming of age in the 1950s and 60s in Little Falls, New York included a number of rites of passage for the young men of that time.

Little Falls South Side in the 1970s by David P. Talaba

Growing up on the South Side of Little Falls in the decade of the 70s was a wonderfully unique, cultural, and educational experience. Residents looked out for each other, fed each other, helped raise each other’s kids, and basically loved and respected each other.

Little Falls Historical Society Announces New Book: Beyond Our Bicentennial

The officers, directors, and entire membership of the Little Falls Historical Society are proud to announce the publication and availability of their new book BEYOND OUR BICENTENNIAL.

The Lighter Side of Vietnam

The Lighter Side of Vietnam by Schuyler Van Horn

My journey with the US Army started on June 17, 1968, the day after I graduated from Hobart and William Smith Colleges and started looking forward to law school. 

MAY 14 PATRIOTS DAY PROGRAM AT NORWAY RURAL CEMETERY

The 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. 

Old postcard image of Sheard Park looking north to south with an unpaved Furnace Street on the right.

SPORTS CITY U.S.A. – LITTLE FALLS, N.Y. by Ray Lenarcic

As 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.

Helen Dunteman

LITTLE FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNOUNCES 2022 WRITING SERIES

The 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.