Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events
This day in history: February 10
1842
The warm rains caused the ice on the Mohawk River and West Canada Creek to break up and come down the river in large masses causing significant damage to the Railroad, Canal, and buildings in Little Falls. The water was estimated to be 25 feet above low water level. One house was swept away nearly to the Fink ferry bridge.
1902
Four of the eight aldermen purposely “went on strike” and did not attend the Common Council meeting. Since business could not be conducted and bills audited, police officers were sent out by the mayor, with search warrants, to look for the absentees. They were not found. Five members are needed for a quorum.
1963
Changes continue in the Cherry- Burrell Company and its ties with Little Falls grow fewer and fewer. David H. Burrell 3rd, Edwin Fisher, and Anthony Wening resigned as directors, and representatives of the investor group which recently bought into the company were elected to succeed them.
2000
Numerous area residents had an opportunity to meet and talk with first lady and U. S. Senate candidate Hillary Rodham Clinton at her campaign stop at the Ann Street Deli in Little Falls.
This day in history: February 11
1891
James Tappan, better known as “Hunkey” Tappan, was arrested by Officer Holmes at the polling place in Skinner Hall for being drunk, and disorderly, and for trying to vote twice. He was discharged with a reprimand.
1916
For a week or more, the water in the city reservoir was lowering six or eight inches a day. A resident noticed that Furnace Creek was unusually high, and a big break was found nearby in the dead line in Skinner Woods which was repaired.
This day in history: February 12
1916
Weber and Fields appeared at a stage show at the City Theatre.in Little Falls.
1898
Opposition has arisen to the Academy project of building a new $65,000 schoolhouse at the site of the current academy at the corner of East Main and Alexander streets. A movement has started to build the school on West Main Street with the claim that this would be more convenient for the 141 students who live in that general area, but many of them attend St. Mary’s.
This day in history: February 13
1913
Thirty year-old Zaida Zoller was appalled by the condition of the horses in a circus travelling through the area in 1912, and had the owners arrested and the horses confiscated. On this date, through her work and strong public reaction, the Herkimer County Humane Society was incorporated.
2016
Born in Little Falls, of Italian immigrant parents, John J. Riccardo, former President of Chrysler Corporation (1970-1975) and Chairman & CEO (1975-1979) died in Birmingham, Michigan. Active at LFHS, John was a World War II veteran, and graduated with degrees in economics at the University of Michigan. He quickly rose through the ranks at Chrysler.
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
A FAN’S NOTES ON THE RETURN OF VINTAGE BASE BALL TO LITTLE FALLS
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThis author admits upfront that he is both a local history nut and a diehard New York Yankees fan. The intertwined paths of baseball and American history resonate with me. Older readers of this piece will likely recall watching Ted Williams, Joe DiMaggio and the transformational impact of Jackie Robinson. This author’s baseball roots trace […]
“Surviving Childhood in Little Falls” by Cynthia Holick Foley
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumWhen asked if I had any siblings, I often quipped, “My brother and I were only children.” While my first decade was spent in the peaceful and prosperous 1950s, his was spent just prior and during World War II. Recently my big brother, Jan Holick Sr., (born 1935, and graduated from Little Falls High School 1953,) sat down with me, (born 1951, and graduated 1969,) and shared his memories of a time I never knew except in history books. He was kind enough to open a window to his past, and this article invites you to share that view.
UPDATED HISTORICAL SOCIETY CANAL DAYS CELEBRATION EVENTS SCHEDULE
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe recent uptick in COVID-19 cases in Herkimer County has forced our board directors and officers to rethink our Canal Days Celebration calendar of events and museum operation. Foremost in our thinking is public safety. We regret any inconveniences that these adjustments may cause. The CHURCH STREET CEMETERY TOUR was scheduled for Friday August 13 […]
Long Ago From a Far Away Land by Jessie Snyder Thompson Huberty
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumIn February of 1935, while snow fell heavily over Herkimer County in upstate New York, a cable arrived at the home of The Honorable Homer P. Snyder on Ann Street in Little Falls. It announced the birth of H.P.’s first great grandchild. It read: “Mother and child doing fine. Father barely survived!” Thus, I arrived amidst tropical breezes in the city of Manila, on the island of Luzon, in the Philippines, set between the South China Sea and the Pacific Ocean. Manila: 8324 miles away from the city on the Mohawk River.
HISTORICAL SOCIETY CANCELLING CEMETERY WALKING TOUR AND HISTORIC MARKER DEDICATIONS
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumMost Little Falls residents know who Nathaniel Benton, H.P. Snyder, and D.H. Burrell were, but who were Enoch Moore, Arphaxed Loomis, Titus Sheard, and Peewash and how did each of these individuals impact community history? What do gravestones with weeping angels, shrouded urns, and tree stumps represent? What interesting life stories are hidden away in […]