Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events
This day in history: March 11
1930
The Victor Adams Hose Company, No. 1 of Little Falls was the Champion Drill Squad of New York State.
This day in history: March 12
1831
The Ellice Estate sold the lot at the southwest corner of Albany and Mary streets to the Baptist Association for a new church.
1878
A cattle yard has been established by the railroad company near the Fifth Street crossing for the accommodation of loading and unloading sheep, swine, cows, etc.
1886
The bell of St. Mary’s church was badly cracked by the recent frost, which will necessitate its being recast. In consequence the sexton rings it but a little.
1897
A new game called “basket ball” was played in the Little Falls gymnasium.
1920
The Little Falls Chamber of Commerce and the Little Falls Auto Club are going to try the experiment of an auto show. The event is attracting considerable interest, and all of the space at the Y.M.C.A. has been taken for the autos and accessories.
1922
The first Post Office truck, an army surplus G.M.C., arrived in Little Falls today. The truck had no starter so the driver would back up a hill, and use gravity to start the truck when next used. An alternative was to never turn the truck off during business hours.
1926
Razing of the old New York Central repair shop west of the Ann Street crossing brought to an end in what is believed to have been the oldest building in the city. The structure was built about 1792 as a terminal on the initial canal for the Western Inland Navigation Company.
This day in history: March 13
1885
P.W. Casler & Co. announced that their new sawmill, planning mill, and dry kilns on the south side of the river are in operation, and the company is prepared to furnish building material of all kinds promptly and at the lowest prices. Saw dust is also for sale.
1920
Thinking that her ten year-old daughter had been insulted and threatened, Mrs. Tony Lavista shot Carmelo Thamberro in the chest with a 38 caliber revolver. District Attorney Ward is busy trying to see if there is not something under the surface.
1936
A 1928 Essex sedan could be bought at the P.E. Whitcomb Ford dealership for $25. A 1930 Willys roadster was $50.
1972
A letter from the Chairman of the Little Falls Citizens’ Advisory Committee to Mayor Wind suggests that the city discontinue funding the Little Falls Public Library.
This day in history: March 14
1794
To attract skilled craftsmen to settle in Little Falls, it was determined that an improved road was needed. On this date, Porteous received a letter from Albany informing him that the Senate, led by Southern members, had defeated a bill for road work at the little falls. They claimed the treasury was too low for such projects.
1833
By an act of the New York State legislature, commissioners were appointed and the Herkimer County National Bank was organized and located in the village of Little Falls. Commissioners included Nathaniel Benton, Dudley Burwell, Arphaxed Loomis, and David Petrie. It was opened in the Beattie House at the corner of Main and William streets on August 24th , and moved in December to the new bank building.
1876
At Taylor’s Jewelry Store, Ladies’ gold watches are on sale at $30 to $50, and Gents’ gold watches from $50 to $100. Also offered are gold chains, necklaces, lockets, wedding rings, and diamond rings. The advertisement screams, “the fact is, tjmes are hard and money scarce” – “we offer our entire stock at a great reduction in price.”
1945
WW II Era – LIFE magazine has decided to make Little Falls the locale for a feature on “A Small City at War.” Former resident Ann Marcus (Dorothy Ann Goldstone) and famed photographer Alfred Eisenstaedt plan to devote several pages to photos and narrative from this city. (The war ended before the article could be published.)
1963
Another famous Little Falls landmark is soon to vanish from the Main Street scene. The venerable clock provided by the Herkimer County Trust Company on the corner of the Burrell Building is being taken down today. The old clock was erected in 1918.
From the Cooney Archives
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 […]
John Frazier – Prisoner of War, Hero by John Frazier, Jr.
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumPersonal and societal beliefs and principles certainly change with time. Sometimes people are shocked or amazed to hear stories of people or events from the past, yet these tales may not be so difficult to comprehend if we’re able to empathize, and put ourselves back into that situation and moment in history.
The Little Falls Lock 17 Dedication Celebration of 1916 by Angela Harris
/by Little Falls Historical Society Museum“Will Go Down in History: Historical Pageant and Lift Lock Celebration Greatest Ever Held in Mohawk Valley. July 4, 1916” The Little Falls Journal and Courier may be forgiven for the hyperbole of its banner headline and sub heading on July 4, 1916. The overflowing pride of the language reflects the premise and themes of The Little Falls Historical Pageant and Lift Lock Celebration. The civic pageants of the first twenty years of the 20th century were testaments to civic pride and patriotism, and Little Falls was no slacker.
LITTLE FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY TO ACCEPT MUSEUM VISIT APPOINTMENTS
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe Old Bank Building Museum has not been open to the public since Christmas in Little Falls in December 2019, a year and a half ago. Somehow it seems even longer ago than that. This is about to change. The museum has a number of new exhibits since 2019, most notably, the centennial exhibit celebrating […]
Mayor Hadley Jones – A Saint or a Sinner (Part 2) by Louis Baum
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe writing was on the wall. Since there was no way of getting out of debt, much of it a result of illegal activities, Hadley Jones had a choice of, most likely, going to prison or to flee from Little Falls to parts unknown. His choice was to get out of town fast, with as much as he could. The exit was well planned.
Mayor Hadley Jones – A Saint or a Sinner (Part 1) by Louis Baum
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumEverybody enjoys a “rag to riches“ story especially if it involves a local boy or girl. Think about John Riccardo. John was the son of hard-working Italian immigrant parents. His father had a shoe store on John Street in addition to working long hours in a local bicycle factory. John rose to become president and chairman of the board of Chrysler Corporation.