This day in history: September 26

1792

A meeting was held and eighty- eight subscribers agreed to furnish funds to build an eight sided union church to be known as the Octagon Church. John Porteus donated the land and burial ground for the church as well as twenty pounds. The eight sides of the church denoted that it was intended for all denominations.

1831

In a letter entitled “Dear Posterity,” 33 year old Hon. Arphaxed Loomis wrote a letter which was put in the cornerstone of the Presbyterian Church at the corner of Albany and Ann streets. In it he recounts what was happening in the community, then a small village of 1,300 inhabitants when he was village president.

1910

“The MacKinnon mills have closed, but there is nothing to worry about” said the Evening Times. Soon later, owner Robert MacKinnon, who was earning $90,000 to $120,000 per year filed for bankruptcy, and then lost $110,000 in Mexican Bonds. He went to work in Livingston’s shirt waist company in Little Falls for $25 a week.  He died here at the home of his sister.

1930

Former local south side merchant, Louis Malkoon, and his son, Rocco, were found shot to death, at close range, alongside a road in the Town of Frankfort. State Police believe the slayings were a result of a bootleg war. Some local men were quizzed regarding the crime.

This day in history: September 27

1889

The cornerstone was laid for the second African Methodist Episcopal Church on West Main Street in Little Falls. There is no record when the first African M. E. Zion had been built here.

This day in history: September 28

1805

On this date Alexander Ellice died in Bath, England. The Ellice Estate, headed by his son Edward, an influential member of the British House of Commons, maintained a tight grip on water rights along the river at Little Falls, and other aspects of the life of the community. Ellice had acquired a valuable mill-site at Little Falls from Sir William Johnson.

1839

The first Methodist church in Little Falls, built on Third Street, was dedicated on this date by Bishop Elijah Hedding. The parish outgrew this building and built a new church in 1876. The old building became the Polish Community Association.

1968

Riverside Industrial Park, situated on 24 acres between the railroad tracks and the Mohawk River just west of Hansen Island, is being developed by the City of Little Falls.

This day in history: September 29

1895

Miss Charlotte E. Davis of Little Falls, better known as the professional aeronant of the Mohawk Valley, was married in Johnstown to Professor George J. Bush, also a professional aeronant, from Blissfield Michigan.