Little Falls Historical Society Museum Events
This day in history: May 7
1832
An ordinance was passed to change the name Telegraph Street to Mohawk Street and President Street to Jefferson Street.
1900
Mr. and Mrs. George Sanborn, of Utica, visited Little Falls today in the locomobile, a very neat horseless carriage, of the gasoline variety. Its adaptability for climbing our steep streets was shown by a run up Church and Prospect streets.
1918
Pickpockets, operating at the Hippodrome, Gem Theatre, and other public gathering places, have met with much success in the city. Wallets, purses, and watches all have been lifted.
1971
The Little Falls Citizens’ Advisory Committee proposes that the mayor appoint the library trustees.
This day in history: May 8
1796
Mr. Bethune Dodd was appointed by the Presbytery to preach at the Octagon Church. The previous evening, he stayed at the home of John Porteous.
1895
The cannon boomed and the headlines declared “LITTLE FALLS IS A CITY AT LAST” as the New York state legislature approved the charter for the village to become a city. Objections had been made for decades by the three towns from which the city was carved, Manheim, Danube, and Little Falls, because of the loss of tax revenue.
1936
The newly formed Birgir Inc. on West Mill planned to manufacture high-grade caskets and sectional bookcases. Birgir Lundstrom heads the company.
1942
WW II Era – 9,825 sugar ration books were issued, on 10,298 applications, at the four registration centers in the elementary schools of the city.
2004
Because of declining membership, Masonic Lodge No. 181 F&AM of Little Falls will meet no more. It has merged with Lodge No. 796 of Dolgeville. At one time the local lodge had over 350 members and another 173 ladies who belonged to the Order of the Eastern Star. In existence in Little Falls for over 150 years, its last meeting was in December 2003.
This day in history: May 9
1884
Hours were set for the public library which is located in the Chronkhite opera house block.
1892
“The Jewelers Weekly” has mentioned J. H. H. Vosburgh’s remarkable collection of quartz crystals. The Little Falls man has a collection of more than 60,000 “diamonds” found within one mile of the village. This is one of the most unique and interesting collections of small crystals in the world. (Note: Mr. Vosburgh’s collection is on display at Colgate University.)
1903
The South Side Union Church, a handsome structure conceived and constructed under the practical well doing of David H. Burrell, Sr. was dedicated. The first pastor is Dr. J. L. Humphrey who returned to Little Falls from missionary work in India.
1930
In a light turnout, voters in the city approved two bonding propositions for executing public work to offset the slack industrial period and help reduce unemployment in the area. One was for paving Southern Avenue, and the second was for improvements at Church Street cemetery.
1952
Loomis Burrell, chairman of the board of Cherry-Burwell Corp., was honored by Cornell University for outstanding contributions to the dairy industry.
This day in history: May 11
1858
The village rented a building owned by McChesney & Furnan ,at the southwest corner of Albany and Second streets, for a new firehouse for Protection Engine Company #2 at a rate of $100 a year. As a result of this move, the south side of the river will have no fire protection.
1869
Governor John T. Hoffman signed the “Finck’s Bridge Bill” much to the delight of the residents and friends of the bridge living east of Little Falls.
1917
St. Mary’s Academy has a finely appointed chemistry laboratory where the students take great interest in their work under the tutelage of Dr. John Hurley a local pharmacist. Dr. Hurley, a member of the State Board of Pharmacy, is considered one of the best authorities in the State on chemical analysis.
From the Cooney Archives
MAY 14 PATRIOTS DAY PROGRAM AT NORWAY RURAL CEMETERY
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe 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.
SPORTS CITY U.S.A. – LITTLE FALLS, N.Y. by Ray Lenarcic
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumAs 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.
LITTLE FALLS HISTORICAL SOCIETY ANNOUNCES 2022 WRITING SERIES
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe 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.
The Old Bank Building Survives and Thrives by Pat Frezza-Gressler
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumThe wisdom of historic preservation has not always been a given. The desire by some to preserve old buildings and places is at times pitted against those who would rather “start over” with new construction.
Palatine Germans in Search of a Land to Call Home by Ginny Rogers
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumJanuary 17, 2022 marks the 300th anniversary of the Burnetsfield Patent.
The earliest European settlers in the Mohawk Valley came from what is now southwest Germany. Under near constant threat of destruction, whether from multiple wars, invasions, or the plague, in the near hundred years leading up to the 18th century, the southwest German population experienced extreme hardship.
MISS HELEN DUNTEMAN
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumHelen Dunteman was a highly respected social studies teacher in the Little Falls school district for many years, retiring in 1962. Helen was both a lifelong Little Falls resident and a graduate of Oneonta State Normal School. She passed away in 1984.
Growing up on the South Side from the early 1950’s through the late 1960’s By Donald F. Staffo
/by Little Falls Historical Society MuseumIn the 1950s and 1960s, Little Falls was a bustling blue-collar mill town of about 9,000 people with many hard-working citizens employed in its numerous factories. Most of the factories were on Mill Street which ran parallel to the railroad tracks on the southern side with a few factories on the other side of the tracks. My parents, and most of the parents of my friends, worked in the mills. None wore a tie to work.