1974 Milo holding his carved “Smith Bros Circus Red Caboose” alongside Marie, his favorite elephant on the side lawn at the Smith Brothers Farm

AN ELEPHANT NAMED BIMBO AND A FUNERAL by Darlene Smith

Most people usually don’t have an elephant attend a family member’s funeral, but then most other families didn’t have a grandfather who loved the circus the way Milo Smith did.

Hill Side Farm | Eatonville, NY | Present -day 173 Dise Road, with the property owned by Barbara Pelzer. He purchased the farm on June 1, 1858, for the sum of $1,220. His grandparents, Honorable Evans and Phebe Belknap Wharry, bought this land near Little Falls, NY in 1785.

Home Of The First U.S. Open Air Cheese Market (Part 1)

DID YOU KNOW…Xerxes Willard wrote articles on the activities of the cheese industry at Little Falls, for the Utica Morning Herald & Daily Gazette, which were read by cheese producers, buying agents and merchants, eventually leading to Little Falls becoming the hub for the Cheese Market?

Harry Burrell's home at 664 East Main Street | Present-day Verizon Telephone Co.

Home Of The First U.S. Open Air Cheese Market (Part 2)

Jonathan Burrell and his family were influential in making Little Falls the cheese capital of the United States and beyond.

From left to right:  City Engineer Chet Szymanski, 2nd Ward Alderman and Common Council President Justin Welyczko, Dan Enea of Mohawk Valley Funerals and Cremations, 1st Ward Alderman Tim Lyon, Joan Vogt, 1st Ward Alderman Jonathon Shaffer, Louis Baum, Church Street Cemetery Caretaker Justin Ostasz, Patty Sklarz, David Krutz, Pat Frezza-Gressler, Jeffrey Gressler, and Pat Stock. [Photo by Sarah Rogers]

CITY AND HISTORICAL SOCIETY CONTINUE EFFORTS TO RECOGNIZE AFRICAN AMERICAN BURIAL GROUND

It all began sometime in the early-2000s in the mind and heart of deceased former City Historian Edwin Vogt.

Promotional postcard of Bellcamp the Magician

“Bellcamp” The Magician by Ann E. Schuyler

“Uncle Archie, can you make me disappear?” I asked. “Yes,” he said, “Go in the other room.” I was expecting something like levitation.

My First and Last Train Rides by Ann Eysaman Schuyler

In 1944 I took my first train ride – all the way to Utica, NY. Having lived in Little Falls all my life, some of it on West Main Street at the foot of Glen Avenue, I knew about the railroad.

The 4 short Red Arrows show the Locations of the 1825 Erie Canal Locks | E36 : Lock 36, known as the Mile Lock, which had a mule shed, where mules could be rented; E37 : Lock 37, which was known as the Van Allen’s Lock, which was a mechanics drydock that was used for boat repairs; E38 : Lock 38, which was known as Perry’s Lock: and E39 : Lock 39, which was known as Leigh’s Lock. | The route of the 1825 Erie Canal is shown on the map with a dotted line on the south side of the Loomis, Seeley and Moss Island | Also marked on the map is a longer Red Arrow marking the location of the 1822 Aqueduct | Circled in Red is the 1795 Guard Lock of the Western Inland Lock Navigation Canal, with the canal path shown on the map with Black Dots, that also includes the 5 lift locks, shown with the symbol of

THE MAGNIFICENT MILE: PORTAGE TO PRESENT GRAND ERIE CANAL: 1825 PART III

The Western Inland Lock Navigation Canal (WILNC) was the catalyst for growth in the Mohawk Valley and of the western frontier in the late 1790s.

1795 Guard Lock

THE MAGNIFICENT MILE : PORTAGE TO PRESENT. THE WESTERN INLAND LOCK NAVIGATION CANAL PART II

The resettlement of the village after the American Revolution began when a Scottish immigrant, John Porteous, came to Little Falls in 1785.

Circa 1880’s Rufus Grider Pencil and Graphite Drawing: “Little Falls Rapids”

THE MAGNIFICENT MILE : PORTAGE TO PRESENT THE LITTLE CARRYING PLACE PART I

UNVEILING of the HISTORIC 1795 GUARD LOCK signage will take place on Thursday morning, on August the 10th at 11 am in Little Falls.

Civil War Burial Section of Fairview Cemetery outside Little Falls

LOCAL AFRICAN AMERICAN HISTORY REFLECTED STATE AND NATIONAL EVENTS

The primary purpose of this piece of writing is to chronicle a history of African American presence in Little Falls from the time of slavery up to the 2015 dedication of a monument in Little Falls Church Street Cemetery recognizing what was once known as the “Colored Burial Ground.”