Sep. 26th

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.

Sep. 27th

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.

Sep. 28th

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.

Sep. 29th

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.

Sep. 30th

1887

Professor William Rullison, the great trapeze aeronaut, is visiting his native Little Falls, after a successful Rockaway Beach tour with T. S. Baldwin, the parachute jumper. Rullison has made over 900 ascensions on the flying bar, hanging by his toes.

Oct. 1st

1875

The Merchants’ and Farmers Bank is doing business at the Banking House on Main Street in Little Falls. Banking hours included Saturday evenings from 6:30 to 8:00 P.M.

1883

Large crowds lined up to purchase tickets for the first passenger train to leave Little Falls on the West Shore Railroad. The West Shore depot was later called “South Little Falls.”

1895

D. H. Burrell & Company have recently imported the ”Thistle Mechanical Milking Machine” from Scotland for their operation on their Hilltop farm. The machine at the Burrell farm milks ten cows at once, averaging one cow per minute, with favorable results.

1958

The Salada-Shirriff-Horsey Company of Boston, Mass., Plant City, Fla., and Toronto, Canada, will acquire the “Junket” Brand Foods Division of Chr. Hansen’s Laboratory, Inc. of Little Falls, as of this date.

1974

The newly built quarters for the New York State Employment Service opened today at 690 East Main Street, the site of the former  Knights of Columbus Home which had been razed.

Oct. 2nd

1942

WW II Era – A wartime speed limit of 35 miles an hour went into effect for privately-owned autos nationwide. New York state police indicated tickets would be issued to drivers exceeding the speed limit by one mile per hour or more.

This Week in History” is brought to you by the Little Falls Historical Society. Please Visit the Little Falls Historical Society Website and please consider supporting the Museum by becoming a Member. Download the membership form here!