Aug. 2nd

1843

Seventy-six year old John Quincey Adams, ex-president, statesman, poet, and philosopher briefly visited Little Falls, and spoke to several hundred admirers at the railroad depot. Adams, on an excursion of New York State, was warmly welcomed by Judge Loomis.

1901

The Stafford & Holts plant was badly gutted by a fire which started in the blacksmith shop, and was a mass of flames when first discovered. The fire was first discovered by Officer Long while he was on patrol duty. At that time they were also manufacturing an automatic cigar vending machine.

Aug. 3rd

1643

Father Isaac Jogues, a French Jesuit priest stationed in Quebec, was captured by the Mohawk Indians on August 3, 1642, and held prisoner for thirteen months during which time he was cruelly tortured. Sometime during his imprisonment, he was taken to the western Iroquois tribes, passing by the little falls, possibly detouring over Fall Hill to avoid the rapids.

1858

The General Herkimer Company #3 took over the old the old German Street (Flint Avenue) engine house as an independent company. The company was admitted to the village fire department in 1960.

1985

Farmers’ Market held each Saturday in the parking lot of the Herkimer County Trust Company, along Albany Street, continues to draw a  goodly number of vendors and customers.

Aug. 4th

1890

A highly satisfactory exhibition of the long distance telephone was given at the Girvan House to 400 invitees who listened on 20 hand phones to the orchestra of the Madison Square Garden.  So loud, clear and distinct were the sounds that it seemed as if they came from the next room.

Aug. 5th

1897

The first motor car went through Little Falls today on its way from the factory in Cleveland to New York City. The first local person to own a car was John G. Thomas who acquired a Locomobile, which ran on Kerosene, in 1901 – the first auto accident occurred during 1902. Mrs. D. H. Burrell, Jr. was the first woman driver.

Aug. 6th

1781

A war party of Indians, accompanied by the loyalist MacDonald, struck the Shell settlement northwest of Little Falls. John Christian Shell defended his blockhouse, but two young boys were captured and taken to Canada.

1867

The cornerstone for the new, brick St. Mary’s Roman Catholic church on Alexander Street was laid in the presence of a very large assembly. An open air mass was celebrated in a rustic chapel built for the occasion.

Aug. 7th

1888

Handsome iron drinking fountains, arranged to accommodate man and beast, including cats and dogs, have been placed at the junction of Albany and East Main streets and the western and eastern ends of Western Avenue (West Main Street.) The spout is in the shape of a large frog from whose mouth the water flows to the tank.

Aug. 8th

1869

The new brick St. Mary’s church on Petrie Street was dedicated by Bishop Lynch, with an open air Mass. Within a few years, the church was condemned as being structurally unsound and had to be abandoned. The bricks were used to build homes along Petrie and Alexander Streets.

1906

Balloonist, Professor William Johnson, met his death before a large crowd while making a balloon ascent and parachute jump at the Little Falls fair. His first parachute opened, the second did not, and Johnson landed on wires along the Central railroad just west of the gulf bridge. He died in the Little Falls hospital.

1949

A total of 859 children are registered in the Little Falls summer playgrounds, Director Ann Pocentyluk (Martyniuk) reported.

1961

The opening of the new swimming pool near the Monroe Street field was a big splash as about 400 swimmers, mostly children, were on hand for the first dip. The evening crowd was almost as large as that during the afternoon.

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!