This Week in History – Week of Dec. 20th
Dec. 20th
1855
General Z.C. Priest received $166.66 per month as Assistant Superintendent of the railroad.
1910
Some weeks ago, the Presbyterian church society purchased a large lot on Jackson Street upon which a parish house was to be erected. An announcement was made today, with a change of plans, that David H. Burrell has donated $50,000 to cover the expense of a project which became the fully equipped Y.M.C.A. on the site.
1920
Headlines screamed ”PHOENIX MILLS CLOSE FOR INDEFINITE PERIOD” as about 1000 hands were unemployed, heralding the beginning of a major business depression. Three months later, the workers returned to work accepting a 23% reduction in wages rather than remaining unemployed.
Dec. 21st
1933
Seventy members of the Exchange Club voiced their displeasure with the national organization and decided to focus their efforts and energy on local affairs. Thus, the Little Falls Civic Club was formed. The organization worked diligently to make the city a better place to work, live, and play for all of its citizens. Top graduating students were awarded scholarships each year.
2007
The South Ann Street, Mill Street Historic District in Little Falls, better known as “Canal Place,” has been recommended to be placed on the State and National Registers. The registers are the official list of buildings, structures, districts, landscapes, and sites in the historic area. Formal approval came in July 2008.
Dec. 22nd
1887
The “toney” Q. V. Society, which is composed of many of our most reputable young men, gave a reception at their new hall in the Skinner block. It was a very delightful event, and nearly one-hundred people were present to enjoy it. The hall was beautifully decorated for the occasion, and music and refreshments were all that could be asked for.
1990
At a convention in San Antonio, Texas, Little Falls native Bernard J. “Bud” Malone, Jr., Assistant U.S. Attorney for the Northern District of New York, received an “Award of Honor” from the United States Department of Justice for his outstanding work in investigation and prosecution of major drug traffickers.
1991
Six children in the McLeod family, ages 1 to 10, died in an early morning fire that tore through their two-story home on East Monroe Street. A fourteen year-old boy who was babysitting them was the only one to escape alive.
Dec. 23rd
1869
As gold goes down so do oysters. M. B. Tyson receives and sells more oysters daily than any other dealer in Little Falls. He sells solid meat oysters for 37 ½ cents per quart, extra count oysters for 44 cents per quart. No credit on oysters.
1899
The H. P. Snyder bicycle works shipped ten carloads of bikes to the Simmons Hardware Company of St. Louis. The 1,500 machines constitute a part of the big contract with Simmons.
1912
Four strikers from the Phoenix and Gilbert mills at Little Falls, who had been arrested for merely making speeches, were released without a trial. They were neither tried nor released on bail, they were just “shooed” out of the court room.
1918
Mayor Zoller and the Aldermen met at the new City Hall to pay their respects to David H. Burrell, whose generosity had made the building possible.
Dec. 24th
1915
A big crowd assembled around the community Christmas tree in Eastern Park to sing songs and celebrate the Yuletide. It was a fitting manifestation of the Spirit of Peace and Good Will. The large tree was realized through the donations of businesses and citizens alike.
1962
Michael Denapole, a Little Falls farmer, is in “only fair condition” after a light plane he was piloting crashed shortly after takeoff from his private airstrip on Cole Road in the Town of Fairfield.
Dec. 25th
1847
The first mass was said in the newly built small wood-frame church (24 X 36 feet) for the Roman Catholics in the community. Father John McMenamin had raised the money for the church, including $300 by soliciting and preaching in Vermont and Connecticut. Whether the lot, the site of the current St. Mary’s church, was purchased from or was a gift of Richard Ray Ward is uncertain.
1879
The first mass was celebrated at the cathedral-like St. Mary’s Roman Catholic church at the corner of East Main and John streets. Construction has been ongoing for more than five years. The 180 feet high steeple, with its gilded cross, was not completed until 1901.
Dec. 26th
1911
The Greek Catholic Association has purchased from the Titus Sheard estate for $375, a plot of land on Furnace Street, opposite the Sheard dam, as a site for a new Greek Catholic church. There are about 200 members of the church in Little Falls, composed of Greeks and Russians.
1960
Tragedy was narrowly averted at the Little Falls railroad station when a fast eastbound train barely missed a good-sized group of persons preparing to board a west bound train which was just coming to a stop. In order to board their train the local passengers had to cross the rails the speeding eastbound train was on.
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!
Additional Links
- Little Falls Historical Society
- Times Telegram
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- Little Falls City School District
- Little Falls Hospital
- City of Little Falls
- Little Falls Youth & Family Center
- Mohawk Valley Center for the Arts
- Upstate Venture Connect
- Shop Little Falls, NY
- Preserve Our Past
- The Mohawk Valley Through the Lens
- My Little Falls
- Think Local Little Falls
- Little Falls Public Library