The Spirit of Schenectady

Miss Elsa Case as the Spirit of Schenectady, 1912

In 1912, Miss Elsa Case appeared as The Spirit of Schenectady in a dramatic pageant celebrating the 250th anniversary of the founding of the Electric City. The pageant, directed by Constance D’Arcy Mackay with dances by Gertrude Colby, was performed on the grounds of Union College. It featured various imagined historical vignettes from Schenectady history, using artistic license where necessary. It noted, for instance, that the Schenectady massacre occurred in February, “but as the exigencies of an outdoor stage in summer make such a scene impossible, the episode will be played as a summer instead of a winter one.”

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