1884’s “Albany Hand-book” takes an encyclopedic approach to describing the city, listing topics such as “Academy of Music” or “Anti-Rentism,” and following them with a brief description. Here’s what the […]

Just in time for the Olympics, this post was. Four years ago, on my other site. Last week, All Over Albany resurrected Albany’s bobsled fever. Apparently, even my own daughter […]

The 1884 Albany Hand-book (“A Stranger’s Guide and Resident’s Manual”) provided this description of Albany’s most notable street: “State Street owes its great width to the fact that in the […]

Now that Albany is burning through mayors (we’re now on our fourth since 1941!), Hoxsie thought we’d look back at Albany government the way it used to be done, with […]

The Albany Hand-book in 1884 contained an interesting entry on Calvin Edson, “the walking skeleton,” who “came to Albany in April, 1830, exhibited himself at the Museum, and gave levees […]

Since first posting this, I’ve written considerably more on Anneke Jans. The Albany Hand-book from 1884 saw fit to include an entry on one of the city’s most enigmatic early […]

In 1884, Blasie’s Imperial Porcelain Baths were, we are told, the only establishment in Albany where porcelain bath tubs were in use. If the most fastidious did, in fact, concede […]

More from Albany correspondent “Chic’s” regular letter to The American Stationer magazine, an 1889 celebration of personal printing in the capital city, which we started yesterday: In my last Albany […]

Last week we mentioned S.R. Gray, noted printer and stationer. He was notable, sure, but in his day (specifically, in 1889), Albany was crawling with stationers. Witness this, the start […]