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New Process Gear
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A brief departure from the Tri-Cities. I lived for several years in Syracuse, the Salt City, the city where your feet are never dry or warm. One of the major industries there was New Process Gear. Just recently the long tradition of auto parts manufacture in Syracuse ended with the closing of its final…
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J.C. Moore & Babcock Brick
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J.C. Moore & Babcock Brick was once one of a number of brickmakers in Albany, which was the northernmost point of the enormous Hudson River brick industry. The yard and office were at the corner of Morton and South Hawk — today you know it as Lincoln Park.
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John English and Son, Coal Merchants
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Were John English & Son, Coal Merchants, the original tenants of this magnificent edifice? This ad is from 1895.
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Hoxsie!
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Another wonderful ad from Hoxsie! George W. Hoxsie, “The Genuine Original,” ran the largest bottling establishment outside of New York (well, if it weren’t true he couldn’t print it, right?) at 25 Hamilton Street in Albany. That’s either the land of parking lots now, or it’s just possible that the Hoxsie bottling plant still…
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Joel Munsell
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It’s not possible to be interested in Albany history and not to owe a debt of gratitude to Joel Munsell. He was a Massachusetts native who came to Albany in 1827 and established himself as a printer and publisher. In 1850 he began the publication of his “Annals of Albany,” which along with numerous…
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Union Nurseries
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C. Reagles was no Louis Menand, but his Union Nurseries in Schenectady did have a wide reputation and his plants and seeds were sold by catalog all over. That Barrett Street address was probably pretty close to Union Street, hence the name. I like that C. Reagles and Son pledged themselves to use every…
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J. Xavier Dry Goods
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I know nothing about J. Xavier, dealing in fancy goods, toys, perfumery, &c. in Schenectady in 1862. But that illustration is incredible.
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Airway Motors
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I don’t remember ever hearing of Airway Motors, and a search turns up very little, but in 1940 at least they were a going concern right in the heart of Rensselaer, just a short hop from the Dunn Bridge. The space where they were located was likely obliterated by the new Dunn Bridge ramp…
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If they don’t have it, you don’t need it.
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The last great store in Schenectady to carry just about everything was Wallace Armer Hardware, which gracefully closed its doors about 20 years ago. But Armer was clearly descended from a long tradition of general stores in canal towns that carried a little bit of everything. In the case of James Walker’s store on…
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Albany Beef
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In my experience, no one who has ordered a fish dinner in Albany, least of all someone who has ordered it in a pleasant riverside setting, appreciates being reminded that sturgeon were once so plentiful and such an important part of the food supply that they were referred to without irony as “Albany Beef,”…