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O.C. Buck Shows
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In the mid-twentieth century, when traveling carnivals and fairs were much bigger business than they are today, O.C. Buck Shows of Troy was one of the big players in the region. Oscar Buck was a big player in the showmen’s associations of the day, was on the board of the Altamont Fair, and ran…
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The “New Woman” Denounced
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William Croswell Doane: first Episcopal Bishop of Albany. Driving force behind the Cathedral of All Saints, the little church tucked underneath the State Education Building. Dead ringer for “The Princess Bride’s” Vizzini. His thoughts on women’s suffrage? “Inconceivable!” As this 1895 article indicates, the Right Reverend Doane was not such a fan of the…
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Ale for families and invalids
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From The Troy Daily Whig, February 5, 1873, an ad for the Star Brewery, 146 North Fourth Street in Troy. “A superior article of Ale now on hand, in barrels, half barrels and quarter barrels, put up expressly for the use of Families and Invalids …” The brewery of Theophilus W. Sands was reckoned at…
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Mind blown, 1924 style
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From a 1924 edition of the Christian Science Monitor, we find one of the earliest indications of modern technology becoming ridiculous: “Automobile tourists who visit Central Park at Schenectady Sundays during the months of July or August may enjoy the novel experience of listening to a concert direct from the instruments at the same…
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One way to promote home delivery
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Okay, here’s a newspaper promotion you don’t see much anymore: in 1921, with a six-month subscription to the Troy Record, you could get a discounted house lot in Colonie Estates. It was “situated near Latham’s Corners within a short ride of Schenectady, Stop 36½. It is an ideal country for homes of people employed…
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Happy Birthday, Dr. Steinmetz
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On April 9, 1865, Carl August Rudolph Steinmetz was born in far-off Breslau, in the province of Silesia in Prussia. He suffered a form of dwarfism, and was a mathematic and electrical genius. He was a socialist who had to flee Germany because of his beliefs; after a time in Zurich, he found his…
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The Terrors of Phys Ed
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Let’s reach into the not-so-distant past for a true moment of terror: Unisex Gym Suits. Yes, in our day we were required to wear official gym clothing. Yes, it had to be in the official school colors, which in the case of my alma mater was supposed to be maroon but looked mostly like…
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State Normal School, 1909
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We’ll wrap up what turned into “School Fortnight” with this 1909 view of the State Normal School. These are the three buildings, Administration, Science, and Auditorium, that started the school’s first true campus, after a long history of moving from one Albany building to another. Today, these are Draper Hall, Husted Hall, and Hawley…
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The Old Mohawk School
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Here’s a pretty picture of another old school, Scotia’s original Mohawk School, on Mohawk Avenue. It was built in 1870, and served as the school until 1917 when the “new” school was built on Ten Broeck Avenue, deeper in the village. The building then served as the Colonial Ice Cream factory, until it was…
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Albany institutions: where are they now?
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In addition to the numerous public and private schools listed in the Albany Chamber of Commerce’s guide to “Education in Albany” in 1922, the guide included a number of institutional schools, private schools, a fairly broad definition of colleges, and many places to learn nursing. Many of these remain; many are forgotten. Institutional Schools…