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The Albany signs just keep on coming
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It’s Thanksgiving week. We’ve been terribly busy. There is no time for research. There is, however, time to post pictures of even more of the landmark signs that form our view of Albany. While some of the ones we’ve featured in the last couple of days live on, some have also disappeared, giving way…
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Even More Ghost Signs of Albany
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Having looked at the ghost signs of R.B. Wing and Meginnis Electric on Liberty Street, we thought we’d present some of the other familiar ghost signs from around Albany. Some are painted, some are not. In one case, the business is still going, so technically its advertisement isn’t a ghost, but let’s not be…
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More Ghost Signs of Liberty Street
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Since the ghost signs on the back of the R.B. Wing building facing Liberty Street proved so popular, why not take a look at some of the other fine ghost signs that are visible along that stretch of street? For instance, there’s Meginnis Electric: We actually don’t know a thing about Meginnis, which apparently…
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The Ghost Signs of R.B. Wing
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The backs of buildings are sometimes as interesting as the fronts, and in Albany’s case, the backs of the row of quite-old buildings along Broadway are absolutely fascinating for their profusion of ghost signs. Ghost signs are generally hand-painted signs that adorned our commercial buildings in abundance in the 19th and 20th centuries, and…
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William Kemp and his 65 Second Street Home
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Our brief mention of the Troy home of William Kemp got us curious … how did 65 Second Street come to be designed by one of the leading architects of his age, Stanford White? White, of the massively influential firm of McKim, Mead and White, designed the arch in New York’s Washington Square, the…
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Troytown Shirt Corporation
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Just a quickie today, but this ad from 1957 caught our eye. It’s from a time when there was still enough garment manufacture in the area that a call for women with industrial sewing experience would not have gone unanswered. Yes, this was a time when employment ads were separated into male and female…
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When Money Came From Troy
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Duncan Crary sent along an interesting little bit regarding the re-opening of a local rare coin shop that will also feature an exhibit of currency that was issued in the Capital Region back when that was a thing. Ferris Coin, which has been around since 1930, is reopening at 199 Wolf Road, and will…
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Sturgeondom
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Recent entries brought up the question, “what the heck was ‘Sturgeondom’?” An 1869 article in the Albany Morning Express quoted the Troy Whig, saying that “A bright light in the direction of Albany last evening indicates a big fire in Sturgeondom,” but the Express responded that “Our neighbors will be pleased to learn, we…
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