• The Smead System of Warming

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    Carl Johnson

    Not precisely Albany, but we couldn’t help but notice this advertisement in the 1894 guide to Albany schools for the Smead System of Warming, Ventilation and Sanitation for School Buildings. They were very concerned about the physical state of teachers. “For teachers and children to breathe over and over air loaded with foul gases…

  • Lurie’s: No More Stamps for 1925

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    Carl Johnson

    Lurie’s was a little remembered Schenectady department store at the corner of State and Ferry, which would have put it right in the vicinity of Barney’s. (It’s possible it was related to the M. Lurie Company of Amsterdam, and it’s possible it wasn’t.) They sold all kinds of clothing and fabrics, and gave away…

  • Entertainment, 1891

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    Carl Johnson

    So, what were the entertainment options for the family of leisure in Albany, back in January of 1891? You couldn’t complain there was nothing to do. At Proctor’s Theatre (oh yes, Albany had one of those, too), 45 South Pearl St., Henry E. Dixey was performing “The Seven Ages.” Sounds very tame and refined,…

  • Co-education and Fur

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    Carl Johnson

    Another ad from 1894, in a publication about the Albany school system, proving that ads could be ridiculous and just a little inane even 120 years ago. The Walsh family was selling furs and more at 58 State Street at least as early as 1870, and continued on at other locations (North Pearl and…

  • Milton Bradley

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    Carl Johnson

    There’s no real Albany connection to the Milton Bradley Company, well-known game-makers of Springfield, Mass., but in 1894 they took out an ad in a book celebrating Albany public schools. It was a lovely bit of typography. Obviously, they made more than games, and Milton Bradley himself was a strong advocate of the kindergarten…

  • Albany Chemical, Aspirin, and Patent Trolls

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    Carl Johnson

    So we mentioned that during the Albany Chemical Company’s reign as the top producer of chloroform in the country, they were embroiled in some patent battles. Well, some decades later, they were to be found in patent court once again, this time trying to enforce a patent they didn’t really hold. They were pioneering…

  • Albany: Chloroform Capital

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    Carl Johnson

    Albany was once America’s leading city for an awful lot of things. We moved the most lumber. We led the country in the manufacture of stoves and pianos. And it turns out that Albany was once the chloroform capital of the country. The Albany Chemical Company was listed in 1888’s “The Empire State: Its…

  • Fred Happel’s Contribution

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    Carl Johnson

    Franklin D. Roosevelt, who spent a little bit of time in Albany himself, signed the Social Security Act into law on August 14, 1935. Social Security Cards were first issued in November, 1936. They may not look like much, but think of it: someone had to design the Social Security Card. That someone was…

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