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The Albany Embossing Company complex
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Last time we went over the history of John Wesley Hyatt’s many adventures in celluloid. When we first wrote that up several years back, we were absolutely baffled not only by the number of little companies that were formed to turn his plastic to practical use. But also by their actual locations. For instance,…
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Albany, Home of the First Plastic: Celluloid
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This was originally posted on my old blog back in 2010. This has some minor updates. For years I meant to get a picture of this marker, located next to a defunct Friendly’s restaurant not far from our old Albany neighborhood, where Southern Boulevard meets Delaware Avenue. The shopping plaza and the Friendly’s were…
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Senator Charles Stanford
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So we talked a little bit about the life of Leland Stanford (whose life could fill more than a volume or two) and father Josiah Stanford (about whom information is sadly scant). Today, we’ll talk about Leland’s brother, Charles, who despite having gone off to California with Leland, returned and made a lasting impression…
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Was Stanford University Actually Supposed to be in Albany?
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A long time ago, before Hoxsie even began, we told the story of how some local pettiness caused Leland Stanford to take the millions he intended for establishing a university in memory of his deceased son across the country, where he established Leland Stanford, Junior, University in Palo Alto, CA, instead of in Albany.…
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Josiah Stanford, prosperous farmer, innkeeper, estate-builder
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Leland Stanford may be one of the most famous, or most important, people ever to come from Albany (born in the town of Colonie in 1824), although he found his fortune way out west — a little thing called the Central Pacific Railroad, the governorship of California, a US Senator’s seat, and much more.…
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Television on the Big Screen — A Schenectady First
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Just inside the entry to Proctor’s Arcade in Schenectady is this plaque, prominently and proudly proclaiming that an important first in technology took place right there in the historic Proctor’s Theatre: “On May 22, 1930, Proctor’s Theatre was the site of the first projected television show on a giant screen before a large audience.…
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The Illustrious Madame Albani
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Well, if we’re going to mention Professor DuMouchel, long a key part of the (sacred) music scene in Albany, we’re going to have to mention someone who, after performing with DuMouchel very early in her career, carried the name of the city into international fame. She was Marie Louise Emma Cécile Lajeunesse, in Chambly,…
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Professor DuMouchel, Cathedral Organist
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When we first learned of the old Albany character of Dr. DuMouchel, about all we knew about him was that he was the organist at the Cathedral of the Immaculate Conception, and favored a frock coat and top hat which gained him a comparison to Dr. Mary Walker. Well, Dr. DuMouchel was much more…
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The Colorful Characters of Old Albany
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When we were telling the tale of Dr. Dodge, one of old Albany’s well-known characters, we ran across the names of a number of other characters of the type that either don’t exist any more or just don’t get known. Perhaps it goes back to a time when the city was smaller (or more…
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Troy’s Musical Koninsky Family
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Andrew Mace hepped us to one of those fascinating facts that we can’t believe we didn’t know. One of the Troy Facebook groups posted the cover of sheet music for Uncle Sam’s Boys, composed by Jerome Hartman, “composer of the famous ‘Beneath the Starry Flag,’ ‘On to Victory,’ etc.,” and published by the Koninsky…