Author: 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,…

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…

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…

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 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…

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…

Speaking, as we were, of the Albany Perforated Wrapping Paper Company (which veered off into paper more of the toilet variety), Hoxsie has previously guessed that not only did old A.P.W. invent roll toilet paper, but probably, and of necessity, the roll toilet paper holder. This 1899 letter to the A.P.W. company, written by…

I’ve spent some time trying to sort out the history of this ancient looking remnant of the lumber district, and finally sorted it out in the oddest way. On the “Albany: The Way It Was” Facebook group yesterday, we were discussing the various locations of the Albany Perforated Wrapping Paper Company. You know, the…

I’m not sure where I’d go today if I had some gold I needed beaten. But in Albany in 1863, I’d have had three choices.