Some time back, we took a look at the inventory of Albany schools as they stood in 1922, along with some pictures of the ones that still stood in 2013. We’ve just found a guide to Albany schools from 1894 that provides pictures along with more detailed information about each school that was in…

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…

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…