William H. Johnson Talks Emancipation
In honor of the sudden interest in Juneteenth, commemorating the day the belated word of emancipation reached slaves in Texas, I went off in search of whether there had been […]
The Guests of Edwin Forrest
Branching out a little bit, because it’s our understanding that Philadelphia has a little bit of history, too, and we’ve wondered about this one for a while now. Taking a […]
The Life of William Kimbol Johnson
Updating my genealogy software for the first time in several years made me look at the state of some of my research. For starters, I’ve posted an updated version of […]
G.W. Van Slyke & Horton – Peter Schuyler Cigars
Scrolling through some old newspapers, this ad caught our eye — not only for its odd syntax (I mean, I guess I wouldn’t want to get in front of a […]
O’Neill, the Schenectady Swindler
For a while now we’ve been interested in the story of Emmett O’Neill, the Schenectady Swindler. We hadn’t heard of him before he popped up along with some other research […]
From canal to boulevard
Imagine giving a weeklong exposition, with parade and fireworks, to celebrate the opening and lighting of a new street.
“All Who Attended Were Well Pleased.”
More for amusement than for historical edification, we present this clipping from an 1867 edition of the Schenectady Evening Star. We haven’t dug in to exactly who Prof. Shepard was […]
Crossing State (And Building a New Union Station)
When Schenectady was a sleepy backwater, having numerous trains go across the main business street, just feet from the Erie Canal, was probably not much more than a nuisance. But […]
How Well Do You Know Schenectady?
On Dec. 30, 1911, the Schenectady Gazette asked on its front page, “Do You Know Your Own City?” It then posed questions about Schenectady that “will be answered by the […]
The Hotel Vendome (and any number of other names)
For those of us who grew up around Schenectady in the 1950s or 1960s, the northeast corner of State and Broadway seemed long settled as the home of the Woolworth’s […]