• Practice your scales

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    Carl Johnson

    J. Maxwell, Jr. sold scales of every description from his store at 136 South Pearl Street in Albany, comprising in part, counter scales, druggists’ scales, confectioners’ scales, grain measurers’ scales, butchers’ scales, platform scales, jewelers’ scales, post-office scales, and bank scales. Bank scales? Guess they were weighing gold. 1858.

  • J.W. Osborn Roofing Slates

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    Carl Johnson

    Once was a time, say 1858, when J.W. Osborn had his office and slate yard right at 10 James Street, steps from State Street in Albany. Slate was a very popular roofing material around here, and many original slate roofs still exist. Related articles Where to find a slate roofer? (alloveralbany.com)

  • Foreign Fruits

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    Carl Johnson

    Albany, 1858: George Wait was a wholesale dealer in groceries, teas, foreign fruits, sugars, oils, &c. One of the benefits of being at the head of shipping for the Erie Canal and just an overnight steamboat ride from the Port of New York was that foreign produce made its way to our humble trading…

  • Mirror, Mirror (and Moulding, Moulding)

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    Carl Johnson

    L. Annesley made and sold looking glasses, portrait frames, picture frames, window cornices, engravings and lithographs, artists’ materials, mouldings, etc. I would just love to know what the inside of this store looked like. Albany, 1858.

  • Does Hoxsie tweet? Hoxsie does!

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    Carl Johnson

    Hoxsie crows, and Hoxsie tweets. @HoxsieAlbany, baby! Get us that way, or get our RSS. Hoxsie doesn’t care, as long as you follow us!

  • Cork, Letters, Boxes

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    Carl Johnson

    1905. What could you get in Albany that you can’t get today? Well, cork, for one thing. Cork of every description. Cork is something that, like burlap, has pretty much disappeared in my lifetime. If there’s any cork in your house other than a wine cork, it’s probably a bulletin board. That’s it. As…

  • Albany Car Wheel Works

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    Carl Johnson

    1858: The Albany Car Wheel Works was just off the lumber district, at Learned and Thacher streets, an area that’s still industrial. George Thacher not only turned out wheels of every description, he was mayor of Albany four times, and father of the somewhat better-remembered John Boyd Thacher.

  • John Myers Co.

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    Carl Johnson

    Along with Whitney’s, John Myers was one of Albany’s premiere department stores for ages. Here in 1905 they were advertising their mail order capabilities. “Uncle Sam is a faithful transmitter of messages. Distance makes no difference.” The year this ad ran, the Myers Department Store collapsed, killing at least 13 people and injuring many…

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