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A favorite story of the West End
Saturday, June 15, 2013
One of my favorite stories in the new West End booklet put out by Historic Amsterdam League has to do with a garden hose and the Spanish American War.
Pageant part of Amsterdam 150th festivities
Saturday, June 8, 2013
When the city of Amsterdam celebrated its 150th birthday, or sesquicentennial, in 1954, there was a dramatic spectacle called “Horizons” that played for seven nights in July at Mohawk Mills Park, today’s Shuttleworth Park.
Quarterback’s roots are in Amsterdam
Friday, May 31, 2013
The main quarterback of the Seattle Seahawks in the National Football League, Russell Wilson, is the great-grandson of a well-known Amsterdam man.
Parades begin and end new World War II book
Saturday, May 25, 2013
Robert N. Going’s new book, “Where Do We Find Such Men?” is a conscientious chronicle of Amsterdam’s involvement in World War II. What emerges is a portrait of how all-encompassing the war was in the lives of the American people, on the battlefields and at home.
Bleecker was once booming community
Saturday, May 18, 2013
Bleecker, a town in northern Fulton County, had a population of 533 in the 2010 census, but in 1860 it boasted twice that many people, many of them employed in lumbering and tanning.
Swift justice for speeders in Cranesville
Saturday, May 11, 2013
If a trooper clocked you going more than 35 mph on Route 5 in Cranesville years ago, you had a very slim chance of avoiding a fine, typically $15.
Alex Isabel was major figure in Amsterdam sports
Saturday, May 4, 2013
When Alex H. Isabel was city recreation superintendent, Amsterdam had a series of playgrounds, staffed in the summer by returning college students. There were sports in summer and winter. The city recreation department even sponsored a summer musical theater program headed by Bert DeRose.
Theaters aplenty in days past
Saturday, April 27, 2013
Readers have contributed memories of the Regent and Orpheum theaters in Amsterdam after a recent column talked about the Rialto, Tryon and Mohawk theaters downtown.
Sanford kids’ story one for Hollywood
Saturday, April 20, 2013
Director George Cukor’s 1938 movie “Holiday” — which starred Katharine Hepburn and Cary Grant — has three fictional characters based on members of the Sanford family of Amsterdam.
Images from the city’s heyday
Saturday, April 13, 2013
John Collier Jr. documented the waterfront and downtown Amsterdam during a photo shoot for the U.S. government in October 1941.
Adam Betz quietly kept the peace
Saturday, April 6, 2013
According to one of his grandsons, Adam Betz had a knack for subduing people without damaging them.
Thousands went to shows of outdoor life
Saturday, March 30, 2013
March and April were the months for the annual Sportsmen’s Shows put on by the Amsterdam Fish and Game League from the 1930s into the 1950s.
Molly Brant left a legacy all her own
Saturday, March 23, 2013
Born about 1735 to Christian Mohawk parents in the western Mohawk Valley, Molly Brant’s life of influence began in 1759 when she became the consort of British Indian agent William Johnson.
Memories created at Amsterdam pool hall
Saturday, March 16, 2013
When he was 15, Amsterdam native Mark Copp was “a heckuva pool player” at Frank’s Pool Hall, above the Sears store next to the bus station on Amsterdam’s East Main Street.
Vaudeville days recalled in Amsterdam
Saturday, March 9, 2013
Vaudeville was a mix of specialized stage acts including dancers, singers, comedians and even roller skaters. Vaudevillians toured America, some visiting big cities and others going to smaller towns.
