In New York's Mohawk Valley...
HAMILTON~FULTON~MONTGOMERY COUNTIES
ILLUSTRATED BOOKLET
The early days
of Hamilton, Fulton and Mongomery Counties, and their various towns and townships,
are recalled through a mixture of colorful tales and factual data in this
NEW 48 Page Booklet, reprinted primarily from two hard-to-find books: the 1841
edition of Historical Collections of the State of New York by John
Warner Barber and Henry Howe, and New York, a Guide to the Empire State,
a WPA project.
The spiral-bound booklet, sold exclusively
on eBay, is printed one-sided on 60# paper, with the print enlarged for
easier reading. A clear vinyl sheet has been added to protect the front cover.
The communities mentioned include: Amsterdam,
Arietta, Auriesville, Baker's Mills, Bleeker, Broadalbin, Canajoharie, Caughnawaga,
Charleston, Eagle Bay, Ephrata, Fonda, Fort Johnson, Florida, Gilman, Glen,
Gloversville, Hope, Indian Lake, Johnstown, Lake Pleasant, Long Lake, Mayfield,
Minden, Mohawk, Morehouse, North Creek, Northampton, Oppenheim, Palatine
Bridge, Perth, Root, St. Johnsville, Speculator, Stratford, Vail Mills, Wells,
and Wevertown.
Among the many and diverse topics in the booklet
are: Stories of Sir William Johnson, his Influence over Indians, and his
Pretentious Mansion; Sir John Johnson, "scourge of Mohawk Valley"; an Exchange
of Dreams; "Diploma" for the Indians; Tombstone Inscriptions; Indian Rock
Painting; Stories of the famous Indian Chief, Joseph Brant; the Taking of
3 Mohawk Castles in 1692-3; the Unusual Design of Fort Plain, Queen Anne's
Chapel; Indian tale of Brother Killing Brother; Stories of Teahill; Similarity
of Lakes and Mountains to Scotland, Mitchell's Cave, "Nose," Canajoharie Gorge,
and other natural features; Gen. Van Rensselaer's failure to "follow through",
the Mohawk Carpet Mills; Walter Butler's House and other Historic Homes;
Churches and Religious Leaders; Kid Glove making at Gloversville; and the
"Santa Claus of the Adirondacks."
Names mentioned include: Abeel, Backus, Bowen,
Brown, Burke, Butler, Chambers, Coplon, Dart, De Fonclaire, De Graff, Douw,
Dunning, Durant, Eddy, Fisher, Fonda, Frederic, Frey, Gort, Greene, Hanson,
Hess, Hosack, Jogues, Johnson, Klock, Knox, Lalande, McKenzie, Murray, Nellis,
Oothoudt, Pick, Plateau, Putnam, Reber, Romeyn, Sammons, Sanford, Sheppard,
Van Alstyne, Van Horne, Van Rensselaer, Van Schaick, Stoner, Tekakwitha,
Van Vrank, Veeder, Visscher, Vrooman, Wagner, Wall, Wells, Wemple, White,
Wilson, Yates, and Zimmerman.
ILLUSTRATIONS depict
the Passing of the Pipe of Peace, Johnson Hall in Johnstown, Guy Johnson's
House in Amsterdam, Covered Bridge in Canajoharie, the Ancient Blockhouse
at Fort Plain, the Courthouse and Hotel in Fonda, an Ancient Church and
Butler's House in Mohawk and a view of Johnstown.
The Howe/Barber history covers the development
of this area until about 1841, while excerpts from the WPA book, give a nostalgic
glympse from a 1940 vantage point, including interesting historical notes,
especially as they relate to sightseeing possibilities. There's also a small
map of the area from a 1948 booklet printed by the New York Telephone Company.
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