The Herkimer County Historical Society (HCHS) is holding a fundraiser on Thursday, May 17th, at Beardslee Castle in Little Falls, New York. The Castle is about an hour's drive from the Capital District (Albany, New York area), and the Historical Society is about 20 minutes west of the Castle.
The HCHS is a great place. I spent many hours there in the past researching the story of Roxalana Druse, and the staff is not only welcoming, but informed and helpful. Two ladies in particular I would like to thank publicly are Susan R. Perkins (Executive Director) and Caryl A. Hopson (Administrative Assistant). Susan and Caryl are also the authors of three books for the Images of America series published by Arcadia Publishing. They are the Little Falls, German Flatts, and Herkimer Village. If you are a history buff these are great books.
Off on my tangent for a paragraph.
This past holiday season a local shopping club had a huge display of Images books, most of which were locally-themed. I bought as many as the holiday budget would allow, and on a subsequent trip with my sister I excitedly showed her the books. To my delight she was equally interested and we spent some time browsing through them. One of the books was The Legacy of Nursing at Albany Medical Center. When I was a little girl I played in the basement hallways of AMC along with some of my sisters when my dad, whose first teaching job out of college was teaching nurses at AMC, had to bring us along to work with him. Gertrude King, a pharmacology instructor at AMC (see pages 56 and 74 if you happen to pick up the book) was one of my sisters' Godmother and a dear friend of the family. My fondest memory of her is a Doctor Dolittle party she threw for us when we were small. (The Rex Harrison version.) My sister found her in the book and then began paging through, examining each photograph carefully. When she got to page 77 she went hmm, and told me to check out the photo at the bottom. Sure enough, albeit uncredited, there was my very young Dad, teaching a class of students. We both shrieked with delight, right in the middle of a crush of holiday shoppers.
It's all connected.
The Village of Herkimer is located within the Town of Herkimer which is located in the county of Herkimer. The name comes from a famous general of the American Revolution, Nicholas Herkimer, who died from wounds he received while fighting in the Battle of Oriskany. Prior to 1788 the name of the village was German Flatts. New York Surveyor-General Simeon DeWitt switched the names of the Village of Herkimer and the Town of German Flatts when he made his official report:
n 1788, following the Revolution, the New York State Legislature met in Poughkeepsie to erect new towns in what was then Montgomery County. The names of German Flatts and Herkimer had been agreed upon to designate the two towns. Dr. William Petry met Honorable Simeon DeWitt, Surveyor-General of the State of New York, who had maps and a survey before him. DeWitt asked the doctor as to the situation of each. Looking up the river, (toward the west), Dr. Petry answered, “Herkimer is on the left and German Flatts is on the right.” DeWitt, assuming the doctor meant the right and left banks of the Mohawk, as the stream flowed, wrote the names on the map in reverse order. The name of Herkimer had been intended for the territory south of the river where the historic Herkimer family first settled and where the Herkimer Home is situated to this day. The error in understanding was enacted into law. (Town of Herkimer)
Herkimer Village is a very interesting place. It still retains an atmosphere of the past, and at night when the wind blows through the streets I swear they carry whispers. One particular area that is near and dear to my heart is the historic four corners.
Off on my tangent for a paragraph.
This past holiday season a local shopping club had a huge display of Images books, most of which were locally-themed. I bought as many as the holiday budget would allow, and on a subsequent trip with my sister I excitedly showed her the books. To my delight she was equally interested and we spent some time browsing through them. One of the books was The Legacy of Nursing at Albany Medical Center. When I was a little girl I played in the basement hallways of AMC along with some of my sisters when my dad, whose first teaching job out of college was teaching nurses at AMC, had to bring us along to work with him. Gertrude King, a pharmacology instructor at AMC (see pages 56 and 74 if you happen to pick up the book) was one of my sisters' Godmother and a dear friend of the family. My fondest memory of her is a Doctor Dolittle party she threw for us when we were small. (The Rex Harrison version.) My sister found her in the book and then began paging through, examining each photograph carefully. When she got to page 77 she went hmm, and told me to check out the photo at the bottom. Sure enough, albeit uncredited, there was my very young Dad, teaching a class of students. We both shrieked with delight, right in the middle of a crush of holiday shoppers.
It's all connected.
The Village of Herkimer is located within the Town of Herkimer which is located in the county of Herkimer. The name comes from a famous general of the American Revolution, Nicholas Herkimer, who died from wounds he received while fighting in the Battle of Oriskany. Prior to 1788 the name of the village was German Flatts. New York Surveyor-General Simeon DeWitt switched the names of the Village of Herkimer and the Town of German Flatts when he made his official report:
n 1788, following the Revolution, the New York State Legislature met in Poughkeepsie to erect new towns in what was then Montgomery County. The names of German Flatts and Herkimer had been agreed upon to designate the two towns. Dr. William Petry met Honorable Simeon DeWitt, Surveyor-General of the State of New York, who had maps and a survey before him. DeWitt asked the doctor as to the situation of each. Looking up the river, (toward the west), Dr. Petry answered, “Herkimer is on the left and German Flatts is on the right.” DeWitt, assuming the doctor meant the right and left banks of the Mohawk, as the stream flowed, wrote the names on the map in reverse order. The name of Herkimer had been intended for the territory south of the river where the historic Herkimer family first settled and where the Herkimer Home is situated to this day. The error in understanding was enacted into law. (Town of Herkimer)
Herkimer Village is a very interesting place. It still retains an atmosphere of the past, and at night when the wind blows through the streets I swear they carry whispers. One particular area that is near and dear to my heart is the historic four corners.
On one corner is the 1884 Suiter Mansion.
One another is the 1834 Herkimer County Jail.
Another corner holds the 1834 Reformed Church and her ancient graveyard.
On the last corner stands the 1873 Herkimer County Courthouse, seen here in the distance past more gravestones alongside the Church.
These are just four of the historical buildings the Herkimer County Historical Society works so hard to help preserve and keep in the people's memory. (More about the places mentioned above in future posts.)
From the Society's website:
The cost of the dinner is $40.00/person and $70.00/couples. Tickets are requested to be purchased in advance and are available at the Historical Society, 400-406 N. Main St., Herkimer, NY, Monday-Friday, 10:00 a.m.-4:00 p.m. To order by mail, send a check to Herkimer County Historical Society, 400 N. Main St., Herkimer, NY 13350 and they will mail them to you. If you have any questions please contact the HCHS at 315-866-6413.
Beardslee Castle is a wonderful place with equally wonderful food. In addition, there will be a guest speaker, James Greiner, who will be discussing his new book about Roxalana Druse. I am already halfway through it!!!
If you are able to attend the fundraiser, I'll see you there.
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