The Four Corners from the Albany County Post

A friend let me borrow his November 21, 1952 edition of the Albany County Post.
Here are some clippings.  Enjoy!

Joe Allgaier, Bethlehem Town Historian from 1991-2005

Joe Allgaier passed away not too long ago and I've been thinking about his contributions to Bethlehem's local history.  And I just don't know where to start the list is so long.

Editorial team for the 1993 publication "Bethlehem Revisited" from left to right: Joe Allgaier, Chuck McKinney, Floyd Brewer, Hugh Hewitt and Peter Christoph.  

  I probably met Joe when I attended my first Bethlehem Historical meeting in September of 1995.  He was an approachable guy always willing to share his expertise and encouragement.  His legacy as town historian is long and includes the book Bethlehem Revisited for which he served on the editorial team and wrote two chapters Business and Industry and Will of the People. Bethlehem Revisited is a book I refer to constantly - go read it if you haven't already!

Another legacy I use everyday is the database Joe created for the town's archival records. That database stemmed from a re-organization that I am sure was a huge project.  He collaborated closely with then Town Clerk Kathy Newkirk and others to assess, inventory and properly store the records.  The resulting searchable database really is awesome.  99% of the time when the database produces a hit and I go looking for a specific document in a specific folder in a specific archival storage box, it is there just like it is supposed to be.

Joe took me in hand when I was first appointed town historian in nine years ago, giving me the tour, giving me the keys to the database, answering my many questions about how to be a historian and encouraging me to make the position of historian my own.

Bethlehem and its history are the richer for having been served by town historian Joe Allgaier.  Personally, his influence on how I do my job has been profound and deeply appreciated.

Rest in Peace Joe!

Delmar Four Corners

Here are some circa 1970 photos of the Delmar Four Corners for your rainy Monday.

The first two on the roll of film capture an emergency response at the Four Corners.  Notice the background.   Anyone remember the Delmar Department Store and the Delmar Bootery?

And how about this one.  Again there is the emergency on the right.  But notice how much gas was back then. And notice that there was even a gas station where the mini park and clock are now.  And notice that Peter Harris used to be where the sub shop is today.

The rest of the pictures seem to be documenting the large brick building that was on the corner of Delaware and Kenwood where Key Bank is today. It was taken down in 1974, so that gives an idea of the date of these snapshots.   Enjoy!

Looking east on Delaware.  The Delmar Corner Store on the left is where Swifty's tent is today.

The Delmar Meat Market on the right in the background is where Great Wall is today.