Medical Liquor

Last week I finally visited the Ravena Coeymans Historical Society's museum.  If you are a lover of small, quirky, local  museums like I am, this one is definitely worth the trip.

Among the many interesting displays was one about McCulloch's Pharmacy. During the Prohibition era, this was the place to go to get your prescription filled for medical liquor.

Here's a a closer view of an actual prescription for Mr. Smith to take 1 tablespoon of whiskey 3 times a day.

And here's a closer viewof McCulloch's shipping receipt for 1 case of whiskey (pints) and wine gallons 3. I love how is says For Non Beverage Purposes.

After reading about Prohibition, it is such a pleasure to come across actual local records that document the oddities of the era. Now if only they were from Bethlehem...

Bethlehem's Ice Industry: Help in the Harvest

With the recent frigid weather and an inquiry today (someone was wondering if I had info about their relative who was an "ice handler") I was reminded of this wonderful graphic image from the Library of Congress.

Bethlehem had many ice houses and many farmers earning income in the winter months during the harvest.

And while we're on winter images from the Library of Congress, I just love this one:

New Amsterdam of course is the early Dutch settlement at the tip of Manhattan.  150 miles up the Hudson River was Fort Orange/Beverwyck which is today's Albany.  Both were settled in the early 1600s as part of the Dutch territory of New Netherlands.

The Lions at Cedar Hill

The January Then and Now article for Our Towne Bethlehem about the Mansion at Cedar Hill (AKA The Governor Glynn Mansion - see previous blog posts) was one of the hardest ones for me to write.*  There are so many stories related to this property and house from the Cooper, Lyon, Glynn and Prior families.   The Prior family tenancy during the Prohibition era was especially rich - horses in the living room, payments in Great Danes, contraband liquor stored in the ice house, trees painted white to show up intruders after dark.  Wonderful stuff, but is it true?

So instead, for this post I am going to talk about the lions.

I am often asked about these lions and for years I had to say "I just don't know."  They mark the entrance to the old Lyon estate. There used to be a pair on River Road near the Cedar Hill Schoolhouse but these have been moved in recent years.  The ones below are on Barent Winne Road on the way to Henry Hudson Park.  


Photo by John Berninger c. 2009

I recently found this newspaper clipping from the May 26, 1899 issue of the Altamont Enterprise:

Apparently, J.B. Lyon purchased the lions from the old Delavan Hotel. As the Altamont Enterprise so succinctly, and rather grimly, puts it in their January 4, 1895 issue:  "The Delavan, the largest hotel in Albany, was discovered to be on fire about 9 o’clock Sunday evening, and though the alarm was immediately given all efforts to save it proved unavailing and the building burned to the ground.  Fifteen persons, mostly help about the hotel, were burned to death."

A quick Google search on the fire also turned up some photos at the Museum of the City of New York.  Check it out here:  http://collections.mcny.org/C.aspx?VP3=SearchResult_VPage&VBID=24UAYWRF03VF
Interestingly, the lions in these photos are standing up, ours are sitting down.

The big mystery is why did Lyon inscribe Guy Park on the pedestals.  Obviously it is the name of his estate in Cedar Hill, but is there any connection to the Guy Park in Amsterdam, New York?

I have a few tantalizing clues that John Taylor Cooper (he's the one who purchased the property from the VanRennselaers and later sold it to Lyon) was related to the Johnson family in Amsterdam through his mother, Margaret Taylor (daughter of Lt. Gov of NY John Taylor - there is an interesting story about a table at the Albany Institute that belonged to Sir William Johnson that was purchased by John Taylor after Johnson's property was confiscated after the American Revolution - but I digress).  The Georgian colonial house at Guy Park in Amsterdam was built in 1774 for Guy Johnson, nephew and son in law of Sir William Johnson.

In my search for facts, I came across this article from The Knickerbocker News dated March 5, 1969 which just served to further muddy the waters.

Given that I know James Fenimore Cooper did not at any time own the estate, the other story about Lyon naming it Guy Park after a place in England seems suspect as well.

Oh the mysteries, isn't history fun?


*Check out the complete article at http://www.ourtownebethlehem.com/

Note: I apologize for all the fonts - I could wrestle with Blogger all day trying to fix it, but need to get on to other things.

A Portland sleigh for a snowy day

I often get genealogy inquires that lead me in all kinds of directions. The latest comes from a woman in Florida looking for a record about her relative Edith Van Wie who was born in 1804 and married Lucas Burnside.

While looking through a file of Van Wie papers in the town's archive, I came across this fascinating item:

(Sorry - tilt your head - I can't figure out how to make Blogger turn it right side up)

It is a receipt from John Wemple, Albany County sheriff dated October 7, 1879. It reads

"Received of John Van Wie Thirty-One Dollars and Eighty-five cents which is in full of all Demands for one Portland Sleigh."

What is a Portland Sleigh you may ask? You can purchase this one from the Frey Carriage Company for about $900.





It looks a lot like this one from South Bethlehem.  The house pictured still stands on South Street.

And just to make your day extra fun, here's a picture of my modern day "sleigh" in my snowy driveway. 

Enjoy you snow day - and safe travels in whatever your sleigh may be.

Legs Diamond and Bethlehem

The world works in mysterious ways.  My next Then & Now article for Our Towne Bethlehem will be about the Mansion at Cedar Hill, the former Elks Club, the former home of Daniel H. Prior, and the former summer home of Gov. Martin Glynn.  (See my previous blog post for a picture of the house and some thoughts on Glynn.) 

And lo and behold, there is this wonderful article in yesterday's Times Union by Paul Grondahl about Legs Diamond's trial in Troy. 

 http://www.timesunion.com/default/article/The-unfinished-business-of-Legs-Diamond-5053434.php

There is a brief mention of Daniel H. Prior, Diamond's chief defense attorney.  He's been described as the "greatest trial attorney of his time." See this web page article:

ttp://www.albanycountybar.com/news_and_articles/news_detail.cfm?ID=45

 Here's the picture from the Times Union.  Prior is sitting at the defense table with his head resting on his hand.   Hop on over to the TU for the full article. 

 

(I just re-read that sentence and looked at the picture and realized everyone at the table has their head in their hand.  Even the judge. Below is the caption from the TU)

 

"Trial of Jack "Legs" Diamond in Rensselaer County Courthouse, Troy, on Dec. 16, 1931. Diamond is seated at the center table left of the white-haired attorney, co-counsel Abbott Jones.To Diamond's left is chief defense attorney Daniel H. Prior of Albany. The witness testifying is Grover Parks of Greene County, who is being questioned by Assistant Attorney Gerneral John T. Cahill. Justice F. Walter Bliss of Middleburgh, Schoharie County, presides. Diamond's wife, Alice, is seated in the front row, far left. (Photo courtesy the Jones law firm)"

A lovely Rehab

So, I am feeling bad that the last couple of posts might seem a little negative about historic properties in town.  There are folks doing wonderful things with their old homes, preserving and protecting and making them shine.  How about that wonderful Victorian on Feura Bush Road near Colonial Acres?  How about a drive along New Scotland Road in Slingerlands?

How about this before picture...

Here's the after.  The photo is from 2008, and it still looks great in 2013!

This is the home on New Scotland Road where scenes from the movie Ironweed were shot.  The movie people were looking for an untouched house.  And as you can see from the before picture, they got it. After filming, the home was sold and renovated into the gem it is today.

Winter Scenes

I just got back from hanging a new grouping of historic Bethlehem winter scenes at Town Hall (outside the Receiver of Taxes office - head over and take a look.)

This is one of my favorites.

The photograph is almost painterly with an air of that still silence that comes after a snow fall. 

It is of the Sager farmhouse on New Scotland Road right near the Slingerlands Post Office, Price Chopper and the roundabout.  I don't think it is quiet there now - even after a snowfall.

Here's a snap from Google's Street View. On the left in the trees you might recognize the large American flag draped over the front of the house. 

And, just for a chuckle, here's an aerial view from Bing.  It brings back memories of Pre-Roundabout Era Slingerlands.