Local Resident- "Baldy"

"Baldy" is the name that I have given to our local Bald Eagles. Because I cannot tell them apart and I know there is more than one, I just call them all Baldy. I have seen Baldy at least once a week for the past month right out my window here at the Museum. Some weeks, I have seen one or more of them each day. Over the past few years there has been more and more eagles spending time in the winter here on the Mohawk. I still find it exciting each time I see one.
As a historian, I can't help but wonder if these wonderful birds were all around 100-150 years ago? Was it common for those who lived in Northside to spot eagles on their way to work in Cohoes each day?

Lock 4 on Old Champlain Canal

Lock 4 is full of water! Apparently, the Canal Corp has opened the valves on the dam to allow more water flow into the Old Champlain Canal. This will help keep the water levels up near Lock 2 on the Barge Canal this winter.
Lock 4 is located right in front of the Museum.

Wine & Cheese Tasting and Gift Shop Sale

Wine & Cheese Tasting at the Waterford Museum
Who: The Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center
What: Holiday Open House Wine & Cheese Tasting and Holiday Gift Shop
Where: Waterford Museum, 2 Museum Lane, Waterford NY
When: 2 Days- Wine and Cheese Tasting Fundraiser – Friday, December 4th, 6-9pm,
Open House- Saturday, December 5th, 1-4pm
Admission: $5 for Wine and Cheese Tasting Fundraiser, Saturday Open House Free
Details:
The Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center will be hosting a wine and cheese tasting fundraiser featuring New York State wines on Friday December 4th, 6 p.m. – 9p.m. Admission to the event is $5, which will include a complimentary wine glass. Wine expert Roger Savoy of Hennessy Homebrew Emporium will be hosting the wine tasting. The tasting is part of the Museum’s annual Holiday Open House festivities. Also part of the festivities, the Museum will be open on Saturday, December 5th, from 1p.m. to 4p.m. Visitors are invited to enjoy the exhibits and shop in the Museum’s Holiday Gift Shop which will have discounted prices for one day only. New Waterford greeting cards and postcards will be on sale as well as many other unique gift items. The 1830 Hugh White Homestead, which houses the Museum, will be decorated for the holidays. Refreshments will be served for Saturday’s open house and admission is complimentary.

Ghosts of Waterford and Beyond

Ghosts of Waterford and Beyond
Presented by Author David J Pitkin

Friday, October 23, 2009 at 7PM
At the Waterford-Halfmoon School Auditorium
125 Middletown Road, Waterford NY
Admission is $3.00 per person or $10.00 per family

Co-Sponsored by the Waterford Halfmoon School Band
and the Waterford Museum

MYSTERY AND HISTORY
David J. Pitkin has sought the answers to mysteries throughout his life. At first a non-believer in ghosts, in 1968 he experienced footsteps on the floor of a barn loft that wasn’t there. Later, he discovered the loft, before being taken down, had been the site of a 1940 suicide.
When he moved to Saratoga Springs, he found an abundance of such stories relating to old historic houses and hotels. He also found many modern structures that had ghosts. He first wrote of these in his best-seller Saratoga County Ghosts in 1998, and again in Haunted Saratoga County in 2005. In 2002 he also published Ghosts of the Northeast, detailing over 200 eerie tales from New England, New York State and Canada.
In September 2006, Pitkin published New York State Ghosts, Vol. 1. Then, in July 2007, he published his first novel, The Highest Mountain: Death & Life in the Adirondacks, a metaphysical election year epic. In September 2008, he published his second NY State Ghosts volume.
A successful self-publisher, Pitkin is currently at work on New England Ghosts, hoping to publish it before Halloween 2010. Visit him at www.afterworld.info

Haunted History Walking Tour in the Waterford Rural Cemetery

Haunted History Walking Tour in the Waterford Rural Cemetery
October 24 & 30, 2009
Co-Sponsored by the Waterford Historical Museum & Cultural Center
and the Waterford - Halfmoon School Band

Haunted or Un-Haunted

At the Waterford Rural Cemetery on Route 32/Saratoga Ave. in the Town of Waterford. Lines will form near the Cemetery office.
Daytime Tours (Un-Haunted) will be offered on the 24th
at 2pm and 3pm. There is no fee, but donations welcomed
Evening (Haunted) Tours will begin at 7 p.m.
and last one will depart at 8:45 p.m.

Evening Admission $3.00 per person $10.00 per family

Learn the history behind some of Waterford’s most famous and infamous families, but keep an eye out as there may be a ghost behind those stones.

Meet the Pathmaster

Waterford History Highlighted at Conference
Local historian, Paul Schneider, has continued his research on the Eddy Family and will be presenting a paper at the upcoming Western Frontier Symposium to be held at the Fulton-Montgomery Community College, Johnstown, N.Y. in October. The focus of the conference is early transportation in the Mohawk Valley. Paul is going to present information culled from our collections relating to the extensive travel conducted by the Eddy’s to promote and sell their ink manufactured in Waterford, as well as other information relating to the business.
For more information about the conference please check their website at www.oldfortjohnson.org/symposium
Program at the Museum in conjunction with the Conference. The museum will be open Sunday afternoon October 18th from 2-4 p.m. We will have a half-hour special program offered twice at 2:15 p.m. and again at 3:15 p.m. Visitors will see Lock 4 of the original Champlain Canal and enjoy a short scenic walk along the canal towpath. They will be guided by the old path master who once worked on the canal and will explain his job and the history of the canal.
This program is open to the public and admission is complimentary.
For m

Heritage Week a Great Success!

Heritage Week a Great Success!
Our first ever Heritage Week was a success and each of the events were well attended. The highlights of the week were the Concert Under the Stars, fireworks, firemen’s parade and muster on Heritage Day. Thank you to all of the committee members, sponsors, the Town Highway Department, the Town and Village of Waterford and all of our volunteers for making this event possible.
Check the Heritage Day website for more information- www.waterfordheritageday.com

“Home Cooking Italian Style”

Annual Workshop Series at the
Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center
The “Home Cooking Italian Style” workshop series will offer lessons on how to make Italian treats as passed down through generations of a few Waterford Italian American families. You will also learn about their family traditions based around these special foods.

Italian Wine - Wednesday, October 7th and Thursday, November 12th
(Participants should plan to attend both dates for the wine workshop.)
Pasta - Thursday, October 22nd
Italian Cookies - Thursday, November 5th
Italian Cheese - Monday, November 16th

Each workshop will begin at 6:30p.m. at the Waterford Museum.
For forms and directions, please check our website www.waterfordmuseum.com
or call-518-238-0809

Attention French-Canadian Americans

Attention French-Canadian Americans
After a short hiatus during the summer, we are conducting interviews once again and we need your help. The great success of the Italian exhibit has stirred the emotions and memories of many Waterford residents and now it is time for the French-Canadians to tell their stories. We want to know about everyday life as well as your adventures!
We are looking for people who are French-Canadian who either lived in Northside or had ancestors who did. If you would like to help preserve an important part of Waterford’s history and be interviewed or you know someone who might like to be interviewed, please let us know. Contact Aine Leader at dvc@waterfordmuseum.com or at 238-0809.

Annual Membership Meeting

Annual Membership Meeting

Wednesday, October 21st

The Annual Membership Meeting will take place on Wednesday, October 21st at 7pm. Members will have the chance to cast their vote for members of the Board of Trustees who serve one year terms. After the brief meeting we will have Aine Leader give an encore presentation of her talk “Making Waterford Our Home: Oral Histories and Waterford’s Italian Community.” She gave this presentation in August and numerous people who were unable to attend have expressed interest in seeing it , so we have asked her to do it again at the meeting. The multimedia presentation about our immigrant oral history project was highly praised in August and we are looking forward to seeing it again.

Silpada Designs Jewelry Raffle

As a result of the success of our Silpada Jewelry open house, we have three items to raffle off to support the Museum’s general operating expenses:

A: Sterling silver link necklace with matching earrings;

B: Turquoise and sterling silver necklace with matching earrings;

C: Copper coin pearl, smoky quartz, and sterling silver necklace;

All, from Silpada Designs.

Raffle tickets cost $3 a piece or $10 for 6. You select which item you would like to be in the drawing for. Tickets are available online, at the Museum, from a Board member or at one of our programs. The drawing will be held December 4th at our annual Wine and Cheese Holiday Open House. Pictures of the jewelry can be found on our website or by checking out the

Silpada website www.mysilpada.com/rusty.kindlon

Making Waterford Our Home: Italians in Waterford

Today we did a review....