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Town & Village Historian Reports
Village and Town of
St. Johnsville
Facebook Posts - More
than 30 times in 2022, I posted historic St.
Johnsville photographs, along with write-ups
explaining what the photos show, on the New St.
Johnsville New York Facebook group site. These
often get shared to other Facebook history group
sites. The total number of different posts in
the past two-plus years exceeds 80. These posts
include photos and information on local
businesses, industry, sports, people, the water
system, and other topics that are of interest to
current residents, former residents, and many
others. People take more pride in their
community when they know and appreciate its
history. I will provide these posts for possible
use on the village government website.
History Inquiries -
Inquiries about local history continue to arrive
via e-mail, telephone, and in person. Many of
them have arisen as a result of Facebook posts
(see above). Some have come from new homeowners
seeking information about homes or buildings
that they have recently acquired. Others are
genealogy questions. One particularly
interesting inquiry came from an antique clock
collector who has a rare advertising clock from
the 1890s that features seven St. Johnsville
businesses. I was able to provide him with
information about these businesses that helped
him date the clock. The clock was probably once
located in the lobby of one of St. Johnsville's
several hotels operating in that era.
Cycling Along the Erie
- St. Johnsville marina/campsite was again a
popular rest stop for the cyclists in 2022 even
though it is not an official rest stop. As
usual, I assisted Chamber of Commerce members by
answering cyclists' questions about St.
Johnsville and its history. Generally, cyclists
were impressed with the marina-campsite. The
view of the former Palatine Dye/Sentinel factory
across the tracks detracted, somewhat, from
their overall impression of our village.
Assistance to
Organizations: Friends of Case's Mill - I
provided photos, a brief history, and advise on
funding to this new organization, which hopes to
save and preserve the former Horn's/Case's Mill
on North Division Street - which dates to 1840.
In my opinion, this will be big uphill battle as
the Friends, as of this writing, do not even own
the building, which seems to be in very poor
condition.
Moses Quinby Memorial
Association - One project of this group is to
obtain a grant from the Pomeroy Foundation for a
historic marker to be located near the site of
Moses
Quinby' s home (no longer
there) and apiary across Route 5 not far from the
town highway garage. I provided some information on
Quinby I had collected which may be helpful in
obtaining the grant.
Friends of St. Johnsville -
I provided a little information (and did a little
painting) on the 1954 Fowler Grandstand. This
renovation project will likely be completed in 2023.
The Friends and others have done a tremendous amount
of work on this project and I will try to help their
efforts however possible.
Library/Museum - As always,
I conducted tours of the museum at the Reaney
library, quite a few to former residents who were
back in the area visiting relatives. Besides
continuing to work on updating the inventory in the
museum, I continue to add photos to the museum's
collection, which contains thousands of photos from
the late 19th. century to the present day. Also, I
found about 750 cards filled out by residents in
1940 for the St. Johnsville Emergency Committee.
These cards contain information like date and place
of birth, occupation, address, telephone number and
if the person owned an auto, truck or firearm and
are interesting and valuable to people researching
their family's history. I hope to post much of the
information from these cards on a website in 2023.
Cemetery: I continued
cleaning gravestones in the village cemetery, more
than five hundred in 2022, concentrating on those
that became unreadable due to dirt and growth that
had accumulated over the decades. I hope to continue
cemetery work in 2023, possibly extending it to
cemeteries outside the village.
Dick Bellinger: I note that
Richard "Dick" Bellinger passed away a few months
ago. He had a tremendous knowledge of local history
and shared his knowledge to anyone interested,
including me. Also, over the years, he let me copy
numerous photos from his vast collection and add
them to the photo collection at the Reaney Museum.
He is missed.
If you have any questions,
please contact me. Respectfully submitted,
Mathew Rapacz
St. Johnsville Village and
Town Historian December, 2022
(518) 568-7057
historian@sjvny.org or zcap928@live.com
Village and Town of
St. Johnsville
History Inquiries -
Inquiries about family history (and local
history in general) continue to arrive via
e-mail and telephone from far and wide. As
usual, many of the inquiries were of a
genealogical nature about colonial and I 91h
century ancestors. This year, a greater
percentage of inquiries involved other topics
including: a request from a researcher for
photos of the Quinby bee smoker in the Reaney
Museum; an inquiry from an architect about two
village homes built from drawings by an
architect who sold house plans from catalogs
circa 1900; a 1940's refugee family from Ukraine
who, coincidentally, my grandfather aided; and
village resident Lewis Mentis, one of the early
black State Troopers.
Cycling Along the Erie
- After a one-year absence due to COVID
restrictions, this event returned in July on a
somewhat reduced scale. St. Johnsville
marina/campsite was a popular rest stop for the
cyclists. As usual, I assisted Chamber of
Commerce members by answering cyclists'
questions about St. Johnsville and its history.
Many people locally and across the state and
beyond use the trail for recreation and
transportation.
Friends of St.
Johnsville - I provided information and
photographs to this organization relating to the
development of Soldiers and Sailors Memorial
Park in 1921 and the story of the building of
the Fowler grandstand in 1954. The Friends have
made great progress in renovating the grandstand
and adding trees and shrubs to the park. I hope
to work with the Friends again in 2022.
Facebook Posts - About
40 times in 2021, I posted historic St.
Johnsville photographs, along with write-ups
explaining what the photos show, on the New St.
Johnsville New York Facebook group site. These
posts included many businesses, sports, people
and events that were important to local
residents. They have generated considerable
interest and comment from current residents,
former residents, and others. Residents take
more pride in their community when they know and
appreciate its history.
Library/Museum - I
conducted more museum tours than last year, but
fewer than in years before the Pandemic. At
least two out-of-state groups that had planned
to visit the museum in 2021 canceled due to C
OVID concerns. I continue to inventory museum
Cemetery: I have been
cleaning gravestones in the village cemetery,
concentrating on those that became unreadable due to
dirt and growth that had accumulated over the
decades. When readable, these stones provide
valuable and interesting information about St.
Johnsville's history. Some of the monuments, after
cleaning, reveal themselves to be works of art.
Besides cleaning, there is much work other than
normal maintenance that could be done in the
cemetery particularly the repair of stones that have
been damaged and/or have fallen to the ground.
Grants to help the repair process are out there, but
are difficult to obtain. Also, there are low spots
and holes in the ground that need attention before
they cause problems.
If you have any questions,
please contact me. Respectfully submitted,
Mathew Rapacz
December, 2021
(518) 568-7057
Village and Town of St.
Johnsville
COVED: 2020 was
certainly a historic year and mostly not in a
good way. Most history-related events were
cancelled and history tourism and research at
the Reaney Library/Museum was limited -
non-existent when the library was closed for
several months. A group of eight people from
Arizona was due to visit the museum and village
cemetery in May but, of course, that didn't
happen. During the spring and summer, I put
together a photo album related to how the COVID
crises affected St. Johnsville residents
including a very different graduation, a long
line at the bank drive-up, rainbow images around
the villages, signs on offices and businesses
that were closed, etc. The album is in the
Reaney Museum. I hope similar one will not be
necessary in 2021.
History Inquiries -
Inquiries about family history (and local
history in general) continued to arrive via
e-mail and telephone. As usual, some of the
inquiries were of a genealogical nature and came
from far and wide. One of the more interesting
inquiries came from California from the curator
of the collection of artist Jirayr Zorthian
(19112004) who painted the mural in the St.
Johnsville Post office in 1940. The curator
wanted information about the mural and wondered
if there was another mural panel somewhere in
the post office, as sketches of another panel
had turned up. I provided him with photos of the
mural (the only one in the P.0) and provided him
newspaper articles about the project.
Inquiries about houses
- There has been an increased interest in the
history of particular homes, especially from new
residents just moving into the area. Often, I am
able to provide a photo of what the house looked
like long ago and the Cultural Resources Survey,
produced in conjunction with the creation of the
historic district, has proved very useful in
providing them details of construction and
ownership. I note that several old houses in the
town have been renovated or are in the process
of being renovated by people who have not
previously lived in the St. Johnsville area.
Facebook Posts - Once a
week for the past two months I have been posting
historic St. Johnsville photographs, along with
write-ups explaining what the photos show, on
the New St. Johnsville New York Facebook group
site. These have generated considerable interest
and comment both from current residents and
those who have moved elsewhere. These photos
have made people more aware of our history and
more interested in our community. The most
interest has been generated by photos of
buildings no longer
Library/Museum - Museum
tours were few because of the pandemic. I continue
to inventory museum items and documents and add to
the museum's extensive photo collection, which
contains more than 5,000 photos from the Civil War
era to today. I am finding that the document
collection contains an amazing number of deeds,
wills, and other documents that date in the 1700s.
If you have any questions
please contact me. Respectfully submitted,
Mathew Rapacz
(518)568-7057
zcap928@live.com
Village and Town of St.
Johnsville Historian's
History Inquiries: As usual, inquires from people
conducting research on family history were numerous.
While many of these were people looking for
information on their families from the 19' century
and earlier, others sought information about people
in the 20' century. These included the following.
In
July, I conducted a tour of the village for author
Tara Smith of Kent State University and family. Dr.
Smith is doing research on Pearl Kendrick, a STJ
principal from 1914-18, for a book. Kendrick was a
co-inventor of the whooping cough vaccine.
A
Massachusetts man sought information on his great
grandfather, Henry Peterson, who lived in St.
Johnsville in the 1930s and 1940's. I was able to
determine that Peterson worked for Palatine Dyeing
Co. and later built and operated the Empire Diner on
Main Street.
One
of the more interesting inquires came via
Facebook Messenger from the country of Poland. A man
was looking for family connections in St.
Johnsville. The only piece of information he had was
an envelope dated 1957 with a return address from 27
Monroe St. I was able to determine that he is
related to the Yuchniewicz family, which lived in
St.
Johnsville for many years. I received many history
inquiries from STJ people and others via Facebook.
Research on buildings - I fielded questions and
conducted research on the history of various local
buildings/homes. These included inquiries about
residences, The Central Hotel, the Medical Linen
Systems site, former Terricola-Murcray building, an
old home in South St. Johnsville, the area around
the nursing home (former Burgess property and gravel
mine). I expect many more such inquiries at least
partly due to the recently created historic district
in the village.
Cycling the Erie -In July, along with Chamber of
Commerce members, I greeted bicyclists who stopped
at the marina-campsite as part of the annual
"Cycling the Erie" event. As usual, I answered
questions the cyclists had about the community and
its history. Cyclists who stopped at the marina
numbered about 150. The Erie Canal Trail, although
located in the town of Minden, continues to be an
asset to St. Johnsville. Many long-distance riders
cross the bridge, primarily looking for food and
drink.
Historic
Lock 33— Also in the town of Minden, but with a stronger
connection to St. Johnsville, is historic Lock 33, now
about 180 years old. In August, I joined a group of
volunteers organized by Chris and Shelly Arduini to cut
the grass and remove weeds, trees, trash, etc. that had
begun to obscure this site. This battle is a constant
one. The site attracts those interested in the old Erie
Canal and is used for fishing and picnicking, but
greater use is hampered by the poor condition of the
road (old Towpath) leading to it.
Moses
Quinby - I gave historical information and advice to the
locally-organized Moses Quinby Memorial Association.
Quinby was a world-famous beekeeper who kept as many as
1,500 hives in the area just east of the town highway
garage. He lived in St. Johnsville from 1853 to his
death in 1875. The Association hopes to promote Quinby's
history and beekeeping through various events. I hope to
work with the Association in 2020 to obtain grant
funding for a historical marker to be placed in the area
where he lived and worked.
Library/Museum - In my role as library trustee and
chairman of the museum committee, I conducted numerous
tours of the museum, much of which focuses on the
history of St. Johnsville. I continue to inventory
museum items and add to the museum's extensive photo
collection, which contains an estimated 5,000 photos
dating more or less from the Civil War era to today.
This work makes it easier for visitors to do research on
their families and the community where they lived. The
library and museum are widely known as a history
research center. Two recent visitors live in Arizona and
are related to the Kneeskern family, which was once
prominent here.
History
Meeting - In July, I hosted a meeting of Montgomery
County municipal historians at the Reaney Museum and
represented St. Johnsville at similar meetings in Fonda.
Newspaper Article - In May the C-S-E published an
article I wrote about the cemetery and its role in past
Memorial days in St. Johnsville.
If you
have any questions please contact me. Respectfully
submitted,
Mathew
Rapacz
(518) 568-7057
zcap928@live.com
Village and
Town of St. Johnsville Historian's
Historic District - The
creation of a historic district in the village was
finalized early in 2018. I assisted consultant
Jessie Ravage on the project both with a historic
development narrative of the village and with
property location information. Anyone who owns a
property older than 50 years within this district
(which encompasses most of the village) is eligible
for state and/or federal tax credits for
rehabilitation and/or renovations to their property.
Register status will also bring greater recognition
to the community as an historic area. The historic
narrative along with photos and information on
almost every building in the district will be a
valuable resource for researchers now and in the
future.
A Montgomery County
sponsored Cultural Resources Survey project similar
to the one conducted for the village in 2016 was
completed for rural western Montgomery County,
including the town of St. Johnsville. This may
eventually lead to creation of a historic district
similar to the village's.
Cycling the Erie -In July,
along with Chamber of Commerce members, I greeted
bicyclists who stopped at the marina-campsite as
part of the annual "Cycling the Erie" event. I
answered questions the cyclists had about the
community and its history. Those who stopped were
impressed with the marina-campsite. I note that the
Erie Canal Trail in western Montgomery County saw
considerable use this year, to a good extent because
it has been paved. This trail, which parallels the
historic Erie Canal, has been a positive for St.
Johnsville.
Park History - At the
request of Supervisor Stagliano, I researched and
wrote a history of the beginnings of Soldiers and
Sailors Memorial Park. The purpose of this was to
stimulate interest in the park - and possible
improvements to it - in advance of its 100'
anniversary in 1921. Public response was positive.
Schoolhouse Assistance - I
assisted Palatine Settlement Society member John
Case, who has done much work on the outside of the
District 8 (New Turnpike) school, in determining the
age of the school building. I found that the
building dates to at least 1838 and perhaps a few
years earlier. The Society hopes to renovate the
inside of the school, which needs considerable work.
Library/Museum - In my role
as library trustee and chairman of the museum
committee, I conducted tours of the museum, much of
which focuses on the history
Grant Assistance - In the
spring, I assisted with a Homes and Community Renewal NY
Main Street Technical Assistance grant application
(through Montgomery County) by providing historic photos
and information on 1-3 W. Main Street.
In December, I provided
historic photos of 11, 13, 15, and 17 W. Main St. to an
architect relating to a grant application to improve
that section of the village.
Other Assistance - I answered
numerous questions about the history of St. Johnsville
from various people conducting family and/or historical
research. One of the more interesting of these inquiries
was from Dr. Tara Smith of Kent State University. She is
writing a book about the inventors of the whooping cough
vaccine. One of these inventors was Pearl Kendrick, who
was St. Johnsville High School principal from 1914-18
and taught mathematics and science here. I was able to
provide Dr. Smith with information about Kendrick's time
in St. Johnsville.
History Meetings - In May I
represented the village and town at a regional meeting
of municipal historians, held in Waterville. I also
attended meetings of municipal historians of Montgomery
County conducted by the county historian.
If you have any questions,
ideas, etc. please contact me. Respectfully submitted,
Mathew Rapacz
(518) 568-7057
zcap928@live.com
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