Links

 

Additional local historical information and items of interest may be found by visiting the following sites:

 

 

http://www.mohawkvalleyweb.com

“Developer of Historical Databases 0f the Mohawk Valley”. This free site claims to be “Rewriting history one database at a time…”, and has a good start on it. Databases are available to search for Montgomery, Fulton, Schenectady, and Albany counties, and cover everything from the prominent Gloversville families in 1859 to a 1906 listing of the “famous and infamous” in the history of Albany. The Montgomery County section includes a database of Amsterdam newspaper headlines from 1886 – 1925 and a complete library of Bob Cudmore’s weekly “Focus on History” columns back through 2004, as well as a compilation of the 1900 and 1905 Amsterdam Board of Trade manuals.

http://www.fmphotoarchives.org/homepage

“Fulton-Montgomery Photographic Archives”. The FMPA contain digitized reproductions of original photographs belonging to various historical repositories (museums, historical societies, etc.) in the area. The archives are part of the Kenneth R. Dorn Regional History Collection at the Evans Library at Fulton-Montgomery Community College (FMCC). Images are copyrighted but browsing and reminiscing are free.

http://www.fultonhistory.com

“Old Fulton NY Postcards”. Don’t let the name mislead you. This is not a site for postcards from Fulton County. The Fulton in the name is Fulton, N.Y., northwest of Syracuse, and while it does have old postcards and photos of that area, its main claim to fame is its database of over 15.3 million pages of scanned and searchable historical New York State newspapers, including several from our area – you’ll find articles from Amsterdam papers that you never even knew existed. Several Fulton County papers were just added to the database at the end of 2010. This quirky site is an invaluable tool for historical research – just be careful – it’s addictive. It can be a bit slow at times as usage is high and there is a vast amount of material – take the time to read the FAQ Help Index and your searches will return more relevant and fewer hits, and you can always listen to the old time radio programs while you’re waiting. Amazingly, it’s a free site – donations are accepted and appreciated, but not required.

http://nyshistoricnewspapers.org

“New York State Historic Newspapers”. The NYS Historic Newspapers project is a free newspaper database site providing online access to a wide range of newspapers chosen to reflect New York’s unique history.  It covers papers from across the state and contains issues from old and obscure papers not found elsewhere.  Not as big as some other databases but definitely worth a look.

http://www.lostlandmarks.org

“Lost Landmarks of Upstate New York”. “Someday the puzzle that is Upstate New York will be unsolvable because of its missing pieces.” Our history and heritage is falling down (and being torn down) around us. This website, through photos and narrative, chronicles the fate of the lost and abandoned buildings and places around us that sit quietly awaiting their fate at the hand of nature or man. Photo essays of several local places are highlighted, including the Hurricana Stud Farm, mainstreet in Fonda, the South Side’s Chalmer’s Mill, and Healey’s Park in Perth.

http://www.sanfordstudfarm.org

“The Friends of Sanford Stud Farm”. The FSSF is dedicated to overseeing the restoration and preservation of the former Sanford Stud Farm, a major link to our local history and irreplaceable artifact of the heyday of the city of Amsterdam itself. The site includes a photo gallery of the farm as it exists today and a thought-provoking article on its origin and demise – and the fate of the carved stone memorials to the Sanford racing champions that once stood proudly along Route 30. Look around, remember when , and give serious consideration while you’re there to becoming an FSSF member.

http://www.historicmapworks.com

“The Geographic History of the World”. This commercial site requires registration to access some areas and features, but a lot of the 1.5 million images comprising this historic digital map database of North America and the World are freely viewable. Browse and search functions of the site are available free of charge without registering. Registered members can download and print watermarked and research quality maps with a minimum $10 account balance. Archival quality copies of all maps are available for purchase. A quick search on “Amsterdam NY” produces hits on 14 maps and 2 atlases.

http://www.markperfettiphotography.com

“Mark Perfetti Photography”.  This site by Amsterdam photographer Mark Perfetti has thousands of photos of Amsterdam and the surrounding area from the “good old days” right up to the present that you can browse and search.  Photos and merchandise are available in every gallery for purchase.  Sixty-eight galleries  of “Old Amsterdam” contain over 8,000 photos of people, places, things, and events from Amsterdam’s past, with new material constantly being added. Fire up the PC, grab a cup of coffee, and spend a few hours with the cyber-equivalent of a rainy afternoon going through the trunk of old family photos in the attic.

http://gino.cdfw.net/_railpage/fjgrailroad/index.html

“The Fonda, Johnstown, and Gloversville Railroad”. This site is the ultimate on-line source for information and pictures relating to the history on the FJ&G Railroad. At its peak, the FJ&G steam division provided service not only between its namesakes, but also to Broadalbin and as far north as Northville. The electric division of the railroad provided local trolley service in Johnstown, Gloversville, Fonda, and Amsterdam, and high-speed interurban service from Gloversville to Schenectady by way of Johnstown and Amsterdam. Stop by and learn the story of the 1902 Mountain Lake disaster that took the lives of 14 on an ill-fated trip down Bleeker Mountain, check out the photos of trolleys making their way through the Amsterdam streets and the Rockton Wye, and see what the world looked like when steam was still the source of power for moving people and goods around our region. If it has anything to do with the FJ&G, you’ll find something about it here.

http://www.visitmontgomerycountyny.com/wp-content/uploads/2015/04/MontgomeryCountyWaterQuality.pdf

“Touring the North Chuctanunda Creek”.  This site provides a guide in pdf format for a self-guided tour of the North Chuctanunda Creek as it winds its way through Amsterdam.  The guide is an educational and recreational project of the Montgomery County Water Quality Committee intended to provide information about the Creek and to encourage people to visit and explore the Chuctanunda as it courses through the landscape and history of the city.  Print yourself out a copy of the guide, pick a warm summer or brisk fall day, and spend some time tracing any or all of the four mile plus path from the point where the Creek enters the Mohawk River to the hamlet of Harrowers.  Along the way, explore 20 bridges and 11 dams and waterfalls, enjoy the natural beauty of the Chuctanunda, learn of its key role in the early industrial growth of the area, and discover and appreciate one of Amsterdam’s true “hidden treasures”.