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	Silent FilmsSan Francisco Earthquake - 1906 Silent movie clips shot from a trolley car showing scenes from before and after the tragic earthquake and fire of April 18, 1906 Tags: San Francisco earthquake 1906 Added: 26th July 2007 Views: 242 Rating: Posted By: Admin

Historical MarkersOhioMarker - Miami And Erie Canal

The Wabash & Erie Canal opened between Toledo and Lafayette, Indiana, May 8, 1843. The Miami Extension Canal was completed to Junction, Ohio, on July 4, 1845, linking the Wabash & Erie Canal with Cincinnati and resulting in changing the canals name to the Miami and Erie Canal. Prosperity reigned until the 1850s when railroad competition caused a slow decline in commerce. The canal branch to Indiana was in disuse by 1858 and totally abandoned in 1888. The canal system was revived from 1906-1909 with much reconstruction and improvement only to be badly damaged by severe statewide flooding in 1913. The canal was maintained from here to Maumee for generating hydro-electric power until it was drained in 1929. Twelve miles of canal and the Maumee Side Cut Canal have been leased to the Toledo Area Metroparks since 1932. VISIT: www.youtube.com/historymarkerguy
Tags: miami and erie canal ohio history historic marker providence maumee river wabash ludwig mill metroparks toledo
Added: 30th September 2007
Views: 123
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Posted By: HistoryMarkerGuy

	City HistoriesSan Franciscos March Of Progress - 1945 Produced by Key Systems, this 20-minute film starts slowly; but includes some wonderful details of the 1906 earthquake and fire, and of the interurban trolley line under the Golden Gate Bridge. Tags: san francisco golden gate bridge earthquake 1945 Added: 25th December 2007 Views: 269 Rating: Posted By: prelingerfan

Historical MarkersEmma Willard

New York State 1848-1998
EMMA WILLARD
2/23/1787 - 4/15/1870
Educator, Author, & Founder
In 1814 of First School For
Girls with a Curriculum
Like that Available to Boys.
George E. Pataki, Governor

Emma Willard Portrait

Emma C. (Hart) Willard

The Emma Willard School

Troy, New York

Emma Willard 1787 - 1870. Born the 16th of 17 children near Hartford, Connecticut. In 1807 she began teaching and propounding her strong belief that females beyond the 8th grade were as capable as males in learning math and science. It was widely held that if young women did not study sewing, etc, but tried a rigorous academic course of study, they might take ill or die. In 1814, she had opened the Middlebury Female Seminary in her Vermont home. She wrote and spoke both nationally and internationally on the subject of female education. Governor Dewitt Clinton invited her to open a school for young females in New York State, which she opened in Waterford in 1819. Waterford did not support the school, but leading citizens of Troy raised money to bring the school to Troy in 1821, where it was called the Troy Female Seminary. The high school was originally where Russell Sage College is now, in downtown Troy. The school’s name was eventually changed, in 1895, to "Emma Willard" to honor its founder. The roster of graduates of Ema Willard, particularly in the 1800’s, includes many national leaders, including many in the women’s right-to-vote movement. Her sister, Almira, came to teach with Emma, and was principal for about 8 years. She wrote many science textbooks which were used nationally. Almira became, in 1859, only the second woman ever elected to the American Association for the Advancement of Science.

Olivia Slocum Sage, an 1847 Troy Female Seminary graduate, became the wealthiest woman in America upon the death of her husband, former congressman, financier and railroad tycoon, Russell Sage, in 1906. At her urging, he had donated at small amount to her idea of founding a college for women. At his death, she helped establish Russell Sage College on the former Emma Willard site downtown, and was the most generous benefactor in helping to build the current Emma Willard School campus atop Mount Ida on Pawling Avenue in Troy, New York in 1909 - 1910. The three original buildings constructed with that money were Sage Hall, Slocum Hall, and a gymnasium (now the Alumnae Chapel), which were built in collegiate Tudor Gothic splendor.

Today the Emma Willard School's Pawling Avenue campus is the present-day home of the nation's oldest secondary school for girls.

Portions of the moives, Scent of a Woman, and The Emperor's Club were filmed on the Emma Willard campus in order to take advantage of the campus architecture.

1998 marked the 150th Anniversary of the Women's Rights Movement, launched at the world's first Women's Rights Convention held in Seneca Falls, New York on July 19 to July 20, 1848.

To honor that anniversary the New York State Governor's Commission Honoring the Achievements of Women has expanded the New York State historical marker program, started in 1926, to more accurately reflect women's contributions to history. Each county was asked to participate by nominating three historic local women who contributed to the community and deserved recognition. From these nominations, the Commission sponsored the creation and installation of a historical marker for every participating county.

The markers are cast iron painted with the colors of the suffrage movement, purple and gold. The markers were dedicated and installed throughout the state during the fall of 1998. The Emma Willard marker is one of approximatley 50 markers added that year.

Tags: Emma Willard Troy Female Seminary Russel Sage Troy New York Dewitt Clinton Olivia Slocum Sage Seneca Falls Women
Added: 10th March 2008
Views: 137
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Posted By: Ohlhous

Historical MarkersSchoharie Valley Railroads

Schoharie Junction, NY

Site of
SCHOHARIE JUNCTION
Schoharie Valley Railroad
Reg. Run 1-4-1867 - Last Run 9-17-19-1942
Length of Railroad - 4.2 Miles
Middleburgh & Schoharie Railroad
Firs Run 10-19-1868 - Last Run 9-24-1936
Length of Railroad - 5.7 Miles
Schoharie County Bicentennial 1995

Schoharie Junction was the point where the Schoharie Valley Railroad intersected with the main line railroad, Albany and Susquehanna (and later the Delaware & Hudson), near Central Bridge in Schoharie County, New York.

A little History of the

Schoharie Valley Railroad and Middleburgh & Schoharie Railroad

Schoharie is a Mohawk word meaning "Drift-wood." The settlement of Schoharie by white-Europeans began about 1712 by Palatine Germans. The farmlands of the Schoharie Valley were very rich and fertile. Valley agriculture prospered to the point where the Valley was known as "the Bread Basket of the American Revolution". In the fall of 1780 British forces with Tories (Johnson) and Indians (Brant) raided the Schoharie and Mohawk Valleys from Canada. The raiders fought skirmishes and battles, took hundreds of prisoners, burned forts, farms, and mills and destroyed one of the finest grain harvests in living memory.

After the Revolution farming continued, though transportation remained difficult. A farmer's 40 mile trip to Albany by horse and wagon was a three day affair at that time. The Erie Canal and its prosperity by-passed the Schoharie Valley by about 25 miles when it opened in 1825, and the Schoharie Creek did not lend itself to navigation. A number of early railroads were charted, including the Catskill & Canajoharie, the Schoharie & Otsego, the Unadilla & Schoharie; however they never came to fruition or reached the Schoharie Valley. Residents of the valley were probably a bit anxious by 1851 when the Albany & Susquehanna was chartered to build a line south from Albany to Binghamton. Towns of Schoharie County, including the Town of Schoharie, Bonded themselves to aid the Albany and Susquehanna with $225,000 by 1864. With the arrival of the A&S railroad in Central Bridge in 1863 the opportunity for a branch line from Schoharie to economic prosperity had presented itself.

In March of 1866 the Schoharie Valley Railroad received a charter to facilitate the construction of a 4.38 mile long railroad between the village of Schoharie and the Albany & Susquehanna railroad at Schoharie Junction. In May of 1867 the Middleburgh and Schoharie Railroad received a charter to build a 5.75 mile long rail line between the village of Middleburgh and the Schoharie Valley Railroad in the village of Schoharie. The two towns again bonded themselves and bought stock to support the two ventures. By early January of 1867 the SVRR was making scheduled trips, and by the end of October 1868 the first M&S RR timetable had been published. The early years of these railroads were a little rough, but once the wrinkles got ironed out there were prosperous years which lasted mainly between 1870 and 1909. Ticket sales show that in 1868 it cost $1.65 to go to Albany from Schoharie. Both railroads were very small branch lines, so for many years they shared the engine house at the end-of-the-line turntable in Middleburgh. For six months of the year the Schoharie Valley engine was used, and then the next six months the Middleburgh engine was used. One crew worked for both railroads. Both the SV and the M&S were originally built to a 6-foot gauge to interchange with the Albany & Susquehanna. This was converted to standard gauge, 4'- 8.5" (four feet, eight and one half inches), in May of 1874.

Spanning the SVRR, the "hump-back bridge" was a local landmark on NY Route 7 located one mile north of Central Bridge where the road passed over the railroad tracks of the SVRR. In 1867 when the contractor building the SVRR through that spot refused to lower the roadbed the state was forced to build the bridge high over the railroad. In subsequent years the bridge was built even higher to accommodate the height of taller railroad cars. The narrow wooden bridge was built with steep approaches on either side and a flat section on top above the railroad tracks. The bridge was not a problem for horses and wagons, but a scene of accidents and even fatalities for motorists. Due to growth of automobile traffic it was finally torn down because it was an increasing menace to public safety and replaced with a safer design of concrete in December of 1930.

The SVRR had to cross the Fox creek before coming to the Village of Schoharie. There was a wooden Howe Truss covered bridge built in 1866 which lasted until 1910 when it was washed out and destroyed. The new steel bridge not only served the railroad, but a whole generation of youth who used it as a diving platform at the old swimmin' hole in the creek below.

Railroad shipping records point out the following interesting information:

November 1878 - 1,600 barrels of apples shipped; average price paid, 75 cents a barrel,
August 1880 - 200 hop pickers arrive by train,
June 1882 - Shipped 1,318 bales of hops,
November - 1883 shipped 237 cases of honey.
September 1898 - 500 fruit baskets are being made daily at the Middleburgh Manufacturing Co. They have sold 31,000 baskets so far this season.
July 1903 - One train shipped seventy tubs of butter, each at 60 pounds, totaling 4,200 pounds.
June 1905 - Again several car loads of flagstone shipped from a new Schoharie Valley quarry in West Fulton.
March 1914 - 2 to 3 tons of casine shipped monthly from Borden Creamery. Casine used in piano keys, buttons, and toilet articles.

Prosperity started to diminish for both the railroads about the time of the First World War, especially when the federal government took over all the railroads in the country and forced them to operate under regulations and mismanagement from which they never seemed to recover. To make matters worst, about that same time the Middleburgh Plum was stricken by the Black Knot. New York had been the third largest grower of Hops to be used in brewing. After the hop plants were hit by the blue mold in the Schoharie valley that large industry began to fade away and dairy farming gradually took its place. Also at that time feed dealers and creameries began shipping by truck.

In 1906 the D&H bought all of the stock of the Schoharie Valley Rail road, but the Middleburgh and Schoharie remained in local hands. This probably contributed to the SVRR outlasting the M&SRR by a number of years.

By 1935 the Middleburgh & Schoharie had not been paying its taxes, and the absolute minimum maintenance had been performed on the roadbed and equipment. The tracks were in terrible shape and the Schoharie Valley Railroad wouldn't even risk running its engine on the M&S line. On September 24th, 1936 the Public Service Commission had ordered the M&SRR to stop operation until repairs were made. It had been estimated that it would cost $7,000 to $8,000 to return the track, crossings, and locomotive to good repair. The railroad would never be open again for business. In March of 1937 the railroad was auctioned off for $11,000 as scrap metal, with the 5.7 miles of rails bringing $18.65 a ton. A junk dealer, E.O. Friedman, of Albany outbid 13 others. The Right of Way of the M&SRR was purchased by the New York Power and Light Corp which had leased the right of way from the railroad to run its power lines 35 years earlier.

By 1942 the little Schoharie Valley Railroad no longer had enough traffic to justify continued operation. Application was filed with the ICC (Interstate Commerce Commission) to abandon the 76-year-old, 4.3 mile rural line and on September 16, 1942 its infrequent operation ceased.

Reference: J. Harra, Director, Schoharie Valley Railroads Museum
Reference: Pride of the Valley - Railroading in Schoharie County 1828 - 1942 , E.A.Hagan, 1973

Schoharie Junction in 2008
CPRail Engine 4651, an EMD model GP40-2, and CP7307 a GP38-2 (a former D&H Lighting Stripe Unit ) head train 515, a local freight between Binghamton, NY and Mohawk Yard in Glenville, NY through Schoharie Junction on June 12, 2008. The Schoharie Junction Historic Marker stands beside Junction Road in the foreground. CPRail currently has a MOW (Maintenance of Way) facility located here.

Schoharie Junction in Early 1930s
This is an early 1930's era valuation photo of the Schoharie Junction depot. The view is from across the main D&H tracks, with the Schoharie Valley tracks on the far side of the building. The sign on the station identifies the location as "Schoharie Junction Station". The small lettering on the left tells us the mileage to Albany, NY is 35.34 miles, and on the right, 107.25 miles to Binghamton, NY. On the building we can see a Western Union Telegraph and Cable Office sign and an oil lamp with a fanciful bracket on the corner of the building near the platform and canopy area. A photo similar to this one was published in the Delaware & Hudson Company Board of Managers Inspection of Lines :: June 7th to June 10th, 1928, however a note beside the photo stated that, 'The A.T.O. Committee on Roadway and Structures Report reads -- "Understand that this building is property of Schoharie Valley R.R." ' Photo courtesy of Bridge Line Historical Society

Schoharie Junction Station Plan-View Drawing
A 1931 plan-view drawing of the first floor of the Schoharie Junction Station shows that the station had an unusual shape with few right angles. This was due to its location on a triangular plot at the junction of two converging rail lines. One thing that makes this station unique is the placement of station agent's bay window on the second floor rather than the first floor. A later revision of this drawing dated 9-15-33 indicates that the single story addition on the left labeled "Office" and "Storage" in this drawing had been removed. Drawing courtesy of the Bridge Line Historical Society.

Schoharie Valley Station 2008
This is the Schoharie Valley Depot which is now part of the Schoharie Valley Railroads Museum. The two-story station was built in 1875 of brick to replace the original station that burned that year. A residence is maintained on the 2nd floor still. The light green object in the foreground is a cast iron "Man-Horse-Dog Fountain" which featured three drinking levels. Manufactured by the J. L. Mott Iron Works in an area called Motthaven in the Bronx, New York City, it once stood at the corner of Prospect and Main Street in the Village of Schoharie.

Schoharie Valley Station c. 1900
SV Railroad President Jacob Vrooman over-built this station after the previous station burned down along with the adjacent engine house in April of 1875. Here we see the station, and a SVRR Engine with a passenger car. A carriage is at the ready waiting to shuttle passengers to one of the nearby hotels, the Parrot House, whose name appears on the side of the carriage. This photo is on the wall inside the station house.

Schoharie Valley Depot in HO Scale
This is a view of a model railroad on display inside the boxcar at the Schoharie Valley Railroads Museum. These buildings were scratch-built by George Elston.

Schoharie Valley Engine House
This is D&H Caboose # 35842 which was restored and placed on display in the Schoharie Valley Railroads Museum's combination Engine House and Freight House. George Elston was instrumental in getting this project accomplished with the Bridge Line Historical Society. In the far end of the building beyond the caboose a cone-shaped sheet metal funnel still hangs from the ceiling. This was used to channel the smoke from the steam engine smokestack out of the building while parked in the engine stall. The caboose is open and used to display related memorabilia.

Middleburgh & Schoharie Yard
The Middleburgh & Schoharie Yard circa 1900-10; everything a small town needed: The Farmers Hotel and Cottage Hotel, a Flour and feed mill, a cement and salt business and coal business, lumber and ice, a wagon shop, and the Borst building for Hop Storage. The railroad had a hand-operated turntable, an engine house, a car shed, an old coach shed, and both a Passenger and a Freight house. This map is on display in the Old Stone Fort Museum.

The Middleburgh & Schoharie Yard in HO Scale
The Middleburgh & Schoharie Yard in HO Scale. We see the likeness of M&S #2 at the Middleburgh station. Engine #2 was built by the Schenectady Locomotive Works as #4281 in 1895 with 13" cylinders, and 56" drivers. This model railroad is on display in the Old Stone Fort Museum in Schoharie.

Middleburgh & Schoharie Station c. 1900
The Middleburgh & Schoharie Station in the Middleburgh yard. The first station was originally built circa 1868. A new station was built in 1880 but it did not have the larger canopy as shown here. The platform was improved and the canopy was extended and the ornamental wooden brackets were added through the private donations of a local Middleburgh resident in August of 1889. This postcard is from a private collection.

Middleburgh & Schoharie Station 2008
The Middleburgh & Schoharie Station was moved a short distance from where it was built to the corner of Wells St. and Maple Ave., and has been used as a private residence for many years. In 2003, the Village of Middleburgh was awarded a grant for $370,438 to restore its historic train station and develop it as a museum of railroad history.

Middleburgh & Schoharie Engine
The M&S Engine, "Middleburgh" and a combine, i.e. combination passenger / freight car. On November 21, 1872 this engine was damaged in a serious collision with an Albany & Susquehanna engine at Schoharie Junction. This photo originally appeared on a calendar distributed by The First National Bank of Middleburgh. This copy of the photo is on display at the Old Stone Fort Museum in Schoharie.

The "Schoharie Valley Railroad Complex" was added to the National Register of Historic Places in 1972.

The Schoharie Valley Railroads Museum is located in the Village of Schoharie on Depot Lane. The Museum encompasses a restored railroad yard consisting of a Station House, Freight/Engine House, Mill Bldg. and Weigh Station. There is D&H box car, flat car and restored D&H Caboose. The last Passenger Car, known as a Combine, was restored and displays artifacts from both the Schoharie Valley Railroad and the Middleburgh & Schoharie R.R. A scale diorama of the entire railroad from Middleburgh to Schoharie Junction is in the boxcar.

Google Maps Location of the museum, below:

View Larger Map

Tags: Schoharie Valley Railroads Museum Middleburgh and Schoharie Railroad
Added: 26th July 2008
Views: 676
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Posted By: Ohlhous

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