Thursday, December 22, 2016

"O Christmas Tree, O Christmas Tree"


One of the most iconic things associated with Christmas decorations is, of course, the Christmas tree. Its origins as to why we decided to bring an evergreen tree inside a house reach back to pre-Christian times as symbols celebrating the victory of life over death at the onset of winter. It also smells pretty good too, but that may just be a matter of personal preference…
The concept of a Christmas tree is thought to have possibly been brought about in the 7th century by St. Boniface.  But the first “official” Christmas tree in written record was in 1510 in the Latvian city of Riga. Men of the local merchants’ guild decorated the tree with roses, considered a symbol for the Virgin Mary. The tree was set up in the local marketplace for the festivities and then set alight on New Year’s Day. A plaque in Riga’s Town Hall Square reads: “The First New Year’s Tree in Riga”. So….do they really get credit for the first “Christmas” tree if they know it as a “New Year’s” tree? Either way, you might want to keep away from the last step of that old-timey tradition – your local fire department will thank you 😊
The Christmas tree actually had a precursor and had typically been decorated with apples. Why apples?  These decorations were a holdover from the 14th and 15th centuries when apples were used as props in “miracle plays” on the 24th, which was Adam and Eve’s day. These plays were put on by the church to help tell stories from the Bible in a time when not many were literate, but finding blossoming apple trees in the middle of winter to teach with did become a problem. Luckily, a creative solution was created in the form of “Paradise Trees” which were spruce trees with apples tied to them for actors to reenact Eve’s temptation by the serpent in the Garden of Eden. After the “miracle plays” stopped being frequently performed, the concept of a tree decorated with apples was still popular. It’s likely why red and green (apples and tree) are the go-to colors for Christmas.

Germany seems to be the place where the closest connection with our modern Christmas tree traditions originated. In 1530, Christmas trees were being set up in Alasce, France (then German territory) for sale to be brought home and decorated. According to law, the trees were limited to “8 shoe lengths” (about 4 feet).  Gradually through the 1700s as the traditional spread more through Europe, candles more goodies were used to decorate the tree in addition to apples, usually sugary treats that were then eaten on The Twelfth Night of Christmas, January 6. These edible ornaments led to another fond term for the Christmas tree, the “sugar tree”.
In the late-1700, early 1800s, German immigrants brought the Christmas tree tradition to the United States. Many sites claim to be the first site in America to have had a Christmas tree – Bethlehem, PA has the earliest date of 1747 at the German Moravian Church settlement…if you count putting evergreen branches on a wooden pyramid as a Christmas tree (possibly the first artificial Christmas tree in the United States!). Windsor Locks, CT also claims to have the earliest date of 1777 while Easton, PA reports its 1816 tree as the first actual Christmas tree.  Regardless of the first spot, it took a while for the tree to make it to the White House: President Franklin Pierce is credited with bringing the first Christmas tree to the White House in either 1853 or 1856.  But it took until 1923 for President Calvin Coolidge to hold the first Christmas Tree Lighting Ceremony.
Here are a couple of pictures of the tree Waterford would plant in previous years to welcome visitors as it stood at the entrance to Broad Street. This one might not have been the tallest, but it was still very merry!
Glass ornaments to add to, and eventually replace the sugary decorations, were introduced to the United States in the late 1800s. Again, Germany seems to be the place to find your Christmas spirit as they began to export these decorations which were mainly balls (chains of balls, toys and other figures soon became popular later). Artificial lights began to be poplar shortly after Thomas Edison displayed the first electrically-lit Christmas tree in 1882.
The first artificial tree in the United States was offered around1883 by Sears & Roebuck with the deal of 33 limbs for $.50 and 55 limbs for $1.00 to build your tree.  The trees in these images from the museum's collection are from around that time, so it’s possible that they might have been some of the first mass-produced artificial trees on sale in the United States.
Christmas 1894
Christmas 1895
                                         
Christmas 1896

Around the early 1900s, it came to the attention of conservationists – a movement that was beginning its growth and would eventually come to be a major part in the formation of the national parks – that the evergreen trees used as Christmas trees were being rapidly depleted. They had been taken from the forest randomly at first, but more and more Christmas vendors setting up shop had made a good dent in the natural offering of trees from which to pick that perfect tree.

Conservationists first offered the alternative of artificial “snow” covered trees which was a branch of a deciduous tree wrapped in cotton. Unsurprisingly, people tended to prefer the full-size tree to the Charlie Brown-esque little tree that probably wouldn’t have supported even that one red ornament.  Even Theodore Roosevelt was concerned – so much so that he tried to stop the practice of having Christmas Trees!

The author's attempt to portray a"snow" tree
Luckily, his sons didn’t agree and were able to persuade him with the help of conservationist Gifford Pinchot that there was a way to keep the Christmas trees and the forests. Thus began the Christmas Tree Farms, started in 1901 with W.V. McGalliard planting 25,000 Norway spruce on his New Jersey farm. Today, approximately 25-30 million real trees are sold in the United States every year, with almost all from Christmas tree plantations.
Regardless if you celebrate Christmas, the wonderfully festive tree is meant to be a reminder of the connections we have with family and friends.
Merry Christmas!


Wednesday, December 14, 2016

Lecture Series Off To A Great Start

The Winter Lecture Series began last night and opened to a great turnout!


Michael Barrett had us all hanging off his every word (which he seemed to enjoy - as he should since his presentation was awesome) and he kept things upbeat and engaging.






Can anyone remember what made these houses stand out? Show off and share in the comments! (hint: you might want to swing by our Facebook page...be sure to give us a like please!)

It's amazing the history that surrounds us locally.






Dinner was fantastic too with a wonderfully delicious selection offered by Smith's at the Van Schaick Island Country Club. The museum sends out a great big thank you to the amazing staff.

The museum looks forward to seeing you all again at the next lecture: JANUARY 10th at 6:30
Don't miss Russ VanDervoort's continuation of his lecture last year!

Tuesday, December 13, 2016

Kickoff Lecture Tonight!!

Local history and great eats! That's a great combination waiting for you at Smith's restaurant at the Van Schaick Island Country Club. Check out their menu for some great ideas for alter tonight. We're sure to be leaving with some newfound knowledge and maybe a doggy bag or two...




Michael Barrett will be giving a great presentation for everyone. Tonight's lecture, "Historic Lansingburgh" will be sure to keep all enthralled. We look forward to seeing everyone! Images of America: Waterford will also be on sale for those looking to learn a little more about the area - and they make for a great last minute gift idea too ;)

Thursday, December 8, 2016


The museum is hosting its annual lecture series event again this year! It's not exactly "classroom setting" that one might imagine anything with "lecture" in the name. Oh no - this lecture series is going to be held at the Van Schaick Island Country Club (210 Continental Ave, Cohoes).

It's a beautiful venue for our wonderful guest speakers who will be regaling us with fun and interesting details about our local history. Dinner is available for purchase for those attending our evenings of storytelling and history. So whether you hunger for knowledge or maybe want a little more to satisfy your appetite, it's sure to be a great night.


                                                   Dates for our lecture series include:

December 13 - Michael Barrett will be kicking off our series this year with his lecture "Historic Lansignburgh" which will take us on a tour of this area, including highlighting some notable figures' homes like those of Herman Melville and Chester Arthur


January 10 - Russ VanDervoort will be continuing his lecture from last year, "Letters from the Civil War" about the life of Waterford resident Charles Shepard and his Civil War experiences as a member of the 4th regiment. This lecture will include a closer look at the lives of Shepard's wife and daughter, as well as his 153 days spent in a Confederate Prison Camp.


Shop & Support the Waterford Public Library!

We all seem to be getting more and more focused on those shopping lists for Christmas. But what about those lists that involve probably the items everyone is most concerned over? That's right - the grocery list.

Well, we're happy to pass along that the Waterford Public Library has been chosen by the North Troy Hannaford as the latest beneficiary of the Hannaford Helps Reusable Bag Program!

Every time anyone purchases the blue reusable bag with the good karma message at the North Troy Hannaford during the month of December we receive $1.




So stop by for those must-haves for the table and be sure to support a wonderful educational, community feature of Waterford! The museum is proud to have the library support us in our many programs.

Wednesday, December 7, 2016

Pearl Harbor 75th Anniversary

Today marks the anniversary of the attack of the USA's naval base at Pearl Harbor, Hawaii. It was the attack that pushed the country into joining the war effort, with the Japanese forces officially defeated August 15, 1945 (the paperwork came a little later on Sept. 2, 1945). With the end of that theater of fighting, World War II came to a close.

This surprise attack resulted in the deaths of 2,400 Americans and wounded 1,200 more. It shook the feelings of the country, leading to President Roosevelt's description of the day as "...a date which will live in infamy..."

Many brave men enlisted to fight in the war, including residents of Waterford. Here are some pictures from the museum's collection of the soldiers who were celebrated with a parade in 1946. These were taken as part of their welcoming home ceremonies, on Clifton and Saratoga Ave.



Sadly, many men didn't make it home and we remember their courage and sacrifice to their country.  Take a moment today to learn more about our country's history.

Tuesday, December 6, 2016

WINE & CHEESE FUN!!!





To everyone who stopped by the museum on Friday, a great big THANK YOU!! We had a wonderful turnout for this year's Wine & Cheese event, with a fabulous selection of wines and beers to sample and purchase from Oliva Vineyards.


Oliva was once again amazing with its choices - there was Hugh White White, Button Fire Engine Red, and other great samples from their stock of absolutely delicious wines. Not that we're biased or anything, but the Hugh White white wine was sooo sweet. If you like that sort of thing, this was the one for you. Or you could've tried their signature Post Time Peach wine which was awesome too! Did anyone try the OTB? Off Track Brewing? Ha ha, gotta love puns.

Tasty snacks to go with your excellent beverage selections
We had a great display up in the parlor area, complete with a hat exhibit and lighted Christmas tree (of course!). There were some beautiful decorations on the tree too. Here's just a sample of some of the ornaments that were put up this year for visitors to enjoy.


A Christmas Angel illuminated by the lights

Victorian picnic basket and Christmas trumpet
Corded sparkling wreath with Christmas bow and other festive decorations

Many of these were donated for this event by Cathy Walsh.  Don't they look great? If you'd like to donate an ornament or two (preferably one that is handmade - we appreciate the special touch those ornaments give) let us know! We'd love to add to our collection of ornaments!

And don't worry too much if you missed out this year - we have some glasses (and Images of America: Waterford books) left over if you'd like to drop by and purchase one. We're happy to help put a few extra things under the Christmas tree!

Children's toys available in the museum gift shop


The museum hopes to see you at its next upcoming events: WINTER LECTURE SERIES
This years it's being held at the Van Schaick Island Country Club, beginning Dec. 13 at 6:30pm. Keep checking our website and Facebook page too for more info!

Friday, December 2, 2016

Don't Miss Out!


Are you ready for tonight's Wine & Cheese Open House? We are! Come on in at the Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center to enjoy delicious beverages, light snacks and see our holiday decorations.


Time: 6pm-9pm
Admission: $10 (earns you a complimentary wine glass too!)