Hallowe'en Greetings From 1935 WHS

Halloween - a holiday "invented by the candy company" to quote Disney's Hocus Pocus - has been a staple of American culture.

Halloween is based on traditions from the Celtic festival of Samhein where people would light bonfires and dress in costumes to ward off wandering dangerous spirits as well as being a time of harvest. If you're interested in the connections of this ancient pagan festival to today's events, you might want to find The Book Of Hallowe'en by Ruth E. Kelley (1919), Halloween: An American Holiday, an American History by Lesley Bannatyne (1990) or Traditional Festivals: A Multicultural Encyclopedia, Volume 1 by Christian Roy (2009).

The concept of Halloween as we would recognize it came about in the early 1910s. Thanks to the hilarious series of "Drunk History", you might have already been aware of what the story is behind "trick-or-treating" in the sense that we know. Basically, one woman had enough of her garden getting pranksters' wrath and so decided to sponsor a party so awesomely sugar-infused and packed with alluring games and activities that essentially she distracted them all night from going on a version of "The Purge" on her heirloom roses. And parents liked that it kept their kids contained and happy, the town was cool with the idea of not having as much vandalism (and possibly generating some revenue from events), and her plants survived the night, so it just...continued and spread across the country.

Of course, "Drunk History" explains it in a far more amusing manner, so click on this link to check out their Halloween episode for more laughs.

By 1935, Halloween was still known as "Hallowe'en" and people were making homemade costumes and "trick-r'-treating" had been around long enough that it was forming into the current tradition - the first known print reference to "trick-or-treat" was in 1927. This was in the Alberta County Herald so not technically from the U.S.A but is North American... At least it's liked better in Canada than in the UK as apparently, while Halloween is a thing, it's hated over there! Apparently, it can be viewed as "too American" and steals the spotlight from the U.K.'s Bonfire Night. Oh well, more candy for us.

Full-scale creepy-themed decorations had been a prominent part of the 1920s when the Beistle Company produced a Halloween-specific line of party decorations. This continued into the 30s  with Bogie Books, published by the Dennison Manufacturing Company that offered craft and party ideas solely for Halloween. The 30s are also the era of the Golden Age of Monster Movies too, with Dracula (1931), Frankenstein (1931), King Kong (1933) and The Invisible Man (1933). But, even so, one of the most popular costumes in the 30s based on a fictional character turned out to be Mickey Mouse (debuted in 1928). While trick-or-treating waned during World War II due to sugar rationing among other reasons, it was promptly picked up and has carried on steadily to today.

In the Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center's collection of documents is this "Hallowe'en Greetings" from October 30, 1935 of the Waterford High School newsletter.

Inside are the usual columns, with just one section dedicated to mentioning Halloween as "Hallowe'en". But it is interesting to read the "Movie Reviews" , "Fashion Flashes", and other things they felt worth noting, although the "Did You Know That?" and "Home Rumors" sections read a little like a Gossip Girl narration with lines like:

"Say, did you see Hank Button with Ruth Rebman? My "G" Men on Middle Street tell me that this has been going hot and heavy for quite some time."

"Oh! was I surprised when I saw Vera Currier, one of the few silent women, dancing around with her brother! She danced like Ginger Rogers and he wasn't so hot either." 

"What eighth grade girl did yours truly catch smoking a cigarette?

Have a safe and happy Halloween from the
Waterford Historical Museum & Cultural Center!

Help Make Hidden Gems Shine

Who doesn't enjoy finding something that seems like only a few, maybe only you, have found before? It's why so many often go out of their way to find those places that can be called "hidden gems". Bear with this article's wonky text changes - Google blogspot isn't always cooperative and there have been multiple attempts to try and fix it....with this being the end result....

Anyway, museums are often treasure-troves, with their collection of artifacts and eagerness to invite people to explore what's around them.

Websites and social media have made finding these places even easier - your GPS on your phone or in your car might even have a function that pulls up all the museums and heritage spots that are nearby. It's so easy and convenient, you might wonder why it is that you can't find more of them now than if you were searching for them, maybe ten years ago.

Here's how you can help make these hidden gems sparkle!

Physically Visit Sites

The easiest way to help hidden gems is to support them with your admission fees. Not every gem is free just because they’re educational or a non-profit. “Your support directly helps us achieve our mission” signs do literally mean we’re grateful that you help us splurge and turn the lights on, have running water, and maybe even the luxury of air conditioning. Having "Museum" in the title does not mean that these sites receive public funds like a public school does. Admission fees are vital towards making sure small sites can actually open their doors to visitors.

Volunteer

Often these gems nestled back from the main roads are actually PRIVATE organizations (so your taxes aren't being shared with these gems) that are created by forward-thinking residents with a focus on preserving their history and heritage. They operate either entirely or mostly on volunteer time and efforts from everything between giving tours to scrubbing the toilets.

Become A Member

Even if you know you can't visit often or just not able to volunteer (or don't want to make that commitment), memberships can offer  monetary support AND you get notifications on what's going on at these sites. It's like your coffee club card, but for historical exhibits, events and programs!

Follow & Share On Social Media
Hidden gems don't want to be too hidden. The struggle is very real with getting awareness out on a virtually non-existent budget. Spread the word and show off your visit to these sties to not only keep your memories of the place, but encourage others to come and make their own!


Donations
Nobody likes a choosing begger. Especially one that continues to ask for more and more. However, donations help small museums and historic sites with the struggle against 3 potentially operation-ending assumptions about them.

Assumption 1:
These kinds of sites are always guaranteed money from my tax dollars. Donations are really "extra" money from me that just line somebody's pockets. It's a non-profit after all - it's supposed to struggle or it's actually for-profit!

No! So very, very much no! All of those "profits" at historical and educational sites go directly towards programs, facility care for visitors' consideration, exhibits, and daily operating expenses. Even non-profits have to pay property, utility, sewer and all of those pesky bills that you do. So what does being a tax-exempt organization actually mean? No federal income tax or state sales tax.

Assumption 2:
There must be somebody taking care of things. They really only ask for support because they want more money or whoever's supposed to be doing things just doesn't want to do their job.

So, while taking a vacation sounds wonderful -as does being offered some extra much-needed- this is another no. Truthfully, if a small museum or historic site is lucky, there might be 1 part-time staff. As you can imagine, that means wearing many, many work hats as the sole person at the site every day. Which, no matter the size of the gem, can be a hefty set of tasks that needs a hand year-round from volunteers like you!

Assumption 3 - The Most Dangerous Assumption:

It's not like they're going anywhere if I don't manage to visit or help out. It'll still be there next year.

A hidden gem is totally, completely, utterly, absolutely reliant on YOU to keep it around! The hard reality is that not even being labeled as "historic" marks a gem safe from closure, repurposing, or demolition for many of these small museum and historic sites.

For the WHMCC, it became a museum after it had been an apartment building that was sold off and slated for demolition to make way for another supermarket. It was only thanks to quick thinking and scrambling by local residents that it was saved. It can just as easily go bankrupt and be sold off to be turned into apartments or something else once again. Its collection would then be parceled out to other organizations or be sold off to pay any final expenses. There is no guarantee, not even in National Historic Districts, that things will stay exactly the same as you imagine them to be.

This isn't meant to sound as alarmist as it might read, but it should act as a reminder that these hidden gems need YOU to help keep them around. Visit these gems help to preserve and share the history of their area. Often, even the smallest site has so many things packed inside on its walls and with its objects. Or, you learn something you'd never even think of just by talking with someone there!

These kinds of gems usually do their utmost to find ways to incorporate other points of interest to help broaden and diversify the stories they share, which creates a fulfilling experience and has the added benefit of finding more places to explore!

Hidden gems that really shine can help disprove the mindset of "I can just google it". They help encourage visitors to do more digging and maybe help excavate and polish another great gem.

Waterford Porch Crawl

Come sit a while on our porch....

The Waterford Historical Museum & Cultural Center is hosting a new event this coming September - the Waterford Porch Crawl! 

This is a relaxed, leisurely walk (or drive for those who'd prefer or require some vehicle assistance) around the Town and Village, with stops at some of the community residences that are opening their porches for guests. 

Enjoy an opportunity to talk about the architecture you'll see around Waterford and to learn a little more about the history of the area while getting to know and enjoy the Waterford of today.

The crawl will begin at the White Homestead at 2 Museum Lane. This is the only place to register and crawlers will receive a bracelet with their admission to signal your participation in the day's event. Admission also includes an orientation to the event, starting with the museum and its exhibit space. Participants can skip the exhibits inside and come back anytime during the crawl before 3pm. Crawlers will receive their map with all the destinations on this self-guided crawl upon registration, including places like the Hurst Visitors Center and the Waterford Community/Senior Center.

Just a reminder that it's a PORCH crawl. That means all our participants will get the chance to wander the neighborhood and see the historic homes as they move from porch to porch. There won't be any stopping inside during your visit with home owners sharing the history of their home. After all, these are peoples' homes and the insides...well, pretend like you weren't expecting company on clean-up day and now imagine there's a surprise party at your door. Yeah, you'll probably be herding everyone to stay out on the nice porch outside too. Who doesn't like to relax a little on the porch if you've got it, right?

Restrooms are located at 3 locations: Hurst Visitors Center, the Waterford Community/Senior Center and the Waterford Historical Museum & Cultural Center (museum open until 3pm only).

Parking is available at 2 locations: Waterford Historical Museum & Cultural Center and the Waterford Community/Senior Center.  These lots are free for participants for the duration on the program. Parking is also available on the street (limited) in the village and may be available on Peebles Island, although these spots may come with a fee.

Victorian Waterford Garden

Welcome back to WHMCC! 

Our 2019 season is open for visitors to stop by the Homestead in Northside Historic District

The Waterford Historical Museum is presenting "A Place For Nature In Victorian Waterford" this season. As you might expect with "nature" in the title, there are lots of pretty flowers and other plants to add a little color to the room.

While WHMCC is an exhibit-based museum (aka there are no rooms set up like the White family just stepped outside for moment), these kinds of exhibits are a fun way to bring to light the history of the house too. This exhibit is set up like a 19th century indoor garden space, complete with palm plants, orchids and, of course, a fern. You can't not have a fern!

Gardens were in public and private spaces during the Victorian era, as people attempted to bring nature more into their lives and into their personal space. Indoors gardens were a popular way to do so, sometimes with the effect of being surrounded by plant life in your own parlor. The importance was not just having a garden to show off to everyone that you could afford to maintain it (or just were able to not kill the plethora of plants....as some of us may or may not be able to make even the hardiest of plants give up after too much TLC...).

Nature in this era was simultaneously symbolic of the wild and untamable and the carefully cultivated; the romantic and spiritual qualities of connecting with nature on another level, and yet obsessively scientifically cataloging individual aspects of the world.

 

Sketch of estate taken from History of Saratoga County
by Nathanial Bartlett Sylvester

The White estate in Waterford is a great example of the craze for gardens. Hugh White had his house built in 1830 along Saratoga Avenue/NY R32 with other mill/business owners in what is called "Mill Owner's Row". Coming from the founding family of Whitestown, Hugh operated the Harmony Mills factory and a variety of other businesses in addition to being a Congressman representing Saratoga County. The White Homestead is built in the popular Greek revival style for this time and had a conservatory attached to the southern end of the mansion (demolished 1950s), with several graperies and greenhouses on his meticulously tended land. He had the added pleasure of having his father-in-law move in across the street from him in a building with a matching façade and his own outdoor garden. Their gardens become known as a "friendly" rivalry (it was his father-in-law after all) between the two properties that were the first thing introducing anyone coming from the bridge connecting to Cohoes to Waterford.

This period also saw the development of the natural sciences, the park movement, the rural cemetery movement, and a boom in American art culture and literature all relating to nature - Herman Mellvile's house in Lansignburgh is celebrating his bicentennial this year! Waterford wasn't isolated enough not to be affected by these trends, with its impact still able to be seen in the landscape today.

This exhibit will run the museum season until October 27
 Admission $6 adults $5 children/seniors(65+)

Upcoming spring & summer events:

Paint & Sip on the Porch - June 8
12:30pm-2:30pm(RSVP Required - limited seating) $25 non-members $20 members

Waterford Steamboat Meet - July 6 
10am to dusk. WHMCC is not a vendor at this event, but it's a great way to view some interesting boats and the museum is just a short walk or drive away to come visit us!

"Along the Erie Canal" Author Open House - July 20 
1pm-2:30pm. $6 adults $5 children/seniors - Author Marvin Bubie will be on site to sign copies of his book and to discuss his research on the towns and villages that he's done along the Erie canal.

Waterford Porch Crawl - Sept. 14
1pm-4pm. Registration at the museum 1pm-3pm. $5 per person
Volunteer your porch in the event today! Learn more by contacting info@waterfordmuseum.com

Waterford Tugboat Roundup - 20th Anniversary - Sept. 6-8
Waterford Harbor Visitors Center -Stop by the museum's booth during the day.

Tugboat parade on Friday (usually around 6pm) & Fireworks on Saturday (around 9pm).

WHMCC doesn't have the daily schedule - we're just a participant! - so double check times with the Town

Special Thanks To Exhibit Sponsors:

One Day Signs

Valoze’s Greenhouse, Inc.

Felthousen’s Florist

Hewitt’s Garden Center

The Garceau Family

Patricia Burke

Teri Patton

Dopplegangers & Crystals & Waterford, NY

Meeting someone with the same name as you can be funny and maybe even a little frustrating given the right circumstances. Bob, meet Bobby; Cathy meet Kathy. Same thing goes for towns, villages and cities. That's not as much fun if the high school exchange students fly into Albany, Georgia without realizing that particular Albany airport was a few hundred miles off the target (true story).

So just how many Waterfords are there? Well, there's probably a Waterford in nearly every state (CT, OH, MI, PA, & NC the most recent WHMCC encounters with dopplegangers), and there are a lot of places that start with "Water" that may confuse people looking for say, Watertown.

View of the confluence of the Mohawk & Hudson Rivers in Waterford.
This picture was taken prior to the 2000 construction of the Visitors Center and
 waterfront park area that is open for visitors to the canal

WHMCC is also very often misidentified online with the Waterford Museum of Treasures and the Waterford County Museum - both of which are located in Waterford, Ireland. There have been instances where people have made appointments to meet with the WHMCC director only to learn they've been speaking with the United States of America rather than Ireland. Probably a slightly longer commute to reach us...

In case you're interested here are a few snapshots of a few of such conversations:

Waterford didn't take on its current name until 1794 when the village was incorporated. The Town of Waterford remained a part of Halfmoon until 1816 when the Town Board members living in what is now Waterford had enough of having to travel up to Halfmoon for monthly meetings. it was only thanks to the frequent use by European and then American military forces using the "Great Highway" route from Albany into Canada (Second Street in Waterford from Peebles Island State Park) during colonial times through the early 19th century that the area being known as "the fording place" really stuck as its name.

Before, different areas of Waterford under the Van Schaick Patent, otherwise known as the Halfmoon Patent, went by "Halfmoon On The Hudson", "Halfmoon Point", "Halfmoon Fort" (which was allowed to fall to ruin and be buried and built over to the effect that its actual location is not verifiable today), and....Northside. Northside is still a community in Waterford today and  National Historic District of which WHMCC is a part.

The name Northside refers to being the "north side of Cohoes" despite its location in the southernmost part of Waterford. It was called this due to the many owners of the mills/businesses of Cohoes living in this area of Waterford and a strong desire to be a part of the Cohoes mailing district rather than relying on the Waterford post office. Despite the anomaly that is Northside in name only, of course), the area was generally known as Halfmoon until the American Revolution put more emphasis on its strategic location for movement of troops and supplies than its connection to Henry Hudson and his "Halve Maen" ship's voyage in 1609 that reached to just about modern-day Stillwater. Having a common enough name - Waterford is a descriptive name of a place that can apply to many locations after all - it probably shouldn't be that surprising WHMCC get a lot of questions about Waterford Crystal too. That just seems like an obvious connection since it's a very popular and well-known company.

So, is it some sort of unspoken understanding it's a requirement to have a glass crystal manufactory within your borders to be able to call yourself a true Waterford?

A laughable question at first, but it is a very common request for information on identifying patterns. Or worse, asking WHMCC to repair your crystal...

WHMCC can't offer any other suggestions to help you aside from try using a strong adhesive (Gorilla Glue in its clear form is great for odd jobs around the museum) - it's not that we don't want to help with your valued treasures - we just...can't. We don't have the funds, staff, or resources and....

we honestly have absolutely nothing to do
with Waterford Crystal. 

Unless you'd like to donate a piece to the museum's collection of items, we'll just be oohing and ahhing over the admittedly beautiful glasswork with you.

Seriously - as far as Australia contacts us for a potential discount on an item or repair that's "cheap" - aka "free" since we're a museum and a lot of assumptions are made about the lack of price at a museum or historical society or any other 501 (c)(3) organization.

And for some reason, WHMCC comes up in search results on Bing for anything with "Waterford", "history" and "crystal" in your search. This screenshot is from just typing in something that you might enter if you were looking to learn more about a family heirloom, using the phrase "Waterford history crystal". Not really sure why we're so close to the top of the results, but the highlighted site is the one that is typically the reference shared with those who ask WHMCC about Waterford Crystal. Occasionally, we also get asked to help identify a piece of Waterford Crystal. That's understandable since it's not a far reach that if you need help with researching something you contact a library or museum.

So, when yet another request came in from someone out of state looking for a way to identify and possibly repair a cracked Waterford Crystal pitcher, it sparked the creation of this blog article. All in good humor towards those mistaken.

It's not surprising that we get a lot of questions about Waterford Crystal. After all, every Waterford is the same, right? Relax, that's a joke. We're obviously the best.

 But in all seriousness, WHMCC looks to help whenever it can with whatever we can do - just keep in mind a couple of very important details that may influence your planning (just in case this is something that needs a quick fix).

1. There is a staff of 1 part-time museum professional. Our volunteers make up the rest of the museum by assisting with special events and acting as a docent...not as researchers. Typically, these sorts of questions that really don't fall into WHMCC's area of expertise are only given a very quick internet resource search that you probably have already done as well.
2. WHMCC does not take on research project requests - we'll schedule a visit for you to come use our O'Connor Research Library & Archive if your questions relates to Waterford NY history (click HERE to learn the difference between a Museum Library VS public library.)
3. Researchers can check out our online database to view a portion of WHMCC collections 
4. Double-check which Waterford you're trying to reach - if you're out of state (or country) it's understandable that you can't stop by WHMCC for a quick visit. Researchers asking WHMCC for assistance on research relating to Waterford, NY should understand, if your request is taken:
   A: All items have a reproduction fee including digital copies of photos/docs
   B: Research time is $20 an hour regardless if relevant info is found
   C: Min of 2 months for any material (not charged daily, just asking for patience please)
   D:WHMCC has NO GENEALOGICAL RESOURCES = no obituaries, birth/death                certificates, marriage certificates, cemetery records, property deeds, town/village directories...
   
5. WHMCC does not repair any items, historical or otherwise. We don't regularly undertake conservation efforts for the already bemoaned reason of funds, so we don't have a go-to person or business to direct you to for these questions. The best we can recommend is to look at a variety of places instead of just your "Museum Professional" as there are state agencies that may be able to assist you (Peebles Island is the home of the NYS Office of Parks, Recreation & Historic Preservation) with much better resources and there are private agencies like appraisers and private conservators who may be able to recommend alternatives.

WHMCC is always - stress on the always - open to your questions. Whether through a direct email, our contact form on our website, or through our Facebook and Instagram accounts, we're listening!

We love to share the history of Waterford, new York, for those just browsing the many different avenues to travel to those needing some help in starting the sometimes daunting-appearing task of research or have already been wading around in those waters for a while. Please reach out to us and if we can help provide answers or recommendations or directions to where you might want to look, we'll do our best to make it happen.

And explore Waterford, NY to see what makes this Waterford stand out from all the rest!

"Is this the Waterford Historical Society?"

“Hello. Is this the
Waterford Historical Society?”

This is a common way phone conversation to the museum start. Here's a "hypothetical" request.

WHMCC: “ You’ve reached the Waterford Historical Museum. How can I help?”

Caller: “I’m looking for where my great-grandmother lived. Can you tell me where exactly her house was? I'd like a photo of it. Oh! She worked at a small corner store, I think. That would be great to have a photo of too since she worked with her friend there and it meant a lot to her. I also need her obituary so I can put it in an album I’m making. Thanks.”


WHMCC: “I'm sorry. Unless someone donated these photographs or her obituary, the museum doesn’t have these records at the museum. I’ll take a look in our database to see if anything comes up with her name. If you have a street name or store name, I can see if anyone has brought to the museum anything related to your research.You should try the Saratoga County Clerk Office and speak with the County Historian who might be able to help you with resources like Town Directories or old newspaper articles.”


Caller: “But... Isn’t this the Historical Society? Like, that's what you do?”


WHMCC: “You’re speaking with the Waterford Historical Museum.”


Caller: “So? What’s the difference?”


What exactly is the difference??? As long as you can ask a question about the history of the area, they’re interchangeable so it doesn’t make a difference... right?

Early days of WHMCC with founding members
taking in donations to create the collection of the
Waterford Historical Museum in 1964.

Historical societies and museums have very, very similar goals when you look at the missions of each entity. Often, a historical society operates a museum and so those missions can be verbatim. And other times, you’ll see ________County Historical Society Museum. Which really doesn’t help with making it easier to tell if there is a difference.


After all, both seek to collect and preserve the history of whatever location they are serving. This means that they do take in collections as well and sometimes will offer exhibits and educational programs or events like a museum will also do.  

Typically, it’s a case of the historical society coming before the museum. Many early historical societies (or those of today still in formation stages) met in members’ homes or at some other public meeting area like a town hall or library to discuss their efforts and plans. Which also means members probably also stored their items in their homes until they had a definite location that they were loaned or were able to purchase. That is how the museum portion of these kinds of historical society museum can occur.


This is what happened with Waterford’s own historical society. It could have been formed around 1897 with the Waterford Study Club. It was this entity that created the first published compilation of the history of the area – to fill the void from the fires of the 1800s, particularly the 1841 fire that destroyed the records stored in the Town Hall on Broad Street.  This booklet, “The Old Town By The Ford” was written in 1912 by six forward-thinking women concerned with remembering the past of Waterford, NY.

The short answer to "Is this the historical society?": NO,
 You are NOT talking to the Waterford Historical Society

Does this mean that you should look to call the historical society because the museum wasn’t able to fulfill your expectations?

If you go searching for the “Waterford Historical Society”, you’ll probably find a number for a society. Several actually: Waterford, Michigan. Waterford, Maine. Waterford, Connecticut. And yes, we’ll probably pop up in a Bing or Google search of “Waterford Historical Society” somewhere on the list of results. The museum has had to be the bearer of bad news for researchers or interns to let them know they’re in the wrong state (or country sometimes). It happens and it's easy enough to click on the link to us assuming that everything is one and the same. The museum always does its best with the resources available, but historical societies tend to have the same amount and kinds of resources.

Genealogical researchers should definitely check out libraries, hall of records, or county clerk offices for  directories, maps, birth/death & wedding certificates and other documents that assist in this study.


Typically, if a quick search doesn’t come up with a solid result for what you’ve described, the conversation may go like this:


WHMCC: “It doesn’t look like our records have anything with her name attached to it. That happens sometimes when donations don’t have any info attached to them sadly so I can’t determine if your (great) grandmother is in any photos. If you’d like, you can schedule a visit in our O’Connor Research Library to take a look in our database in case anything looks familiar.”


Caller:“Oh, I can’t make it to the museum! I don’t live nearby. I know photos were donated by my cousin to the historical society, so they must be there. Can you ask the historical society to do a little digging or can you look at wherever that other place you mentioned might have them?”


Before we go on, there is something to clarify:

This definitely isn’t meant to sound like the museum doesn’t want to help or is just doing the bare minimum – we’re just as passionate at uncovering this history as you are! We know history has meaning, especially when you’re looking into your family history.

The museum will be happy to have you come by and you’ll receive help in looking through the database as you search for this history.

Why can't the museum just call/email the
 Waterford Historical Society for you?
There isn’t one for New York!

The Waterford Historical Society, like many other historical societies, was active in advocating on behalf of preserving historic buildings in Waterford. As this entity, historical societies can be the voice to these efforts that museums, by their organizational framework, cannot.


That’s why the Waterford Historical Museum cannot qualify a property as historical. 

Nor can WHMCC be the voice of authority that whatever work you plan on doing to your building isn’t going to be potentially harmful to the historic components. Or that it is compatible with historical standards so you don’t loose your tax exemption as part of a historic site or within a national historic district.

A museum research library is a little different from a regular
public library- items are stored in acid-free boxes so just
browsing is not an option. You can make an appointment with
the museum Director to search through WHMCC records!

The Waterford Historical Museum will open up our library for you to do some digging of your own, but the museum is not able to do this research for you or sign off that you’re all set to go ahead with whatever your plan for your property may be. We typically cannot accommodate research requests due to limited staff to search on your behalf.

Historical societies may be able to help you advocate on behalf of your property, but not always so if this is something that you’re interested in learning more about, you can always reach out to your state office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for more detailed guidelines.




The Waterford Historical Museum does not act as liaison for those interested in getting a property qualified as a historical site/landmark, but we do suggest you try contacting this state agency and their office on Peebles Island in Waterford.

The next part of our conversation may go like:


WHMCC:“Is it possible that your photos were held by the Waterford Historical Society’s president?”


Caller: “Probably. I’m not sure. I just know that she donated them. Why can’t you find them?”

The Waterford Historical Society successfully advocated to preserve the White Homestead, purchasing it for $1 from Grand Union Supermarket, which owned this and other lots on Saratoga Avenue in 1964 that it was demolishing to make way for another supermarket location. The Waterford Historical Society raised funds to move it to where it stands today at 2 Museum Lane, behind Saratoga Ave and nearby the old Champlain Canal Lock 4, close to the Cohoes-Waterford dam and bridge.

But during the movement and establishment of the museum, there was a difference in future plans and goals. Some members of the Waterford Historical Society did not want to have anything else to do with the museum and remained separate from the emerging museum Board of Directors that quickly took over the operations of the Waterford Historical Museum and Cultural Center in its early days.

Long story short: 
The Waterford Historical Society remained in operation for another couple of decades or so after the Waterford Historical Museum was founded. Sadly, their records of donations were not shared with the museum so there is absolutely no way for the museum to track these items. 

Even more frustrating is that there is a good possibility there was no system of records at all for the donations to the society. After the death of the Waterford Historical Society’s president, his son had no idea that what all those items in his house were donations. He naturally assumed as he was putting his father’s affairs in order that they all were personal property…and did what anyone else does with all the "junk" that piles up.

Albany Institute of History & Art has a painting by Waterford
 painter Ralph Savage that had been donated to the Waterford
Historical Society. It made its way to this facility due to a
lack of directions for donated items and  whoever donated it to AIHA
had no clue that it was intended to be a part of the
 Waterford Historical Museum & Cultural Center's collections.

Some items made their way to other museums like the Albany Institute of History and Art, and other items were passed along to other family members or outright sold. It’s a sad situation, but the museum really cannot assist in helping you locate these items as the museum founding members had no account of their own to even offer crumbs to begin putting the pieces back together.  It has happened a few times that people will visit looking to see an item donated to the Waterford Historical Society by a family member to be out on display at the museum or to have the museum locate it in their collection.


WHMCC will offer to have you visit with us to determine if anything looks similar for what we have in our records labeled as FIC (Found In Collection = donated to the museum without any donor information or background information on the item’s history).


Rest assured that the museum has a process for accepting donations that aims to prevent this situation from happening. To donate an item, a form must be filled out with a contact name and specify what you would like to have done with the item if the museum’s collection committee determines the museum is unable to accept the item into our collection of artifacts. Donors not giving their item as an unconditional donation are notified of the result of the committee’s consideration and then a deed of gift is sent out so that official ownership is transferred to the museum. Items are given 6 months after their consideration if not accepted for donors to come pick up their item.

So hopefully the end to this conversation can go something like this:


Caller: “Wait, I think my cousin actually donated these photos later. Maybe it was to the museum and not the historical society. Can you check under her name?”


WHMCC: “Sure. It looks like there was a donation at that time from your cousin. There’s only one photo but there are several people in it. Maybe you can pick out your (great) grandmother from this group. If you can identify anyone else, we’d be glad to add that to our records.”


Caller: “Okay. How do I get the photo?”


WHMCC: “It’s a cost of $3 to get a hard copy of the photo mailed to you or 10 cents to get a photocopy on standard printer paper that we can mail to you for the cost of a regular stamp. Or we can email you the photo for 50 cents. You can pay via cash, check or through our PayPal button on our website.”


Caller: “Thanks.”


WHMCC:“Glad to help!”