Town of Hoosick 1900 -- 2000
Compiled by Gilbert E. Wright, Town Historian
1995-1999
1900 -- 1910
1900 The Hoosick Valley Railway built two
water-powered generators for use by their trolley line. The trolley line ran
from Hoosick Falls to
Bennington. The generators were located near the
Bennington Battlefield Park, near the Caretaker’s Bridge in Walloomsac.
1901 The Peoples Bank was organized and opened at
14-16 Main Street in Hoosick Falls.
1901 The Noble and Johnson Machine Company, manufacturer
of potato diggers, was destroyed by fire.
1901 The Shaw Brothers established a paper box factory
and operated it for thirty-five years. They had one customer, the E-Z Mills of
Hoosick Falls, who later moved to Bennington.
Up to a thousand boxes per day were
produced.
1902 Noble and Wood Machine Company purchased the
Noble and Johnson Machine Company plant. They produced papermaking machines and
contracted general machine work.
1902 Woods Opera House was damaged by fire. Several
stores located in the building included
James Parsons and Company, Ely and Company, the First National Bank and Wallace
and Company.
1902 A new bridge was erected over the Walloomsac
River at the Stevens and Thompson Paper mill. It is an iron and steel bridge,
120 feet long.
1903 A muster picnic and field day, under the auspices
of various members of the Immaculate Conception Church, was held at the Driving
Park July 4. It was located south of Johnson Hill near
Route 22. A schedule of sports included
a horse race and ball game.
1904 Walter A Wood exhibited his farm machinery at the
St. Louis Exposition.
1905 A proposition was passed to build a Municipal
Building for use by the Town and Village on January 14. The cost was $25,000.
1906 The Walter A Wood reaper was awarded first prize
at the Bulgarian Government Field Trials.
1906 The suspension bridge that crossed the Hoosick
River at the end of River Street, known
as the Shanghi or the Rainbow Bridge, was replaced with an iron bridge (truss
design).
1906 A fire in Eagle Bridge destroyed the Eagle Hotel
and McClellan's store, in which the Post Office was located. A shed, ice house and barn were also burned.
Live stock owned by Michael Curtis were in the barn.
1907 January 15. Citizens of Hoosick Falls voted to
purchase the water supply system, property, rights and privileges of the
Hoosick Falls Water Supply Company including renewal and repair of the system
at a cost not to exceed $75,000. The Village took control on February 23,1907.
1908 The Men's Association of the Presbyterian Church
built and presented a fountain located in Monument Park to the Village on July
20. Monument Park is located at the corner of Classic Street and High Street. A
monument in honor of the Civil War soldiers is also located there.
1908 The Hoosick Falls Country Club was organized.
1908 The Walloomsac Episcopal Chapel was built as a
mission church of St. Mark's Episcopal Church in Hoosick Falls. Services were
held there until 1950.
1908 The Hoosick Grange No. 1127 was organized. Their
meeting place was in the Thorpe building in Hoosick Falls. There were 95
charter members.
1909 Fire damaged the Wood Block on Main Street. Fire
also damaged the Baptist Church in that year. Both were renovated.
1909 The Old Men's Club was organized. Members had to
be at least eighty years old to belong.
1910 The Specialty Insulation Company was organized.
It first operated in a building on Water and Superior Streets known locally as
the "Rubber Works".
1910 The New Theater on Church Street was built. It
was located in the building later occupied by Shapiro's Department Store. Several businesses have used the building
since. The Theater advertised "No Cheap Trash".
1910 The wooden dam that provided water power for the
Stevens and Thompson paper mill in
North Hoosick was replaced with a concrete dam.
1911 -- 1920
1911 The Neighborhood House was established. It began
as a day nursery and eventually became the Hoosick Falls Health Center.
1911 A $50,000 street improvement project was
completed in the village. The village boasted having the best streets for any
village of its size in New York State
1911 Fire destroyed Seward's Ice Cream Store and the
M. Lurie Department Store.
1911 Old Home Week was celebrated in August. Eight
former residents returned for the
celebration.
1912 A train wreck on Railroad Avenue near the station
caused damage to the train, track and street.
1913 The Star Theater was built on Church Street. It
was located where the Village Parking Lot is today.
1913 The Bradley Electric Company was founded by J. A.
Bradley. It is now owned and operated by his sons, Phil and Don Bradley.
1913 Miller's Market opened on Church Street. It was
started by Hyman Miller and operated for sixty years by his family.
1914 The Neighborhood House of Hoosick Falls was
chartered.
1915 The Easton and Thorpe Building, Lurie's
Department store and Garberino's were damaged by fire.
1915 The Methodist Church in Walloomsac was moved to the
Dalton farm on Cottrell Road.
1915 The Twin State Electric Company bought the Power
Plant that was built by the Hoosick Falls Water and Power Company in 1888. The
Twin State Electric Company supplied electricity to customers in Hoosick Falls
area and Bennington.
1916 The Teashoke Post Office was renamed the Buskirk
Post Office.
1916 Company M of the National Guard in Hoosick Falls
were called to reinforce United States troops in Mexico. There was a send-off
from Hoosick Falls with a large parade on June 23. The army was on a punitive
expedition in Mexico when Mr. Carranza, the president of Mexico, threatened
their presence with extensive measures.
President Wilson responded by mobilizing the Guard.
1918 Frank Riley and Sons Livery Stable burned. Fourteen
horses perished and many carriages burned.
1919 In April, a large crowd gathered at the railroad
station to welcome the men of Company M returning from France at the end of
World War I.
1919 The American House in Hoosick Corners, located on
Route 7 and South Street, burned. It was later rebuilt by the Armstrong family
who ran a store there.
1919 The Stone School House at the corner of Route 7
and 22 was closed.
1919 Hoosick Falls suffered a flu epidemic. The
Neighborhood House Association, whose building was located on Hall Street, was
turned into a temporary hospital. The Neighborhood House was used as the Red
Cross Headquarters during World War I.
1920 Hood's Milk Transfer Station opened in Eagle
Bridge. Milk was transferred from truck to train. Three railroad cars loaded
with milk and several passenger cars left Eagle Bridge at 5:30 PM each day. Its
destination was Boston, and was known as the "Milk Train".
1920 The Hoosick Engineering Company was founded by
Forest White. The company's business office was located at 23-25 Elm Street in
Hoosick Falls and the plant was located in Cambridge. The company produced ignition parts and heating supplies.
1921 -- 1930
1923 The power house, located at the Caretaker's Bridge,
was demolished. It was owned by the Hoosick Valley Railway
Company.
1923 The corner stone of the new Hoosick Falls Post
Office was laid. It replaced the old
"Brown Row" houses that were torn down to make room for the building.
1923 On November 23 the Cheney Free Public Library and
Historical Records opened in its new building on Classic Street. The Carnegie style building is an icon in
the village. The Corner Stone had been laid on October Z8,1922.
1923 The Lovejoy Chaplet Company was incorporated and
later moved from West Sandgate to River Street in Hoosick Falls.
1924 The Walter A. Wood Manufacturing Company closed.
The company produced horse drawn farm
machinery since 1853. Much of their sales were in the European market. World
War I caused a decline in the European economy. That, plus the increased use of
tractors, caused a reduction in sales.
1925 The Neighborhood House Association changed its
name to The Hoosick Falls Health Center and became incorporated.
1927 Church Street Bridge, known today as The Shop
Bridge, was reconstructed.
1927 Walter A. Wood Memorial High School opened.
1927 The Hoosick Valley Railway Company closed their
trolley route between Hoosick Falls and Bennington.
1927 A devastating flood damaged the village pumping
station. Chief Engineer John J. Hughs was rescued from the roof of the
building. A record water mark was set.
1927 The Bennington Battlefield State Historic Park
was dedicated. It is located on Route 67 across from the Caretaker's Bridge.
1928 The Wood Flong Corporation moved from Stillwater
into the Malleable Iron Plant that formally belonged to the Walter A. Wood
Company in Clay Hill. Wood Flong produced mats for the printing industries.
1928 The Kiwanis Club of Hoosick Falls was organized
on fourth of May. Their meetings were
held in the Wadell Hotel, located where Rite Aid is now.
1930 Michael Kane, a Bennington taxi driver, was
murdered Route 7 near the Stone School House. His murderers were not caught
until 1936. A Mr. Pencus and a Mr. Franco were arrested, convicted and
sentenced. Miss Mark was also arrested and charged. She turned state evidence
and was not prosecuted. -source Jan Shields, reporter for The Troy Record.
1930 The iron bridge at River Street was replaced with
the present concrete bridge.
1930 Walter Shurewood built a dam on a stream known as
White Creek just above the White Creek pool. Mr. Shurewood operated a beater
for making paper and experimented with improving the efficiency of beaters.
1931 -- 1940
1931 The People's Bank and the First National Bank
merged. The name became the People's
First National Bank and conducted business in the same building that Key Bank
is located in today.
1932 The Hoosick Valley Coach Line began operation. The
routes ran to and from Bennington,
Hoosick Falls, Troy and Watervliet. Harold Walter Gardner owned and operated
the company.
1932 The road reconstruction of Route 22 began. Pat
Ward's Hotel was moved from the corner of Route 67 and Route 22 across from Delaney's
Hotel. It is now located next to the North Hoosick Post Office. Flynn's Barber
Shop was a part of that building.
1933 The Rensselaer County Standard and the Hoosick
Falls Press consolidated and became
known as the Hoosick Falls Standard Press.
1933 Forrest S. White founded the White Flomatic
Corporation. Operating in the Walter A. Wood building, the company produced
water system valves.
1934 The Gymnasium at the Hoosac School for Boys was
destroyed by fire on November 16.
1935 The Derby Club was organized. The members donated
a sum of $20.00 to wager on a horse in the Kentucky Derby. The horse they
chose, named Omaha, won. The Club made $75.00 that year. The Derby Club is still active today.
1935 The White House Bridge, known locally as the Long
Bridge, and the White House Mills were demolished to allow reconstruction of
Route 7. White House Mills produced
electric light bulbs and dynamos.
1935 The Estellite Company that produced electrical fixtures
moved into the Hall-Hartwell Shirt Company building on lower John Street.
1937 The Manchester Feed and Coal Business in Eagle
Bridge was sold to Harold Mosely who opened the first GLF(Grange League
Federation) store in the Hoosick area.
1938 flooding ravaged the area for the third time.
1938 Grandma Moses's paintings were discovered to be
of great value. They were displayed in the window of Thorpe's Pharmacy located
on John Street in Hoosick Falls.
1939 The Rectory of All Saints Church at the Hoosac
School for Boys was destroyed by fire on July 18.
1939 Bob Eberly, lead singer of the Tommy Dorsey
Orchestra, was named male vocalist of the year after he was rated #1 in a
popularity survey.
Bing Crosby was second. The Eberle Brothers (Bob and
Ray) were singers during the big band era and were from Hoosick Falls.
1939 Miller's Super Market opened on Church Street.
The building is now known as the John
A. Murphy Building.
1940 The New York Power and Light Company bought the
rights to sell electric power in New York State from the Twin State Electric
Company.
1940 The draft board opened in an office on Main
Street next to the present Post Office.
1940 On a day in October the members of Charlie
Company left Hoosick Falls for action during WW II.
1941 -- 1950
1943 The White-Flomatic Corporation, later renamed
Flomatic Corporation, moved from its location in Hoosick Falls to the former
Stevens and Thompson Paper Mill in North Hoosick.
1946 The North Hoosick Community Club was organized
for the purpose of raising funds to install water and sanitary facilities in
the North Hoosick School.
1947 The North Hoosick Fire Department was organized
on May 1
1947 The Memorial Honor Roll, honoring the veterans of
World War II, was erected in the Wood's Memorial Park and dedicated.
1948 Hathaway's Drive-In Theater in North Hoosick
opened. It is still in operation each
summer. It is one of the few drive-in theaters remaining today.
1949 A flood that broke the 1927 high water record
occurred on December 31. It caused damage to the various factories. Water was
five feet above the ground on Water and Lyman Streets. As in 1927, John Hughs,
Chief Engineer, had to be rescued from the roof of the pumping station.
1950 The Holman Manufacturing Company moved into the
building on lower John Street in Hoosick Falls. Many plastic products were
manufactured there.
1950 The Community Factory building on Mechanic Street
was turned over to the B & M Shoe Company. This was a project of a group of
citizens who worked to bring industry to the area.
1950 The Crestwood Restaurant burned on February 10.
It was owned and operated by Fred Dowling at the time. It had been the home of
Christina Stevens, who was an accomplished Town Historian. Originally built by
the Stevens family of Stevens and Thompson Paper Company.
1950 The St. John Episcopal Church in Walloomsac
ceased having services. It had been active for forty two years.
1950 The Methodist and Presbyterian churches joined and
held services at the Methodist Church on Main Street in Hoosick Falls.
1950 Albany Felt started production in Hoosick Falls
on Danforth Street. They purchased the
building formerly owned by the LaPan brothers.
1950 New York Power and Light Corporation and the
Mohawk Power Company consolidated to become the Niagara Mohawk Power Company.
1951 -- 1960
1951 The vacated Presbyterian Church on Church Street
was purchased by the World War II Memorial Committee. The committee was formed
in 1945.
1952 The Town of Hoosick War Memorial Community Center
was incorporated. Its purpose was and is emphasis on youth activities.
1953 The Army Corp of Engineers completed the flood
control project that was started in 1951. The Corp removed the natural falls
and concrete dam that had been built by Walter A. Wood to supply the power for
his manufacturing plant. This ended the floods that had plagued the village
many times in earlier years. The last and perhaps the most damaging flood
occurred in December 1949.
1953 The Hoosac School for Boys, which opened in 1889,
moved from their original campus at Hoosick Corners to the Tibbits' Estate
which is their present location.
1953 The Rutland Railroad Company abandoned its tracks
from North Bennington through Petersburg Junction to Chatham. These tracks were
originally owned by The Harlem Extension Railroad.
1955 The Hoosick Inn on Main Street was razed to make
room for the Grand Union Super Market (site of the present Rite Aid location)
1955 Cleveland Dodge opened his business of producing
Teflon-coated materials in a building on John Street. Later, the business
developed into the Dodge Fiber Corporation.
1956 The Grand Union opened its store at the corner of
Main Street and
Wilder Avenue.
1957 The Public Service Commission authorized the closing of the B and M
Passenger Service and the closing of the Hoosic Falls Depot. This ended
eighty-three years of passenger service to and from Boston and Troy.
1957 The new Hoosick Grange (No 1127) Hall on the Hill
Road was dedicated on June 30. Grange meetings, dances, card parties and other community
activities have been held there since.
1957 On September 25, 1957 the Town of Hoosick Rescue
Squad was formed. Their first vehicle was a combination ambulance and hearse,
cost $750.
1958 On January 2, Yankee Trails Incorporated started
a daily bus service to and from Hoosick Falls and Troy.
1958 The North Hoosick Post Office moved to its
present site located near the trestle in North Hoosick. It is still in use in
1999. The United States Post Office
rents the building from the owners of the property on which it stands. Prior to
this, the North Hoosick Post Office was located in the homes of the various
Post Masters.
1960 North Hoosick Fire Department built a new fire
station on Route 22 in North Hoosick.
1960 The Hoosick Falls Health Center began admitting
patients in its new building on Danforth Street on June 18.
1960 St. Mary's Academy opened their new High School
building at the corner of High Street and Parsons Avenue.
1961 -- 1970
1961 The Hoosick Falls Central School grades K-12
moved into their new building on Route 22, River Road. The building was
dedicated on January 8, 1962
1961 Blue Flame Gas Company built storage facilities
on River Road just south of the village of Hoosick Falls.
1962 Walter Wood Memorial High School and Mansion were
razed.
1962 The Buskirk Methodist Episcopal Church building
and property was sold to the Schaghticoke Encampment No. 10 Independent Order
of Odd Fellows (IOF).
1965 Buskirk Fire Company was incorporated.
1966 The Merry-Go-Round Restaurant burned on June 20.
Originally, it was the home of Gordon Byers of the J.C. Byers Bottling Company.
It had been a restaurant several years earlier and was know as "The Byers
House Restaurant".
1967 The Weir-Reynolds Community Swimming Pool was
dedicated. Funding was provided through private donations and community fund
raising activities.
1967 A satellite office of the Rensselaer County
Office of Economic Opportunity was opened in Hoosick Falls.
1969 Mrs. Austin's Ice Cream and Candy Store in Eagle
Bridge burned. The building also housed the Eagle Bridge Post Office. The
present Post Office was erected at that site.
1970 Noble and Wood Company closed. It had produced paper-making machines.
1970 The village of Hoosick Falls started operation of
the sewage treatment plant in January.
It is located near Thayer's Pond.
1971 -- 1980
1971 The Town of Hoosick Housing Authority was
established.
1973 The Hoosick Falls Hardware and Supply Company,
located in one of the Walter A. Wood buildings, was destroyed by fire on June
8. It had been owned and operated by Jerold Greenberg since 1952. The fire was caused by an arsonist.
1973 The Hoosick Falls Municipal Building burned on July
19. It was built in 1905 and both town and village offices were located there.
1973 The Knights of Columbus building on Main Street
was demolished. A new building was erected on that site for the Home and City
Savings Bank.
1973 Oak Industries bought the Noble and Wood
Manufacturing Plant.
1973 The Rensselaer County Community Action Agency
began operating a rural bus line from Hoosick Falls to Troy. One via Routes 67
and 40 and another via Routes 22 and 2.
1974 Oak Industries merged with Mitsui and became
Oak-Mitsui Incorporated, producing copper foil for laminating.
1974 The Gold Medal Creamery burned. The company had
bought milk from surrounding farmers for more then 125 years. The company
shipped milk to New York City.
1976 Land was purchased for the new Grand Union Store
on Route 22. The land was part of the
former Ehmler Estate.
1977 The Reynolds Gilchrist Skating Rink was dedicated
though it had opened for skating earlier.
1978 The Victorian-style band stand in Wood Park in
the village of Hoosick Falls was completed. The Hoosick Community Band plays
there every Wednesday evening during
the summer months
1978 The Covered Bridge in Buskirk was placed on the
National Register on March 8.
1980 The former home of the Thompson family of the Stevens
and Thompson Paper Company burned December 12. It was owned and occupied by
Larry and Judy Peterson at the time.
1980 The Wood Flong Company sold their plant to the
Lydall Company. Lydall produces electrical board, engraving material and gasket
material.
1980 On March 19, fire damaged Dougherty's Hotel on
the corner of John Street and Main Street, Hoosick Falls. Three men lost their
lives in the blaze.
1981 -- 1990
1981 Allied Signal built the River View Plant in
Hoosick Falls located on the site of the former Walter A. Wood Manufacturing Company. The plant produces laminates used for
circuit boards in computers as well as for communications and automobile
industries.
1981 Rite Aid Drug Store moved into the building
formerly occupied by the Grand Union.
It is located on the corner of Wilder Avenue and Main Street.
1981 Hoosick Meadows opened 25 units of low cost
housing located on Route 22 south of Hoosick Falls.
1982 The Louis Miller Museum, located at 166 Main
Street, was established. It is managed by the Town of Hoosick Historical
Society.
1982 The Ehmler Mansion burned in June. This mansion
was built by Mr. John Hobart Warren in 1878 and was his summer home. Mr. Warren manufactured stoves in Troy. Hans Ehmler purchased the estate in the late
1800s. He operated it as a place to train prize-fighters. Later, he operated a zoo. The building was
empty at the time of the fire.
1982 The Wood Park Housing for Senior Citizens opened.
There are 30 units in the building.
1984 Robert Weeks was murdered in his store at 1:30pm
on August 20. The suspect was arrested
on November 16. The store was located on Depot Road in Hoosick.
1984 One of the cast iron eagles was mysteriously
taken from the iron bridge at Eagle Bridge. This was noticed in August. It was
replaced on December 18 of the same year as mysteriously as it was taken.
1984 The Daniels' Antique Shop on Main Street was
demolished and replaced by the Cumberland Farm Store.
1984 Fire damaged the State Line Night Club on Route
67. The building is located both in the
state of New York and the state of Vermont.
1984 Walt Wirmusky died on December 9. He was a
prominent citizen and is most remembered for his impersonation of Santa Claus
each Christmas season.
1985 A section of Route 7 was improved through the
efforts of the Hoosick Falls Kiwanis Club.
1985 The new Municipal Building was completed. The
original building burned in 1974. The Village Offices moved into this building
on January 15.
1985 Albany International Felt Company closed its plant
on Danforth Street.
1985 The Stone School House at the junction of Routes
7 and 22 was renovated. It was built in 1842.
1986 Flag Acres Zoo opened its doors to the public. It
is a nonprofit educational learning facility with more than three hundred
animals on display.
1987 The Specialty Insulation Company on Center
Street, Hoosick Falls closed. It was a pioneer in the field of plastics. It operated for eighty-seven years.
1989 The Woodbridge Heights Housing for Senior
Citizens opened with 24 units.
1991-1999
1991 The Hoosick Baptist Church was destroyed by fire
September 18. The original building was erected in 1870.
1991 Trustco Bank replaced the Home and City Savings
Bank.
1992 The Alternatives Plus Company bought the building
formally owned by Yankee Wood on Center Street. The Company manufactures store
displays (mannequins) made of polyurethane.
1993 The Barclay Building on the corner of Hoosick
Railroad Avenue was destroyed by an arson fire. This building was the home of
many factories since 1878. Among these were a grist mill that ground and
packaged buckwheat flour, a clothing manufacturing company and later bedding
supplies.
1996 Flomatic Corporation, manufacturer of brass
valves for water systems, moved from North Hoosick to Glens Falls. This
included the business office, sales and production.
1996 The forty-one bed addition to the Hoosick falls
Health Center was completed in October.
1996 The Fluorglass Division of Allied Signal on Mc Caffrey
Steet was sold to the Furon Company including the Liberty Street plant
(formerly Nancy Shoe Company) and the John Street Plant.
1997 The Mary McClellan Family Health Center, located
on Danforth Street, opened and was dedicated on October 5.
1997 WCW Incorporated, which produces air mattresses
for hospital beds and wheel chairs, moved into a building owned by Allied
Signal. It is located on River Road in back of the Falls Dinner.
1997 The Hoosick Falls Chamber of Commerce was
organized.
1998 A tornado touched down at Round Lake in Saratoga
County and continued east until it lifted in North Bennington. In the town of Hoosick,
a barn owned by the Hoag family and a house owned by Mr. And Mrs Bruce Patire
were destroyed. Many homes were damaged along with many acres of trees.
1998 The Southwestern Vermont Medical Center opened
the Putnam Family Practice Center on Parsons Avenue, December 9.
1999 Bryan Pello
of CLS Transportation purchased the former Fairbank's Express Terminal
on Route 22 in North Hoosick. He operates a full-service trucking business, as
did Leo and Richard Fairbanks.
1999 Woods Mowing Company Restaurant, formally
Dougherty's Restaurant, opened under the management of Scott Areson.
1999 The new addition to the Hoosick Falls Central School
building was completed and occupied in September. It provides class rooms and
offices for the Middle School grades.
1999 The Bodyworks Health and Fitness Club opened on
Water Street. The business is operated by Brian Shaw.
1999 The Town of Hoosick Athletic Field was dedicated
in December in honor of Senator Joseph Bruno.
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A historical notation: There have been mills in operation at the same location in Walloomsac since the end of the Revolutionary War. These mills include a saw mill, a flax mill, a cloth mill, and a succession of paper mills. The Bennington Paper Mill is operating there today in 1999. It is believed to be the only location in Rensselaer County where industries have operated continuously since the late 1700s, when the first mill was built.