Ebay Alert: 1924 Ginger Ale Bottling Plant Photo

Ebay auction ending this Thursday: a Rowles Studio interior photo of the Ginger Ale bottling plant in Hudson, NY , ca 1924.  See the entire photo and details  HERE  .

Hudson Factory Conditions, a Hundred Years Ago

I found this cardboard box lid in an antique center last week.

It caught my eye because it was workwear related, and workwear is a highly collectible genre of vintage clothing.  But when I also noticed it was marked "Union Mills, Hudson, NY", I sprung for the $3 and brought it home.

Googling led me to the New York State Archives website, where there was a page about fire safety investigations that were launched all over New York after the tragic Triangle Shirtwaist Fire in March of 1911.

This is one of the three interior photos of Union Mills, Hudson New York,  taken sometime between 1911-1915.

It shows the plant on Washington Street, which is probably the building we know today as the pocketbook factory. 

 Other photos of Union Mills, Hudson, give locations on Fulton Street (the northern Front Street mill building?) including the one of the girl working five feet away from foul-smelling water closets.

                                       

All three pictures in their entirety--with their details --can be found
HERE.

CLC Plan for Furgary Site and North Bay

This is page 12 of the current Columbia Land Conservancy magazine, which I happened upon earlier this week at the information kiosk at High Falls in Philmont.

The red text at the top of the page reads: "As part of the CLC plan, interpretive programs would educate visitors about the varied ecosystems and history of the area...."

Oh, the irony---tearing down the 150 year old fishing/boating village to teach history --- and placing "Kayak/Canoe access" there, even though we already have a Kayak/Canoe launch at Hudson's waterfront Park. (Oh and let's not forget all the Visitor Parking, for the people who want to hike on the old landfill mound.)
The petition is here. My photos of the Boat Club are here. The boat club will welcome visitors this Saturday from 1-6 pm. Have a safe and Happy Fourth of July.

316-318 Warren Street, about a hundred years ago.

There are some excellent sleuths over in the "You're Probably from Hudson.." facebook group.    Becky, Joan, Cheryl... and more.  And, if you're into Hudson nostalgia from just about any era, it's definitely the place to hang out and reminisce.
  I check in often to see what pops up in the "I've never seen that old photo before!" category.
 This morning I woke up to a wonderful antique photo Cheryl had discovered on a website devoted to collecting and identifying antique cars and trucks, called Hemming's Blog.
  
It is the Reutenaur's Bakery at 318 Warren Street, some time around 1910-1915.   Go to the website to view it in greater detail;  there is also a wonderful interior shot,  complete with the family posed in the store, and loaves of bread on the counter.....CLICK HERE.

Here is the same location as it appears today.  Rural Residence stands at far left and Kennedy Fried Chicken is far right.

(Thank You, Cheryl B., for discovering these, and to Daniel Strohl, who posted them!.)

Wallpaper at 135

In the spring of 2007 I was invited to harvest wallpaper samples from 135 Warren Street,


which was being gutted and rehabbed, and turned into an art gallery (Currently Verdigris Tea and Gallery).
Some of the oldest papers I have ever found were entombed behind the sheetrock in the stairwell here,

 

 and in the tiny bedrooms on the top floor.






It was somewhat frustrating,  though, as most of the papers were original layers, pasted onto either original plaster or wooden plank walls--- a combo that makes them very difficult to remove and save.

                                     
                                        Old papers are often very thin, with thick, chalky, brittle inks.

These blue medallions were stuck on the plaster on the side of the room that probably got a lot of sun.  The rest of the paper in the pattern had completely deteriorated, but this part of the pattern clung on over the years.

Many of the walls were like big collages in there.

The unabridged album of my photos and wallpaper scans can be found on my flickr page HERE. 

Park Square and Streetcar, Hudson