Lebanon Valley Historical Society

Did you know that the only person to win an outright majority of the popular vote in a U.S. presidential election but lose the election was Columbia County nati...ve Samuel J. Tilden? He lost out to Rutherford B. Hayes in the highly contentious election of 1876. With election day coming up, why not explore the political history of your own backyard? Download our 'Patriots & Patroons" road trip, part of our #DriveThroughHistory series: https://www.cchsny.org/drive-through-history #cchsny #columbiacountyny #nyhistory #iloveny

In the late 19th century, Richard Alexander took over the Kinderhook Steam Bottling Works after the death of its founder, George Lathrop. Alexander, who was of ...African American and Native American descent, had been Lathrop’s longtime assistant. As seen in this 1891 railroad directory advertisement, the company’s popular beverages included lagers and porters, flavored sodas, sarsaparillas and Alexander’s Excelsior Small Beer. After Alexander’s death in 1890, his widow, Mattie, briefly ran the business before selling it to Edward Risedorph. Source: Looking for Work: Industrial Archaeology in Columbia County," Peter Stott #blackhistorymonth #nyhistory #columbiacountyny

Today is the birthday of President Abraham Lincoln (Feb. 12, 1809-April 15, 1865). This campaign transparency was used by the #ChathamNY branch of the Wide Awak...es in support of Lincoln’s 1860 presidential bid. Although slavery had ended in New York in 1827, northern abolitionists continued to fight for the anti-slavery cause. Torchlight transparencies featured a fabric box constructed of metal braces; an oil lamp was placed inside to illuminate the message. From the CCHS permanent collection #blackhistorymonth #nyhistory #columbiacountyny

Courtesy of Columbia County Historical Society:

In 1826, an African American woman named Lilla Van Buren was baptized at St. Peter’s Presbyterian Church in #SpencertownNY, making this one of the first integra...ted churches in Columbia County. The following year, slavery was officially abolished in New York after nearly 30 years of gradual abolition. St. Peter's Presbyterian Church Records, courtesy of the Barbara P. Rielly Memorial Library archives, CCHS #blackhistorymonth #nyhistory #columbiacountyny

The next item in History Below our Feet is a Souvenir of The Valley of Lourdes of America, New Lebanon N.Y. I have been told that these were available at the Shrines 50th anniversary but I can not confirm that this is true. Here is an article that I found in The Echo from 1993. In a little town in southwestern France, thousands of Roman Catholics make a national pilgrimage each year to a grotto where there is a spring of healing water: It was by this spring l so say the b...Continue reading

Railroad memorabilia is the next subject in History Below our feet. I have been lucky enough to find some stamped Railroad baggage tags and lock keys. I have added a description in each photo. Some information about Railroad Baggage Tags found on the website http://www.railroadiana.org/ Baggage tags are remnants of intricate system that railroads used to manage the luggage of passengers. In the very early days of railroading, passengers looked after their own luggage. Howev...Continue reading

Dog tax license tags are the next subject of History Below our Feet. The oldest tag I have found is from Lebanon Springs dated 1908. I have found tags of all different dates, shapes and towns. Dog licenses and the practice of taxing tags have a long and international history. Dog licenses were documented in Utrecht, Holland, as early as 1446, and there is evidence that dogs were taxed in Germany by 1598. One of the oldest known surviving dog licenses dates from 1775 and is from Rostock, Germany. The oldest known American dog license tag is an 1853 Corporation of Fredericksburg (Virginia) medallion. On March 8, 1894 New York announced that dog owners were required to obtain a yearly permit for ownership, at the cost of 2 dollars (about $50 in today’s money).

The next items in the series "History below our feet" are these tags, labeled Columbia County Side Path. One is dated 1900, one 1902, and the other is not dated. They were found in New Lebanon at three different locations. Here is the information I found on Side Path. In 1898 New York State's side path law laid out a framework for the process of constructing what were essentially bike lanes alongside roads. A county commission could be formed with the petitioning of 50 "res...ident wheelmen," and that commission could work toward constructing the paths. To help pay for the new paths, the law allowed for the sale of licenses for the price of no less than 50 cents and no more than a dollar per year. Users of the side paths were required to buy a license -- getting caught without one could mean a fine.The sale of these license's was discontinued in 1908. Perhaps one of these tags was on a bike that your Grandparents rode around the town on. See more

We are going to start a new series here on the LVHS Facebook page called "History below our feet". I will be posting photos of items I have found with my metal detector and giving a little history lesson about them. All items were found in and around the New Lebanon area. Everything was found on private property with the owners permission. This first relic is a token from Clark's Bakery Good for 10 Cents in Trade. I have no idea what year this token was made. This is what R...Continue reading