Selfridge & Langford
Edward Langford, who became a veteran Central Avenue businessman, was born in England shortly after his mother returned from a visit to America. His family moved…
Pete Williams, the King of Capitaland Country
Pete Williams is (was?) a country vocalist from Schenectady, NY. He was a member of a road show with Horace Heidt for a farm implement company,…
ALBANY’S RUNAWAY APARTMENT BOOM: 2019
They’re everywhere! To help get a handle on overwhelming scope of this trend, I’ve compiled an incomplete listing of recently-developed apartments, apartments in development, and proposed…
The Douw Building: A Collateral Demolition
The Douw Building was at 36 State Street, on the corner of Broadway. Built 1842, it once housed the mercantile establishment of Voickert Peter Douw. The…
A Glamour Girl and Her Pig
Barbara Pepper was born Marion Pepper in 1915 at the Astor Hotel in the heart of New York’s theatrical section. Her father, David M. Pepper, was…
WTRI-FM, yet another “lost” broadcaster.
WTRI-FM was an early Capital District FM broadcaster, owned by the Troy Broadcasting Company and operating from 1948-1952. William A. Riple, owner of Troy Broadcasting, was…
Albany’s “Street Arabs”
In the latter part of the 19th Century, homeless urchins were referred to as “street arabs.” In 1885, a semi-charitable home was established at 51 Rensselaer…
Ronnie Tober: Albany’s Dutch Superstar
Do you know who Ronnie Tober is? You would if you lived in Holland. Born in Bussum, Netherlands, in 1945, his family moved to Albany three…
Thomas L. Hisgen, trustbuster
Another forgotten Albany success story. From a 1908 newspaper article: “[Thomas L.] Hisgen was born at St. Petersburg, Ind., in 1858. When he was 16 years…
Albany’s Fantastic Halloween Carnival: Two Years of Mirth and Magic
This is a recounting of Albany’s “All-Hallowe’en Carnivals” from a 1933 Times-Union article. The citywide celebrations were held only two years – 1904 and 1905. This…
