SUMMARY OF DAVID SHAMPINE'S COLUMNS
Columns printed in the Watertown Daily Times
Watertown, N. Y.

If you subscribe to the Watertown Daily Times and enjoy Jefferson County (NY) history, you have undoubtedly placed Dave Shampine's "Times Gone By" columns in your must-read list. Dave, whose energy and keen sense for finding and writing about interesting topics, sends me periodic updates revealing information about his latest column. The most recent column and selected past columns are now available on-line at here. Click on WDT columns beside Dave's photo at "Times Gone By."


Dave welcomes suggestions for his column.
If you know of an interesting story about a person
or an event from the past in Jefferson, Lewis or St. Lawrence counties
of New York, you can e-mail Dave at:

[email protected]

Dave's newest publication is a book entitled,
"The North Country Murder of Irene Izak......STAINED BY HER BLOOD."
The forward was written by Ray Polette, the key investigator in the case back in 1968.
The introduction was written by Irene's brother-in-law, Paul Ewasko and her niece, Lisa Caputo.
It is expected the book will be available in December, 2010. Look for it at the Watertown Daily Times and gift shops around Jefferson County.

No.

Date

Title

Description

1

Feb. 1, 1998

True Tales From the Past

Debut with John W. Deans, Pres. of Jeff. Co. Community College and my former history prof at the college.

2

Feb. 22, 1998

NNY Memories From Spanish-American War

A Sackets Harbor Soldier brought home a
dog from battle. The column lists the last North Country survivors of the war.

3

Mar. 22. 1998

A Tale of Two Carthages

More than the Black River has kept two communities apart.

4

Mar. 29, 1998

Carthage - Sin City of the North Country

Men seeking to quench their thirsts, display
their combative skills or satisfy some other
manly urges had a good number of choices along the west end of State Street.

5

April 26, 1998

Vaudeville's May Irwin Sang Praises of Thousand
Islands

An actress who made Clayton her home
remembered by a man who as a child saw her perform.

6

May 24, 1998

NNY Woman Survived Titanic And Then Some

Third-class passenger, Laura Mary Cribb,
survived, but she lost her father. She fulfilled the movie line, "You're going to make lots of babies."

7

June 28, 1998

Former City Mayor Explores Mysterious Link
to Irish Rebel

Karl R. Burns researches his roots.

8

July 26, 1998

Daring Rescue of a Minister's Imprisoned Wife

People in the village of Philadelphia rallied to get Mrs. Provan out of the parish house, where
her preacher husband kept her hidden.

9

Aug. 30, 1998

Snapshots Frozen in Time

When there were few amateur photographers,
fame protector, Walter Ryder, was preserving sights of Chaumont.

10

Sept 27, 1998

Flash and Fortitude: The Military Magruders

Separating fact from fiction about "Prince John" B. Magruder, Confederate general, from whom
a Fort Drum commander, Gen. Lawson W. Magruder, traces family ties.

11

Oct 25, 1998

Grant Slept Here

President's visit to Thousand Islands helped
popularize them.

12

Nov. 22, 1998

A Soldier's Heart Turns Homeward

Civil War soldier from Edwards writes from
the front.

13

Dec. 20, 1998

A Return To Christmas Past

A review of pages in the Watertown Daily
Times provides a picture of Christmas season, 1898.

14

Jan. 24, 1999

Difficulties Never Subdued Hard-Luck Hassler

Cape Vincent settler, Ferdinand Rudolph Hassler, was considered "the father of science in the United Sates," but that didn't stop Congress from firing him, James D. LeRay deChaumont from using him, and his wife from dumping him.

15

Feb. 28, 1999

High Stakes Poker: Winner Takes an Heiress

Truth or legend: Was Madame Maria Ameriga Vespucci the stakes in a card game at Evans Mills? The son of a president is said to have lost her here.

16

Mar. 28, 1999

In Jefferson County, a Vote In Favor of
Women's Suffrage

Suffrage marchers in parade in Watertown,
June 13, 1913.

17

Apr 25, 1999

Civil War Hero Missed Chance To Change History

Maj. Frederick R. Jackson of Smithville, Medal of Honor winner, was a guard for President Lincoln, but not on that day in Ford's Theatre.

18

May 23, 1999

Adams Native Was Founder of the GOP

The party, formed in Ripon, Wisc., was the brainchild of Alvan Earle Bovay.

19

June 27, 1999

Henry Keep's Hard Journey From Poorhouse to Mansion

A runaway indentured apprentice built his wealth by speculating in money, and his name endures to this day in Watertown.

20

July 25, 1999

For NNY Politician, a Starring Role as Robert Kennedy

Vincent King of Carthage was used as a decoy while Bobby campaigned in NNY for election to the state senate.

21

Aug 29, 1999

Court Street Bridge Catastrophe Was No Stunt

A throng gathered to watch a stuntman dive from the bridge into the Black River. But instead of watching him, the crowd watched in horror as a porch overlooking the river collapsed, spilling to the bank below several people.

22

Sept 26, 1999

A Club Rich In History

Big names in the community lunched at the Black River Valley Club.

23

Nov. 7, 1999

Days of Ore and Steel

Riding the rails to Benson Mines.

24

Nov. 28, 1999

Ona Iona's Legacy

The story of an Indian woman who saved the life of a baby on Crossover Island, in the town of Hammond.

25

Jan. 2, 2000

Witnesses to a Century of Change

Interviews with survivors of a century.

26

Feb. 6, 2000

Klan Country

The 'Invisible Empire' tries to gain a foothold in the north country, with its wrath directed at Catholics.

27

Mar. 5, 2000

NNY's Underground Railroad

Jefferson and St. Lawrence counties offered final stops on the route to Canada

28

April 2, 2000

Ambassador to Duck Island

Secretary of State John Foster Dulles made a log cabin on a Lake Ontario island his secluded hideaway from world affairs.

29

May 7, 2000

A Road By Any Other Name

For whom are some Watertown streets named?

30

June 4, 2000

Heartache on the Home Front

The trauma for members of the Simpson family, forced to leave their farmland on what was going to become part of the expansive Fort Drum, continued through the rest of their lives.

31

Jul. 2, 2000

Rescue Mission

St. Patrick's Orphanage remembered by alumni.

32

Aug. 6, 2000

Perl Devendorf, A Man With Drive

An early automobile salesman in Watertown is remembered as an "up-front guy" who dug deep into his pockets to avoid laying off employees during the Depression.

33

Sept. 3, 2000

A Deadly Year: Influenza Had Grave Impact on North Country in 1918

A panic struck Jefferson County as hundreds died.

34

Oct. 1, 2000

The End of an Era

The College Womens' Club endured in Watertown for 75 years.

35

Nov. 5. 2000

A Financial Fortress

The state's governor and a Watertown priest helped Jefferson County Savings Bank withstand the panic of 1893.

36

Jan. 7, 2001

Hockey's North Country Home?

Some boys from Brooklyn scored big for St. Lawrence University hockey.

37

Feb. 4, 2001

Tea and History

A Martha Washington Tea Party in Watertown, Feb. 29, 1876.

38

Mar. 11, 2001

A Deadly Blast

Seven are killed in an explosion on Christmas
Eve, 1918, at the J. B. Wise Munitions Plant on Water Street in Watertown.

39

Apr. 8, 2001

A Yard of Death

A backyard game turned tragic for eight children on July 12, 1922, on Dimmick Street in Watertown.

40

May 13, 2001

A Proud Heritage

Watertown's AME Zion Church traces its roots to runaway slaves.

41

Jun. 17, 2001

Still Afloat

A century of sailing for the Crescent Yacht Club of Chaumont. Includes the story of Bill Borden, who was instrumental in the founding of Walter Reed Army Medical Center.

42

Jul. 22, 2001

Union Men

Last survivors of the Civil War were members of the Grand Army of the Republic.

43

Sept. 9, 2001

The Life and Loves of Dorothy Taylor

She was born in Watertown, but she built her fame as a socialite in England, Rome, Hollywood and Las Vegas.

44

Oct. 1, 2001

A Wise Leader

A rags to riches story, J. B. Wise built an industry in Watertown, and served as mayor.

45

Nov. 11, 2001

An Army of Armstrongs

Six brothers went to World War II, another to Korea. One did not come home.

46

Dec. 16, 2001

A Wise Decision

Charles Mecomonaco brings Wise Potato Chips to the north country.

47

Jan. 27, 2002

A Killer Strikes and Is Stuck Down

Polio terrified the public until a vaccine diminished its spread.

48

Mar. 17, 2002

Cruel Coincidence

A father and son from a town of Wilna farm go off together to the Civil War and are felled by the same Confederate shell at the Battle of Fredericksburg. Another son was there to write home about it.

49

Apr. 14, 2002

In the End, A Hero

A dentist in Carthage tries to rescue a woman from her burning apartment. Both die.

50

May 26, 2002

Catholic Schools In Watertown; Community and Catechism

The French-speaking priest gave his bishop an ultimatum, and in the process, set the stage for parochial education in Jefferson County.

51

June 30, 2002

Dogged Entrepreneur

Antwerp's young barber and newspaperman painted up the town between 1868-1872.

52

August 11, 2002

Theresa's Schule Bell
A Civil War Southerner Given New Life in the North

A coffin shipped from the Confederacy gives Theresa ringing memories of local boys who went to war. Includes stories about two of the soldiers.

53

September 29, 2002

Occupational Hazards

The story of a disaster in the talc mine of Talcville, where 6 men were killed.

54

November 17, 2002

A chilling exercise

Early 1952 combat training at Camp Drum offered up too much realism.

55

December 22, 2002

Deep-Rooted Tradition

Carthage's State Street was decked out for Christmas in 1934 by a recently arrived florist : the first two generations of a business now operated by the third and fourth generations, Gray's Florists.

56

February 2, 2003

A Prescription For Success

The congenial Burt O. Kinney opened a store in Gouverneur 100 years ago, laying the groundwork for a chain of stores which continue to thrive under his name.

57

May 3, 2003

Epidemic Proportions
Smallpox Gripped Watertown in 1901

Was it really smallpox? Some physicians were not sure. A team of three doctors was formed once the diagnosis was confirmed, and their efforts helped control the disease. Only two deaths occurred.

58

June 8, 2003

200 Years of Worship
Two North Country Churches Celebrate Pioneer Spirit That Gave Them Birth

The Congregational Church of Burrville is the longest serving church in Jefferson County, in continuous existence since 1803. Sharing in that anniversary is First Presbyterian Church of Watertown, an "offspring" of the Burrville church.

59

August 3, 2003

Home-front heroines and heroes:
Workers at bustling 'brake shop' aided our effort in WWII

The company (Watertown's New York Air Brake) was achieving its highest ever production levels, with round-the-clock operations..... Defense orders began arriving in 1940. This piece is enhanced by accounts from designers, engineers, and "Rosie the Riveters," who still live in Watertown and vicinity.

60

September 14, 2003

"Handshake With History ... Mannsville Woman Witnessed Battle of Gettysburg, Greeted Lincoln."

Emma Warren Woodard met a veteran of the battle at a reunion in Gettysburg, married him, and moved with him to his hometown, Mannsville. There she spent the remaining 45 years of her life, always reading to tell of her viewpoint on the great battle, and of the day she shook hands with President Lincoln.

61

October 13, 2003

Trust and betrayal: The Carthage bank scandal of 1898

Ephraim Myers had the position, the respect and the trust of his community. When he took a train out of Carthage in April 1898, he left family and friends "holding the bag," and a bank in ruin.

62

November 2, 2003

'The grandest discovery in medicine the world ever saw'

Sackets' Dr. Samuel Guthrie more than just the creator of chloroform.

63

December 28, 2003

Well-connected Barney family witnessed history - and made it

Dr. Lowrey Barney treated Stonewall Jackson; his daughter Marie Louise befriended Edgar Allen Poe; his brother Hiram was an advisor to President Lincoln, and his cousin Andrew was a Civil War hero.

64

February 8, 2004

"We Were Like A Family.....Despite hardships, many have fond memories of rural schools."

The diary of Miss Jones, the recollections of the Perry sisters, and the memories of a few of their pupils, bring back the days of the one-room school house.

65

March 7, 2004

"A Successful Undertaking"

Watertown's professional ambulance service can trace its roots to the horse and carriage days, when funeral director Dennis Guilfoyle hitched up white horses to transport the sick.

66

April 11, 2004

"Country Boy Left His Mark"

Born in Stone Mills, Carson C. Peck was a dropout from St. Lawrence University who made his riches in the F.W. Woolworth chain. Although living in Brooklyn, he invested in Watertown property. He also owned a railroad and a newspaper.

67

May 30, 2004

"Woman of a Century"

This witness to the growth of early America traced her ancestry to a passenger on the Mayflower, was the daughter of one of the "Minutemen," and saw two of her sons go off to the Civil War.Centenarian Feted in 1899 by Daughters of the American Revolution.

68

June 20, 2004

"Mission Accomplished"

When the Missionaries of the Sacred Heart in France sent three men to the Americas to establish a base of operations, their destination was not Montreal or any other location in the French province of Quebec. Their first home on the American continent: Watertown, N.Y.

69

August 8, 2004

"Those Championship Seasons."

Tough guy Bill Graf, a student of legendary Notre Dame football coach Knute Rockne, took his champion gridiron Watertown High School teams of 1936 and 1937 to Clearwater, Fla. The competition in the sunshine state was not match for Watertown.

70

September 19, 2004

"Everybody's Best Friend"

Thomas S. Clarkson, for whom the university in Potsdam is named, was widely mourned in the community when he died from injuries he suffered at the sandstone quarry he operated.

71

October 17, 2004

"50 Years of Local TV"

Tony C. Malara Jr. became an executive at CBS, but where would he have ended up if he had kept hanging up the phone on Earl Kelly at Watertown's new TV station.

72

November 14, 2004

"Fish Tales"
Theresa man found fame in creation of lures in 1800s

William D. Chapman, son of one of Theresa's early settlers, turned his favorite pastime, fishing, into a lucrative business: the manufacture of the first-known metal lures. His creations now command prices ranging from $1,000 to $3,000, and more, with collectors.

73

December 26, 2004

"TRAGEDY TIMES TWO: Brothers both killed in boiler blasts"

The brothers Dasno crossed the border from Canada in 1878 seeking the American Dream. They went to work at Watertown Steam Engine Company to become boilermakers. An explosion at Gouverneur killed Oliver, and 31 years later, Peter died under similar circumstances at Deferiet.

74

January 23, 2005

"Work, more work, and still more work" How a poor boy from West Carthage became an oil company executive.

George H. Jones was still in his teens when he left home, determined that his adult life would not be as his childhood, one of poverty. But one thing never changed: he never knew how to play, not as a boy, and not as a man. His work ethic eventually led him to being chairman of the board, Standard Oil Co. of New Jersey.

75

February 13, 2005

Soldiers' executions halted, thanks to north man's message to President Lincoln.

Jefferson D. Shultz of Lyons Falls knew this soldier was no deserter. To spare the young man from a firing squad, he had to get word to the president. But soldiers were prohibited from writing to Mr. Lincoln. Mr. Shultz found a way.

76

March 27, 2005

"Heroes and Villains"

As a 1923 kidnapping drama played out in Northern New York, thousands were riveted to their newfangled radios.

77

April 3, 2005

"Sheriff's Department Turns 200"

Murders, manhunts part of colorful past in Jefferson County.

78

May 15, 2005

"A Born Nurse ... The Florence Nightingale of America hailed from Potsdam."

Linda Richards, who spent the first four years of her life in Potsdam, became the first trained nurse in America, and became a teacher of more nurses, both in the United States and in Japan.

79

June 19, 2005

"Unsolved Mystery ... The Baffling Shooting Death of Two Men at City Estate."

The great puzzle which had everybody's attention in Watertown in 1911 was how two men, co-workers, were each shot twice in the chest by the same gun in the stable where they worked. Each in his dying breath accused the other of being the shooter.

80

July 24, 2005

"Community-minded for 150 Years, Watertown YMCA notes anniversary

Three men played key roles and re-establishing the 'Y' in Watertown in 1869. Another man's arrival in 1906 marked the dawn for development of the association.

81

November 20, 2005

"A Better Life"

Brothers braved an ocean crossing to find their father, and their future, in Watertown.

82

December 18, 2005

"A Positive Choice"

Newborn Judith Ann French seemed to have little hope of survival in 1947, she being a victim of the Rh blood factor. Luckily, a potential donor of Rh-negative blood was available in a patient's room at Watertown's Mercy Hospital, and a father-son team of surgeons was ready to try an innovative procedure never before performed in the north country.

83

January 29, 2006

CLASS ACT
Professor Iroquois Irwin Got
   The North Country Dancing

He ran a dance hall during the "Roaring 20s" on the Black River Road, and still another on State Street in Watertown. But first and foremost, he taught the skills of dance. "Dancing is my way of making a living, and has been for a great many years," he said.

84

February 26, 2006

"A Winter Pastime"

Decades ago, horses raced on the frozen river, and thousands came out for the fun, festivities and danger.

85

March 26, 2006

"Work of the Highest Charity" (in two parts)
Watertown's First Hospital Opened 125 Years Ago Despite Protests of City's Elite

When an Episcopalian Priest, Rev. Russell Olin, arrived in Watertown in 1881, one of his missions was to open a hospital. Residents of TenEyck Street were none too pleased when their neighborhood was selected for the new facility.

86

April 23, 2006

"Spreading Sunshine"
Part II of the March 26th feature.

Spreading sunshine: Watertown's House of the Good Samaritan

87

June 4, 2006

"Political Pioneer of NNY"

Rhoda Fox Graves: 1st woman in State Senate had an independent streak.

88

June 23, 2006

Recalling The 'Slick of '76'

The barge NEPCO 140 was pushed aground in the St. Lawrence River, not once, but twice, on June 23, 1976, discharging 308,000 gallons of crude oil, the largest inland spill in U. S. history.

89

July 16, 2006

"Post On The Plains"

A century ago, a community convinced Congress it was the best place to open a military base. Col. Phillip Reade, an officer at Madison Barracks, led the way.

90

August 6, 2006

"An Affair To Remember"

Cassie Hill put a bullet in her breast, and died a few days later. Probably the best-kept secret in Watertown for those few days was that a doctor, Gordon Spencer, had actually told her to go ahead and shoot herself. He didn't care. The National Police Gazette ran with the story.

91

September 24, 2006

"A Colorful Character"
Eccentric Huckleberry Charlie was "the
"the Sage of Pine Plains"

Soldiers were testing their new training grounds, playing their war game, when suddenly the whole affair got turned around by one man, Great Bend's Charles L. "Huckleberry Charlie" Sherman.

92

October 22, 2006

"The man gunman"

Probably the grestest manhunt ever in the Adirondacks took place in 1954 after a burglar shot three cops, killing one, in a camp near Lake Placid. The search ended 105 days later in Reno, Nev., when James A. Call, an A.W.O.L. Air Force major, was found possessing a newspaper clipping about the mystery in New York.

93

November 26, 2006

"Lourdes at LaFargeville"
Shrine Is Testamemt To Priest's Faith

Father Anthony Viau built by his own hand in the back yard at St. John's Church, LaFargeville, a replica of the Our Lady of Lourdes Shrine, France, believing that the intercession of the Blessed Virgin Mary was the reason for his cure from tuberculosis. People came from near and far to visit his creation while he was pastor in LaFargeville.

94

December 24, 2006

"The Mad Fiddler of the North Country"

Nick Goodall was a musical genius, who, depending on his mood, could play his fiddle all night, or just plain refuse to take the stage. He died a pauper in a Jefferson County poor house.

95

March 25, 2007

"HARD TIMES ... How the north country fared after the stock market crash of '29"

A review of how the north country fared during the Great Depression. (Part One)

96

April 1, 2007

"The Great Depression: Northern New York began its recovery in 'spirit of cooperation' "

A review of how the north country fared during the Great Depression. (Part Two)

97

May 13, 2007

"THE SMILING COP"

Watertown policeman Herman Trumble was a popular figure as he performed his duties during the early Depression years at the city's American Corner. When illness took him down, an admiring public came to his aid.

98

June 17, 2007

"BORDER PATROL"

1st of a few "occasional" columns in collaboration with the Jefferson County Historical Society in the march toward the bicentennial of the War of 1812.

99

July 22, 2007

"TINY VILLAGE BIG ON FAITH"

St. Vincent de Paul Catholic Church in Rosiere, founded in 1832, was host to a huge centennial celebration. A crowd estimated at 6,000 joined in the observance, which was highlighted by a cast of 400 people in a series of plays on historic themes.

100

September 23, 2007

"A FAMILY TRAGEDY"
Father, daughter sole survivors of 1949
fire that killed eight.

They were "dirt poor," living in a 3-room house. When their source for heat, a two-burner oil stove, exploded, the home went like a match box, and a mother and seven children were trapped.

101

October 21, 2007

"UNDERGROUND EXPERIMENT"

Watertown family spent a week in a fallout shelter in 1961. Bill and Patricia Walker, with their 3-year-old son, accepted the challenge of NY Governor Nelson A. Rockefeller to try out a fallout shelter just as the "Cold War" was heating up.

102

November 18, 2007

"TRAGEDIES ON THE TRACKS"

The railrod was a boon to the economy to the nation and to the north country, but with it came perils. Here we review some of the sad stories as far back as the late 19th Century.

103

January 20, 2008

'La petite Bessie' ... Heuvelton native was an opera star in the U.S. and Europe.

Bessie and Jessie were twins, the granddaughters of a wealthy merchant in Heuvelton. Their parents were successful at losing the wealth, leaving the twins to sing their way to success. Bessie, who took the stage name Abott, prevailed.

104

February 17, 2008

"Scotty
The Fat Boy"

Watertown resident found fame, if not fortune, in Hollywood. W. Scott Mattraw, who developed contacts in the entertainment industry while managing the City Opera House, offered Hollywood the perfect combination: he was a comic, he was short and he was fat.

105

March 23, 2008

"An Unfortunate First"
James R. Smith: Car crash victim has tragic claim to fame.

After a group of Watertown's more prominant citizens got together for a clambake in the town of Henderson on Aug. 10, 1910, the ride home proved fateful. James R. Smith, a furniture dealer, became a statistic, Jefferson County's first fatality victim on a motor vehicle accident. A second victim of the same accident lingered three years before he died.

106

May 4, 2008

"The Handsomest Vessel in the Navy"
The building of the first armed ship in the American Lake Ontario fleet.

As a nation slowly approaches another war with England, some of the eventual heroes of Sackets Harbor are sent to Oswego to build a brig, the Oneida.

107

June 22, 2008

"A Dark Part of NNY History"

Murders of unwanted infants in Jefferson County come to light.

108

July 6, 2008

"CAPTURED IN CUBA"
Fifty years ago, a Watertown man was taken prisoner by then-unknown Castro brothers.

Howard A. Roach, employed by Stebbins Engineering, was in Cuba on a project when he was among several workers captured by a a band of rebels led by Raul Castro. To make their good-faith point, the Castros released the prisoners during the United States' weekend observance of Independence Day.

109

September 7, 2008

"A Home-Grown General"
James S. Boyer, of Watertown and Evans Mills, the first of a select group

He was a leader of an infantry called "Pioneers" who literally cleared the way for Gen. Pershing's forces in France during World War I.

110

October 12, 2008

Vice Presidential Punch Line
How an unknown from Malone became second in command.

William Almon Wheeler's integrity was unquestioned in New York, but even while he served in Congress, the Malone native was not known to Rutherford B. Hayes when he was selected to share the GOP ticket in 1876.

111

November 16, 2008

Monumental Undertaking

Watertown's Public Square Comes Full Circle
as Restoration Project Ends.

112

January 25, 2009

The Man Behind Carthage's Branaugh Memorial Boys Club.

Unlikely benefactor: Businessman bequeathed money for organization to save youth 'from the wolves of the night.' .

113

February 22, 2009

"Mom & Pop Memories"

Gotham Street Market Served Families For Decades

114

March 15, 2009

"Banding Together"
Children's Home ensemble was applauded around the state.

This is an anniversary year for the Children's Home of Jefferson County. Standing out in the facility's history is a band that toured the state in the 1930s, winning awards at the State Fair in 1935 and 1936, performing in front of President Franklin D. Roosevelt during the opening of the Thousand Islands Bridge, and receiving kudos at the 1939 World's Fair in New York.

115

May 3, 2009

"Thinking Big"
Watertown man built canals, railroads

Long before the St. Lawrence Seaway opened for operation, Canada built the Welland Canal system. One of the architects was Jefferson County native Merritt Andrus Cleveland.

116

July 5, 2009

"My greatest hobby is the railroad"

Jefferson County native Edward Hungerford became an author and promoter of the railroad. Perhaps his biggest promotion was "Railroads On Parade" at the 1939 World's Fair in New York.

117

September 27, 2009

"The misadventures of Watertown's John
Haddock For newspaper editor, a hot
air balloon ride turned into a fight for
life"

Watertown's public square was filled with onlookers as John Haddock and John LaMountain ascend in the balloon Atlantic on September 22, 1859.

118

November 22, 2009

"A Long-ago Lake Ontario Tragedy"

The 1894 sinking of schooner Hartford a disaster, especially for one Clayton family.

119

December 27, 2009

"Watertown Hair-itage: The long and short of the Arcade barbering business"

We trace the roots of a business that has been trimming away at Paddock Arcade for 138 years.

120

February 28, 2010

"Keep on Rollin' "

For 99 years, buses have operated in Watertown. For 75 of them, it's been all about the Freemans.

121

May 17, 2010

"A Homegrown Patriot"

Depeyster farmer, Gen. Newton Curtis, rises to Civil War hero and statesman.

122

June 27, 2010

"Homegrown Baseball Hero"

Joe Hornung, outstanding outfielder, was born in Carthage but lived in the big leagues.

123

October 10, 2010

"Father Leo Left His Mark"

Franciscan rebuilt Croghan parish, and a case was built for sainthood.

124

April 10, 2011

"Old Soldiers Fade Away"

As we observe this week the 150th anniversary of the first gunfire that sparked the Civil War, we remember Jefferson County's last two veterans of that war.

Great Gift Idea:


"Colorful Characters of Northern New York - Northern Lights," is the latest book by David Shampine. It contains another 19 of Dave's columns and is available at Borders, the Times, and eventually more locations. Dave's book: "Remembering New York's North Country: "Tales of 'Times Gone By'" is also available in Jefferson County, NY, for $21.95 at the Watertown Daily Times, Jefferson County Historical Society, A Second Look and Sandy's Luncheonette in Watertown; Corban's River Heritage and Thousand Island Museum in Clayton; and Willoughbys on the Bay in Sackets Harbor. Return to Shirley Farone's Home Page