The Fulton County Historian’s Office has a great collection of scrapbooks. These fragile old books put together by residents past are filled with interesting clippings. From global and national events to local happenings, obituaries, and sports scores, they can show us not only what was going on at the time but what the creator (often anonymous) deemed to be important enough to save. Looking though them often reveals tidbits of local history that don’t provide enough content for a full article or program, but are interesting nonetheless. Here are a few pieces that I found in one such scrapbook.
“WW BROWER GONE
HE WENT FOR OIL, SO HE SAID”
November 15, 1901
On November 6th, tannery owner Wilbur W. Brower told his family he was headed to Boston to purchase leather dressing oil. It was a trip, and an errand, he had taken several times, so his departure for this purpose was pretty mundane. Brower promised to return within a few days, Friday at the latest, to his family’s home at 17 McNab Ave. in Gloversville.
That Saturday, the employees at the West Mill Leather Company, the business Brower owned for three years, gathered in his office to receive their month’s pay. It was their usual payday. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary. But the man Brower left in charge said that the owner had not left any money with which to pay the employees, and he hadn’t even heard from him since he left. Being a reasonable bunch, the group decided to wait a couple of days for his return. He may have had some unforeseen delay that kept him from getting back to the city. But by Wednesday, Brower had failed to appear and his family still hadn’t heard from him. The workers called on law firm Jordon and Cassedy to look into Brower’s books, and his absence.
The lawyers quickly discovered that Brower owed considerable money to various creditors — about $15,000 total — and had few assets with which to pay his debts. Before he left, Brower collected many of his accounts and took with him the sum, which they supposed was about $1,800. The biggest debts owed were to Alonzo Brower, his father, who endorsed several bank notes for him; Young and Kimball of Boston, the firm selling tannery oil, for $1,300; and Lawton Caten (father-in-law of renowned Western artist Frederic Remington), the owner of the mill building, $400 for rent. It was clear that Brower did not have sufficient capital to meet his obligations and he often got extensions from his creditors.
The employees had not been paid for their work in October or anything they had done the first weeks of November. Their claim was $2,400, and would probably be paid in full, leaving little to cover the rest of Brower’s debts.
The community was surprised by this discovery and by Brower’s disappearance. He was a well-known member of the Kasson Opera House orchestra and the Gloversville military band. The Daily Leader reported: “Mr. Brower’s friends were much surprised at the announcement that he had left the city under such unfavorable circumstances, and his family have the sympathy of the community in the trouble which has overtaken them. Mr. Brower’s family enjoy the esteem of many friends and that they are made to suffer for the misdeeds of Mr. Brower is generally regretted.” He and his wife Elizabeth had four children.
Eventually, the court handled this bankruptcy case. Brower returned to Gloversville and the family moved to 115 Broad Street. He was still involved in tanning, according to city directories, though it’s unclear if it was still with the West Mill company or not. Wilbur W. Brower died in 1910.
“TIE VOTE OF COMMON COUNCIL KILLS SUNDAY BASEBALL HERE”
August 13, 1919
In 1919, the New York State Legislature allowed municipalities to make decisions about whether or not they would allow Sunday baseball games. In Gloversville, home of the Parkhursts, the debate was fierce and lasted several months. The first petition to allow Sunday baseball was brought to the Common Council in August, and they put it on their agenda for their monthly meeting.
Gloversville’s religious-leaning residents were against allowing Sunday games. The Ministerial Delegation and other church representatives spoke at the public meeting, protesting the petition. A rather scathing letter from the Parkhurst Baseball Club was read allowed. The games would not interfere with religious services, they promised, and only held during certain hours. There were working people who only had Sunday as a day for an outing, and why shouldn’t they be able to enjoy a game?
“There is another element that desires a restoration of the old Puritan days,” the letter read, “when a man could not kiss his wife on Sunday without a fear of public punishment. If a small minority of men were to have their way, they would revive all these old laws.” As to children being exposed to unwholesome sport on the Sabbath, the letter claimed the same children could “stand on the curb on any Sunday,” and “they will see some of the sinners of your adverse petition filed with your body whirring along on pleasure bent in their automobiles.” These church members would be driving on to Sacandaga or Saratoga — what was the difference? It continued: “Has a petition ever been circulated in any church in Gloversville protesting against Deacon Jones burning up the gasoline on Sunday? Has there been any public protest from the same source against Elder Smith and his family hiking to country clubs on the Sabbath with golf sticks under the blankets?”
The vote at the August meeting was a tie, 6-6. The city attorney, Wesley H. Maider, advised that Mayor Baird didn’t have authority to vote on questions “of this nature” and he couldn’t vote to break the tie.
Throughout the rest of the summer, there were letters and articles in the local papers regarding the question. Alva J. Zimmer asserted that the FJ&G Railroad didn’t support the Sunday games — why would they, when fare to Parkhurst was only 5 cents and a trip to Sacandaga Park cost 50? “It has an Alderman to do its bidding,” Zimmer wrote, referring to the Fourth Ward Alderman who was also connected to the railroad. Another debate and another vote was held on August 20th, resulting in the same result: a tie.
Finally, the Common Council decided to put the question to the citizens for a vote. Their vote wouldn’t mean anything legally, as the council would still have to make the call, but at least it would give them an idea of what the rest of the community was thinking. The question of Sunday baseball was included in the mayoral election of November 1919. The proposition was endorsed and the Common Council quickly went to work and legalized Sunday baseball in Gloversville.
“POLICE SAY CABARET SHOWS MUST STOP”
January 10, 1915
Two Gloversville hotels, the St. Charles (29 Bleecker St.) and the Lincoln (52-54 N. Main), and their proprietors were issued warnings by Police Chief Smith to stop hosting the cabaret shows they had been putting on for the past couple of weeks, as they were in violation of a 1909 city ordinance. “There was no objection registered to the character of the shows,” the paper reported. In fact, the crowds enjoyed the “Bohemian atmosphere” provided by Sandford Eaton at the Lincoln and August Schmidt of the St. Charles. It was just the city ordinance standing in their way, which stated that no place selling liquor or beer was allowed to have singing, dancing, exhibition of skill or athletic performance, concerts, piano playing, theatrical performances, lectures, or other entertainment or exhibition. Which seems kind of odd, because what better place for live music and dancing than a restaurant or hotel that serves food and drink?
A week later, an article ran titled “LINCOLN CABARET GIVEN AS USUAL.” It seems Eaton wasn’t deterred by the original warning and the police had yet to take any action. Schmidt had closed the St. Charles for the past few nights, but the Lincoln went ahead with several singers and a new addition, a four-piece orchestra. It was reported that several police were in attendance, supposedly gathering evidence, but they would not comment on what, if anything, they planned to do. Eaton said he would continue to operate as usual, the shows offered “purely as entertainment for his guests and nothing untoward was allowed in the program.” He planned to go on until he was stopped.
Several attorneys commented that the provisions of the ordinance could not be enforced, and it seems that was the general conclusion. Advertisements for cabarets at both the Lincoln and the St. Charles reappeared in papers in following years.
“CIGAR CUTTERS BANNED”
November 26, 1912
The State Board of Health said that the little machines in cigar stores used to cut purchased cigars were unsanitary and needed to be removed. Why were they so unsanitary? Often, a man would wet the cigar in his lips before using the cutter, transferring his germs to the machine. Then the next gentleman continued the cycle, until everyone had everyone else’s germs on their brand new cigars. The paper stated: “Smokers must cut the tops of their cigars with their pen knives, or, better sill, bite them off between their teeth.”
Fulton County Historian 