Background. In the winter of 1982-83, I received a cassette tape filled with Australian rock and pop songs, songs by artist I had never heard before – groups like InXs and Midnight Oil and Rose Tattoo and Dragon. Yeah, got hooked on that stuff pretty quickly. One track on that home-recorded cassette tape, however, stood…
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The Life Saver at the 1968 Reunion
You can prepare and prepare and prepare all day and night for an event. And the last thing you expect – the one thing that could derail your entire event – could happen right then and there. It happened yesterday morning. And it threatened to screw up an event I was scheduled for that night.…
Read MoreThe Evolution of Frontier Town, 2018
Regular readers of this blog will know that I have an affinity for the legacy of the long-shuttered amusement park Frontier Town. The Wild West-themed park, off Exit 29 on the Northway, was a waycool location for fun and adventure. But in recent years, Frontier Town has gone from treasure to eyesore. The long-shuttered park…
Read MorePlease don’t go, Silver Fox Salvage…
Although I understand why this must happen … I wish it wouldn’t. Although I understand the reasons for this notice … I wish there was another option. But unfortunately, Silver Fox Salvage – the parts and supply emporium in Albany’s Warehouse District is now on its final weeks. This Facebook post from last Wednesday sums…
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April 2, 1970: When It Played in Albany
Last night, I was doing some research on Albany history for an upcoming project. And as I whirred through miles and miles of old newspaper microfilm, something reminded me of an old blog post channel of mine. It’s called “When It Played in Albany.” This was a recap of various movies that played in Capital…
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The Cleaned Coin of the Rebellion
I’ve written in the past about Albany’s Civil War store coinage, where merchants made their own currency when the national coinage was limited. In sort – Albany (and many Union cities) ran short of common currency, which forced store owners and businesses to offer customized tokens and scrip for consumers. This coinage lasted from 1863…
Read MoreThe Christmas transit transfer
I want to show you something cool today. Something you don’t see that often. Albany’s transit system – a series of buses and trolleys – offered different fares for different trips around the city. Not every bus took you directly from your starting point to your destination, so you could request a transfer from your…
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The Fractured Coin of the Rebellion
Earlier this year, I wrote a blog post about Albany’s currency and exchange materials during the Civil War. Quick background – during the Civil War, coinage was scarce, and many merchants and tradespeople struck their own tokens for use in exchange for money. In Albany, there were several examples of these “storefronts” or “storecards” –…
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No reason to Bragg about this any more…
Last week, I wrote a post about how my mother told me that allegedly I was related in one way or another to Braxton Bragg, former Civil War general of the Confederacy. The thing is, when it comes to my mother, I am a person who follows the rule of “Trust … but verify.” And…
Read MoreCoins of the Rebellion: The Civil War currency of Albany merchants
I want to show you some historic treasures today. It’s a window to Albany life from 150 years ago. And it’s a nice collectible series as well. Take a look at this. This is an actual minted token from 1863 for a shoe store on Broadway. And tokens like this were the norm in 1863…
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