All articles filed in history

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…

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” –…

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…

Of late, I’ve been absorbed by the discipline of stereoscopic photography – creating three-dimensional images with film prints, and using some sort of viewer or printing technique to recreate the 3-D effect. The other day, I came across a vintage Albany-themed 3-D stereoview card from the “American Scenery” series, and although the print is somewhat…

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…

You might have missed it when Governor Andrew Cuomo issued his recent “State of the State” addresses, but buried on page 102 of the adjoining “State of the State” budget report is a $32 million plan to revitalize what was once the Frontier Town amusement park into a new type of tourist attraction. The plan…