Henry ‘Hank’ Bozzi and the Schenectady Mohawk Giants

 This post was written by guest contributor, Keith Wood. Mr. Wood is a teacher, historian, and author: https://www.keithbwoodauthor.com/

 Henry ‘Hank’ Bozzi, owner of the Schenectady Mohawk Giants, was described by the Schenectady Gazette in 1963 as “the promotional genius for pro and semi-pro sports here in the Golden Era before World War II.”[1]

Henry Bozzi was born on January 21, 1892, in Italy, to Mary and M.B. Bozzi.[2] The Bozzis arrived in Schenectady in 1901, with Henry as a nine-year-old. He grew up in the Mont Pleasant neighborhood. At twelve, he dropped out of school and began working for General Electric.[3] Bozzi decided to leave the plant and began serving as an apprentice at his father’s barber shop at 137 South Ferry Street. This gave him the freedom to promote local sporting events.[4]

Schenectady Gazette, 1923

 

In 1920, he became the booking agent for the Knights of Columbus, and over the next four seasons, his notoriety as a local promoter grew. By 1924, when Chappie Johnson brought his Colored All-Stars to Schenectady, Bozzi stood as the obvious choice as promoter for Johnson’s club.[5] Bozzi expanded his regional connections, while Johnson acquired Bozzi’s knowledge of local semi-professional teams. At the onset of the 1927 season, Chappie Johnson headed north to Canada to promote baseball in Montréal. Bozzi retained ownership of the team and rebranded it as Buck Ewing's All-Stars. Bozzi's relationship with Buck Ewing solidified his ability to continue the all-Black professional baseball team. At the end of 1928, Ewing received an opportunity with the Homestead Grays.[6] Without Ewing, Bozzi reincarnated the Mohawk Giant moniker from the 1913 club. 

By 1929, the Pittsburgh Courier described the Mohawk Giants as "the best club thereabouts since the great aggregation of 1914. 'Men were men in them days,' and that was a team."[7] Bozzi began receiving national attention. When Schenectady opened its Twilight League in 1931, Bozzi’s club became the primary focus. The Mohawk Giants stood as the standard by which semi-professional teams judged themselves. The 1932 season also saw the establishment of an Eastern New York Semi-Professional League. Many of the clubs that considered joining this semi-professional league were mainstays on the Mohawk Giants’ barnstorming schedule.[8] Once again, Bozzi’s club was sought out to strengthen a local league.[9]

Crowds at Mohawk Giants games at the A-Diamond in Central Park looked like “a huge bowl of overflowing humanity,” according to Dan Duval, the Union Star’s sports editor.[10] Bozzi collected admission for the bleachers behind home plate, but those fans willing to stand or sit along the baselines or in the outfield enjoyed free admission. Bozzi passed the hat around, but in the middle of the Great Depression, the hat often came back less than full.[11] For Bozzi, booking the club at the A-Diamond was an act of civic boosterism. Bozzi often brought his Mohawk Giants to Saratoga in August. His club’s popularity ensured solid crowds as they played games under the lights, allowing fans to see games after a day at the track.[12]

Two Mohawk Giants players posing in front of spectators gathering for the game.

 

Bozzi’s club played the House of David bewhiskered nine in front of over 3,000 fans at Central Park’s A-Diamond.[13] They also traveled to the home of baseball and played at Doubleday Field in Cooperstown against their town’s nine, and in 1932 they took part in the first night game ever played in Cooperstown.[14] The club barnstormed throughout the state and in the neighboring states of Pennsylvania, Vermont, and Massachusetts. The most coveted games were against Negro major leagues teams like the New York Black Yankees and the Brooklyn Royal Giants, including a 5 to 1 defeat of the Black Yankees in 1934 at the A-Diamond.[15]

By the early 1940s, holding on to the club for Hank Bozzi became more arduous with each passing season. Bozzi publicly announced that 1941 would be his last year in charge of the Mohawk Giants.[16] The following May, Bozzi sold the Mohawk Giants outright to McDonald Lewis, an African American business owner in Schenectady.[17] After a one-year hiatus, Bozzi brought the Mohawk Giants back for one last abbreviated season.[18]

From 1929 to 1940, the Mohawk Giants went 690-259 (.727), making them one of the strongest semi-professional teams in this era, white or Black.[19] The Mohawk Giants stood as a standard of excellence, providing entertainment for the region’s sporting communities.

Related reading: 

WMHT The Mohawk Giants: Schenectady and the Negro Leagues

Guide to the Frank Keetz Baseball Collection at SCHS

Schenectady in the Green Book

The Walter Johnson -- Frank Wickware Showdown 

Works Cited:

1 “Things You Ought to Know.” Schenectady Gazette. November 29, 1963.  
2 "United States, Census, 1910", FamilySearch (https://www.familysearch.org/ark:/61903/1:1:MRQZ-STB : Wed Aug 13 18:10:23 UTC 2025), Entry for M B Bozzi and Mary Bozzi, 1910. 
3 Keetz, The Mohawk Colored Giants of Schenectady (Schenectady: Schenectady Historical Society, 1999), 23.
4 “Barbershop Ad.” Schenectady Gazette. July 25, 1972.
5 “Tonight’s Ballgame Called Off.” Amsterdam Evening Recorder. July 29, 1924.
6 Gary Ashwill, “1928 Homestead Grays,” Seamheads Negro Leagues Database, accessed July 23, 2025, https://www.seamheads.com/NegroLgs/team.php?yearID=1928&teamID=HG&LGOrd=4. 
7 “Sports Shorts.” Pittsburgh Courier. June 20, 1929.
8 “Local Semi-Pro Baseball League to begin play in May.” Troy Times. April 5, 1932. 
9 “Mohawks play all Dorp team in mix tonight.” Schenectady Gazette. May 31, 1932.
10 Keetz, 71. 
11 “Games book by Incarnation.” North Adams Transcript. August 3, 1932.
12 “Buck Ewing and Mohawk Giants to play here today.” Hartford Courant. September 4, 1933.
13  “Mohawks beat House of David in close game.” Schenectady Gazette.  September 6, 1929.
14 “First night game draws record crowd.” The Otsego Farmer. September 9, 1932.
15 “Mohawk Nine halts rush of Yankees.” Syracuse Journal. August 25, 1934; & Lester, 67. 
16 “Dressing Room Chatter.” Amsterdam Evening Recorder. August 12, 1941.
17 Keetz, 138. 
18 “Pros defeat Mohawk Giants 10-3.” The Saratogian. July 26, 1943.
19 Keetz, 4. 

Is It Apothecary-Druggist-Pharmacist? A 19th-century Conundrum

 This post was written by library volunteer Robert Baldwin.

The SCHS Library recently received a donation of Henry A. Kertse’s Pharmacy prescription records. The donor asked us if Kertse's was the oldest pharmacy in Schenectady. This may be true as a matter of semantics. Further investigation is needed as late 19th century New York State medical regulations were in transition. The intriguing question is, "when and who were the pioneers in dispensing medicine in Schenectady?" Let us investigate the history of pharmaceutical practices in New York State. 

Believe it or not, regulated dispensing of medicine is relatively young. Apothecary and druggist businesses organized with minimal scrutiny. Prior to 1900, New Yorkers who wanted to establish a "drug store", did so with little or no regulations. Before pharmacies were known as such, druggist/apothecary shops sold drugs and medicines. Often, the owners manufactured their own medicinal concoctions. As innovations in medical science evolved, so did regulations enabling druggists' ability to produce and deliver medicine. According to the Pharmacists Society of the State of New York, the New York State Pharmacist Association was created in 1879. However, it was merely an organization that lobbied to achieve professional recognition. Five years later (1884), Governor Grover Cleveland [1] appointed the first State Board of Pharmacy--a needed regulatory agency. [2] During 1906, a statute was enacted requiring a college degree to obtain a pharmacists license. 

By 1932, college degrees were mandated for those who wished to practice pharmacy. However, this legislative act was rarely enforced. New York City was the exception since the city had stricter guidelines. Two years later, additional laws mandated that only registered pharmacists could dispense poisonous or habit-forming drugs. It took almost three more decades before five-year college-of-pharmacy degrees were required (1960) [3]. Eventually, many universities/colleges offered doctorate degrees. However, doctorate degrees are not currently required to practice pharmacy in New York State. That may change as drug usage and dispensing has become complex.

Before statutes were created and codified by New York State, medicinal and health products were found everywhere. Clark Stanley’s Snake Oil Liniment for arthritis and rheumatism, a product originating from Texas, gained popularity leading to distribution throughout the United States. Peddler's wagons were no longer the source of such medicines. Druggist stores, including Schenectady businesses, began to distribute such items. During the first half of the nineteenth century, the few druggists in Schenectady competed for customers to buy a wide variety of “cure-alls” without prescriptions or doctor's recommendations. One of the earliest known druggists in Schenectady (1835), medical doctor Andrew Truax also competed with other druggist and sold "medicine" that we would consider “quackery” today. As readers would “gander” over advertisements in the Friday, July 18th, 1845 “Schenectady Reflector,” they found: 

The advertisements were never-ending cures for all things. However, the druggist not only sold remedies. Items varied, such as:

• ENGLISH yellow purple top rutabagas 
• Logwood 
• Stationary items 
• Soda and Saratoga Waters 
• Almond Soap 
• Items made of silk 
• Corks for bottles 
• Paints, oils, window putty, turpentine, window glass 
• Lard oil for lamps

Eleven years later, interesting advertisements "in the name of medical science" were on the increase, as shown below from the Schenectady Reflector. Friday, May 30, 1856:

The variety was substantial and it appeared that druggist stores were more like general stores. Who were these druggists? When and where did they operate their businesses in Schenectady?

The earliest record found for Schenectady was a handbill dated May 1831 for "Richard Fuller Druggist and Apothecary" that advertised his wares. (Handbill shown below) This store was located on the south side of State St, adjoining the Canal Bridge. Whole and retail sales included glass, furniture, dyes, woods, lamps, oils, and other sundry goods. Apparently, his business fell into obscurity since we were unable to locate any other documents relating to this enterprise. 

Richard Fuller, Druggist and Apothecary. Hand Bill 1831 [4]

 

Druggist Dr. Andrew Truax (mentioned above), originally operated his store at 117 State St. By 1862, the business relocated at 141 State St. As the street numbers changed in the 1880s, 141 State St was assigned its new number, 261 (remaining there as of 1948). As time passed, the ownership changed. By 1864, Andrew T. Veeder (also a medical doctor) became Truax's business partner. When Truax retired in 1883, junior partner Veeder became sole proprietor. The business listings morphed from Andrew Truax, to A.T. Veeder, to A.T. Veeder & Son; and by 1948, Veeder & Yelverton. The Veeder inventory was extensive. Merchandise included: microscopes, optical goods, ivory and solid silver toilets; and, he even carried a large variety of drugs, medicines and chemicals. I cannot imagine using ivory and solid silver toilets for the dirtiest needs.

David H. Snell, listed both as an apothecary and druggist, operated his store (1841-71) at 147 State St. There was no distinction between the two professional titles at this time. His competitors were very few: Truax (noted above), H. Gnadandorff, Ernest Steinhührer, and Frederick W. Hoffman. Hoffman ran his business for one year. Eventually, Snell's store changed hands and was owned by J. Sharratt Gates (1871-85). Nelson H. Kittle later carried on there (1885-90). In 1888, this address number was assigned 267. Edward Rosa gained ownership (1889-96). J.T.B. Gilmour (1896-97) and John Barron (1897-98) were transient owners. By 1899 and into the 20th century, E.A. Sawyer operated the business at 267 State St [5]. 

Veeder and Yelverton ad [6]

 

David H. Snell, in his early years [7]

 

 

 

Edward Rosa portrait [8]

 

Among the early druggists was Barent I. Mynderse at 97 State St (1841-42); H. Gnadandorff at 91 State St (1860-61) and moved to 107 State St (1862-63), and moved again to 85 State St (1863-66). Thomas Dunlap was at 130 State St (1857-58). A few years passed, A.J. McDonald maintained a druggist shop at 191 State St (1871-77).

Barent I. Mynderse, circa 1835 [9]

Henry C. Van Zandt earned his medical degree at Albany Medical College. Later, he opened a drug store known as VanZandt and Rector (1884-86) which operated at 191 State St. From 1886 to 1894, this business was located in the Central Arcade. The arcade extended from Wall St to the New York Central arcade in the rear of the State St stores. During this period, they were known as VanZandt, Shaffer and Rector. Subsequently. It then was relocated at 455 State St and from 1896 to 1897. Later, John P. Bigelow became the druggist at 455 State.

Dr. Henry C. VanZandt [10]

193 State St was occupied by Dower and Hogeboom 1876-77; and then, by C. Lansing 1878-80. 112 Union St was operated by Edward L. Davis (1881-87). W.T. Hanson and Son/Co. occupied 195 State St (1880-87). Then the street number was reassigned as 335. This druggist remained there (1888-91). By 1891, ownership changed hands with Lyon J. Turnbull continuing there into the twentieth century. 209 State St was owned and maintained by druggist, Ernest Steinhührer (1888-91). As the new educational requirements were enforced, Steinhührer earned his degree and operated as a pharmacist (1891-96). Apparently, Steinhüher retired passing ownership to Rudolph H. Keller operated the store (1896-1930s), however advertised as a druggist even though he did earn a Albany College of Pharmacy degree.

Henry A. Kertse started as a clerk at the age of 15 in Ernest Steinhührer's store (209 State St) until 1886. He decided to follow the profession permanently and earned his Ph.G. degree from the Albany School of Pharmacy, even though it was not required by law [11]. Edward L. Davis, was the druggist at 412 Union St (1888-89). During 1889, Kertse bought the business from Davis (who established it in 1882) [12]. Kertse appears to have been listed as the very first "pharmacist" in Schenectady. His original staff included three subordinates [13]. "In the old days we had to make everything ourselves." Pills, suppositories, infusions, and ointments were made on site. Most interestingly, herbs surpassed all other sales. Kertse eventually succumbed to public demand and offered ice cream sodas. And, a few years later he decided cease focusing on sales of sodas to concentrate on prescription sales [14] By 1960, the antique marble soda apparatus, "THE ARCTIC" still existed under the ownership of Erocle Conti [15]. Today, the building is an eatery, "Canvas, Corks, & Forks", where you can "paint, sip, and eat." 

Kertse's Pharmacy, early 1900s

 

Kertse's Pharmacy building, now Canvas, Corks, and Forks [16]

Arctic Freeze - many drink choices [17]

Kertse's Arctic Freeze soda fountain and Ercole Conti [18]

Eventually, the druggist business became available further up to 790 State St. Ownership turned over four times by the 20th century. First, was George Gertzen (1893-94); second, Roy Webber (1894-96); third, W.K. Wright & Co. (1896-98); and finally, Wells Pharmacy (1899 into the 1900s). Webber was also a graduate of the Albany School of Pharmacy [19].

Without doubt, Henry Kertse was the first licensed "pharmacist" in the city of Schenectady. Prior to his certification, two individuals practiced the dispensing of medicine with qualifications. As earlier mentioned, Andrew Truax and Andrew Veeder were medical doctors; implying they met or exceeded qualifications to "prescribe" medicine. To meet the needs of patients, the quest for more "pharmacists" rapidly increased before 1900.

From 1831 to 1900, there were 35 different druggists and pharmacists. Several druggists operated for one-to-two years. Others were either bought out or became partners of established businesses. Of these, 14 were named as of 1900 (dates of establishment in parenthesis based on City of Schenectady Directories 1841-1900):

• Duryee, George E. 423 State St (1878) 
• Duryee, Harry/Henry B. Jay corner of Franklin (1871-1893 at 191 State St)
• Horstmann Pharmacy, 128 Wall St (1890)
• Keller, R., 209 State St (1896)
• Kertse, H.A., 402 Union St (1889)
• Lyon, J. Trumbull, 335 State St (1891)
• Moore, H.S., 617 State St (1891)
• Netzchmann, J.R. 802 Hamilton St (1897)
• Rector, William, 454 State St (1884)
• Reynolds, C.F., 317 State St (1899)
• Sauter, William, 405 State St (1883-1887 at 211 State St)
• Sawyer, E.A., 267 State St (1899)
• Veeder, A.T. & Son, 261 State St (1883, note he was partner with Dr. Truax earlier)
• Wells' Pharmacy, 790 State St (1899) 

Druggist pioneers of the 1830s made way for growth of the pharmaceutical industry. During the 1830s, there were only three druggists. By the 1890s, 21 different druggists who operated their businesses in Schenectady. Below is a chart that shows the trend of stores peaked in the 1930s with 48 different drugstore operators. The chart does not take into consideration that several vendors operated at multiple locations.

Druggists by Decade [20]

As a postscript to the progression of druggists in history: I lived in Scotia for over 30 years. Memories are recalled about Seth Siskin (Seth's Drug Store on the corner of Fifth St and Vley Rd). Our family, as did many others in the neighborhood, walked to Seth's for our pharmaceutical needs; or stopped in on the way home. A smile and greeted by name, Seth took time not only to explain the medicines, but also asked how we were. Now, the building is a pizzeria.

Footnotes and citations:

1 The 22nd and 24th President of the United States. 
2 "History of PSSNY - Pharmacists Society of the State of New York", https://www.pssny.org/page/History/History-of-PSSNY.htm. 
3 "History of PSSNY - Pharmacists Society of the State of New York", https://www.pssny.org/page/History/History-of-PSSNY.htm.
4 Alonzo Paige Walton Collection, Schenectady County Historical Society.
5 "Daily Union", Schenectady, 2 August 1895.
6 Undated newspaper clipping, Schenectady Businesses Pharmacy file at SCHS.
7 SCHS Veeder 1800s family file.
8 "Daily Union", Schenectady, 2 August 1895.
9 "Samuel Hayden Sexton: 19th Century Schenectady Artist", 1970, by Ona Curran.
10 "The Globe", Schenectady Edition, Saturday 20 August 1900.
11 "Representative Business Men of Schenectady", 1893 indicated that he earned a Ph.G., Pharmacist. 
12 "Daily Union", 2 August 1895.
13 "Union Star", 1959.
14 "Schenectady Gazette", 25 June 1945.
15 "Schenectady Gazette", 28 January 1960.
16 Image from Google.com/maps.
17 "The Daily Gazette", Schenectady, 28 January 1960.
18 Ibid.
19 "Schenectady Daily Union" 2 August 1895.
20 Data is based on physical count of "druggist" business listed in City of Schenectady directories for years from 1841 to 1900; City of Schenectady directories 1900 to 1960 by decade; and, Schenectady city yellow pages 1961 to 2000 by decade.
 

Pharmacies around Schenectady

The peak of cold and flu season is fast approaching, and many of us are heading to our local pharmacy to stock up on medications, COVID tests, masks, and other essentials to get us through the season. Pharmacies are essential businesses in our communities and pharmacists have years of medical expertise to draw on when they help us decipher our prescriptions, recommend an OTC remedy, or administer vaccines. While the concept of creating and selling the remedies for what ails us can be traced back to medieval apothecaries, pharmacies as we know them today are only about 200 years old.

The SCHS Library recently received a donation of a pharmacy prescription book from Kerste’s Pharmacy. The donor asked us whether Kerste’s was “the oldest pharmacy in Schenectady” - a question that led us down a research rabbit-hole. Our answer to that question and other information that we found in our research will be compiled in a future blog post, but we wanted to take a moment to share some of the materials in the SCHS collections that relate to the history of pharmacies in our area.

Page from one of the Kerste's Pharmacy prescription books showing prescription notes pasted into a large ledger. Kerste's Pharmacy Records: ledgers of prescriptions processed through Kerste's Pharmacy,  1886, 1918, 1945.

Henry Kerste and two assistants mixing prescriptions in the pharmacy. Larry Hart Photo and Research Collection.

E. Steinfuhrer Drugs and Medicines. Southeast corner of Ferry and State Streets. Photo from the Grems-Doolittle Library Photo Collection.

Ad for Richard Fuller, Druggist and Apothecary from the Grems-Doolittle Library Clippings Collection, Pharmacies File.

Ad for William Sauter, Pharmacist, in the 1896 Schenectady City Directory from the City Directories Collection.

Learn more about the SCHS Library collections on our website, https://schenectadyhistorical.org/collections/, and our Guide to the History of Medicine in Schenectady County: https://schenectadyhistorical.org/wp-content/uploads/2010/07/History-of-Medicine-in-Schenectady-County-Research-Guide.pdf

The WGY Players

This post was written by Gail Denisoff, library volunteer, and originally appeared in the SCHS Newsletter, vol. 65, no. 4, 2021.

Today, a century after the first commercial radio station began broadcasting, over 80% of Americans ages 12 or older listen to the radio in a given week. It’s a technology that we may take for granted now, but the rapid development of radio technology and programming in the early 1920s led to significant changes in American culture and communication. According to Professor Tom Lewis of Skidmore College, “radio became the first modern mass medium, one that knew no geographic boundary, and excited the imagination and minds as well as the ears of listeners.” The act of tuning in to hear the latest news, the weekly antics of beloved characters, the current sports game, and the most popular music quickly became a standard ritual in the daily lives of Americans across every age, class, and race. It exposed millions to new entertainment, politics, culture, and information. General Electric, as a leader in technology and invention, was one of the companies pushing the envelope of what radio could and should do. The creation of the WGY Players, GE’s in-house radio acting troupe, was one such innovation.

Early performers at WGY (from the Grems-Doolittle Library Photo Collection)

In February of 1922 General Electric received its first broadcasting license for a new radio station to be located in Schenectady, NY. The debut broadcast took place on February 20th of that year. It began at 7:47pm with announcer and Program Director, Kolin Hager, welcoming listeners to station WGY, explaining the call letters signified W for wireless, G for General Electric and Y for the last letter of Schenectady. The broadcast, “furnished by some of the city’s best talent,” consisted of live music with announcements of song titles and lasted about an hour. The next broadcast was two days later and featured a speech about George Washington delivered by W.W. Tranch, the commander of Schenectady’s American Legion post, followed by a live concert.

 
With one of the strongest signals in the state, more than three times the power of other stations, WGY could be heard in at least a 500-mile radius. The broadcasts quickly became more sophisticated and innovative. Just three days after signing on, they presented a speech by Governor Nathan L. Miller from the Union College gymnasium followed by a short concert, becoming a pioneer in remote broadcasting. They also aired the Harvard-Yale football game live from New Haven, CT, the WGY String Orchestra live from the State Theater in Schenectady, the first live broadcast of a World Series game as well as many other remote presentations from GE scientists, explorers, and politicians during their first year.

Edward H. Smith, the director of “The Masque”, a community theater group from Troy, NY, suggested to Kolin Hager that the station carry weekly adaptations of plays. On August 3, 1922, “The Wolf”, directed by Smith and mainly using actors from his theater group, became the first full length melodrama ever produced for radio. Since there was no rigid schedule to follow, listeners heard the play in its entirety, about 2 hours, with the WGY orchestra performing between acts. The response was overwhelming; the station received over 2000 letters asking for more radio dramas. One letter, from Pittsfield, Massachusetts, claimed that the screams of the character “Hilda” were so real that a policeman on foot patrol hearing the program through an open window burst into the writer’s home to stop the “assault.”

 
By September, the WGY Players were formed, becoming the first dramatic radio troupe for radio, ultimately presenting 43 plays during the initial 1922-23 season. After the production of “The Wolf”, 40 minutes were allotted for these plays as it was thought unwise to dedicate an entire evening’s programming to a single play. Director Edward H. Smith worked to carefully edit full length plays to the required 40 minutes. They became such a popular feature that after the first eight plays the time limit was abandoned and many were performed in their original length. As more regular programming was introduced, the Schenectady GE Works News included the WGY weekly broadcast schedule in each issue. Detailed information including the names of the actors playing each character was included in the schedule.

Most of the WGY Players had professional theater backgrounds, but performing on radio was a new experience for everyone. When “microphone fright” was discovered, the microphone was covered by a lampshade. The actors initially wore costumes and stage make-up, thinking it would help them get into character, but that was soon abandoned as unnecessary. They became pioneers of radio sound effects, experimenting with many found objects to get the desired effect for radio. The actors carefully rehearsed their roles, but read from scripts during broadcasts to avoid missed cues and forgotten lines.

Dr. Francis Norton, GE Research Laboratory, and Neil B. Reynolds presenting a radio broadcast on experiments in sound, 1937. (Photo from the Grems-Doolittle Library Photo Collection).

 
The WGY Players served as a springboard for talented actors in the early stages of their careers, such as Lola Sommers. Sommers, an orphan from Hoosick Falls, started her career as a Vaudeville dancer and stage actress, and supplemented her acting income by working as a maid in Schenectady. She became a household name and a Capital District celebrity as one of WGY’s first leading ladies. Several successful and celebrity radio performers and personalities started their careers with The WGY Players. Rosaline Greene, for example, started her career in radio when she auditioned for The WGY Players during her sophomore year of college. After three years with WGY, Greene went on to win a ‘perfect voice’ competition at the 1926 Radio World’s Fair, perform in numerous radio plays, and host regular programs for CBS during the Golden Age of Radio. Stars of stage, opera, and concert halls, intrigued by the novelty of radio, considered it an adventure to come to Schenectady to be part of a broadcast.

By December of 1922, WGY became part of the first radio “network” linking it to stations in New York City and Washington DC who were able to listen in to The WGY Players. Eventually that network expanded, and one night each week listeners across the country tuned in to hear Kolin Hager announce: “Station WGY, General Electric Company, Schenectady, New York. Our program for this evening will consist of the drama/comedy —,” followed by the title of the play.

The WGY Players staged both dramas and comedies. Some of their early broadcasts, in addition to “The Wolf” included such plays as:” “The Garden of Allah,” “Way Down East,” “Are You a Mason?” “Within the Law,” “Under Cover,” “Bought and Paid For,” “The Witching Hour,” “The Man from Home,” “The Sign of the Cross” and “Miss Lulu Bett.”  The light operas, “H.M.S. Pinafore,” “The Mikado” and others were also performed with the WGY orchestra and singers joining the productions. Actors in leading roles were paid, usually $5.00 to $7.50 a week. Actors in lesser roles received no pay, although they may have experienced the thrill of stardom when a limousine and chauffeur brought them to the station.

On November 6, 1922, The WGY players presented their twelfth play of the first season, “The Sign of the Four,” a Sherlock Holmes mystery by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle. Edward W. Smith performed the role of Holmes and F.H. Oliver, who usually did sound effects, played Dr. Watson. What makes this particular performance interesting is that the famous Sherlock Holmes actor, William Gillette, has often been cited as the first actor to portray Holmes on the radio in “The Speckled Band” on October 20, 1930. However, this distinction actually goes to Edward H. Smith for his 1922 performance, although Gillette can still be credited as the first to perform Holmes in a radio network series.

Since many of the actors came from the professional ranks, they usually left Schenectady to perform in summer stock theaters from July through September. In order to continue the radio dramas, the Schenectady GE Works News encouraged workers to try out for the “WGY Student Players”. Many applicants, eager to make their radio debut, came forward and Edward W. Smith was kept busy interviewing prospective thespians. A group was selected, most employees of General Electric, and “has given some very credible performances during the summer season… which was demonstrated by the many complimentary letters received by WGY during their run” according to the Works News. Several of these players were also selected to augment the regular player group when they returned. 

The WGY Players performed many of the popular dramas and comedies of the day. By their second season, they were looking for new material. An article in the October 1923 GE Monogram, a nationwide GE publication, advertised a contest to be held “for the best play written for the specific purpose of being broadcast in Schenectady by the WGY Players.” The first-place prize was $500 (over $7700 in today’s dollars) and having the play produced over the WGY airwaves. According to the rules for the contest, the plays should be 1.5 hours in lengths and “plots must be clean with no attempt at questionable situations… No ‘sex dramas’ will be considered.” Over one hundred plays were submitted and, according to Kolin Hager, only one produced with disappointing results. 

The WGY Players perform the radio play "Danger" circa 1924 (Photo from miSci)

 

Radio dramas were soon being broadcast by many stations around the country. The WGY Players as well as groups in other cities could be heard through radio networks from coast to coast. In the late 1920s, WGY added the WGY Matinee Players that performed a weekly daytime radio drama in addition to the evening plays. Later, plays for children were introduced. By the 1930s, daily radio dramas, eventually referred to as “soap operas,” were being broadcast from New York City and quickly became very popular. Network shows for children such as “Little Orphan Annie” and weekly scripted comedy and drama programs written specifically for radio were mainstays in American households.

 
The WGY Players were also were responsible for the earliest known attempt at a television drama in the country. A production of “The Queen’s Messenger” was presented with the Baird/Jenkins mechanical TV process in 1928. As television gained popularity, radio dramas slowly declined. The WGY Players performed into the 1940s with a weekly show called “The FBI in Action” and continued to provide radio dramas on a limited basis as late as 1956. 

In their early years, no other actors had as large an audience as The WGY Players. It was estimated up to a million people tuned in around the country to listen to their productions. Thanks to the vision of Edward H. Smith and Kolin Hager, WGY in Schenectady became the true birthplace of the radio drama as well as the first “network” dramatic programs.

References:
Barnouw, Erik, A History of Broadcasting in the United States: Volume 1: A Tower in Babel, Oxford University Press, 1966.
“Forty Years of Radio Broadcasting Leadership,” WGY 40th Anniversary 1922-1962. Booklet
Huntly, Charles H., “Plays by Radio,” The Drama, Nov. 1923, pg.52-53.
Huntly, Charles H., “When All the Air’s a Stage,” The Wireless Age, May 1923, pg. 27-28.
King, R.R., “The Adventure of Sherlock Holmes and the 1920’s Radio Drama,” Radio Recall, June 2008.
McLeod, Elizabeth, “The WGY Players and the Birth of Radio Drama,” The Radio Historian.
Schenectady GE Works News, various issues 1923-1929.
WGY (AM), Wikipedia.
WGY 25th Anniversary, 1922-1947. Booklet
Lewis, Tom. “‘A Godlike Presence’: The Impact of Radio on the 1920s and 1930s.” OAH Magazine of History, vol. 6, no. 4, 1992, pp. 26–33. JSTOR, www.jstor.org/stable/25154082. Accessed 26 Aug. 2021.
Lewis, Tom. Empire of the Air: The Men Who Made Radio, Harper Collins, 1991.
Becque, Fran. “Rosaline Greene, Alpha Epsilon Phi, #NotableSororityWoman, #WHM2021” Fraternity History and More, March 29, 2021. https://www.franbecque.com/rosaline-greene-alpha-epsilon-phi-notablesororitywoman-whm2021/

Boot and Shoemakers in Schenectady

 This post was written by library volunteer Susan Cromer.

In November of 1852, a new firm named Van Epps & Poland opened up their shop at 113 State Street in Schenectady, New York. Their business was boot and shoemaking (sales and manufacturing). They opened after purchasing the stock of Wolf and DeForest (former proprietors of 113 State St.). Andrew C. Van Epps and William V. Poland joined many other boot and shoemakers in Schenectady as this lucrative business was quickly becoming one of the most profitable in the state. The 1859 Schenectady Business Directory lists fourteen boot and shoe manufacturers in the State Street area of the city. In some directories, Van Epps & Poland is listed as manufacturers and in others as sellers of boots and shoes, leading us to believe that they were both. The new business advertised inexpensive ready-made as well as custom-made footwear using quality materials and prompt delivery. The partnership of Van Epps & Poland dissolved in February of 1856. Both the creation and the dissolution of the firm were advertised in local newspapers. Van Epps continued the business for the remainder of his life. 

Newspaper announcement of the new firm Van Eps and Poland, 1852

We can view Van Epps and Poland as an example nineteenth century business thanks to a recent donation of papers to the Grems Doolittle Library. This small collection of papers turned out to be a treasure trove of information about the business of boot and shoe making in upstate New York although it covers only a snippet of time (1852 – 1855). The collection was donated by a Stockade homeowner who found them in the attic of her newly-purchased home. The neatly-folded papers (which turned out to be receipts, invoices, and orders) were bound together with a leather band. Rather than throw them away, the homeowner (luckily for us) donated them to the library. The majority of the papers indicate items ordered, received, and billed by various large suppliers in Albany and New York City. A gas bill from Schenectady Gas Works (Jan.1, 1855 – Feb. 1, 1855) gives us another view of the small business ($3.80 for the month!). Also included are a few more personal letters addressing order mix-ups, requests for payment, and late shipments which describe issues typical of running a small business.

The manufacturing portion of the firm is well-documented with many receipts and orders dated between 1852 through 1855. Van Epps and Poland purchased boot and shoemaking materials from several different firms in Albany and New York City. Many of their purchases were from three vendors in Albany: Samuel Gross, Jared Holt Leather and Findings, and G.A. Woolverton. A bill of sale dated December 7, 1852 from Anable and Smith (Leather, Oil, Finding, and Wool Store, Albany, N.Y.) records the sale of 2 dozen men’s cork soles for $3.50. On December 24, 1853, a sale of 4 ½ dozen calfskins for $102.19 was recorded. Various animal skins, leather, soles, and nails were frequently ordered as were decorative items such as braiding and ribbons. A letter from a supplier indicates that he has lambskins for sale but that the order should be placed “by return mail as they go off very fast” and he may not be able to supply everyone.

Van Epps and Poland also purchased ready-made footwear from several vendors. For example, a bill of sale dated January 5, 1854 from G.A. Woolverton and Co. (Manufacturers and Wholesale Dealers in Boots, Shoes and Rubbers, Albany, N.Y.) records that Van Epps and Poland purchased 25 pairs of women’s rubbers at 55 cents per pair for a total of $13.75. The same bill indicates the sale of 12 pairs of men’s sandals at 85 cents per pair for a total of $40.20. The number of orders indicates that Woolverton was a major supplier of boots, slippers, gaiters, shoes, and rubbers for Van Epps and Poland. While they purchased mostly from firms in Albany, one order for a dozen “silk fox gaiters” (at $1.10 each) came from A. Bragg and Co. in New York City. 

Newspaper announcement for the dissolution of the Van Epps and Poland partnership, 1856

 

The name of William V. Poland disappears from the business in 1856 when the partnership with Van Epps was dissolved. He is listed in the 1850 U.S Federal Census where his date of birth is “abt” 1817. He likely died close to 1865 because his wife, Eliza (Lake), is first referred to as a widow in the Schenectady City Directory of 1865. Schenectady census and earlier city directories show that Poland lived with his wife, Eliza, and daughter, Anna, at 104 Romeyn St., Schenectady. Records indicate that at some point, William V. Poland refers to himself as Vedder Poland (perhaps the “V.” in William V.). He is first listed as Vedder Poland, shoemaker, in a Schenectady Directory from 1860 and in other directories until 1865. We have few business records of William V. Poland after the dissolution, although there are several directory references to him as a shoemaker (mentioned above). There are no references to a new place of business with the possible exception of a mention of Vedder Poland, Shoemaker, at 85 Union St. in the 1862-1863 Schenectady City Directory. Since many boot and shoemakers were itinerant at this time, it is possible that Poland did not have a storefront but, instead, traveled with his work. 

Records for Andrew C. Van Epps (August 6, 1817 – March 20, 1899) are more numerous. His surname is variously spelled with one “p” or two. The Van Epps were a prominent Dutch family in New York State and thus church and various other records contain dates of his life events. Andrew joined another prominent local family when he married Catarina Peek in 1840. His death at 82 is recorded in Bible records and his place of burial (in a family plot in Glenville) is also recorded. After the dissolution of the firm in 1856, Van Epps continued as owner until at least 1897 under various names including “Van Epps, Andrew C. Manufacturer and Dealer in Boots and Shoes.” It is interesting that in the later directories, the place of business is listed in various locations, mostly on State St. but also on So. Ferry St. In the Schenectady Directory of 1882, E. J. Van Epps joined the business which was now located at 161 State St. Geneological records indicate that Andrew C. had a son named Edward James so it is probable that this son joined the business for a short time. A business listing is missing from an 1885 City Directory but reappears in 1886 under only Andrew (E.J. does not appear). The business listed under AC Van Epps continues to appear until 1897, two years before Andrew’s death.

City Directory Ad for A.C. & E.J. Van Epps Boots and Shoes

 

Van Epps and Poland (and other boot and shoemakers) conducted business during a pivotal time in their industry. In the mid-nineteenth century, shoemaking was listed as America’s second largest industry after agriculture. A sewing machine had been invented by Elias Howe in Massachusetts in 1848. While it would be a few years before machines were invented that could sew leather uppers together and attach them to soles, these inventions would revolutionize the shoemaking process which had had previously been done completely by hand. This invention also led to the development of shoemaking factories which replaced many (but not all) small shoemaker shops. Labor was done by “teams” or “gangs,” each of which had a particular task such attaching soles or polishing uppers. Mass-produced shoes became more popular. In the later half of the nineteenth century, Van Epps conducted business at several addresses (mostly on State St.) and it is possible that he was dividing up the shoemaking tasks to be performed at his various locations to make use of these new technologies and processes.

 

From Crescent Park to Veterans Park: An Evolving Story

 This post was written by library volunteer Diane Leone.

One of the gems in downtown Schenectady is Veterans Park, that small oasis on State Street between Lafayette Street and Veeder Avenue that was once called Crescent Park.

In 1857, when the Schenectady Common Council decided to create a park, the Weekly Reflector envisioned the proposed space as “a delightful breathing spot at the head of the city.” (1) Unfortunately, the onset of the Civil War led to a delay in its completion. When work resumed after the war, the builders had to tackle the terrain, which included a gully with a small stream that emptied into Cowhorn Creek, dwindling as it flowed down toward Lafayette Street. The plan required the gully to be filled, anchored with trees and grass, and later enhanced with benches and other park features, including walking paths, lampposts, and shade trees, primarily maples and elms. 

The park was located on what is currently State Street, bordered on the east by Veeder Avenue and on the west by Lafayette Street. At that time State Street was the state turnpike, connecting Albany and Schenectady and serving as the primary route for wagons and carriages that plied the roads. Creating the park meant setting aside what came to look like a parcel of land bordered by Albany Turnpike on the north side and a road running into Albany Street on the south side. Some adjacent landowners, whose names are listed on the map below, donated parts of their property to facilitate creation of the park. 

The source of the park’s original name is unclear. One story posits that Robert Furman, a well-to-do merchant instrumental in the creation of the park, proposed the name of Crescent Park because the park had a half-moon shape, although the drawing below reveals an irregular oval. In any event, the thoroughfares noted above were supposed to be named North and South Crescent Streets, although that never occurred. 

Map of Crescent Park and surrounding area. Property owners of adjacent land identified. Surveyed April 4th 1863. Grems-Doolittle Library Map Collection.

Within a few years after the Civil War ended, the public wanted to have a monument honoring all of the county’s veterans. A committee was formed to create the design, and a fair helped defray the cost of the project, which ultimately came to $4,000. The Soldiers and Sailors Monument was dedicated on July 15, 1875, to great fanfare, including a parade of Civil War veterans on State Street, with music provided by an army band.

Situated at the end of the park at Lafayette Street, this first monument was quite impressive. Facing west, where the majority of the city’s population resided, the memorial stood 24 feet high, including a 6-foot high Civil War soldier “standing at parade rest with his army rifle.”(2) The four sides commemorate four major Civil War campaigns: Gettysburg, Wilderness, Antietam and Sherman’s March to the Sea. The inscription on the base recognizing the March to the Sea reads, “In memory of the soldiers & sailors from Schenectady County who aided in the suppression of the Great Rebellion of 1861-5."

Civil War Monument in Crescent Park, undated. Grems-Doolittle Library Photo Collection.

 

Another early park feature was a three-tiered cast iron fountain, 12 feet in diameter, at the top of which was a water nymph spouting water that was continuously recirculated by hydraulic pressure. The fountain was enclosed by a low granite wall. During the warm weather, it served to cool visitors, who often dipped their feet into the pool at its base.

The bandstand was a centerpiece of the park. Built by 1880, it was constructed of wood, painted green, encircled by a wrought iron railing, and supported by pillars was a rust-colored canopy. Used for concerts, as well as political and social gatherings, it soon became the venue for weekly performances by Rivette’s Silver Cornet Band, named for a local music professor who played lead cornet in the ensemble. In his newspaper column, historian Larry Hart commented on the growing importance of the park, which became a center for a wide variety of public events in this forward-looking city with a growing population and industrial base: “Indeed, Crescent Park became closely associated with a feeling of community pride which swept through the city after the 1880s.”(3)

View of the Crescent Park Fountain, 1911. Original bandstand in background. Wayne Tucker Postcard Collection, Grems-Doolittle Library.

The early years of the twentieth century saw the addition of the bust of a deceased president, as well as a drinking fountain. In 1902, only a year after President McKinley’s assassination, the Italian American community donated a granite bust of the late president, which was dedicated on Memorial Day that year. Unfortunately, it vanished about two decades later, never to be found. Some attributed its disappearance to a Union College prank, but there was no evidence to support that accusation. A granite drinking fountain was added in 1904, courtesy of the Women’s Christian Temperance Union, which gifted fountains to many American cities in the promotion of an alcohol-free life. According to a 1983 article by Larry Hart, it had not been working for about two decades.

Drinking Fountain, donated by the Women’s Christian Temperance Union. Photo taken August 2023 by author.

Less than a decade later, the city council decided to install a more modern bandstand to replace the wooden one mentioned above, which was razed in 1912. The new brick structure, twice as large as the earlier version, was an octagon, with eight wood columns and a railing made of wrought iron. It was topped by a corrugated metal tile roof. The brick base housed restrooms for park users. The bandstand had a high price tag for the time: $17,000. The cost, as well as nostalgia for the old bandstand, led some to call it “Lunn’s Folly”—after Mayor George R. Lunn. Until the end of World War I, the new structure was popular as the site for Salvation Army Band concerts. During the war, the organization used it for open air meetings. It also served as a canteen for military personnel. Its use dropped off sharply during the post-war period.

View of Crescent Park Memorial and New Bandstand, ca. 1920. Bandstand on the right, World War I memorial in left foreground and the original fountain in the center. Wayne Tucker Postcard Collection, Grems-Doolittle Library.

Following the First World War, then known as the Great War, a stone memorial was added to the park, dedicated to those in Schenectady’s 27^th Division who gave their lives during the conflict. It is shown in the postcard photo below, in the left foreground. Above the list of heroes is an engraving that reads:

"Be it our task to save

In memory of the life you gave

Those rights for which 

Your blood was shed."

Crescent Park Rally, circa 1915. Grems-Doolittle Library Photo Collection.

As the city changed in the early decades of the twentieth century, Crescent Park was changed as well. With urban growth, its acreage began to shrink. New buildings, including a new fire station on State Street, the county jail on Veeder Avenue, and the courthouse adjacent to the firehouse, meant more traffic. The city needed to accommodate these added vehicles, including larger trolley cars, which ran on both the north and south sides of the park. As a result, the park edges were redrawn to make room for wider streets. In addition, post-World War I inventions such as the automobile, radio and motion pictures, in combination with the accessibility of the newly built Central Park, opened up new recreational opportunities, so that by the 1930s the popularity of Crescent Park was beginning to wane.

The park shrank further in size after World War II. Once again, the need for wider streets led to shaving several feet off the edges of the park, so that over the years it came to resemble a footprint rather than an oval. The surrounding area was transformed as well. The trolley tracks were dug up and new asphalt streets were laid. The State Street Armory just above the park near Nott Terrace was razed in 1947; it is now Pulaski Plaza. Other buildings erected earlier in the century were also demolished for new construction.

The year 1948 was a particularly notable one. Over ninety years after the park’s creation, legislation was proposed—and enacted in 1950—to change its name to Veterans Memorial Park to commemorate all Schenectady County veterans, both living and deceased. The American Locomotive Company (ALCO) donated a 110-foot high flagpole with a flag measuring 12 by 18 feet, placed at the lower end of the park near Lafayette Street, celebrating the company’s centennial and honoring all those from Schenectady who died for their country. The deteriorating bandstand, having become a gathering place for vagrants, was razed and replaced with a round flower bed. Lastly, a new, more modern fountain replaced the original wrought iron one. Forty feet in circumference, it was named the Charles Steinmetz Memorial Fountain. At its dedication on July 14, 1948, floodlights were triggered by Steinmetz’s recorded voice. With the press of a button by the mayor, water poured forth from the many spouts. As an article in the Schenectady Union Star described it, “A dome of water is created by the 12 spouts around the edge of the fountain, while the center jet sends its stream 25 feet into the [air]. Ten different colors are thrown in succession on the spray by the floodlight system, which repeats its cycle every minute." (4)

Steinmetz Memorial Fountain, August 9, 1948.  Photo from miSci - Museum of Innovation and Science.

Another veterans’ memorial, underwritten by the county, was dedicated on Veterans Day in 1960. The plaque on the granite monument, which includes a raised speaker’s platform with side benches, recognizes the service of county residents who served in all wars with these words: “Dedicated to the men and women of Schenectady County who have faithfully served their country in time of national danger.” 

This memorial is “Dedicated to the men and women of Schenectady County who have faithfully served their country in time of national danger”. Photo taken August 2023 by author.

One of the newer monuments sparked some controversy. In 1981 the city erected a memorial recognizing the sacrifice made by those who died in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. An agreement was made with the headstone maker to include one black man among the six figures represented. It was a black soldier, James Pittman, who was the first Schenectady resident to pay the ultimate price in Vietnam. Unfortunately, upon the project’s completion, the figures represented were all white. Willis Sanders, once president of the Schenectady NAACP, in conjunction with the city, forced the contractor to honor the agreement. The figures were redone with a black soldier, as shown below. 

Figures on the memorial to those who died in the Korean and Vietnam conflicts. Photo taken August 2023 by author.

Around the same time, an unexpected problem with the Civil War monument led to an interesting find. The cornerstone, originally laid in 1874, had pulled away from the foundation. The city had it opened and discovered that the contents of the enclosed metal memory box had gotten damp. It was replaced with a new plastic box, and the contents updated with additional, more current artifacts. Larry Hart, then Schenectady City/County Historian, in a letter to “those who come after us,“ expressed this sentiment:

We hope that when there should come a time when this cornerstone must be removed for whatever reason, those who inspect its contents as we have this past week will appreciate what changes are wrought in the mere passage of time. We who today consider ourselves in a fast-moving and inventive age—with space explorations, nuclear research, jet planes, television orbital stations, etc.—might well be looked upon in years to come as those who lived in the twilight of the primitive 20^th century, when life was slow and easy. This is exactly how we today look back upon the mid-19^th Century. (5)

Honoring World War II veterans is a small monument, possibly installed in 1992, and dedicated to the 2^nd Battalion, 105^th Infantry Regiment of the 27^th Infantry Division, who, as the inscription reads, “Served in defense of the Hawaiian Islands,” and took part in hard-fought battles on several islands, wresting them from Japanese control.

Memorial for the 2^nd Battalion, 105^th Infantry Regiment of the 27^h Infantry Division. Photograph taken August 2023 by author.

In recent years, additional monuments have made their appearance. The year 2009 saw the unveiling of a memorial sponsored by the Schenectady Chapter of the Military Order of the Purple Heart and “Dedicated to those who shed their blood in defense of our country.” The striking rectangular shaped monument bears a carving of the medal and an inscription: “My stone is red for the blood they shed. The medal I bear is my country’s way to show they care. If I could be seen by all mankind maybe peace will come in my lifetime."

Purple Heart Memorial. Photograph taken August 2023 by author

Another monument, originally proposed by the Schenectady County Council of Veterans and the American Gold Star Mothers, was completed over a period of several years, beginning in 2006. Reminiscent of the Vietnam Memorial in Washington, DC, the large memorial consists of two separate walls, one on the north side and the other on the south side of the park. Each is composed of two back-to-back polished black granite panels, framed by brick columns. On their surfaces are engraved the names of Schenectady County service members, both living and deceased, who received an honorable discharge. The emblems of the Army, Navy, Air Force, Marines and Coast Guard are engraved above the names. Names can be added for a fee put to the monument’s upkeep.

Memorial dedicated to Schenectady County residents who served in the military. Photograph taken August 2023 by author.

Over the years, government officials, as well as local residents, have recognized the need for park maintenance and initiated projects to improve it, with the assistance of dedicated volunteers. With many parks to manage, however, the city’s resources are limited, resulting in challenges to the park’s upkeep. Still, Veterans Park is a valued green space in the heart of downtown that offers people a chance to appreciate the sacrifices of those who served.

Works Cited:

1) Larry Hart, "Robert Furman's Many Achievements Remembered," Daily Gazette, January 10, 2000, B-02.

2)  Larry Hart, "85 Years Ago: 1st Monument Day," Schenectady Union-Star, November 8, 1960.

3)  Larry Hart, "Crescent Park a Symbol of Community Pride," Schenectady Union-Star, January 24, 1961.

4)  Norman Mackie, "3,000 at Steinmetz Fountain Dedication," Schenectady Union-Star, September 15, 1948.

5)  Larry Hart, Schenectady City/County Historian To those who come after us, April 8, 1981, Grems Doolittle Library, Schenectady County Historical Society, Schenectady, NY

Complete bibliography