Summer Fun in Schenectady's History

Swimming revelers play at "Tempting Father Neptune" in the Mohawk River in this photo circa 1910. Image from Larry Hart Collection. 

Summer is here! Celebrate the season with these photographs of summertimes of yesteryear in Schenectady. They are best enjoyed with an ice-cold glass of lemonade, a slice of watermelon, and a breeze coming through a window screen.

Interested in learning more about Schenectady County's past in photographs? Visit our Library or contact our Librarian.

Schenectadians congregate in Blesser's Grove, a park which once existed at Albany Street, near where Notre Dame-Bishop Gibbons School now stands. Image from Grems-Doolittle Library Photograph Collection. 

Children swim in Schenectady's Central Park in this photo taken during the 1920s. Image from Larry Hart Collection. 

This 1899 photo depicts golfers on the Mohawk Club golf course. Incidentally, the man putting is Willis T. Hanson, Jr., who would later author the book History of Schenectady During the Revolution. His father, Willis T. Hanson, Sr., best known as the promoter of Dr. Williams' Pink Pills for Pale People, stands at right. Image from Larry Hart Collection. 

Enjoying a picnic lunch along the banks of the Mohawk River, ca. 1905. Notice the boat pulled up to the bank at left. Image from Larry Hart Collection. 

Swimmers frolic at the Grout Park pool in Schenectady in this July 1941 photograph. Image from Grems-Doolittle Library Photograph Collection. 

Spectators watch as two children have a footrace in Central Park in 1909 during a picnic outing. Image from Larry Hart Collection. 

Swimmers pose in caps and suits in front of the Mohawk Swimming School building in Glenotia Park, ca. 1915. The Mohawk Swimming School operated out of Glenotia Park from 1912 to about 1928. The park was located on the island off the Scotia shore alongside the Glen Sanders Mansion. The 10-acre park began to be developed in 1907 and also included a picnic area, baseball diamond, and a pavilion for dances. Image from Larry Hart Collection. 

Crowds gather in Crescent Park (now Veterans Park) for a celebration following a July 4th parade on State Street in 1880. Image from Grems-Doolittle Library Photograph Collection. 

A family enjoys a picnic meal during a car camping trip in July of 1927. Image from Larry Hart Collection. 

Children play in the old fountain in Crescent Park (now Veterans Park) in Schenectady in 1946. Image from Larry Hart Collection.