Schodack NY Kunicki Pond

I like the mystery of discovering the past by piecing together what is left behind. Such is my status as a "Pot Finder" archeologist. Sometimes it is the geography of an area that also leaves behind clues. Such is the case of an all most lost location , Kunicki Pond. This pond was located on an older town map circa late 50's early 60's. It is located off Graw Rd on the southern part of the town near the Columbia County border. It seems to have disappeared during the intervening yrs. No one has heard of the pond and I have not seen it on more recent maps, can't find it on Google mapping. What happaned to it ?
If one travels this rather isolated road there are hay fields , old barn foundations and a few homes. The road itself is about a mile and a half long and ends with the connecting Dingman Road. The road travels up a hill and at the top of the hill is a house set off near a wooded ridgeline hill . This house was built by a Theodore "Ted" Kunicki where an older home once stood. The remainders of the Kunicki family is where I gain the information that began to solve the puzzle. The land was purchased from a Mr. Payne during the fifties. The original home on that property and the newer one was built over a spring. The excess water was channeled down the hill by a clay pipe. Mr. Payne desired what was called in older days a swimming hole for his kids etc. He had a pond dug out at the bottom of the ridgeline. It was not created for cattle though was used by deer and other animals and have seen reports of a higher deer population in that area. I explored this area and found what I would describe as remnants of a larger pond. I found pieces of clay pipe and old nails with my metal detector. The pond area has over the yrs filled in. Leaves , dirt , much less water has caused only a slight wet land area to survive.
So when the map maker named the pond area he named it after the owners of the property at the time. Oddly Graw Rd was known by locals as Kunicki Rd. How it ended up with the name Graw I do not know. Mrs Lillian Kunicki a former Town of Schodack official still lives on Graw Rd on property further up the road. Ted Kunicki was a successful Housing Developer in the area.

Farmers Landfills in Schodack NY 12033

This past summer I have excavated 4 landfill type areas in the Town of Schodack N.Y.. Following are a summation of my findings and various thoughts I have on them. Schodack NY was a small industrial and farming community located in the southern region of Rennselear County bordered by the Hudson River to the Columbia County to the south the foothills of the Berkshires to the east. There is still some farming and small time manufacturing. What it has become since the 1960's is much more of a suburb of the Albany & Troy areas. What it was in previous days was a fairly sleepy semi isolated small town.
It was not an uncommon part of farming or rural living in past days before large waste disposal companies and Town landfills for people to create their own. Using their own property in a secluded section to dispose of no longer useful items. Getting permission to search such areas of property now is of course not easy. Who wants a dump discovered on their land. Anger or strange looks are not uncommon. I managed by hook and crook to gain some entrance to areas. I shall not reveal exact locations.

1. Funk Road Area
2. Graw Road Area
3. Green Avenue Area
4. South Schodack Area near Columbia County Border

First of all old tires , Atlas , Firestone , Montgomery Ward etc. Large old tractor tires were not uncommon. They always are at the top of a landfill or dump. The lack of tread shows that they were used as long as was possible. A favorite find was old junked cars. I came upon an old Nash from circa 1956. severely rusted body and frame in the Green ave site. In another was 3 old Ramblers used as parts cars. At the Rambler site was also an old IH truck circa 1958. The odometer read 267,000 on the IH truck. IH stands for international harvester. Buried on the Rambler site found by metal detector was an old tractor engine. I am told by property owner that engine was from a Furguson tractor circa 1953. My digging revealed many fascinating items , atleast to me. Many old Montgomery Ward items such as 1 gallon oil cans , tools , kitchen items . washing machines etc. This is not surprising. In Menands , NY there was a large 3 or 4 story bld that was all a Montgomery Ward Department store. This was a mega store for the time and served a large geographic area. This brand name usually meant that I had dug to the early fifties or sixties. Now glass items were usually broken , one metal and glass item I discovered puzzled me. After searching and asking I believe was an old sediment bowl used in cars and tractors before the wide use of gas filtration devices, It tended to allow sediment in gasoline to settle in bottom of bowl before it reached the carberator. It would be cleaned out often. I believe it also allowed for air to mix with the fuel as well. I found 3 toys one remnant was a toy blimp which I believe I can date to atleast the 1940's. In the Graw road area I found several old gears most likely from old farm equipment. Remnants of an old hay combine lay nearby so the gears may have come from that type of equipment.
My major conclusion is simple. This was a frugal life lead by these people. Items were used for as long as they could be or were broken beyond repair. Occasionally , items became obsolete such as an old wringer washing machine circa 1930's. I have reason to believe it was used well into the 1950's. Tire tread was at the minimum in many tires found. People fixed what was broken when possible , hence , the use of parts cars for instance. Use old cars to keep one car going. This was not a disposable community for the most part. Through good times and bad one was careful of money spent and what one had.

Beer Archeology Schlitz and other brands

Having done many a dig and finding a wide variety of stuff over the years it dawned on me recently that I have struck more than a few old beer cans and bottles. Bud , Genny , Iron City . Miller etc. It can making dating an area a little easier because I essentially know when the light beer trend began....gabblingers was I believe the first lite beer circa 1968. A beer that was once popular can disappear rather rapidly as taste change. One example is Ballentine Beer and Ale. Once popular in the 40's 50's etc then disappeared from the landfill record circa 1963 or so. Another such an item is Schlitz....known to many from that era as the beer that made Milwaukee famous. Established in 1849 it was perhaps the most popular beer in America for appx 50 yrs. I have found remnants of Schlitz beer cans and bottles going atleast into the 40's. Found perhaps the most Schlitz than any other. I even remember the decline and fall of the Schlitz Empire. It began around circa 1972. The company for some bizarre production reason changed their brewing method perhaps to produce more, cheaper is an often quoted reason. That along with a bungled ad campaign sent Schlitz tumbling.....people left in droves. One of the icon products of the 20th Century ended up being sold off and production ceased somewhere in the mid to late 70's I believe. I have noticed this rapid end in the landfill record. Bud & Miller became even more of a mainstay. Then I noticed early 80's a change of trend....Lowenbrau , Molson , Heineken became a a cast off item. The beginning of the small designer beers were on their way.
As sort of post script I can report that Pabst who owns the Schlitz name is making an attempt to restart that old label. Just to demonstrate how quickly things can become lost in time that had to piece the formula together from old brewery notes and interviews with retired brew masters. It is mainly restarting in the midwest but is brewed in the eastern half of the nation. You can buy it in the 11001 area code. Sometimes the senses can be a form of archeology as well. Recently had one......Brought back memories.....the taste that ancestors knew and enjoyed going back to the 19th Century. Revived from the ashes and landfills and the memories of old brew masters from the past.

Maple Hill High School 1970 ...The Great Soccer Challenge

As I look out over many a playing field the single biggest change since my playing days is simply the fact that females so often dominate the softball and soccer fields of today. It was of course not always so....there was a time when women 's sports were down the list......Men's basketball , soccer baseball , football followed by anything men wanted to do was the norm. The ladies had field hockey within the school.....but little of that.
On a recent trip I stopped by MHHS. As I walked the track my mind traveled back to the school back then. It has not changed that much. The field hockey goals are gone , the ball diamond looks slightly overgrown. The soccer field looks much the same , of course there is now a track around the edge. There was in the senior class a movement to give women a more prominate role in activities. A great plot was hatched in the sports area. The senior girls vs the senior boys in a Thursday afternoon game with the school invited. After much cajoling the match was set. The mens captain was one Ronald P. Kunicki.......womens captain Elizabeth Eckert who's father at the time was on the school board , which was a great help in the OK being given for this game. I was the goalie.
Much of the school turned out.....classes let out early.....a fairly good size event for that time. I wish I could tell you a great sports upset story but alas men 8 women 0. They held us well into the second quarter even a couple of shots on goal but eventually the men won.
The point was however made that spring afternoon. Sports on the High School and College level were soon about to change. All of my three daughters played soccer in High School. School budgets formed along new laws and guidelines. But there was that moment when many yrs ago a game was played to send a signal that things would not stay the same for much longer.

Blimps Along the Hudson with Jets and Sonic Booms

The other day I heard a low rumble off in the distance. Looked up and spotted The Goodyear Blimp passing nearby. Their hanger is located in Long Island. It is much more of a unique sight than it used to be. Blimps regularly patrolled the Hudson River channel into the early 60's. Stationed out of Albany and I believe Lakehurst NJ. On a quiet day you could hear their low engine rumble as they slowly passes by. The Navy I am told used their blimps to patrol for Subs in the fifties in the Atlantic region. Living in Schodack area the opportunity to see blimps was common. It was part of life to be along flight paths from Albany County Airport. Propeller aircraft from TWA , PanAm , Mohawk Airlines flying the river route to NY and Philly etc. The planes flew lower in those days and it was easy to spot their logos on the tail wind. It was also not uncommon to see low flying military aircraft B52's etc fly directly over the village of Castleton and parts of Schodack. Showing the tax payers what they payed for. As a child I remember this well , the Communist scare was alive and well then. Bomb drills in elementary school , fallout shelters ect, A sound my children have never heard I believe is a sonic boom. Trust me , not an uncommon sound back then. When the sound barrier is passed in a rapid speed the boom can be heard for hundreds of miles in many cases. You could be in class and a sudden boom with window shaking was an accepted part of life then. The rapid move from the propeller to the jet engine was rapidly underway......from a blimp on patrol to Atomic bombers. You could see it all if you looked up from my home town back then.

This is London

My recent trip to G.B. was enjoyable....saw some of the usual sites...Windsor Castle ....Big Ben ... Abbey Road...Hyde Park etc. My most enjoyable time was spent in the House Of Common and Lords. My Daughters friend was doing an internship there so we got a personal tour. Commons is only about the size of 3 and one half American living rooms Looks much bigger on TV. Local elections were being held in G.B. the next day...Labor was about to take a bath and they looked liked the rainy English weather. There are three pubs in the basement of the bld so many were half in the bag at 11:20 when I met acouple of M.P.'s.
The one thing that struck me the most was how much of London I knew from fiction.....James Bond drove by this park Simon Templar had a violent encounter on that corner of this street. Odd how much one may steeped in history how some things stay with you.
The weather sucked....rain chilly....no wonder my English ancestors left....a warm decent day is a rarity. My fathers side left a place called Rise England in the early 1820's. To my disappointment I discovered there is very little left there...no quaint little village type stuff. Just tracs of farm land.Guess we left in time. Oh well.
BE SEEING YOU.

Hard Cider Making In The Schodack NY Region

My most recent archeology type of digging has found The Hawk looking into old farmers dumps. It was common practice for centuries to have a family landfill on ones property. I plan to write about more of my findings this fall. The pieces of one artifact I have discovered appears to have been the remnants of an old hand crank cider press.
Cider making on a small scale was common for much of the history of this country. The tools and knowledge were common throughout Europe. Hard cider drinks are still served in Pubs in England...enjoyed them on my recent visit.
Apple orchards still dot the Hudson River Valley. Many small farms had a few apple trees on them and the older varieties such as the pippen were quite durable to our weather changes. Now the need for excape from the drudges of life are as old as man. A hard cider fermented could sometimes provide such relief. This was common practice and as moonshine is of the southern regions of America cider was to us.
The remnants of the press was uncovered in Columbia County but these often hand made devices were from what I have been able to ascertain quite common. I know of atleast 3 cider makers now deceased from the Schodack NY region. All brewed their ciders during prohabition in the 1920's & early 30's. Apparently a common practice back then was what can be referred to as in the ground fermenting. Make the cider in late summer early fall put in proper container such as an earthen jug , bury in ground atleast 1.5 feet and allow to simmer. Dig up when the ground is cold and test and enjoy. As can be guessed , the in the ground method also provided for refrigeration.
The Schodack landing area was a hotbed for such activity. Alcohol Tobacco and firearms agents
did go after such activity. Small scale selling of product was not uncommon. As a matter of fact , one of my ancestors was busted for such activity circa 1931.

1968 Schodack N.Y.

The Town of Schodack is a small town south of Albany N.Y. on the opposite side of the river from the Capitol. As the crow flies it is about 5 0r so miles south. It has been a town often gone through or bypassed on the way to somewhere else. A small village of Castleton is by the river and a rural suburban composition is the rest of the town. If the reader has read my other blogs you can say history passed through as well. Did not stay long. 1968 was a tramatic year for the country , riots , political unrest , counter culture movement , war. The changes that would effect the nation would touch Schodack as well. I wanted to stop by 1968 in that sleepy town and what was Schodack of the time atleast some impressions.
Schodack was alot dirtier then. As sited by State Study and a 1967 NYT magazine article the biggest pollutors in the Hudson River Valley per capita. Paper Mill from the Fort Orange Paper Company and the Anti Corrosive metal plant poured tons of industrial waste into the river. Open sewer pipes to the river were common. Farming runoff was still common. Large fish kills were not uncommon , 100+ fish could wash up on shore in or near Castleton , making life less pleasant.
You never quite forget that dead fish smell. The environmental movement was just beginning , the first Earth Day was 2 yrs away.
Schodack was less suburban than now , farming was still a common occupation. The smell of manure , common. Outhouses were more common than one might think , I could count atleast 23 that I knew were in use. The Chatham Farmers Coop still in business. The buying and selling of cattle was not uncommon in Schodack.
Our one semi rock star was long since gone....Buddy Randell was a temporary resident of Castleton and was married there. The group was called The Knickerbockers...they were known as making songs that sounded very much like the Beatles. It was said he often used notary public services instead of copyrights. L. V. Hudson often was his notary.
The town was affected by the 60's , it had angry elements....the town voted overwhelmingly for Richard Milhouse Nixon for President. Law & Order was a common phrase heard back then. Of course the 60's had reached the hamlet of Schodack...Drugs , drinking , political unrest amongst the younger residents. From talks with people , many of the young looked forward to leaving and coming back rarely if at all. Not uncommon for small towns , even today.
Several young men left for Vietnam , some came back to resume a quiet life some never quite were whole again. Arguements among families concerning the war was common. It split people apart as it did the nation.
The sleepy little town moved on as all places do , it some ways it is a better place. For me more a place of archeology...left behind memories.

what happaned to Mohigan burial mounds in castleton new york 12033

While away I recieved an e-mail inquiry as to what happaned to the burial mounds located in 12033. My researches including old Castletonian news articles make clear that in the 19th century , the railroads were being built. There was a need for fill for the railbeds especially along the Hudson River route. The mounds were dug into rediscovered and used to fill the railbeds. These sort of situations were not uncommon back then. Many burial mounds were distroyed in the process of building , farming etc. A shame , of course......lost to history and culture.

KKK in Castleton New York 12033 Circa 1928

I will be pushing off to England next week and I wanted to get this blog down cause you never know. Got two digs going at present but this one has been sticking in my gut for quite a while.
With the recent discovery of an interview I did a number of years ago on this topic I think it high time I wrote something down to preserve these memories for they are essentially forgotten in the Town of Schodackas with the rest of the nation. I will leave the history of the Klan in the 20th century to other histories such as Wikipedia etc. The fogginess of the event made reasearch difficult. I suspect people who remembered these events felt a sense of shame or let sleeping dogs lie as one women in Schodack Landing said to me. Certainly acceptance of such events has greatly changed in the intervening 80yrs.
I am still not as sure as I would like to be on various areas sometimes because of contradictory memories people had of the event and I suspect the Great Depression and looming war erased a need to remember. So much else to occupy ones thought process. However , lets put down some of what I know before it's all forgotten.

1. Why did the Klan have a rally in Castleton NY. ? The Presidential race that year was between Herbert Hoover and Al Smith. Al Smith was of the Catholic faith. There were strong anti Catholic feelings in the country at that time. Similar fears were seen in the 1960 election involving JFK. This rally was to protest Al Smith as a Catholic running for the office. Several rallys were held of this nature in America at the time. Have read microfilm accounts of these type of events near Boston Mass.

2. Where was the Rally held. Main street of Castleton is right along the Hudson River. This event was held on the Heights above the Main Streetof Castleton exactly where is the problem.Onthe southern end of the village or the northern end.I have searchedHudsonstreetnorth along the Castleton ridgeline to Boltwood. It is my considered opinion that it took place near Boltwood & Seaman Avenue in the towns North Hill area. It was referred to as the North Hill back in those days by many residents. One of the deciding factors was the view from this area overlooking Albany NY , the States Capitol. This is where Al Smith himself resided.

2. Why was small Castleton NY a choice for a rally. Lack of police wasoneeason. Castleton at the time did not even have a uniform Fire Dept. It was split between the Northern and Southern sides of town. Also the Catholic church sits above the Main St. at the time with a large Catholic Cross on top of the spire. This could be easily seen from the train station located on MainSt.. An
inviting target and a beacon for those who's fear and loathing was on the surface. It was also easy to gather people for this rally , train brought many some by car . Rt.9j which runs along the main street was a major road to places south including NYC. in those times of poor roads.

3. Did they burn a Cross? No it appears they built a large Bonfire....perhaps big enough to be seen as far away as Albany. Remember there were much fewer streetand building lights back then so a large blaze could be seen for quite a distance. It could also serve as an addition factor of intimidation to those in the surrounding areas.

4. How many people were involved? One of my sources was Peter Stohl formed teacher at near by Maple Hill High School. He said that it was the biggest Klan rally held in NYS. I can't independently varify that but a reasonable estimate was 250+. Yes of course local people were involved but so were many others from around the country. Of course this was not something one admitted to a then young interviewer asking strange questions about personal involvement in such a Rally. But gleaning what I could allows me to make a fairly reasonable assumption as to size.

Final thoughts : The Town of Schodack was a rural outpost back then , Schodack just beginning to aquire paved roads .No central school system existed. Little access to modern medicine as a matter of fact birth at home with a mid-wife was not uncommon. There were several out houses still within Village of Castleton. Many more in the farm areas of Schodack proper. Our major innovation of running Town snowplows through the night during storms would not start untill the next year. There was no town police force only the occasional State Trooper. So.....come in and raise a rally exploiting peoples fears of a minority religion or a change of political thought was easier then one might think. We are a media rich society , they were not. But in thinking this piece of history over , it seemed a painful topic when I explored it for a political science paper many yrs ago. I did not want to leave it behind though , as an example of what can happan so I leave this in my obsure blog so it not be a totally forgotten moment.

Sources : Peter Stohl , Former teacher Maple Hill High School
Vivian Ingalls: Former teacher MHHS
Charles Tobias Harris Town Resident
Douglas Hudson Former NYS State Senator
Lewis V. Hudson Former Supervisor Town Of Schodack
Pauline Jennings Former Resident Town of Schodack
Elmer Henniger Former Teacher MHHS , Former Schodack Town Justice
A.Downey: Fromer Resident Town Oof Schodack.
George Andrews: Former Resident Town of Schodack
Ronald P. Kunicki Former Resident Town Oof Schodack

Lincolns Funeral Train Passing By Schodack

Circa April 24/25 1865 President A. Lincolns funeral train passed through the Town of Schodack. This is easily accessed public history. A distant memory of the Kennedy assassination was of Sunset. All the church bells tolled , long and slow through Schodack. A sad national mourning was occurring. The same was taking place back then only on a slower time scale.
The train was heading for Albany.....people as they had in other places lined up to see the slain President. The one thing I have heard from the Great Grandchildren of residents of the area was people felt a need to pay their respects. I believe the train passed along the tracks on the eastern side of the town. It passed by some of my ancestors farm land. The timetables were published so the average person knew of the appx arrival time . Some farmers and laborers stopped work early , schools were let out early, people dressed up in "Sunday Best". Family's rode wagons , saddled horses or walked to the tracks. It was told to me that it was not uncommon to see people with a bible.
The train moved slowly , men removed their hats , many prayed. The weight of the war hung heavy in the air...and now a dead President. Even with a Congressional Medal of Honor winner from Schodack a Patrick McEnrow , an immigrant from Ireland who had for a time settled in the town we had suffered like all parts of the nation. Many unemotional hardened people from a hard life shed a tear as the train passed by. History came to them slowly passed us by it was over. Or was it One thing expressed to me by a couple of older people was they felt the story was passed down in all most religious terms. The secular and the political merged. The churches were full the following Sunday. There was a need to find meaning .
A final note , it appears that at sundown the church bells tolled in Schodack as they did in other towns the funeral train had passed through. A final goodby , a last moment to reflect as one finished the chores of the day.

The First Plane Landing In The Town Of Schodack

The Schodack area never had an airport within it's limits. There was a light plane crash in the late 1950's at the former Harris apple orchard near Muitzeskill. It was crop dusting the apples when it hit a power line and went down. There has been a number of helicopters landing within town but this rememberance goes back to the early days of flight. To the Wright Bros. As was told to me by older residents many years ago probably the late 60's.
Flight was in it's early stages. The date I am talking about was circa 1909. The first attempt to fly from Albany to NYC was made around this time. The pilot was following the Hudson River as his main navigation device. Apparently, engine trouble of some sort began to occur. He chose to land the plane just outside the Castleton Village limits. According to witnesses to the event the plane flew off the Hudson River route and flew across the village. This was no doubt a major sight. An actual flying machine as they were often called back then attracted real attention. The pilot was looking for a place to land . As this was the only choice back then as airports or airfields were practically unheard of. It was not uncommon for many years to land in farmers fields especially hay fields. There was not much choice , even into the 1920's. He landed off the now Maple Hill Road. That area was all farm land into the early 1960's before housing developers began to build the suburbs on this part of the town.
The landing was apparently successful. Pilot lived and was uninjured. Walked to the nearest phone and called his sponsors. Mechanics sent down by train that afternoon. A Pierce Arrow Automobile was sent to pick up the pilot. As can be imagined this was an event...big.....event. Word got around and people walked , drove , saddled up horses to go see this marvel of the Wright Bros. The farmer who owned the land decided he had a money making opportunity. By late afternoon he set up a rope fence and charged a nickel admission charge. By late morning of the next day {probable early summer} the mechanics fixed the problem , tested the engines and the Pierce Arrow returned to Schodack from Route 9-j. Remember these were dirt roads back then. Grass was cut and packed down by several local children and adults to make a better runway. The engines reved up the mechanics held onto the wings for a brief moments to add power to the take off like a catapult action. The plane took off to applause and returned to the Hudson River route and flew south.
Modern technology had arrived and left. By the way the Pierce - Arrow was a big deal as well. People went back to their lives as farmers and teachers and mechanics etc. As time went on it was essentially forgotten. Massive War was on horizon. The first transcontinental flight was 2 yrs away with multiple stops and crashes , aero planes were to become major weapons in a few more short years later. Appx 19 yrs later the first non stop transatlantic flight would take place. I recently talked with a Mrs Rowley of Queens , NY. She saw Charles Lindburg fly over their family farm in Ireland on that historic flight. She was a young child and that was the first plane she ever saw. Her Father lifted her on his shoulders to seemingly be closer to this then epic event. This was probably how this event felt to those that witnessed it. A few recalled it as we landed on the Moon the first time. From 4 winged open cockpit aircraft to space travel , to me still an amazing leap within single lifetimes. Remembered and related in the early 20th Century.

My Sources , My Family , History

With the passing of William F. Buckley this week , a political figure of some weight in the latter half of the 20th Century I began to cast my mind back to my own family. Buckley made it to 82yrs. My family is both blessed and cursed in many cases with long {sometimes to long] lives. My last greatgreat aunt died at age 102 in 1991 for instance. My father was wellinto his 50's when I was born {surprise}. Hence some of my sources. Old relatives , family reunions etc. My aunt , I spoke of, husband was a pilot in WW1. 72nd Aero Sq. James grave is marked as such near Chatham. Those were some stories I remember as a kid listening to. So you see my sources are from the oral traditions as well as others. Probably my interest in history and archeology stem from those discussions as a youth and later.
My career choices took me in other directions but I always return to what was. As a matter of fact I have come to believe we carry history with us. In the nature vs nurture arguement our ancient relations have their say , in both our gene pools and in the history they were part of. So I sit here pecking away , putting down some small find or thought. Adding a small side street to some tiny town in this gene pool of the web.

The 40yr Political Itch-1928 ,1968 , 2008

It has occured to me in the last few weeks as I have been researching an incident in Castleton N.Y. 12033 and the Town of Schodack N.Y. that there seems to be a possible pattern in political upheaval or atleast prelude to change. 1928 had Gov Alfred E. Smith running for President on the Democratic ticket. What made this so landscape changing was the fact he was of the Catholic faith. This was the cause for great debate in America at the time....high controversy.
The year 1968 was a year of great social unrest. M.L.King and Robert Kennedy Senator from N.Y.....were both assasasintion within a short time of each other. Major rioting were touched off by MLK's assasasination. Rioting in Paris and other cities of France caused the eventual ending of the DeGaule Adm. Political riots at the Demcratic Convention in Chigago were a national T.V. shock. Richard M. Nixon was elected in part as a direct result of those disturbances.
On Christmas Eve of that year we first circumnavigated the Moon....the argued high point of that yr.
As of this year 2008 we are seeing signs that this is another year of possibly great change in the socio-political winds. The year is still young but I do see this forty yr itch as a prelude to the beginning of some new national adventure. Perhaps a prophetic year is ahead. Smith was defeated but many political historians view Smith as a prelude to Kennedy and a more liberalizing of former taboo ideas such as an expansion of who could be serious contenders in the political theater. 1968 was the rise of the Conservative Republican Party we see today in 2008.Time will of course tell as they say. ......2008?????

The old Castleton High School rebuilt

I was passing through Castleton on the way to 11001. The elementary school is closed because of a major reconstruction project , new buildings being built. The newer section built to house the early grades has been torn down. Only the old high school section is being left up to remodel.
Even the old play ground and tennis courts are ripped up. A fence surrounds the construction site. To some visitors to this site this means out with the old less functional in with some new brand of form follows function. To the others perhaps a post-mortem might be in order.
I have a small piece of post 1950 brick from the newer section , I grabbed before it was carted off. Back when this brick was laid there was what was to be called THE BABY BOOM. We needed space...kids were cropping up in the United States and England at a fast pace. This post WWII population expansion was overcrowding schools and adding burden to a variety of infrastructures in our country. Castleton High School was too small , the smaller district schools were overcrowded. As a temporary fix church basements were being rented out to use as temporary classrooms. So land was purchased on Maple Hill Rd. A new high school was built and the last graduating class of Castleton High School was 1955. The new MHHS opened the next year. Later years a new middle schoolwould be built.
Once a young man named Henry Peters played football on the field in the late 1930's and early 1940's they called the Sand Pit because of the fill used to make the field. Hard to grow grass on.
High school students filed into the Gym on December 8th 1941 to hear President Roosevelt address Congress about the bombing of Pearl Harbor. A very somber day....but not as somber as the graduation ceremony of 1941 as the teenagers of that graduation would soon be off to war. A young Pat Riley of basketball playing and coaching fame would shoot baskets at the outdoor court while visiting relatives in Castleton. People would learn tennis on it's courts and one day play soccer on the old football field {sand pit}. Education occured....lives lived. Teachers with names like Ward and Ruth Steele and Henninger roamed the hallways. Latin was taught as a regular language along with French at C.H.S..
Then I look across Scott Avenue.....a small house...........site of Castleton's and Schodack's only triple murder. A mother and 2 daughters killed by their father. The father sent away to a criminally insane locked unit when he was found incapable of standing trial. I would later meet this man in a professional capacity for a moment , sent chills down my spine and I try and forget it. Some things are not so easily forgotten.
And let me say.....just to keep an honest record....this was no Disney Land of Education....some were cast off pushed to quit others just ignored. For some others , however , it was a place to grow , discover friends and go on from there.

A Family Monument To The Great War In The Woods Of Castleton N.Y.

From Green Avenue around the 100'sblock if you look south past the Castle Hill Housing Development of present you will see a woods line . This wooded area of Castleton N.Y. stretches from Castleton to the South Schodack area of town. An area of deer , streams and logged areas where hardwoods were forrested. Appx 1 mile in from the road in a near straight line and down a steep hill one will come to a stream that now barely flows as it has filled with silt over the passing years. There I have relocated a small boulder that holds a meaning to older members of the Hudson Family that once farmed and lived on this property from the 1830's to appx 1995. I shall call this rock initial rock. As family legend held in 1917 a young Ernest Hudson was on leave for two weeks from the Army signal corps. He was about to be shipped off to Europe to participate in what was known before WWII as the great war or the war to end wars. He and a couple of friends went off to scout the woods. talk about the war and probably the question of whether they would come back alive or even whole. They also wished to excape the look of worried parents whose sons were about to travel to a far off conflict that had claimed millions of young lives. Young Hudson was a telegrapher who sent code over wires before telephones had fully taken over the landscape. He felt as many solders must have felt. I am not coming back. So it was decided amongst friends to chisel their initials in a rock in a wooded area of the property. Perhaps a reminder of their presence upon this earth and this place he loved. I discovered this rock last summer and after cleaning moss and dirt off this average looking large rock I discovered an FB for a Bridenbeck friend and EH for Mr. Hudson. A nondiscript monument to an early 20th Century moment. Finally refound and duly noticed.

As a post script Mr. Hudson survived the war and died in 1990 at the age of 98. Imparted this story before leaving.