Cudmore: Tragedy at the bus stop | The Daily Gazette
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A graduate of Amsterdam’s Vrooman Avenue Elementary School, Nancy Booth was in ninth grade when she died.
Her mother had died in 1942 when Nancy was about seven. Her father lived in Miami Beach, Florida. Nancy had a sister, Louise Booth, who was one year older.
Nancy was being raised by her aunt and uncle, Mr. and Mrs. George Tetradis, at 62 Edward St. on Reid Hill. Her grandmother, also named Nancy Booth, lived in Amsterdam.
Shortly after 8 a.m. on Nov. 29, 1949, a cold light rain was falling on Amsterdam’s Guy Park Avenue. The street was slippery as students arrived for class at the former Theodore Roosevelt Junior High School.
Cudmore: The history of the Amsterdam Fire Department | The Daily Gazette
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After a one year hiatus, the Amsterdam Icons calendar is back and the 2021 edition focuses on the history of the local Fire Department.
“Fire has always been an ever-present threat and danger,” wrote Jerry Snyder in announcing availability of the calendar on the website of Historic Amsterdam League, an organization Snyder co-founded.
Amsterdam’s first fire station was built in 1839 on Chuctanunda Street to house Mohawk Engine Company Number 1.
In 1870 the crew of volunteers and equipment there became the J.D. Serviss Steamer and Hose Company Number 1.
Serviss was a popular political leader and insurance man who became known as the “father” of the local fire department.
Cudmore: Historian writes memoir on his Amsterdam upbringing | The Daily Gazette
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Historian and Amsterdam native David Pietrusza’s new memoir “Too Long Ago: A Childhood Memory, A Vanished World” recounts in poignant and fascinating detail his upbringing in the former Rug City.
Pietrusza has written many books on American presidents and baseball, perhaps the best known is “1920: the Year of the Six Presidents.”
After his friend and fellow Amsterdam history buff Robert Going died last year, Pietrusza, who now lives in Glenville, decided it was time to turn his well-developed storytelling and research talents to chronicle his own early life and the story of how his industrial home town declined during the mid-20th century.