Wednesday, September 20, 2023-From the Archives- May 5, 2023-Episode 473-Bob Cudmore provides a Focus on History podcast with topics including an eccentric philosopher, the Demskys of Eagle Street, Amsterdam’s agile mayor Burt Deal and how boxing flourished in 1930s Amsterdam.  Dave Greene remembers boxing great Jake LaMotta.

Thursday, September 21, 2023-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Amsterdam Post Office murals

Two murals at the Amsterdam Post Office painted in 1939 continue to generate interest, not only from postal customers but also from people who collect stamps.

Scott Shane

Friday, September 22, 2023-Episode 493-Scott Shane, author of Flee North- A forgotten hero and the fight for freedom in slavery’s borderland.  The book traces the life of Thomas Smallwood, an African American who named the Underground Railroad.

Benedict Arnold buried in Amsterdam

By Bob Cudmore

       This may be April 1 but trust me when I say that Benedict Arnold is buried in Amsterdam’s Green Hill Cemetery.

       Amsterdam’s Benedict Arnold was not related to the Revolutionary War traitor of the same name, a fact noted by the Library of Congress when the Mohawk Valley man died in 1849.

       However, the online encyclopedia Wikipedia contends that Arnold, born October 5 1780, was named in honor of the infamous traitor.  Wikipedia speculates that the original Benedict Arnold was still regarded as a hero until his plans to betray the fort at West Point were found out on September 23, 1780. 

Wikipedia states, “Either the news took longer than this to make its way upstate, or his parents were of Loyalist sympathy; the latter seems unlikely, however, as they seem to have remained in the area despite widespread emigration of loyalists to Canada.”

       Some accounts say the local Benedict Arnold was born in Rennselaer County while others list his birthplace as Florida or what is now Amsterdam.   By 1808, he was operating a store in Amsterdam, first at the corner of Market and Bridge streets and then moving across the intersection to Market and Main.

       Arnold was one of the founders of the Amsterdam Aqueduct Company in 1829.  The company laid pipes west of the Chuctanunda Creek to bring water to thirsty citizens.

       Arnold served as a member of the New York State Assembly in 1816.  He was a member of Congress from 1829 to 1831 during the administration of President Andrew Jackson, although he was politically opposed to Jackson.

       When he returned from Washington, Arnold was among those who led the campaign to incorporate Amsterdam as a village.  He was the second president of the village board in 1832.  He was town of Amsterdam supervisor from 1835 to 1836 and, in 1844, was one of the organizers of the Fonda Fair.

       His Market Street home was a landmark torn down for construction of the Blood Building, now the site of the Best Western Hotel.

       Arnold was described in local accounts as a major general.  He apparently was a general in the New York State militia, the 19th century version of a standing army. 

       Also buried at Green Hill Cemetery is Arnold’s grandson, Lieutenant Benedict Arnold Leonard, who was killed in 1864 in the battle of Spotsylvania Court House, the lieutenant’s twelfth Civil War Battle.

       Arnold Avenue and the former Arnold Avenue School, built in 1891, were named in honor of the good Benedict Arnold and his family.

       Green Hill Cemetery was created in 1858, nine years after Arnold’s death.  Presumably, his body was moved there from another location.

       Arnold’s grave is just one of the important historic markers in the cemetery, which has come upon hard times in recent years.  Officials of the cemetery association fear if their current fund raising campaign is not successful, the organization may cease to exist.  Donations can be sent to: Green Hill Cemetery Association, 164 West Main Street, Amsterdam, N.Y. 12010.

       The Association is looking for new board members.  If you are among the thousands with relatives buried at Green Hill, consider volunteering for this worthwhile civic enterprise.

       Other famous Amsterdamians buried at Green Hill include carpet maker Stephen Sanford and John Kellogg, one of the founders of a linseed oil plant that existed on nearby Church Street.  Kellogg and other family members are buried in an impressive circle of stones at Green Hill.

       Cemetery association board member Peter Betz said many of the families whose businesses helped create Amsterdam’s industrial prosperity are memorialized at Green Hill with names such as Morris, Sugden, Voorhees, Wallins and McLeary.

Mohawk Valley Weather, Wednesday, September 20, 2023

51 degrees in The City of Amsterdam at 6:04AM 

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