Route 5-S and the Left Bank deserve a look

By Bob Cudmore 

      The recent column regarding history on Route 5 in Montgomery County has produced a request for equal time from Route 5-S.  Route 5 runs north of the Mohawk River, while Route 5-S runs on the south, what some call the left bank.   

  “There is no doubt that the Route 5 corridor in Montgomery County presents some great historic sites,” wrote Norman J. Bollen of the Fort Plain Museum.  “However, the left bank of the Mohawk along Route 5-S has some equally intriguing history.

   “Fort Hunter boasts one of our state’s finest Erie Canal sites with two complete canal locks, a restored canal store, the towpath walking trail, a museum and the remains of the Schoharie Aqueduct.

   “At Canajoharie, we find the Van Alstyne House, originally a tavern belonging to Goshen Van Alstyne and one of the meeting places for the Tryon County Committee of Safety from 1775-77. 

   “On the hill overlooking the village of Fort Plain is the museum and Historical Park of the same name. The history of Fort Plain and the battle for the Mohawk is told in vivid detail at the museum.  A new exhibit detailing Fort Plain's role at the center of the defense of the Mohawk Valley in 1781 is scheduled to open this summer.

   “Opposite from the village of St Johnsville, hidden along the river, is Lock 33 of the Erie Canal. The canal lock was the subject of a painting by historical artist L.F. Tantillo.

   “Continuing west on the south side of the Mohawk you will find the Indian Castle Church.  Located just across the county line in Herkimer County, the church was built in 1769 by Sir William Johnson. 

  Several miles further, next to the Little Falls Thruway exit, is the home of General Nicholas Herkimer.  General Herkimer and his Tryon County Militia were ambushed at Oriskany in August of 1777. The general was wounded during the fight and died at his home 10 days after the battle. The historic conflict opened the floodgates for war in the Mohawk Valley.”

VEDDER’S FIRST NAME

Retired Amsterdam schoolteacher John Naple has asked Focus on History to find out the first name of the Vedder who founded Veddersburg or Vedder’s Mill at the intersection of the North Chuctanunda Creek and the Mohawk River in the late 1700s.  The settlement that began as Vedder’s sawmill and gristmill became what is now the city of Amsterdam.

   Naple said Vedder’s first name is given as Albert in Hugh Donlon’s history of Amsterdam (“Annals of Milltown”) and as Aaron on the Town of Amsterdam web site and other places.

   Local historian Jerry Snyder reported that historian W. Max Reid refers to the miller as Albert Veered in a 1910 article and that the 1954 sesquicentennial program refers to him as Aaron Vedder. 

   Amsterdam city historian James Marks responded that most history books give Vedder’s first name as Aaron or Albert.

   Marks said that in Germanic countries, the middle name was often used as the common name for a son if his father had the same first name.  It would be the same idea as our practice of calling a son Junior to avoid confusion with his father assuming his father has the same name.

    Marks wrote, “In the Vedder family of Schenectady the name Albertse is often seen and indicates by the “se” an ancestor named Albert.  Arent,  Arient (Aaron) are also very common.  My guess would be that (the founder of Veddersburg) was Aaron Albertse Vedder and was called by whichever name confused people the least.”

   And Amsterdam native Peter Betz came up with another Vedder query.  Does anyone know where Vedder was buried?

The Historians with Bob Cudmore, Episode #500 on the way this November

History the study of past events, particularly in human affairs.

You may donate online at https://www.gofundme.com/f/the-historians-podcast-2022  Or send a check made out to Bob Cudmore to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302.  You may give anonymously and no contribution is too big or too small. We’ve now raised 3210 dollars, over 45% of our $7000 goal for the year.

Tomorrow

From the beginning of World War II through the early days of Vietnam, groundbreaking female photojournalist and war correspondent Dickey Chapelle chased dangerous assignments her male colleagues wouldn’t touch, pioneering a radical style of reporting that focused on the humanity of the oppressed.

Episode 484-Lorissa Rinehart has written a biography of groundbreaking female photojournalist and war correspondent Dickey Chapelle titled First to the Front.

Mohawk Valley  Weather, Thursday, July 20, 2023

62 degrees in The City of Amsterdam at 6:45AM

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