The Historians

...a bit of a buzz about Mr. Arnold


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..it seems like a “dirty trick”

Amsterdam’s good Benedict Arnold

By Bob Cudmore, Focus on History, published in Daily Gazette and Amsterdam Recorder 

   Jack Kelly, author of a new book titled “God Save Benedict Arnold,” says it seems like a “dirty trick” if during the American Revolution “your parents named you Benedict if your last name happened to be Arnold.”

   But that’s what may have happened to a man who went on to be a prominent citizen of Amsterdam, New York.

   General Benedict Arnold was a native of Connecticut who fought bravely for the patriots in the early years of the Revolution.  He was among those who captured Fort Ticonderoga, he invaded Canada and delayed the British advance on Lake Champlain.  He was badly wounded in the leg in the 1777 Battle of Saratoga.  Victory for the patriots there was the turning point of the war. 

   Arnold was regarded as a hero until his plans to betray the fort at West Point New York to the British were found out on September 23, 1780.  Arnold fled to the British side and fought for them in the years remaining in the war.

Tomorrow, Monday, November 27, 2023-Story behind the story-more on the story of Amsterdam’s good Benedict Arnold

   The man who became Amsterdam’s Benedict Arnold was born October 5 of 1780, less than two weeks after General Arnold’s treason was discovered.

   One source reports the younger Arnold was born in Schaghticoke, Rennselaer County, while others list his birthplace as the town of Florida or Amsterdam itself. 

   Some contend that Arnold was named in honor of the infamous traitor, arguing the news of Arnold’s treason took a while to make its way in upstate New York.

   Amsterdam’s Arnold married Mary Bovee in 1806.  They had12 children, including a son named Benedict.

   By 1808 Arnold was operating a store on Main Street in Amsterdam.  He was a cavalry officer in the war of 1812 fighting for America against Great Britain, later attaining the rank of captain.   

   Arnold served in the New York State Assembly in 1816. He was a member from the 16th district of Congress from 1829 to 1831 during the administration of President Andrew Jackson, although he was politically opposed to Jackson.

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

   When he returned from Congress, 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 served as town of Amsterdam supervisor 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 Sentinel adult home.

   When Amsterdam’s Benedict Arnold died on March 3, 1849 the Library of Congress stated he was not related to the Revolutionary War traitor of the same name.

   In 1850 the Kellogg family took over a former Church Street distillery that had been owned by Arnold and made linseed oil there.

   Arnold likely was buried at a cemetery on Market Hill, according to researcher Christopher Philippo.  The growing village encroached on that burial ground.  Arnold’s remains and others were moved to Green Hill Cemetery on Church Street after Green Hill was created in 1858.

   Taking a short cut from Reid Hill through the cemetery on my way to school at the then junior high on Guy Park Avenue, a visit to the grave of Benedict Arnold was a highlight.

   Arnold’s grandson was also buried at Green Hill.  Lieutenant Benedict Arnold Leonard was killed in 1864 in his twelfth Civil War battle.

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

Monday, November 27, 2023-Story behind the story-The story of Amsterdam’s good Benedict Arnold

Tuesday, November 28, 2023-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Who was Richard Montgomery?

Wednesday, November 29, 2023-From the Archives- October 19, 2018-Episode 237-Utica historian Dennis Webster discusses his Youtube channel, a book of fictional crime stories by several authors set in the Adirondacks, his work on the history of the Old Main mental asylum in Utica and other projects.

Thursday, November 30, 2023-From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-Gloversville native was Jack Ruby’s roommate when Ruby killed suspected JFK assassin Lee Harvey Oswad

Friday, December 1, 2023-Episode 501-Tim Keogh, author of In Levittown's Shadow: Poverty in America's Wealthiest Postwar Suburb.  Keogh found that attics, basements, and sheds housed the poor during the suburban boom that followed World War II.

There is a familiar narrative about American suburbs: after 1945, white residents left cities for leafy, affluent subdivisions and the prosperity they seemed to embody. In Levittown’s Shadow tells us there’s more to this story, offering an eye-opening account of diverse, poor residents living and working in those same neighborhoods. Tim Keogh shows how public policies produced both suburban plenty and deprivation—and why ignoring suburban poverty doomed efforts to reduce inequality.

Bob Cudmore

The Historians Podcast

Episode 500 of The Historians Podcast has arrived!   

Please make a contribution to honor that achievement.  You could donate $5, $50, $500 or any amount. 

Make donations online at https://gofund.me/777777e9  

Or send a check made out to Bob Cudmore to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302.

#500

  Dana Cudmore, retired Schoharie County media professional, is author of Farming with Dynamite. 

Before the introduction of concrete in the early 1900s, cut stones were used to build impressive structures such as churches, public buildings and homes.  Cudmore documents more than 30 stone quarries across Schoharie County where dynamite was used to get large stones from the land.

Thanks to all of you who have given to support this history project.  We need to raise an additional $2000 by the end of the year.  Can we make it?

Bob Cudmore, [email protected]

Mohawk Valley Weekend Weather, Sunday, November 26, 2023

26 degrees in The City of Amsterdam at 6:18AM

Partly sunny, with a high near 41. Light east wind becoming southeast 5 to 9 mph in the morning.
Tonight
Rain, mainly after 9pm. Low around 34. Southeast wind 5 to 9 mph becoming calm after midnight. Chance of precipitation is 100%. New precipitation amounts between a tenth and quarter of an inch possible.
Monday
A chance of showers, mainly before 7am. Partly sunny, with a high near 44. Breezy, with a west wind 6 to 11 mph increasing to 16 to 21 mph in the afternoon. Chance of precipitation is 30%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
High pressure will move southeast of the region today, bringing
dry conditions along with chilly temperatures. Developing low
pressure along the mid Atlantic coast will bring mainly rain for
valley areas, and rain and snow for higher terrain areas
tonight. A cold front will bring some rain and snow showers for
Monday, followed by scattered snow showers and blustery
conditions for Tuesday into Wednesday, along with possible
significant lake effect snow across portions of the southwest
Adirondacks.
Mohawk Valley News from The Daily Gazette, The Recorder News, The Leader-Herald and Nippertown.
https://www.dailygazette.com/

Each of the four publications still has a separate and distinct home on the website, but they all reside under The Daily Gazette umbrella, and we’ve ensured that they’ve retained their individual identity and scope of coverage.

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The HistoriansBy Bob Cudmore