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Story Behind the Story podcast is an audio version of Saturday’s column on heroes who helped a Northville family survive a 1940 fire. Monday Audio Story "6 Minutes"
...also in October 1940
...the draft
The registration of 16 million men begins in the United States
The Monday, December 20, 2021 Historians Go Fund Me Update
$90.00 raised this past weekend
Over the next 12 Days, $160.00 needed to reach $5,000.00
Thanks to a generous contribution from Stephen Riegel, the Historians Podcast 2021 fund drive has $4,840. You may contribute by mail by making out a check to Bob Cudmore and sending to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302. Or donate online here: https://www.gofundme.com/historians-podcast-2021 You may give anonymously and no donation is too small. Thank You
Make a Deposit on History "The Historians with Bob Cudmore on the Internet and Radio
Friday, December 24-Episode 402-Marta McDowell on Unearthing the Secret Garden, a look at the history of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic children’s book.
Friday, December 31-Episode 403-Highlights Episode #5 ends 2021 with excerpts from John Rhodehamel on President Lincoln and assassin John Wilkes Booth; Jim Kaplan on Tammany Hall’s role in reviving Broadway theaters in the 1980s; Travis Proulx profiles a lumber baron from Croghan, NY; John Boessenecker on Pearl Hart, the Wild West's notorious woman bandit; Stephen Riegel on the disappearance of Judge Crater and Robert Gross on transcendentalism.
Coming in January 2022: Jim Kaplan on observance of Evacuation Day in New York City; New York State Historian Devin Lander and more.
...and with any luck, there is always tomorrow
Tuesday, December 21, 2021- From the Archives of Focus on History in the Daily Gazette-Toys at the hardware store.
Larrabee’s hardware store, located on Market Street in downtown Amsterdam for over 80 years, was a beloved institution. Born in the town of Amsterdam in 1851, John E. Larrabee...
Heroes helped Northville family survive 1940 fire
By Bob Cudmore
Fire that broke out Wednesday, October 2, 1940, in a first floor apartment on Second Street in Northville almost took the lives of the five children of the Rhodes family who were living there.
The oldest was Shirley, born in 1930. She told her mother smoke was coming from one of the bedrooms as she was getting her brothers and sisters up at eight a.m.
Their mother, Esther Rose, got all but one of the children out of the burning building including Shirley, Earl, John and Mary Ann. Three-year old Jimmy was missing.
Esther suffered smoke inhalation. That morning Esther’s husband Arnold was working for the Civilian Conservation Corps in Speculator.
When firemen arrived Chief Loren E. Crannell was told of the missing child. Chief Crannell put on a smoke mask and ran into the burning building where he found Jimmy, who had buried himself in his blanket, rolled out of bed and was up against a wall.
Chief Crannell grabbed another blanket which he pulled over their heads. He crawled out of the building carrying Jimmy. Jimmy suffered smoke inhalation and shock.
Chief Crannell had cuts and bruises and the smoke bothered his throat the rest of his life.
Mary Ann Rhodes Johnson, the youngest member of the family, provided information for this story, “Fire Chief Crannell is truly a hero and the Rhodes family was forever grateful to him.”
Years later Jack Sands, Shirley’s husband, purchased a memorial brick with “Fire Chief Loren Crannell Northville NY” engraved on it. The brick was placed in the Brick Memorial Park at the Firemen’s Museum in Hudson, N.Y.
The story of the fire was told in the Northville Northampton Historical Society News Letter. Gail Cramer, the editor, wrote, “I’m proud to say that Fire Chief Loren Crannell was my father.”
The fire may have started from wiring in a bedroom wall. The alarm was turned in by meat market owner Frank Langr whose store adjoined the Rhodes apartment. After the fire he provided groceries and other support.
Living upstairs were Mr. and Mrs. Leon Horton who made it out of the building safely but lost their belongings.
The headline in the Gloversville newspaper stated, “Mother Saves Four, Fire Chief 5th Child From Burning Northville Home.”
After the fire, Jimmy stayed with his grandmother Alida Canfield. His Aunt Rachel Mills was a nurse and lived next door. The rest of the family stayed with Bertha and Clarence Resseguie, their aunt and uncle.
After the fire, Esther and Arnold had two more children, Carol and Joan.
The family then lived in a house on Mechanic Street owned by Arch Dunham until the house was sold in the 1960s.
Others who helped the family included Oscar Chamberlin and his wife who owned a grocery store. Dan and Emily Weaver provided transportation in their car.
The family moved back to Second Street eventually. Arnold had a big garden and the children helped. After the war Arnold worked at Mohawk Carpet Mills in Amsterdam. He died in 1965. Esther died in 1978. Mary Ann and Joan are the only Rhodes children alive today.
Jimmy Rhodes served in the U.S. Army then worked at General Electric in Schenectady. He died in 2019 from a heart attack.
His sister Mary Ann Rhodes Johnson said Jimmy had his first heart attack at GE, “He was working on top of a generator when it happened and they had to get a crane to get him down so they could get him to the hospital. (Sounds like he just liked to make things difficult when it came to saving his life.)”
Mohawk Valley Elements for a new week, Monday, December 20, 2021
High pressure will bring mostly sunny and seasonably
cold conditions today. A weak disturbance and a cold front will
bring some scattered snow showers to the western Adirondacks late
Monday Night into Tuesday morning. High pressure builds back in
Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night, as another clipper type system
brings some spotty rain and snow showers for the mid week.
December 20
1946
...the movie, you know
It's a Wonderful Life is released in New York City or you have a choice of Die Hard
Mohawk Valley News, Monday, December 20, 2021
Daily Gazette
The Gloversville Common Council recently voted 6-1 to approve $787,443 worth of 2022 salaries for the city’s non-union administrative jobs,…
https://dailygazette.com/
Amsterdam Recorder
In the holiday spirit, Amsterdam Elks sponsor families
AMSTERDAM — The Amsterdam Elks aren’t known for their covert operations, but lately members have...
https://www.recordernews.com/
Leader Herald
Gloversville Common Council hires lawyers to defend against lawsuit
by Jason Subik
https://www.leaderherald.com/
View all episodes
By Bob CudmoreStory Behind the Story podcast is an audio version of Saturday’s column on heroes who helped a Northville family survive a 1940 fire. Monday Audio Story "6 Minutes"
...also in October 1940
...the draft
The registration of 16 million men begins in the United States
The Monday, December 20, 2021 Historians Go Fund Me Update
$90.00 raised this past weekend
Over the next 12 Days, $160.00 needed to reach $5,000.00
Thanks to a generous contribution from Stephen Riegel, the Historians Podcast 2021 fund drive has $4,840. You may contribute by mail by making out a check to Bob Cudmore and sending to 125 Horstman Drive, Scotia, NY 12302. Or donate online here: https://www.gofundme.com/historians-podcast-2021 You may give anonymously and no donation is too small. Thank You
Make a Deposit on History "The Historians with Bob Cudmore on the Internet and Radio
Friday, December 24-Episode 402-Marta McDowell on Unearthing the Secret Garden, a look at the history of Frances Hodgson Burnett’s classic children’s book.
Friday, December 31-Episode 403-Highlights Episode #5 ends 2021 with excerpts from John Rhodehamel on President Lincoln and assassin John Wilkes Booth; Jim Kaplan on Tammany Hall’s role in reviving Broadway theaters in the 1980s; Travis Proulx profiles a lumber baron from Croghan, NY; John Boessenecker on Pearl Hart, the Wild West's notorious woman bandit; Stephen Riegel on the disappearance of Judge Crater and Robert Gross on transcendentalism.
Coming in January 2022: Jim Kaplan on observance of Evacuation Day in New York City; New York State Historian Devin Lander and more.
...and with any luck, there is always tomorrow
Tuesday, December 21, 2021- From the Archives of Focus on History in the Daily Gazette-Toys at the hardware store.
Larrabee’s hardware store, located on Market Street in downtown Amsterdam for over 80 years, was a beloved institution. Born in the town of Amsterdam in 1851, John E. Larrabee...
Heroes helped Northville family survive 1940 fire
By Bob Cudmore
Fire that broke out Wednesday, October 2, 1940, in a first floor apartment on Second Street in Northville almost took the lives of the five children of the Rhodes family who were living there.
The oldest was Shirley, born in 1930. She told her mother smoke was coming from one of the bedrooms as she was getting her brothers and sisters up at eight a.m.
Their mother, Esther Rose, got all but one of the children out of the burning building including Shirley, Earl, John and Mary Ann. Three-year old Jimmy was missing.
Esther suffered smoke inhalation. That morning Esther’s husband Arnold was working for the Civilian Conservation Corps in Speculator.
When firemen arrived Chief Loren E. Crannell was told of the missing child. Chief Crannell put on a smoke mask and ran into the burning building where he found Jimmy, who had buried himself in his blanket, rolled out of bed and was up against a wall.
Chief Crannell grabbed another blanket which he pulled over their heads. He crawled out of the building carrying Jimmy. Jimmy suffered smoke inhalation and shock.
Chief Crannell had cuts and bruises and the smoke bothered his throat the rest of his life.
Mary Ann Rhodes Johnson, the youngest member of the family, provided information for this story, “Fire Chief Crannell is truly a hero and the Rhodes family was forever grateful to him.”
Years later Jack Sands, Shirley’s husband, purchased a memorial brick with “Fire Chief Loren Crannell Northville NY” engraved on it. The brick was placed in the Brick Memorial Park at the Firemen’s Museum in Hudson, N.Y.
The story of the fire was told in the Northville Northampton Historical Society News Letter. Gail Cramer, the editor, wrote, “I’m proud to say that Fire Chief Loren Crannell was my father.”
The fire may have started from wiring in a bedroom wall. The alarm was turned in by meat market owner Frank Langr whose store adjoined the Rhodes apartment. After the fire he provided groceries and other support.
Living upstairs were Mr. and Mrs. Leon Horton who made it out of the building safely but lost their belongings.
The headline in the Gloversville newspaper stated, “Mother Saves Four, Fire Chief 5th Child From Burning Northville Home.”
After the fire, Jimmy stayed with his grandmother Alida Canfield. His Aunt Rachel Mills was a nurse and lived next door. The rest of the family stayed with Bertha and Clarence Resseguie, their aunt and uncle.
After the fire, Esther and Arnold had two more children, Carol and Joan.
The family then lived in a house on Mechanic Street owned by Arch Dunham until the house was sold in the 1960s.
Others who helped the family included Oscar Chamberlin and his wife who owned a grocery store. Dan and Emily Weaver provided transportation in their car.
The family moved back to Second Street eventually. Arnold had a big garden and the children helped. After the war Arnold worked at Mohawk Carpet Mills in Amsterdam. He died in 1965. Esther died in 1978. Mary Ann and Joan are the only Rhodes children alive today.
Jimmy Rhodes served in the U.S. Army then worked at General Electric in Schenectady. He died in 2019 from a heart attack.
His sister Mary Ann Rhodes Johnson said Jimmy had his first heart attack at GE, “He was working on top of a generator when it happened and they had to get a crane to get him down so they could get him to the hospital. (Sounds like he just liked to make things difficult when it came to saving his life.)”
Mohawk Valley Elements for a new week, Monday, December 20, 2021
High pressure will bring mostly sunny and seasonably
cold conditions today. A weak disturbance and a cold front will
bring some scattered snow showers to the western Adirondacks late
Monday Night into Tuesday morning. High pressure builds back in
Tuesday afternoon into Tuesday night, as another clipper type system
brings some spotty rain and snow showers for the mid week.
December 20
1946
...the movie, you know
It's a Wonderful Life is released in New York City or you have a choice of Die Hard
Mohawk Valley News, Monday, December 20, 2021
Daily Gazette
The Gloversville Common Council recently voted 6-1 to approve $787,443 worth of 2022 salaries for the city’s non-union administrative jobs,…
https://dailygazette.com/
Amsterdam Recorder
In the holiday spirit, Amsterdam Elks sponsor families
AMSTERDAM — The Amsterdam Elks aren’t known for their covert operations, but lately members have...
https://www.recordernews.com/
Leader Herald
Gloversville Common Council hires lawyers to defend against lawsuit
by Jason Subik
https://www.leaderherald.com/