Around the Village of Chatham

by Gail Blass Wolczanski

Overview

In 1811, William Thomas built a tavern at the one busy site where the Albany and Hartford Turnpike intersected the Lebanon and Hudson Turnpike, and the village of Chatham was born. A store catering to stagecoach passengers soon followed in 1815. By 1850, the Hudson and Berkshire Railroad and the Western Railroad were established within sight of the tavern's central square. Shortly thereafter, Solomon Crandell's store and post office on the main street was receiving customers' mail addressed to Chatham Four Corners. There was a new school, three hotels, two churches, a gristmill, a foundry, several retail stores, two publications, and a village doctor. The Columbia Bank was founded in 1859 in response to the volume of trade and manufacturing in the village. Paper mills, iron foundries, wagon manufacturers, shirt factories, agriculture, and freight train service all helped to propel the development of the village of Chatham.

Product Details

ISBN-13:	9780738565910
Publisher:	Arcadia Publishing SC
Publication date:	11/02/2009
Series:	Images of America Series
Pages:	128
Product dimensions:	6.50(w) x 9.10(h) x 0.40(d)

About the Author

Gail Blass Wolczanski is a fifth-generation Chatham resident and the current president of the Chatham Village Historical Society. The images in Around the Village of Chatham have come from generous individuals who love and appreciate the charm that is Chatham.

Table of Contents

Acknowledgments 6

Introduction 7

1 At a Crossroads 9

2 With Hope and Faith 21

3 The Community Grows 29

4 The Railroads Came 53

5 Water and Fire 71

6 The Chatham Fair 79

7 Industry 87

8 Schooling 95

9 The Charm 109

10 Hometown USA 117

Editorial Reviews

Title: Five Questions: Gail Blass Wolczanski
Author: Tom Caprood
Publisher: The Record
Date: 11/15/09

Gail Blass Wolczanski is the author of "Around the Village of Chatham" recently published as part of the "Images of America" series from Arcadia Publishing. Wolczanski also once worked as a teacher in the New Hartford Central School System, near Utica.

Q: What was your experience writing this book?

A: The hardest part was trying to find how to categorize all the strengths of Chatham and cover everything that I could. There are 10 chapters and well over 200 photos that date back to 1940. I was born here and so were my parents and grandparents before me. I was raised with the lore of Chatham Village so basically I just needed to do research to determine what was the truth and what had been fabricated. It was a very eye-opening experience.

Q: How did you get involved with it?

A: Out of the blue Arcadia gave me a call at the historical society phone and said that they were looking to do a book on Chatham. They wanted a book on the town but I said I wouldn't do it because there was just too much. I told them I would do one on the village and then had to convince them that there was enough on the village and indeed there was plenty.

Q: Did you enjoy assembling the book?

A: I couldn't stop myself from researching. I've always enjoyed it and I've had training at the National Archives in Washington D.C. on how to use primary sources and how to find them. Applying that locally, especially with our local library, I just couldn't believe wealth of odds and ends that they had there. I actually uncovered things that they didn't even know they had.

Q: Do you miss anything about being a teacher?

A: This is just an extension of what I did there. I was known as the "Queen of History" and was asked to train teachers in teaching social studies and the new tests that came around. Mainly, if you walked into my classroom you'd find artifacts on the walls like old horseshoes and hammers. But I can do what I want to do now, which means I can volunteer and the local middle school and do walking tours with second graders on local history.

Q: Do you have any other hobbies or interests?

A: I'm a volunteer in the community. I'm in Rotary, the American Legion Auxiliary, I'm head of historical society, I do Meals on Wheels, and work park time at the Louis Payn Foundation Home.

From the Publisher