Downtown 1888 -December roses

The temperature outside was frigid, but inside Dr. George Little’s greenhouse on Ridge Street, the roses were flourishing.

“Last night with the mercury in the thermometer hovering about the zero mark, the beautiful blossoms, apparently bidding defiance to the Frost King, made a sight that was decidedly pleasing,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls reported on Dec. 20, 1888.

The physician, who lived in the vicinity of what now is the Robert J. Cronin High Rise, had more than enough roses for his own use, and was offering the surplus for sale.

“He cuts about 100 blossoms daily. Lovers of floriculture are invited to call and inspect the contents of his house at any time.”

Talk about a sharp-looking act.

“The drum major of Gay Brothers minstrels attracted considerable attention in the street parade yesterday noon by performing difficult feats of juggling with knives,” The Morning Star of Glens Falls reported on Dec. 13, 1888.

The drum major’s talent was exceeded by the artistry of a “new and novel” window display at the Rochester Clothing Co. store, depicting a North Pole scene inside frosted windows and displaying various men’s garments.

“The overhanging icicles glitter and sparkle under the brilliant glare of the electric light, and the whole work is so true to nature that a person approaching the window seems to encounter a veritable cold wave,” The Morning Star reported on Dec. 17. “The decorations attract more than ordinary attention from passers by.”

An apparent earthquake shook Glens Falls a little before 6 a.m. on Dec. 19.

“The disturbance, as nearly as can be estimated, lasted about thirty seconds,” The Morning Star reported the next day. “Many people had left their beds at the time, and all agree as to the sensation experienced.”

In a separate column, The Morning Star joked that the earthquake was caused by a downtown retailer rolling back prices.

“The cause of yesterday’s shaking up of Mother Earth is said to have originated in A. Wurtenberg’s cloak department, where prices of all plush and cloth garments for ladies and gentlemen took such a tumble that it caused the vibration of the whole county.”

Downtown merchants would have preferred more real snow, as out-of-town customers relied on sleighing as primary mode of transportation at that season, particularly if it has been a muddy autumn.

“The weather this fall has not been altogether favorable to a good Christmas trade,” The Morning Star reported on Dec. 18. “A fall of snow and good sleighing are things that our merchants would be pleased to see.”

The shoppers did come.

“Very few Glens Falls merchants had any reason to complain of a dull trade yesterday,” The Morning Star reported on Dec. 21. “The streets were thronged with out-of-towners, who came from every direction within a radius of twenty miles of the village.”

In the case of Christmas turkeys, the early shoppers got the birds.

“The supply of turkeys in the Glens Falls market was barely adequate to the demand. Yesterday afternoon, some of the marketmen did not have a specimen of the national bird left. Others had only a few light weights of an inferior character,” The Morning Star reported on Dec. 25.

“A similar complaint comes from Sandy Hill. Our correspondent at that place says that several families who delayed buying their turkeys to find the market stock depleted.”

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