Warrensburg man more accurate than ground hog in 1920

Savvy dresser Barney Hammond was considered more reliable than a ground hog in determining the arrival of spring weather at Warrensburg, N.Y. in the Adirondacks.

Punxsutawney Phil saw his shadow on Feb. 2, 1920 and predicted six more weeks of winter, according to the website thoughtco.com.

It would be about 14 weeks before Hammond pronounced the arrival of spring in Warrensburg, and still Mother Nature was not cooperating to verify.

“That spring is really here, despite the fact that the cold weather might not indicate it, is believed by Warrensburg people because Barney Hammond appeared yesterday in his new spring straw hat,” The Post-Star reported on May 15, 1920.

Technically speaking, spring arrived at the March Equinox at 4:59 p.m. eastern standard time on March 20, according to the website timeanddate.com.

But every Adirondacker knows that spring on the calendar does not necessarily mean spring in the air.

In Warrensburg, Barney had a reputation for accuracy.

“That genial up-county resident sets the fashion in men’s hats right on the minute every season, and his ‘straw’ can mean nothing but balmy weather, according to those who have taken his ‘tips’ in the past,” The Post-Star reported.

In Hudson Falls it was Ernest Karos, proprietor of the Hudson Falls Shoe Shining Parlor, who set the trend when he was the first person in the village spotted wearing a straw hat on May 17, 1920.

“For the past four years the honor has been grasped by “Bony” Mosher, but this season Mr. Mosher has been suffering from a slight cold, it is stated, and feared the exposure. He promises to be on hand for the laurels next year,” The Post-Star reported the next morning.