From the Archives of Focus on History from the Daily Gazette-O’Shaughnessy’s, an Amsterdam tavern
Thursday Podcast "90 Seconds"
Tomorrow, Friday, November 22, 2019-Episode 293-William Schaberg takes a detailed look at the early history of Alcoholics Anonymous in his book “Writing the Big Book: The Creation of A.A.”
Bob Cudmore’s Magic 590 Talk of the Town guest this weekend is Amsterdam Mayor-elect Mike Cinquanti. The Mayor-elect pledges to fix Amsterdam’s poor financial reputation by managing city money in a more efficient way. Listen Sunday at 6:30 a.m. on Magic 590 plus 100.5, and on 1410 and 96.9 in the Glens Falls/Lake George region. The interview will be podcast on AlbanyMagic.com and BobCudmore.com
O’Shaughnessy’s: an Amsterdam tavern
By Bob Cudmore, Focus on History, Daily Gazette, 04-07-2012
Amsterdam has been called the city of hills, mills and grills. The hills are still there but the mills and grills are greatly diminished.
In the 1960s my favorite Amsterdam bars included Burza’s, the Oasis, Baldy’s and two that remain—Russo’s on West Main and Skiba’s on James Street. In the early twentieth century one of the most iconic Amsterdam taverns was O’Shaughnessy’s.
Located at East Main and Eagle Streets in a building no longer there, O’Shaughnessy’s patrons included actor Kirk Douglas’s father, Harry Demsky, and my grandfather, Harry Cudmore. My grandparents lived at 36 Eagle Street, the Demskys lived at 46 Eagle. My grandmother enjoyed her beer and my father would be sent to the tavern to get a growler of suds for his mother at a back door of the bar.
Douglas wrote in his autobiography “The Ragman’s Son” that his father, a Jewish ragman and legendary strong man, would stop at O’Shaughnessy’s coming home from his route.
Amsterdam native Shawn Duffy submitted a top ten essay to my Stories from the Mohawk Valley essay contest about O’Shaughnessy’s, owned by his grandfather Martin J. O’Shaughnessy in the early 1900s. Duffy now lives in Lake St. Louis, Missouri.
Prohibition in 1920 closed the taverns, at least officially. An Albany Evening Journal story from 1926 reports a Martin Shaughnessy of Amsterdam was charged with selling beer.
Duffy wrote, “I guess it is a bit surprising that the bar survived Prohibition as so many did not. My mom, Mary O’Shaughnessy Duffy, told me that she used to help make bathtub gin when she was around ten, actually in the bathtub. Her brother Martin Junior sold the moonshine off the back porch to make ends meet during these hard times.
“Martin Junior had polio and was confined to a wheel chair. I always wondered if the coppers kind of turned their heads to not see a paralyzed person selling illegal moonshine off the back porch to help an old Irish tavern survive during the hard Prohibition times. I guess at this point we will never know, will we?”
Duffy doesn’t remember Martin Senior or Martin Junior but recalls when his uncle Edward was running the saloon. At that time the “O” was dropped from the tavern’s name and it was called Shaughnessy’s
The family nickname for Edward was Eb while others called him Midge. Duffy wrote, “Eb was also known as KO because even though he was slight in stature (around 4 foot 5 inches or so), he did have a baseball bat which he used as an ice crusher. From what I understand he used it more than once on people who got too rowdy in the bar.
“The story was that if someone got out of line, Eb would grab his ice crusher bat out of the ice bin, jump up on the bar and take a good swing at whoever was out of line, including Harry Demsky.”
When Duffy was young he visited his grandmother, Rose Mullarkey O’Shaughnessy, who lived in an apartment house next to the tavern. The youngster was allowed to play shuffleboard at the bar for free. Rose died in 1961 and Eb in 1973.
Duffy said, “The bar also had one of the first color TVs in the area, so it brought in a big crowd on football Sunday. Looking back on it from today, it was pretty small, the color was pretty bad and it probably cost a small fortune.”
BOWLER’S BREWERY
Bowler’s Brewery on West Main Street in Amsterdam was converted into the Chuctanunda Dyeing & Dressing Company during Prohibition. Historian Hugh Donlon wrote Bowler’s continued to make products that smelled alcoholic and federal agents raided with “crippling frequency.”
Amsterdam and Mohawk Valley Weather, Thursday, November 21, 2019-Mostly sunny, with a high near 42. West wind around 5 mph becoming calm in the afternoon.
Tonight A chance of rain, mainly after 11pm. Mostly cloudy, with a low around 37. Light and variable wind becoming south around 6 mph in the evening. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Friday A chance of showers, mainly before 1pm. Mostly cloudy, with a high near 45. Windy, with a southwest wind 9 to 14 mph becoming west 19 to 29 mph in the afternoon. Winds could gust as high as 50 mph. Chance of precipitation is 40%. New precipitation amounts of less than a tenth of an inch possible.
Marinus Willett, the Battle of Johnstown, and the Death of Walter Butler by Terry McMaster will be held on this evening, Thursday, November 21, 2019 at 6:30 PM at the Fort Plain Museum. Fort Plain Museum, 389 Canal Street, Fort Plain http://www.fortplainmuseum.com/
Friday, November 22, 2019 8pm
Landis Arboretum, 174 Lape Rd, Esperance 12066
FREE, donations gratefully accepted
For more information please contact:
Alan French/ Landis Arboretum | 518 374 8460 | Email
www.landisarboretum.org
Come view the stars and planets in Landis’ dark skies with members of the Albany Area Amateur Astronomers. A variety of telescopes will be set up for viewing the heavens, revealing nebulae, star clusters, galaxies, double stars, planets, and other celestial objects. Guests of all ages are always welcome. Feel free to bring your own telescope. We are happy to answer questions about using or buying a telescope. Please note: registration is recommended. Star Parties are canceled if the skies are mostly cloudy. If you are in doubt, you can always call Alan French at 518-374-8460
Saturday, November 23, 2019- Focus on History in the Daily Gazette-Amsterdam Army plane crash in 1943.
Leader Herald
AMSTERDAM — The St. Mary’s Healthcare auxiliary will present the 13th annual Christmas in November Holiday Home Tour on Saturday, November 23, 2019 from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Each year, community members and guests enjoy strolling through the beautifully decorated homes, each uniquely displayed in a style and fashion that fits the owner’s preferences, according to a news release. The home tour offers new ideas for those who are seeking holiday inspiration or enthusiasm. Guests are invited to tour all four homes or select a few before relaxing over treats and shopping at the Carondelet Pavilion.
The former Kellogg Mansion, home of Prof. and Mrs. Colbert Nepaulsingh, 47 Church St., will be one of four residences open for St. Mary’s Healthcare 13th annual Christmas in November Holiday Home tour. (Photo submitted)
This year’s homes are representative of the history of Amsterdam including the homes of Dr. and Mrs. Michael Hardies, formerly the Chalmers Mansion, at 345 Guy Park Ave.; the Estate of Stratworks Delaware Inc., formerly the Mansion on University, at 7 University Place; Dr. and Mrs. Robert Selbert, formerly the Shuttleworth Mansion, at 154 Brookside Ave; and Prof. and Mrs. Colbert Nepaulsingh, formerly the Kellogg Mansion, at 47 Church Street.
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