Utica History You Tube video.

[Clipper]

[Clipper]

The Thruway

[Clipper]

There are several videos in succession. Interesting to view. I remember when they were building the thruway through Whitesboro. My grandparents lived in the house directly next to the Main St. thruway overpass. I was fascinated and watched for hours on end as they moved the house next door to the corner of Watkins St. and used earth movers and large bulldozers and sheep's foot rollers to carve out the notch up over the hill toward Westmoreland and use the dirt to fill the area from route 69, through Whitesboro and across the flats to North of the canal. I was at an age where when they weren't working we played with our toy cars and trucks in the sandy soil fill. When they built the over pass over Main St. I sat in a folding chair on the front lawn, watching the workers heat the rivets in a forge and using tongs, toss them up from ground level to workers placing the rivets in the steel. They would catch them in a heat proof canvas bucket, place them in the holes, and peen them over with a pneumatic rivet hammer. The noise was deafening. When the Thruway was finished we used to climb to the top of the berm and slide downhill on our sleds in winter, and were able to traverse across two back yards before stopping.

[BHU]

I watched a couple of those yesterday after coming accross them on FB. Interesting stuff.

[Clipper]

Feb 24, 2024 12:36:42 GMT -5 BHU said:

I watched a couple of those yesterday after coming accross them on FB. Interesting stuff.

FB is where I found them this morning. I love watching you tube video. I take my Ipad when I am going to a doctor's appointment or when Kathy is going shopping. My Ipad, a pair of ear buds and I an sit in the car or waiting room and not have to stare at the ceiling for eons.

[BHU]

I too watch a lot of YouTube videos. I've been watching vids by a Scotty Kilmer an auto mechanic who I think lives in Tennessee. He really has it in for EV's & crooks. He knows his stuff & is a riot, but tells it like it is. Worth watching just for a laugh.

[Clipper]

I will have to see if I can find him. Copy and send me a link to one of his videos if you think of it.

I watch a lot of wood working videos and listen to a lot of country music videos, and sometimes I just wander about on you tube and watch random videos.

[BHU]

Feb 25, 2024 0:26:09 GMT -5 Clipper said:

I will have to see if I can find him. Copy and send me a link to one of his videos if you think of it.

I watch a lot of wood working videos and listen to a lot of country music videos, and sometimes I just wander about on you tube and watch random videos.

For some reason this tablet won't let me post links. But if you go to YouTube type in Scotty Kilmer in their search function & his vids will show up.

[artsyone]

There are errors in the first video and it is painfully obvious that the narrator/creator did not do his homework. Error no 1: The Saint John's Roman Catholic Church pictured was not the original first Catholic church. This church that we see is the third Saint John's. the first was built on John Street on the opposite side around 1825. It fronted up to the canal and was a small affair of white clapboards. Later, in the 1850's a new brick church was built across the road which burned and the Saint John's as we see it in the video is the third church. Error no 2: Roscoe Conkling owned but never lived in the house in Rutger park. His primary residence during the Civil War was in Virginia, then in Washington DC, then later in life he lived at the Fifth Avenue Hotel in NYC where he died. His wife, Julia Conkling and their daughter Eliza, along with their servants were the sole tenants of no 3 Rutger Park. Julia lived there alone after her daughter married in 1875 and she died there in October of 1893. It is doubtful that Roscoe spent much time there even when he was in town as he maintained a suite of Rooms at Bagg's Hotel. However, Julia was a very good friend of Grant's wife also named Julia and Grant and his wife did spend time in Rutger Park. Error no 3: the scene shows Grant and other gentlemen in a smoke filled room. Roscoe did not smoke nor use spirits. he was also a vegetarian and did not allow smoking in the house and no alcohol was ever served. I have viewed this video before. I pointed out these errors in the comments on U tube but no one replied. There may be other errors but I don't have the time to go through and nit pick on this guy. Fake history is just not worth my time.

[BHU]

I wasen't very impressed with the Utica video either.

[Clipper]

I just enjoyed taking the video tour and seeing all the familiar sights. The video that started on Oriskany St. and was narrated only as far as the hospital and then just a silent ride up Genesee as far as the Parkway must be a bit boring for those that are not familiar with the city.

I was wondering if we were looking at the original St. John's church. I had a vague memory from Artsyone and Dave of there being an older church on the other side of the street. There were a couple of other things mentioned that I didn't think were historically correct.

We are much better served reading the writings compiled by Artsyone, Dave, and Jon.

[artsyone]

This video was created by AI buy a guy who lives in Rome and it didn't exactly go viral. It has errors. In the beginning frame where we see what I assume to be Utica in the foreground I don't recognize a thing, it's a mash up of information. That is not the original church, that is the third church. The first church was a white clapboard affair that fronted onto the canal, the second church was across the street and that burned. The current church is what we see in the photo. The info about Conkling is not only wrong, it is misleading from what I have read. I am sure he spent time in the house, after all his wife lived there, but Roscoe and Julia were estranged. Roscoe had a long affair with Kate Chase Sprauge a Washington DC socialite and the daughter of Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase. As a PS: Roscoe was caught by Kate's drunken husband in a very vunerable position when the gentle ladies husband came home early from a trip, this caused Roscoe not a little pain as he grabbed his pants and absconded through a second story bedroom window. As I understand Roscoe spent much time with a kind physician while the buckshot was extracted from his vaunted derriere and Kate got locked in her bedroom by said drunken husband where she had plenty of time to repent and repair her tattered reputation. True story.

[BHU]

Feb 26, 2024 19:50:16 GMT -5 artsyone said:

This video was created by AI buy a guy who lives in Rome and it didn't exactly go viral. It has errors. In the beginning frame where we see what I assume to be Utica in the foreground I don't recognize a thing, it's a mash up of information. That is not the original church, that is the third church. The first church was a white clapboard affair that fronted onto the canal, the second church was across the street and that burned. The current church is what we see in the photo. The info about Conkling is not only wrong, it is misleading from what I have read. I am sure he spent time in the house, after all his wife lived there, but Roscoe and Julia were estranged. Roscoe had a long affair with Kate Chase Sprauge a Washington DC socialite and the daughter of Chief Justice Salmon P. Chase. As a PS: Roscoe was caught by Kate's drunken husband in a very vunerable position when the gentle ladies husband came home early from a trip, this caused Roscoe not a little pain as he grabbed his pants and absconded through a second story bedroom window. As I understand Roscoe spent much time with a kind physician while the buckshot was extracted from his vaunted derriere and Kate got locked in her bedroom by said drunken husband where she had plenty of time to repent and repair her tattered reputation. True story.

You can't make this stuff up. Lol

[kit]

In 1859 Roscoe Conkling was a partner with Montgomery Throop in the law firm 'Conkling and Throop' in Utica. My mother's great aunt had occasion to use their services in that year for a lawsuit against a man who illegally became the owner of 1/2 of Frankfort, NY. I imagine Conkling lived in Utica at that time, although at other times he lived elsewhere. She eventually won the lawsuit and became the owner of 1/2 of Frankfort. She married the brother of one of her lawyers (who was a dentist in Utica) and rented several parcels out and eventually sold the rest and became quite a wealthy woman.

[artsyone]

Feb 27, 2024 9:40:46 GMT -5 kit said:

In 1859 Roscoe Conkling was a partner with Montgomery Throop in the law firm 'Conkling and Throop' in Utica. My mother's great aunt had occasion to use their services in that year for a lawsuit against a man who illegally became the owner of 1/2 of Frankfort, NY. I imagine Conkling lived in Utica at that time, although at other times he lived elsewhere. She eventually won the lawsuit and became the owner of 1/2 of Frankfort. She married the brother of one of her lawyers (who was a dentist in Utica) and rented several parcels out and eventually sold the rest and became quite a wealthy woman.

A great story. Yes, he did live in Utica but I do not know where. He was married at that time to Julia Seymour the sister of Horatio Seymour and they had a child, Eliza. Did you know Conkling never went to law school, he just clerked and read law and then hung out his shingle. He was an interesting but arrogant and bombastic individual, also a known ladies man who was rumored to have "more than a few red headed children" growing up in Utica. He had a terrible reputation, but Julia was drawn to him like a moth to a flame. Horatio begged Julia not to marry Conkling but she persisted. Conkling, on the other had more than likely had big plans to marry into a local political family and Julia was just the ticket. By the time they got to Wash DC Conkling's extra marital were in full swing and his affair with Kate Chase was well known. The end came this a way: Conkling, Julia and Kate were all staying in the same hotel, Conkling had secreted Kate there so he could "have a little fun". Conkling ordered Roses for Kate and placed a naughty little note inside. The delivery boy thought the roses were for Julia and preceeded thusly with the delivery. You can fill in the rest of the story.