Along The Mohawk #16

For the Mohawk Valley, Central New York region. 

Along the Mohawk features local music and interviews with musicians, storytellers, restaurateurs, and manufacturers and also features Soundscapes with local naturalist Matt Perry. The show will also include a short weekly old-time radio serial, Annie and the Loomis Gang, written and produced by Sharry Whitney and performed by a cast of local voice actors. 

Transcript

SPEAKER_17 0:01

Steep Ponty Chevrolet and Herker, your local family-owned and operated Chevy dealer, presents Along the Mohawk.

SPEAKER_10 0:10

Come with me as we travel along the Mohawk, sharing the stories of the people and places where we belong.

SPEAKER_17 0:21

Good morning. Happy Summer Solstice, and Happy Father's Day to all the fathers out there. I'm Sherry Whitney and thank you for traveling along the Mohawk with me today. On today's show, we get outside in the garden with Maggie's Minute and Matt Perry's MV Soundscape. But first, I'm sure you've heard that it's our nation's 250th anniversary this year. But did you know it's the United County History Center's 150th anniversary? I visit with the History Center's executive director, Rebecca McLean, to learn about its origin. So it's the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation, and you have something here you're going to tell us about the Oriskany Monument.

SPEAKER_14 1:02

Absolutely. So it is a big year for the nation, but also Oneida County History Center. It is our 150th anniversary this year, so officially in December, but we have a bit of a connection and our early days are tied to the Oriskany Monument. I think a lot of people know about the Euriskany Monument commemorating the Battle of Oriskany, which was on August 6, 1777. Basically, for 100 years, there was not much going on there. So after the battle, the land kind of reverted to farmland. A couple families, so the Parkhurst, Ringrose, and Lindere families owned the land for a while, but nothing was going on there.

SPEAKER_17 1:41

So this was a place everybody knew the battle had happened there, but it had gone back into use as a field. So it was just Yeah.

SPEAKER_14 1:48

Field, forest, farmland. So back again to us. We're founded in 1876. So 1877 is the 100th anniversary of the Battle of Oriskany. And there was a big centennial commemoration. So I think maybe 60,000, 70,000 people attended, and it really brought awareness. I think people were disappointed that there was nothing there.

SPEAKER_17 2:09

And for such a substantial battle and turning point to have it not being recognized was probably something people were realizing over the case.

SPEAKER_14 2:17

Absolutely. So I mean there were, you know, big names there. Governor Horatio Seymour was there, local judges, all the local dignitaries, and plus descendants and local community members. Now, did this tie to the origin of the United County History Center? Yes. So I'm getting it. So we're founded in 1876. We're founded for many different reasons, but part of it was to commemorate the founding of America. We should celebrate history, and there was kind of a national movement, and then museums started popping up all over the world. So just a big national trend. So we're started, and building the Oriskany Monument is one of our very first projects. So they find a letter that says the Continental Congress promised money for a monument to commemorate the battle in General Herkimer. Well, it's a hundred years later and this still has not been built. So the historical society makes it their big project. They solicit Congress and get the funds with interest. So I think they're able to get $4,000 from Congress in 1881. So it takes a couple years to get that funding. And then they raise private funds as well. So they're expecting it to cost about $10,000. So that takes a couple more years. And so finally they get the money, which is fantastic. And of course, there's construction going on, but it's it's not as easy as one would think. I guess they run into like quicksand and lots of other stuff. Finally, in 1884, it is erected and it still stands today. So it's now owned by the state. So we donated it to the state in I think 1927. And now it's run by Park Service. So it can be used and visited by anybody from the community. And every year on the anniversary of the battle, they have a remembrance ceremony where descendants come, um, members of the United Nation usually speak as they were there at the battle, as well as people from the Park Service and usually a government representative.

SPEAKER_17 4:05

But the monument itself, what was required for the design? How did they go about designing what it was going to be?

SPEAKER_14 4:11

So I tried to find some more details on this. So we actually have a ton of records about its construction in our archive, which is great. So we can find little bills of sale and receipts for paying the workers and all the materials. But I think they're basically there are a couple phases. So they had to dig out the ground and basically get the base kind of phase one, and then they went up. But they explored a couple different plans and the team decided on the McVicker plan, which I have no idea what that means, but it costs a lot more than they're expecting, though. And it took a couple years. But it does look kind of like the Washington Monument. Yes. It it is an obelisk, it's 85 feet high.

SPEAKER_17 4:50

When you see it, you don't realize how big it is until you're right up next to it.

SPEAKER_14 4:53

It's on a hill, and then there's the ravine. So I think that maybe takes away from its height a little bit.

SPEAKER_17 4:59

And I see here this beautiful little puzzle showing the uh dedication in 1884. Tell me a little bit about the scene here.

SPEAKER_14 5:05

So yeah, this is the dedication of so when the monument was finished, yeah. You can you can see some of the people kind of hanging out there for for the day. We make local history puzzles, and they all feature scenes, historic photos, or postcards. Yeah, that's just a little lesser-known story. Like people visit it a lot, but our organization has been around for quite a while, and it's a piece of our history that I think was forgotten for a little while as well. And so we're we're trying to reclaim that and honor that. Well, thank you very much. That was very interesting.

SPEAKER_01 5:41

Attention, listeners, your Mohawk Valley time travel experiment is about to commence. Stand by as we recalibrate the decades.

SPEAKER_04 5:55

Welcome to September 1995. Griffiths Air Force Base in Rome, New York. One of the last times the roar of military aircraft will echo across these runways. The air smells of jet fuel and freshly cut grass. Ahead of me, beyond the fence, sits Griffiths Air Force Base. For more than 50 years, this place has been part of life in the Mohawk Valley. A B-52 bomber rumbles in the distance. Quite a sight, isn't it? I turn and see a man leaning against his pickup truck, watching the runway. Do you work here? 22 years. Started when I was just a kid. Never thought I'd see it end. My father worked here too. Seems like everybody in Rome knows somebody who worked at Griffiths. The man looks back toward the flight line. Around us, families stand quietly along the fence. Some wave, some take photographs, others simply watch. A lot of folks are worried. Nobody knows exactly what comes next. What neither of us can see is that one day this runway will become Griffiths International Airport. New businesses will move in, thousands of people will work here again. But today, that's still in the future. A jet engine winds to life. The aircraft begins to roll. People wave. The man beside me raises his hand. And as the plane climbs into the September sky, a chapter of Mohawk Valley history slowly disappears beyond the clouds. Well, time to get back to the future.

SPEAKER_17 7:46

After the break, Maggie's Minute, featuring the resilient native plant, Pearly Everlasting. Enjoy this music from local singer-songwriter Karen Savoca. Brought to you by Big Apple Music in New Hartford.

SPEAKER_02 8:02

Crazy Theresa's got a smile on her hips. She drives a taxi and she makes good tips. Since she quit smoking, got a nose like a bloodhound. If you want a cheese around Sister Sheila standing on the corner, just all in black, looking just like a mother. Nobody told her, nobody wanted about the heartbreaker. What it is.

SPEAKER_06 8:58

From the arts and education to community development and human services, we're proud to contribute to the hearts of our community.

SPEAKER_07 9:07

We're proud to support the place we call home. Bank with Utica.

SPEAKER_04 9:14

Big Apple Music in New Hartford has served Central New York and the best musicians since 1979. Guitars, amps, drums, sound systems, digital pianos, and school instruments. And providing sales, rentals, repairs, and musical instrument private lessons. Got an instrument that needs a little love? Let Big Apple Music repair it for you. Check us out for sound system installs and repairs. The best brands for the best bands. Shop local, shop smart, shop Big Apple Music in New Hartford. Loving people for over 46 years. Check us out on Facebook and our website.

SPEAKER_13 9:46

Since 1917, NGMs Flooring America has delivered quality floors and expert installations. Save on carpeting, laminate flooring, ceramic tiles, and more. Plus, we offer 12 months of interest-free financing for qualified buyers. Stop by our location today.

SPEAKER_11 10:01

You work hard here in the Mohawk Valley. You make a difference. You leave your mark. You deserve a financial advisor who works hard to make a difference for your future.

SPEAKER_12 10:11

Investing for retirement, college, thinking about your legacy. We have spent most of our adult lives giving you straightforward answers for your financial decisions.

SPEAKER_11 10:21

We pride ourselves on being local, prudent, and trustworthy for you, Van Meter and Van Meter, with three offices to serve your financial future.

SPEAKER_17 10:37

If you haven't been to Fort Stanwix in a while, the 250th anniversary of the birth of our nation is a great excuse. On today's visit, Park Ranger Ariel Golner tells us about settlers, civilian merchants who were directly attached to a regiment providing soldiers with items to supplement their rations, as well as providing trade with the local Native American population.

SPEAKER_15 11:01

So this is the settler. So basically, if a soldier needed to purchase anything or needs anything, this is where he'd come to come and get it. It's like the country general store of the 18th century. Oh, and I see the furs. Yes, furs were definitely very popular. Beaverfelt was the most popular in that you would need it for a beaverfelt hat. And if you were anybody who was anybody, you would need a beaverfelt hat. Yes. There were a lot of items that you could possibly find in a settler. So this particular room is interpreting several different kinds of settlers. So there would be the sutler that would be here for the army. So they would have things specifically that the army might desire. Then you would have a specific settler that would deal with the natives. In order to deal with the natives, you needed a certain federal accreditation to do so and to post certain things within your settler to try and prevent the natives from being swindled. Like this list over here. It has a if you bring this, you get this. This is glass beads. The natives didn't necessarily have access to the technology to make glass beads. So when they would come to trade things, this thing was cool and new. We have other various larger glass beads. And then we have these kind of true beads. There's white and purple. Or wampum. You would use wampum in order to weave a belt and that would tell a story. And that is how the natives of the area would keep track of their history through pictures in these belts. Now did they what did they use for their beads if they didn't have glass? They used it's a shell. And you would have to have uh special training in order to craft these beads from these seashells. If you wanted to know how important a wampum belt was, the more purple that was incorporated, the more gravity that particular event held in their history. What else do we have here? So we have jaw harps. If you give me a second, and I can try and play. I would love to hear you play a jaw harp. A jaw harp. All right. So this is a brass jaw harp. It can be made of several different things. There are many cultures all around the world that have something that looks like this. It could be made from anything from bamboo to metal, and you can even make modern ones with credit cards if you really want to. Um so this was a very portable instrument. Um it's only about as long as my index finger, and so something you could stick in your pocket. Uh when the archaeology was being done here, we found several broken ones. You may not have heard a jaw harp before, but if you've ever watched Winnie the Pooh and When Tigger bounces around, this is the instrument that they would use in order to make Tigger's bouncing noise.

SPEAKER_17 14:12

Okay, let's do some more.

SPEAKER_15 14:25

Yeah, I am definitely not a professional with a jaw harp. If I could do that, I'd be having a very different career right now.

SPEAKER_18 14:30

Thank you.

SPEAKER_17 14:34

Visit the Suttler's Market at Fort Stanwix in Rome. Now let's head to New York Mills for Maggie's Minute. Last week you told us about plants that don't necessarily need good soil, and that's encouraging if you don't have nice loamy soil. Tell us other options we might have if we don't have beautiful soil.

SPEAKER_00 14:55

Another plant that really doesn't need rich soil or a great site is called Pearly Everlasting. It's Anaphalus Margaritacea. Right now I have it sitting in one of the hottest spots up on our walkway, right next to the driveway. It's in gravelly, sandy type soil. It's extremely hot up there and kind of dry, and it loves it there. It looks happy. It looks very, very happy, but it's a really, really cool plant. It is the host plant for the American lady butterfly. Also for the painted lady butterfly. The cool thing is I watched her, it had to be a few weeks ago, but I saw the American lady going from plant to plant to plant. She was basically laying her eggs because it is the host plant for her. She lays her eggs on the leaves, and then the emerging caterpillars feed on the foliage, but they create this nest made out of silk, and it's folded up. And the first time I saw it, I go, Oh my gosh, my plant is dead. I bought this cool plant and it's dead. I waited a little bit longer, forgot about it probably, and it's resilient. It healed itself, started blooming, and it is gorgeous. It is one of those things, kind of like the monarch and the milkweed. It's just so cool to watch. You know, what actually goes on with these plants. People have told me my plant is being eaten. I'm like, don't worry about it. These native plants are supposed to be eaten, and they're resilient. They'll come back and then they'll bloom beautifully.

SPEAKER_17 16:37

It's the way it's supposed to be.

SPEAKER_00 16:38

Yeah, that's life.

SPEAKER_17 16:40

And that's what you're trying to accomplish.

SPEAKER_00 16:41

And that is, with the native plants. You know, I look at the garden differently now. Before I would have been like, oh no, my plant. Now I'm like, oh cool, she's she found it, she found it. And I have this pearly everlasting. I just take clumps of it and put it all over, and it'll sprout up and it lasts a long time. And if anybody wants some, I just give people handfuls of it. That's the cool thing, too, is being able to give people your plants. Great. Well, thank you. Okay, thanks, Sherry.

SPEAKER_17 17:16

To find local resources for native plants and how to introduce more of them to your yard, visit our website alongthemohawkradio.com. After the break, chapter 14 of Annie and the Loomis Gang and Matt Perry's MB Soundscape. Here's more music from local musician Karen Saboka.

SPEAKER_02 17:35

Julia Margaret, dress me up in red. I wanna be a woman in a picture. I wanna be a woman in your frame. Catherine Houghton with the Starlight Smile. I'd love to talk to you. Hey Catherine, there's no way.

SPEAKER_06 18:10

From the arts and education to community development and human services, we're proud to contribute to the hearts of our community.

SPEAKER_07 18:18

We're proud to support the place we call home. Bank with Utica.

SPEAKER_04 18:25

Big Apple Music in New Hartford has served Central New York and the best musicians since 1979. Guitars, amps, drums, sound systems, digital pianos, and school instruments. And providing sales, rentals, repairs, and musical instrument private lessons. Got an instrument that needs a little love? Let Big Apple Music repair it for you. Check us out for Sound System installs and repairs. The best brands for the best bands. Shop local, shop smart, shop Big Apple Music in New Hartford. Loving people for over 46 years. Check us out on Facebook and our website.

SPEAKER_11 18:58

You work hard here in the Mohawk Valley. You make a difference. You leave your mark. You deserve a financial advisor who works hard to make a difference for your future.

SPEAKER_12 19:07

Investing for retirement, college, thinking about your legacy. We have spent most of our adult lives giving you straightforward answers for your financial decisions.

SPEAKER_11 19:18

We pride ourselves on being local, prudent, and trustworthy for you, Van Meter and Van Meter, with three offices to serve your financial future.

SPEAKER_03 19:29

Previously on Annie and the Loomis gang, Jedediah tried to reassure Annie to trust the systems in place and focus on her studies. Yet that same day, Annie uncovered a hidden box beneath the barn floor, casting doubt on the O'Connor name itself. And when she turned to William Loomis, she learned the weight of his name and what it costs to carry it. Chapter 14.

SPEAKER_17 19:56

It is late afternoon. Annie is inside the house at her desk. Her books are open in front of her, set out for study. She turns a page, but the words do not settle.

SPEAKER_16 20:07

Focus on today, Annie. Focus on today. Lesson for reading, recitation, numbers. Children need structure, clear rules, repetition.

SPEAKER_17 20:18

Annie looks up. She watches William leave as he always does this time of day.

SPEAKER_16 20:23

Focus on today. Jedediah said that. Focus on the work in front of me. Uncle Shay built systems. That's what he said. Systems to hold things together. And one of them was. If what I found in that box is true, then I must report it to the constable.

SPEAKER_17 20:46

Outside the window, movement passes across the field.

SPEAKER_16 20:50

Focus on today.

SPEAKER_17 20:53

Annie closes her book.

SPEAKER_16 20:54

There is no today if nothing I believed about this place is real, if none of it can be trusted.

SPEAKER_17 21:01

She leaves the house and heads up the hill to the orchard. Below lies the small field of hops, thick and green, heavy with hanging cones. She watches the pickers carrying baskets and sacks in the late afternoon sun. A sweet herbal bitterness is carried on the breeze.

SPEAKER_16 21:17

Straight to the hop house.

SPEAKER_17 21:19

They follow a worn path that curves around the base of the hill toward the barn, where the day's picking will be spread and dried. A system of field to path to hop house that runs without stopping.

SPEAKER_16 21:30

Even now, his systems keep moving without him.

SPEAKER_17 21:33

Water, work, routine. Annie's gaze lifts from the morning line of pickers to the slope above the orchard to the large cistern sitting high on the hill, fed quietly by the ram pump below. Another system. This is Sarah and her mother, Mary Marsh, Jedediah's daughter, cutting away before they reach the barned path. She watches them disappear into the swamp. Where are you going? Annie waits until the workers disappear around the bend of the hill. Then she hurries down.

SPEAKER_16 22:16

Focus on today, Jedediah says. Today is here. Today I go into the swamp.

SPEAKER_17 22:24

She follows the narrow path into the swamp. The ground softens under her feet, grass giving way to wet earth that shifts with each step. The air turns cool and heavy, thick with a green, rotting sweetness. Reeds brush her legs as she pushes through. Narrow channels cut through the marsh ahead, water moving along the swamp's natural low lines. Reinforced edges and laid timbers keep the flow steady where it would otherwise shift, clog, and lose its course. Her steps slow as the ground begins to give. The swamp feels shaped, but not controlled, like someone learned how it already moved and built around it. Where did they go? Where did they go? The path splits again, then again. Each turn, a narrow strip of higher ground between the dark water and reeds. They were just here. No. She pushes forward, then stops, then turns back on herself, trying to retrace a path that no longer feels the same. I'm lost. The light drains out of the swamp as she moves deeper into it. I can't see anything. Stop, stop. Shadows stretch across the channels, and the water goes still and dark. Somewhere ahead, faint voices carry through the swamp. Mary? Sarah? Ahead, a faint firelight appears through the trees. Annie pushes through the reeds toward the firelight. The voices sharpen, men talking among themselves, mixed with a shifting sound of horses. That's not workers. Through the reeds, she sees a cluster of men and a tight line of horses held in a swamp clearing.

SPEAKER_08 24:03

We've got the mockings changed on this group. Good. Change what needs changing. No horse leaves here recognizable.

SPEAKER_17 24:09

Annie recognizes the voice. Washington Loomis emerges in the firelight, his face flickering into view.

SPEAKER_08 24:16

Keep them corraled. Tight as you can. The next batch is coming along the eastern trail.

SPEAKER_17 24:22

Then she sees William.

SPEAKER_09 24:24

Hey, calm now, calm now. It's okay.

SPEAKER_17 24:27

Why are you there?

SPEAKER_09 24:28

This one came from the South herd! Hey, now you're upsetting them. The fire is making it much worse. Mark's too clear.

SPEAKER_08 24:35

Then make it different. Light it, shift it. By the time it reaches the canal, it needs to pass as another animal entirely. Hey, now they're tired. They need water. We're moving a lot at once. That's how you make it worth the risk. More horses, fewer trips, less chance of being followed.

SPEAKER_09 24:51

Once they hit the water routes, no one tracks them back here. You can't scare them, they're gonna run off. They're ready!

SPEAKER_08 25:01

Good.

SPEAKER_09 25:01

Dispatch heading to Albany.

SPEAKER_08 25:03

Wherever the buyers are paying, army, dealers, doesn't matter. Keep the lines moving. No breaks. The barges are waiting where they should be. They head east by morning. Must I do this again? If you're a Loomis, you know the swamp paths, you know the routine, soldier. North to the cut, then to the canal. And that's how it stays. Line them up. Keep them moving. It's okay, girl. Everything will be okay.

SPEAKER_09 25:28

It's okay.

SPEAKER_17 25:30

Annie has seen enough and slowly backs away. The firelight fades and the swamp swallows everything. All direction and certainty gone. I'm lost. I'm actually lost.

SPEAKER_16 25:40

No, no, this way.

SPEAKER_17 25:43

She stops, lost in the black. Cold water seeps into her boots. Something brushes her legs in the dark reeds. Someone's there. A hand closes around her elbow.

SPEAKER_03 26:00

Next week, chapter 15. William Leaves.

SPEAKER_05 26:09

This is Mohawk Valley Soundscape for June 21, 2026. Listen carefully to a healthy forest in mid-June. From the understory come the flute-like phrases of the Viri. Scarlet taningers sing from the canopy. Red-eyed virios deliver their endless questioning phrases from hidden perches. To many naturalists, these sounds are the voice of summer, but appearances can be deceiving. Many forests that seem healthy are, ecologically speaking, incomplete. Much of the Mohawk Valley's woodlands have regrown after generations of farming and logging. Trees may be abundant, yet many features required by sensitive forest birds remain absent. A mature forest is more than a collection of large trees. It contains layers of vegetation, standing dead trees, fallen logs, canopy openings, and a rich diversity of insects, fungi, and native plants. Each feature creates opportunities for life. Wood thrushes nest in the understory. Scarlet taningers forage in the canopy. Oven birds patrol the forest floor. Black-throated green warblers hunt insects high among the conifers. Each occupies its own niche. When forests become fragmented by roads, development, or intense logging, many of these birds decline. Nest predators increase. Species dependent on large forests gradually disappear. The chorus you hear today is more than bird song. It is evidence of ecological complexity and a measure of forest health. When a forest is allowed to mature, it becomes more than a stand of trees. It becomes a living community whose voices fill the summer air.

SPEAKER_17 28:13

Thank you for tuning in. Enjoy this, the longest day of summer, and hope you'll travel again with me next week along the Mohawk.