1940s – Hastings Historical Society

06 Jul 2026

The Big Dreams of Edward Wilkes Henry

July 6, 2026
The Hastings Historical Society
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1940s, Uncategorized

by Kimberly Janeway

In the autumn of 1940, Edward W. Henry was 76 years old. And that’s when the Hastings resident caused a stir in the village by trying to register for the draft. President Franklin D. Roosevelt had signed the Selective Training and Service Act into law […]

18 Mar 2010

Mystery Photo: An Irish Field Day in 1949

March 18, 2010
The Hastings Historical Society
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1940s, Collection, Mystery Photos

The picture you see below is 8 inches high and 29 inches long. It was taken in Draper Park on June 24th of 1949 and shows the Hastings Irish American Club’s second annual Field Day in Draper Park. Click on either the top or the bottom photograph to look at […]

11 Mar 2010

Tales of the Blizzard — of 1947

March 11, 2010
The Hastings Historical Society
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1940s, Collection

Warburton Avenue looking north from Williams Street. (click on any image for more information about the photograph) You think we had a tough time a couple of weeks ago with 20.9 inches of snow? Well, the 26.4 inches that fell on December 26, 1947 hit New York much harder. “Metropolis […]

04 Feb 2010

Out of the Blue

February 4, 2010
The Hastings Historical Society
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1940s, Collection, Mystery Photos

Draper Cottage must have been built on a field of four-leafed clovers. That is the only explanation of the incredible luck the Hastings Historical Society seems to have. We have a question, and miraculously, within two or three days, someone will call or e-mail with the answer. We start researching […]

19 Nov 2009

Mystery Photo: Anaconda’s Weatherproofing Department

November 19, 2009
The Hastings Historical Society
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1940s, 1950s, Mystery Photos

One of the departments at Anaconda Wire & Cable Company that employed women was the weatherproofing department. There, the women operated the machines that covered copper cable with cotton braid impregnated with a weather-proofing substance. In these photographs, however, the ladies are having some kind of party — complete with […]

12 Nov 2009

In Honor of Veteran’s Day

November 12, 2009
The Hastings Historical Society
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1910s, 1940s, 1960s, Collection

Parade on Main Street during or just after World War I, possibly on Armistice Day, November 11th, 1918 Parades matter. And Joseph Semberger reminds veterans why in the “Commander’s Message” from a booklet produced in 1969 for the 50th anniversary of the James Daley Post No. 200 of the V.F.W.:“Each […]

05 Nov 2009

Between the Chrystie Estate and the A&P: Bob Russell’s Brook

November 5, 2009
The Hastings Historical Society
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1940s, 1950s, 1960s, Collection

Editor’s Note: Bob Russell, a regular contributor to this blog and to the Hastings Historian, left a fascinating comment on Judy Chamberlain’s post last week about the history of the local A&P. I asked him to tell me more about what he remembered of the former Chrystie property, and he […]

12 Oct 2009

The Historical Society Blog Takes a Holiday

October 12, 2009
The Hastings Historical Society
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1940s, Collection

Our advice to you: Go to the movies! A recent donation from former resident Roy Weldon — a 1942 Hastings Theater flyer.

01 Oct 2009

Mystery Photo: Riverview Manor Hose Company, ca. 1945

October 1, 2009
The Hastings Historical Society
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1940s, Collection, Mystery Photos

Here is a great photograph of the Riverview Manor Hose Company No. 3 filling up at the Gulf station on Main Street. We have a 1947 photograph showing the Gulf station in just this location on Main Street, in the spot that is now the Boulanger Plaza parking lot, before […]

24 Sep 2009

Mystery Photo: French Assembly, ca. 1947 – 1954?

September 24, 2009
The Hastings Historical Society
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1940s, 1950s, Collection, Mystery Photos

In 1981 Elizabeth Filkins Gessler, long-time French teacher at the Hastings High School, donated to the Historical Society an album containing dozens of wonderful photographs. The album is dated “1935-1954”, and the photographs show the activities of the French Club, a club which “Madame Gessler” sponsored. The most spectacular pictures […]