George Myers often uses the term "incidentally" when segueing (sp) into
some other subject mid-post, not that he has to, really ...

I think I have learned more from George's posts than those of any other
poster here.  Not only is his expertise set in my home stomping grounds
(although a bit down-state centric) but he provides lots of tantalizing
clues that lead me on to more and more information when I look into them.

Keep up the good work, George!  I enjoy the literary and historical
challenges you present.  It takes me back to the days of working with Jim Gibb!

         Dan W.



At 01:31 PM 11/8/2004 -0500, you wrote:
>sic transit gloria mundia:
>
>Unfortunately, we lost a real blacksmith treasure here in NYC a number
>of years ago. In the then nominated "Sandy Ground Historic District"
>(by Schuyler, et al,  I think, a tech on some of the surveys) on
>Staten Island, said more recently to be New York State's and America's
>first "free black" community (ca 1829?) there was an old time
>blacksmith shop. As that area, closer to southern end of the island
>and Tottenville, NY, the land developed in a land boom in the 1980's
>(the Verrazzano Bridge opened ca 1963 from Brooklyn, (named after the
>famous explorer first to name the Palisades an escarpment which
>geolists 100's of years later confirmed, opened up what, was once also
>where "bad cops" were sent, and orphans) and parts of it were
>developed (and/or yet again speculated). Unfortunately it burnt down,
>mysteriously, before it could be properly recorded and inventoried. I
>am not sure if it remains as an archaeological site.
>
>Incidentally, the Hopewell Village Foundry in Pennsylvania (cast
>cannons for Washington and produced its own unit and supplies for the
>Valley Forge encampment, later a 1840's box stove producer from molds)
>used to use aluminium in the old hearth on Sundays, the water driven
>bellows (two with a race from far away) would be used in the blast and
>the aluminum allowed to come out on the casting floor (where little
>"pigs" once were of iron) and into sandbox molds for the box stove
>parts, impressed form the original. Erroneously (?) also called
>"franklin stoves" they were small boxes that sat on the floor and
>changed cooking habits its said somewhere.
>
>George Myers