Battle of Rincon Hill Re-enactment Puts the City’s Proud Military History on Display
Visitors to the Rincon Memorial Park on the afternoon of June 22 were treated to a re-enactment of the Battle of Rincon Hill, on the sesquicentennial anniversary of the event that resulted in the only military casualties of the Civil War within city limits. Some highlights of the show: 3:00 pm – A group of…
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Friday Facts: Gratuates, Fish Sandwiches, Little Rascals
:: Number of City-Suburban Transit Authority (CSTA) buses whose digital signs read “CONGRADULATIONS GRATUATES” earlier this week: 658 :: Reason given for the spelling error, by a CSTA spokesperson: “Just having a little fun.” :: Number of hours after this statement that the CSTA copped to it being a spelling error: 3 :: Number of…
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Hello, again
Well, it has been two or three years since this site has been updated on anything resembling a regular basis, but that will hopefully change in the near future. I cannot guarantee anything, but I’m hoping to turn my attention toward The City Desk once again, work the cobwebs out of my head and trick…
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Mafia Slaying Site to Become Museum?
On first glance, the house at 719 South Decator Street, in the Elwyn Heights section of the city, doesn’t seem to be all that remarkable. It’s just another in a string of large brick twin houses that populate the neighborhood. However, the mere mention of the address is apt to flip a switch in those…
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Friday Facts: Narnia, Math, Linguistics, Lascivious Radios
:: Median age of mathematics texts used in city public schools: 18 years :: Median tenure of mathematics teachers in city schools: 4.5 years :: Median SAT mathematics score, city schools (2008): 485 :: Percentage of 12th graders in city schools who know how ‘median’ differs from ‘average’: 38% :: A city ordinance passed in…
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City’s First Subway Car Found
The second week of June 1901 saw the formal opening of the City’s first subway- what was to become today’s Brown Line- a modest straight line connecting the old Central Depot (across from Old City Hall, now Ludlow Plaza Station) and the Ostahanoc River, taking in the Downtown/Central Corridor areas, as well as the bustling…
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The Board of Trusts and the City’s Generous Dead
The current economic situation has given our already cash-strapped City a rough go of it, especially with regard to any funds tied into the stock market. Its pension fund alone has lost millions over the last two years and now officials are scrambling to work on ways to patch the gaping hole. There is one…
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Snapshots: Col. Barstow’s Private Police Force, 1910
May 26, 1910- Caption from this Sun-Recorder photo: “Across from the Cathedral of St. Vitus on Lorimar Avenue, Col. Harrison Barstow demonstrates one of the new mechanical call boxes installed for his new police force, to begin operations Monday.” Colonel Harrison Barstow was a wealthy man who had distinguished himself in the Spanish-American War. Upon returning home,…
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Friday Facts: The Honorable Harold Ramis, No Batmobiles
:: On this day in 1889, boxer John Lawrence Sullivan punched Mayor John Overholt’s wife directly in the face, knocking her out instantly. No reason was ever given for the assault, and neither the mayor nor Sullivan ever chose to speak of it again. :: A 1971 city ordinance prohibits the display of the Batmobile…
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