Albany: Florida Of The North!

February 11, 2008 10:16 AM

Defining Upstate New York as "anything within the state further north than Westchester," what documented bizarre historical events - large or small - have transpired in Upstate New York since the late 19th century or so?

This is for a strange little artistic project I'm working on set in Upstate New York - we'd like to weave real life strangeness into our fictional universe. Those of you who have lived around Schenectady or so know that Upstate can attract some dismally weird happenings. For example, there's the case in 1973 of mysterious twirling documents mentioning "normalized extinction" and "incomplete Davis-Greenstein orientation" falling from the sky into a hayfield in North Greenbush, or the time a few years ago in Schenectady when a house exploded with cockroaches (I read about this in the New York Times in about 2004 or so, but I can't remember when exactly).

posted by Sticherbeast to society & culture (20 comments total)

A bit earlier maybe, but it was in that area that Joseph Smith reported being visited by an angel and receiving the dictation of the Book of Mormon. (Wikipedia) Plenty weird, and lots of people firmly believe in its veracity.
posted by Forktine at 10:40 AM on February 11

You might want to browse Roadside America and websites like it.
posted by The corpse in the library at 11:14 AM on February 11

Former upstater (Oneonta, NY) here -- have you checked out the Anti-Rent War? I once helped out with a musical based on that little-known war with only one casualty...
posted by lleachie at 11:16 AM on February 11

well, there's the Navy's decision to build one of it's prototype reactor sites near Ballston Spa. Close enough to the GE headquarters (who are one of 2 major suppliers of Reactors to the Navy) in Schenectady, but far enough in the sticks to not bother many people.

It's been there since the 50's and people were still asking why there were a bunch of Sailors so far inland.
posted by ArgentCorvid at 11:19 AM on February 11

There is a book called Weird New York that might be of help to you!
posted by stefnet at 11:25 AM on February 11

In 1853, Universalist minister John Murray Spear, acting under the instruction of the ghost of Benjamin Franklin, created a new, mechanical Messiah out of steel. It was brought to life through an elaborate ritual in Lynn, Massachusetts, and subsequently dismantled and transported to Randolph, New York, in order to feed on the apparently superior electrical energy there.

Alas, a mob of irate local farmers destroyed the young deity before it could save us.
posted by Phlogiston at 11:46 AM on February 11

How about the Cardiff Giant?
posted by that possible maker of pork sausages at 11:51 AM on February 11

From the RocWiki:

The Fox Sisters,
The Rochester Mirage,
and The Lady In White, which was the basis of the '88 film of the same name.
posted by tommasz at 11:52 AM on February 11

Wow, didn't know about that last one - neat!

Another offbeat religious group was the Oneida Community - Sarah Vowell's got a readable take on it in Assassination Vacation.

A mid-19th century dig yielded the Cardiff Giant, but no one was fooled for long.

The herd of white deer living inside the Seneca Army depot fence are neither supernatural nor hoax.
posted by zepheria at 11:59 AM on February 11

Johnstown,NY Earl Zea cut off his own penis.

From Wikipedia entry on Penis Removal

"Earl Zea was prosecuted for filing a police report in 1997 that his penis was removed in an assault while asleep, only later admitting that it had been a self-inflicted move to deter a gay male stalker named Ronnie Fountain. Zea flushed his penis down the toilet. Both Zea and Fountain appeared on The Jerry Springer Show episode titled "I Cut Off My Manhood." Zea told Springer that he had reconstructive surgery after his penis could not be found. Fountain insisted that he and Zea had indeed had a sexual relationship, which Zea denied."

The Smoking Gun Link
linklinklinklink
posted by smithygreg at 12:48 PM on February 11

no LOLXTIANS intended.

But there have been so many religious awakenings, reawakenings, and further more awakenings that upstate New York garnered the title The Burned Over District. Within you will find Mormons, Abolitionists, Suffragists, Zionists, Spiritualists, and assorted religious oddities.
posted by munchingzombie at 12:56 PM on February 11

I believe it was because his workers in NY City went on strike that Tom Edison moved his major industrial operations (subsequently General Electric Corp) to Schenectady, thus setting in place the rise and fall of the city.
posted by Kevin S at 1:15 PM on February 11

The story of how the town of Horseheads got its name is interesting. You can read a bit on it here: http://www.google.com/search?&q=sullivan%27s%20march%20horseheads&sourceid=firefox
posted by skwm at 1:28 PM on February 11

Sorry, this is the correct link.
posted by skwm at 1:29 PM on February 11

bizzare historical events:

some dude named Clinton, with absolutely no experience, decided to dig a canal across the state.

potato chips were invented in Saratoga

garbage plates..... 'nuff said.
posted by Wild_Eep at 4:57 PM on February 11

Nikola Tesla builds the first hydroelectric power station at Niagara Falls

The Leatherman

The death of James Mitchell in Shroeder's Pants Cave
posted by Kirth Gerson at 5:13 PM on February 11

Not really historical, but Rod Serling is from upstate. He grew up in Binghamton.
posted by puckupdate at 5:40 PM on February 11

Former Syracusan and Buffalonian here. Upstate is just pickled with weirdness.

Off the top of my head, there's:

Split Rock

The Rochester Subway

Boldt Castle

The Jerry Rescue

and....
posted by Vavuzi at 12:02 AM on February 12

One more, off of what Forktine said:

Hill Cumorah

I actually went to this one year. Whatever you think about the religion/religion in general, this thing makes Christmas Mass at St. Peter's look like the tree in the Charlie Brown Christmas Special.
posted by Vavuzi at 12:06 AM on February 12

I recently saw a show on some travel channel about Niagara Falls and all the various daredevils who have gone over.
posted by SuperSquirrel at 7:12 AM on February 12