LOCAL Recorder, Monday, June 3, 2013 — 5 Photo courtesy Jane Riley Jackie Altieri Parillo prepares fresh pasta during Sunday’s Amsterdam Reads event, ‘An Afternoon in Italy,’ at Parillo’s Armory Grill. Amsterdam Reads wraps up with food for thought Amsterdam Reads held the final event of its season Sunday at Parillo’s Armory Grill, with an unanticipated romantic twist onset by a power outage. Dubbed “An Afternoon In Italy,” the sold-out luncheon was held by candlelight, and featured elements of “The Shoemaker’s Wife,” the book that the city’s readers elected for 2013. “It was actually quite fun — we ate in the dark, and the food was delicious,” said Maureen Hand, who helped organize the event. An Italian feast featured pasta, meatballs, eggplant, sausage, braciole and cannoli. Jackie Altieri Parillo led a demonstration on Poorhouse how to make pasta, aided by waitstaff with flashlights. Maria Riccio Bryce, the event’s entertainment, was ready to improvise without power for her electric keyboard, but the grid came alive just as she started her performance. She performed an “Italian Opera in 20 Minutes or Less,” educating participants about the classic art she learned to endear from her father. South Side native Sammy Leggiero additionally entertained guests with tales of his childhood as an Italian American in Amsterdam. Hand said the event was coordinated with the book’s major thematic elements. from page 1 and fiscally-responsible management of the public’s initiatives.” “This marker recalls that attempt, and reminds us of one such attempt, and the past and continued striving of our community to deal with one of society’s most ancient issues,” Helmin said. The poorhouse was established in 1828 under state Legislation passed four years prior, said county Historian Kelly Yacobucci Farquhar. The law mandated the state’s counties to purchase land and build a poorhouse for the county’s beggars. Farquhar said the county’s first move toward erecting a poorhouse was the passage of an 1826 resolution. A year later, the county Board of Supervisors authorized the purchase of 150 acres of land and its buildings from Abraham Van Horne for $4,500, or $30 per acre. “By 1828, the farm was turned over to the county, ready for accepting residents, or inmates, as they were then called,” Farquhar said. “The buildings to house the inmates consisted of a two-story main house, 90 by 30 feet.” The site’s residents were required to perform the farm’s daily functions. “The garden area proved the self-sufficiency of the farm,” Farquhar said. “Those able-bodied residents were required to perform duties necessary to the functioning of the farm that helped to offset any expenses.” The garden was located on the grounds of what’s now the county jail, Farquhar said. Farquhar said residents also included new immigrants, the mentally challenged and/or disabled, elderly, and single parents with children. “‘Insane’ residents occupied quarters near the rear of the main house,” Farquhar said. Parts of the farm, once owned by several generations of the Wemple family, still stand on the McMurrays’ property. Society Vice President Ryan Weitz said that includes a four-cedar outhouse, part of a hog house, and foundations from an ice house, corn crib, chicken house and cattle barn. “We knew that the site was a poorhouse, but we didn’t know that the barn was a hog house,” said Tim McMurray. Weitz added when the new home’s foundations were dug, foundations of a former brick cell block were found. “It was used for the insane and the idiots — those were the medical terms of the time,” Weitz said. In 1857, the poorhouse was investigated, revealing what Yacobucci described as a “less-than-satisfactory image of living conditions there.” The living quarters were described as “dilapidated,” and though the courtyard’s water fountain was fully-functional, “the idea of a bath is foreign to the establishment,” the report said. The quarters weren’t adequately warmed in the winter months, and with only 12 rooms, there was sometimes as many as 18 people living in one room. There were also complaints of punishment such as confinement to a dark cell, whipping, and attaching a ball and chain to their legs. Three years after the investigation, the county board petitioned the state, and was granted permission to sell the farm. In 1866, the property was sold to Hiram Sammons for $8,000, who was contracted to care for the poor. Two years later, Robert Wemple purchased the farm, and was contracted to care for the poor for the next 30 years. While the farm was no longer in use as a poorhouse during his residence there, Wemple’s greatgrandson, Henry Wemple, was able to help draw a map of the grounds. “Wemple, from his memory 60 years later, drew a map of the property as it would have looked when it was used as a poorhouse farm,” Farquhar said. The layout remained in tact until the 1922 repositioning of the Auriesville Road, known as Route 5S, Farquhar said. By 1898, the county board transferred the contract from Wemple’s farm to the farm of Snell and Heath in Randall. “This venture did not last very long, however, because a year later, the county purchased the former Schenck farm in Yosts due to its proximity to the New York Central Railroad,” Farquhar said. That farm was across 200 acres. It was situated upon a spring that once powered a grist mill. A cemetery, still maintained by Montgomery County, continues to be the final resting place for a number of residents who passed away while living there, Farquhar said. It was sold in the early 1990s to a community of Mohawks, and the Kanatsiohareke community operates the farm and hosts a number of festivals along with running a bed and breakfast. Alissa Scott/Recorder staff The Smith family took their pug, Tamara, down to Chuctanunda Creek where they met Tex, a terrier mix, during the Dog Walk-AThon Saturday. Dogs from page 1 Booths selling personalized dog collars, gourmet dog treats and handmade dog sweaters lined the baseball field as dogs and their owners mingled, before the Walk-a-Thon, or ran through an obstacle course. Led by Amsterdam Police officer Steve Pasquarelli and his K9, a promenade of dogs from Chihuahuas to Great Danes strolled along Chuctanunda Creek, whether being pushed in a stroller, carried or moseying along on their leash. As temperatures crept up to 90 degrees, some dogs, like Tamara, a Pug, made a pit stop, taking a dip in the creek. “We wanted to support the SPCA,” Sandy Smith, Tamara’s owner, said. “Tamara’s a rescue dog so this is a good way to give back.” Tori Nichols and Aaron Miller of Hagaman, stopped by with their rescue Tex, who they think Shooting may be a terrier mix, to spend time outside with their pup. “We just saw the sign a couple of days ago and wanted to come support,” Nichols said. “We love to bring him out with other dogs.” Jean Pepper pushed her Yorkie Mia and her Toy Poodle Phoenix in a pink stroller. “Well one likes to run and one likes to hide,” Pepper said. “But I like raising money for the SPCA. It’s awesome for the community and to raise the money especially. Really, it’s awesome for the animals.” Attendees could also meet shelter dogs and cats that were available for adoption, including Joelle, the Honorary Chair Dog. Joelle has been at the shelter for almost a year and is looking for her “forever home.” The MCSPCA is set to break ground on the new building in 2014. from page 1 Police said one of the trio — Angel M. Deangelo Sr., 40, of 79 Bunn St. — shot back at Garcia with a handgun, firing several rounds. The three men reportedly fled on foot after the shootout, but police located them at the intersection of Willow Street and Locust Avenue. Deangelo was bleeding from the back of the head, reports said. He was transported to St. Mary’s Hospital, treated and released. Officers recovered the 12-gauge shotgun, two spent shotgun shells, and four live rounds at the scene. Bullet fragments were additionally found, but a handgun has not yet been recovered. Police charged Garcia with second-degree assault, a class D felony, and first-degree reckless endangerment, a class D felony, and seconddegree menacing, a class A misdemeanor. Deangelo was chaged wtih first-degree reckless endangerment, a class D felony, and second-degree menacing, a class A misdemeanor. Both were arraigned in city court by Judge Lisa Lorman. She remanded the pair to the Montgomery County Correctional Facility in lieu of bail. The investigation is still open, and further charges are possible, police said. IF YOU HAVE SOLD BEFORE SEEING US... YOU’VE LOST MONEY! ADIRONDACK GOLD & SILVER EXCHANGE The Area’s Oldest Precious Metal Exchange Established 1980 COME VISIT US AT WWW.ADIRONDACKGOLDANDSILVER.COM Also Buying... U.S. Gold Coins U.S. Silver Dollars 1935 & Before U.S. Silver Coins 1964 & Before Silver Marked Sterling or .925 (518) 883-4407 3824 St. Hwy 30 Vail Mills, NY