Waterford High School - Fordian Yearbook (Waterford, NY)

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Board of Education Thomas Morris, President W. Earl Lawrence, Treasurer Louis Breslin, Secretary Ida Rogers John Walsh Wilbur Caney Elizabeth Evers John W. Cooper Harold Turner

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Look Behind You It is unfortunately true that the average person takes his environment too much for granted. The birds, budding flowers and green grass escape our eyes almost entirely. And it is equally sad when one thinks of the golden heritage of our own historic village which has been clamoring for attention so long, only to be ignored. Ever since Janse Andreese Van Scbaick settled at Half Moon Point in 1656, our village, now known as Waterford, has been the stage of civilization’s endless panorama. The Indians once called Waterford “Nack-te-nask . This fertile plot of land was to become the camping ground for Schuyler’s army during the Revolutionary War. It was to become the center of wealth and aristocracy in this area. Waterford was incorporated as a village on March 25, 1794. Churches of all faiths were constructed. Factories for making strawboard, flour, brushes, steam engines, vinegar and textiles were erected. Houses sprang up with incredible rapidity. In 1814 the Union Bridge Co. built a covered bridge across the Hudson at the cost of §20.000, superseded by one costing $50,000. Then in 1841 came the great fire which swept down from North Side, destroying some 130 buildings. But there is a humorous side to the chronicle of Waterford. For instance, there was the prominent old gentlemen who made it a practice to go about whistling and thumbing his lips, saying he was “looking for the Lost Chord.” Much to his dismay he never found it. There, too, was the eccentric old character who tried incessantly to construct a perpetual motion machine, but he, too, was destined to fail. Education became the primary objective of Waterford parents. Before the Troy Female Seminary was founded, Emma Willard School was one of Water- ford’s finest institutions (supposedly situated on the northeast corner of Division and Second Streets). Our own high school, established under the free school system, dates from 1854. Another school was erected at Dial City and one at North Side. Few people are aware of the fact that here in our own town the ink used in printing the first United States one-dollar bill was manufactured. The fact that Waterford is the oldest incorporated village in New York—if not in the United States—is treated with unconcern. Could it be that we cannot take our eyes off the uncertain future long enough to explore the priceless past? My friends, the history of Waterford is like an orchard full of trees laden with over-ripened fruit ; decaying because you refuse to pick it. Should you but glance through the dramatic pages of the history of Waterford, I'll wager your chest would swell with irrepressible pride for “this is our own, our native land.” Sincerely, George E. Willenberg, Editor-in-Chicf. -4 4

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Faculty Mary Elizabeth fancy, Loretta Murray, M. Marian Kanney, Charles H. Field, Marian Cooper. Helen Gainor, Margaret E. Fortune, Julie Murphy, Eleanor Dillon, E. Louise Sheldon, Arline Shaw, Jane Koncewiez, Mary Cahill, Dorothy Bullock, Margaret Haggerty, Juanita MeGartv, Grace Linnemever, John D. Colby, Raymond C. Henry, Y. Clinton Merritt. John J. Deveny. 1 -4 e