Our Town 100+Years Ago... December 1899 - Part I

One hundred twenty-six years ago, Whitehall was still an adolescent community searching for a path to maturity. You could find most of what you needed locally, and the school was expanding as more families moved here. The railroad provided the opportunity to travel faster to other parts of the state and country in a little more comfort than by wagon or horse, especially in the cold month of December. The front page of the Jefferson Valley Zephyr brought news from outside of our relatively peaceful daily life.

The Boer War on the African continent was featured week after week, with the average...