What attracted the first white settlers to this particular spot in the wilderness as early as 1720? A location in the river valley which cut the only broad path through a mountainous territory, marked only by streams and trails would have been logical; however, the geography of the area now known as Canajoharie offered two more highly necessary attractions: power from the current of the Canajoharie creek and natural springs as a source of pure water.

The first known white settler in the area was Hendrick Schrembling who erected a small grist mill on the creek around the year 1723. He sold his property in 1750 to Marte Janse Van Alystyne, another Hollander, who came up river from the Albany area. Van Alystyne enlarged the mill, and built the stone house, still standing, now known as the Fort Rensselaer Club on Moyer St. This building was to become very important during the French-Indian uprisings, becoming a Fort and military headquarters during that period of history. George Washington spent a night there on his visit to the area during the Revolutionary War, and his letters and orders to the Commanding officers of that period are still preserved in the Fort’s archives.

In 1760 Col. Hendrick Frey, another early settler of Palatine, came across the Mohawk River and bought 800 acres of land which included the Canajoharie Creek and all the land as far west as what is now known as the Buel road and south nearly to Marshville. He built a house, saw and grist mills.

Those familiar with the creek may have noticed a line of holes drilled in the rock a short distance from the “boiling pot” in the Canajoharie Creek. These served as the anchorage of the dam that Col. Frey erected, with the raceway conveying the water to the mill’s wheels on the south side of the creek’s bank.

Johannes Rueff, a German, came to the are in 1778. He erected a popular in where the old Canajoharie Hotel later stood. This inn for many years was known and celebrated as Roof’s Tavern. It fronted on the road leading from Col. Frey’s ferry to the mill which all the grain and saw logs passed. Another road passed Roof’s Tavern onto Cherry Valley.

Thus at the time of the Revolution, as far as can be known, the site of the present village of Canajoharie was owned by these three men: Gosen Van Alstyne, Hendrick Frey and Johannes Roof, and it began to be known and spoken of as “Roof’s Village.”

The growth of the area was slow. The building of the turnpike in 1800 gave a little life, but in 1813, there were only 20 houses in the entire village.

The first school was half way up Front St., near the corners of Front St. and Maple Ave. This school house, the Hiller house and the Van Alstyne house, now known as the Fort Rensselaer Club, were the first buildings east of the Canajoharie Creek.

With the completion of the Erie Canal in 1825, the drowsy, little town awakened and started to bloom. Into the town came settlers and village growth with newspapers, schools, businesses, churches, a library and art gallery, regular mail delivery and finally the railroads.

On April 30, 1829 the New York State Legislature passed a bill incorporating the village of Canajoharie.

The old Erie Canal was forty-one feet wide and four feet deep and the Canajoharie Creek flowed into it. This made a pond as far back as the present White House, next to the Episcopal Church on Moyer St. Boats could discharge cargo at a dock where the present Central National Bank now stands. The old canal differed from its successor, the Barge Canal, in that its channel ran under some of the present Baker/Beech-Nut buildings and swung southwest at a point where Van Wie’s Restaurant is located and almost under the old West Shore Railroad freight house, then followed the Fort Plain road westward.

On the West Hill, the Canajoharie Academy was built in 1824, followed by a stone building in 1849. Both of these burned and were demolished to make way for the present stone West Hill School, constructed in 1892. It was in a classroom of this earlier academy that Susan B. Anthony began her career as a school teacher. She later left teaching and Canajoharie to lead the early campaign for Women’s rights.

The downtown high school building was built in 1928. On the East Hill, an elementary and junior high school have been built in 1951 and 1961 respectively. Through the generosity of the late Earl Nellis, an Olympic size swimming pool and cafeteria facility were constructed in the East Hill school complex in 1966.

Canajoharie has several churches. St. Mark’s Lutheran Church was organized in 1839 by the Rev. William N. Scholl, St. John’s Lutheran Church was built in 1871, with the Rector John Eisenlord as pastor. Today, it is the Community Health Center, on Montgomery St.

The Church of the Good Shepherd was organized in 1852 by the Rev. I. Leander Townsend, rector of the Protestant Episcopal Church at Cherry Valley.

St. Peter and Paul’s Roman Catholic Church was built in 1862, with Father Daly officiating. The building cost was $5000.

The Reformed Church on Front St. was organized in 1827, by the Rector Douw Van O’Linda.
The Methodist Church was dedicated in 1842, but had been organized in 1828 in Palatine Bridge. The stone church was rebuilt and enlarged in 1863. It burned in 1915, and was rebuilt the same year.

Canajoharie was one of the first villages in this area to have a library. The Canajoharie Library began as a group effort by a committee of local women who promoted the donation of one book by each village citizen. One lady even offered her home to house these volumes. Later the school took in the growing collection. Mr. Bartlett Arkell donated and had erected the James Arkell Memorial Library in 1926, and in 1927 a Art Gallery was added. The Art Gallery houses a fine collection of paintings, chief of which is a copy of Rembrandt’s “Night Watch” which was presented to the Village in October, 1927, by Mr. Arkell. This copy is the only life size copy in the Western world, and it draws many visitors to the Art Gallery each year. Also on view in the gallery are original paintings by many renown American artists including Andrew Wyeth, Gilbert Stuart and Winslow Homer.

With the Mohawk river, the Canajoharie Creek and the old Erie Canal, our early settlers depended a great deal on ferries and bridges to get from one side of town to the other and across to Palatine Bridge. The first bridge across the Mohawk River was built in 1801 and fell in 1807. Another was built in 1808 and was taken away by a flood in 1833. The bridge erected in its place stood until 1901 when on the 10th of January of that year it was burned. These bridges were all wooden structures, and until 1859 tolls were charged. In 1859 a great celebration took place on the occasion of the removal of toll gates. These were placed on wagons and paraded all over Canajoharie, Palatine Bridge and Fort Plain, and then were taken to Wagner Square and burned. In 1901 after the burning of the bridge a modern steel bridge was erected.

The first waterworks were built in 1852 and extended in 1876. In 1889 the Consolidated Water Co. was formed. They later sold out to the Johnson & Gring Co. who constructed water mains throughout the entire village, and opened the system in 1902. Later the Village acquired land and water rights some fourteen miles to the north, and at present we now have one of the finest water systems in the state, with an unlimited supply of fine spring water with plenty of pressure for fire purposes.

From the early grist mills and saw mills of the early settlers to modern day manufacturing plants, Canajoharie has always enjoyed a good business climate.

Canajoharie shale rock was shipped throughout the country, and there was also a stone company, employing 125 men, which furnished stone for the locks of the Erie Canal and for many fine homes in Palatine Bridge and Canajoharie as well as throughout the state. The Brooklyn Bridge was made from the stone from Canajoharie.

Two of Canajoharie businesses became prominent. The first, Arkell and Smith Bag Co. was founded in 1858 by James Arkell, Benjamin and Adam Smith. A forerunner in the manufacturing of paper bags, the Company moved in 1957 to Hudson Falls, N.Y. after 99 years of successful operation in Canajoharie. The former buildings now house the Comptone Co., manufacturer of sunglasses; and the Canajoharie Manufacturing Co., maker of dress materials.

The second business to become well known was the Imperial Packing Co., started in 1891, as a curer and packer of hams and bacon. Its management consisted of David Zielly, Jr., Bartlett Arkell, W.H. Lipe, John D. Zielly, and Raymond P. Lipe. It had a capital stock of $20,000 and a work force of 10 people. In 1899, the company was incorporated and its name changed to the Beech-Nut Packing Co.

Beech-Nut was the first company to pack sliced meat in glass jars, and also the first to successfully employ a glass jar with no mechanical closing device, depending instead on internal vacuum and a sterilized rubber gasket to maintain an air-tight seal.

In October, 1911, Beech-Nut Chewing Gum was first introduced to store shelves, and soon was a top place in a very competitive market. Through the years the manufacture and sale of peanut butter, jams, macaroni products, coffee and candy were added.

From the beginning, Beech-Nut products were produced under unheard of high standards of sanitation long before public opinion demanded pure food laws. The enactment of state and federal laws governing food manufacturing never have required Beech-Nut to change a formula or manufacturing procedure.

Exhaustive research on infant foods was started in 1930 and in the following year the first 13 strained varieties were introduced. With a background of many years of technical know-how in the production of glass-packed foods, Beech-Nut chose the glass package in spite of the fact that almost all commercially produced strained foods were at the time packed in tin. Glass and tin, side-by-side on store shelves, quickly demonstrated that mothers preferred their babies’ foods packed in glass. Other baby food companies were forced to follow Beech-Nut’s lead. Today all of America’s mothers buy baby foods in sparkling clean glass jars.

The food business in Canajoharie has demonstrated continual growth throughout the years contributing substantially to the economy of western Montgomery County. In 1970 the company exercised a decision to relocate its manufacturing facilities from Rochester, New York, to Canajoharie, resulting in the development of a new Cereal Plant in Fort Plain and also the installation of processing equipment for infant juices. Relocation of these products to Canajoharie emphasized the company’s dedication to continued growth in Montgomery County.

On February 28, 1973, the Beech-Nut foods division was purchased by Baker Laboratories, Inc., of East Troy, Wisconsin. The purchase of Beech-Nut food division resulted in the development of a new company, Baker/Beech-Nut Corporation which maintains its major manufacturing location in Canajoharie.

Today, after significant changes caused by the sale of Baby Food and Beverage divisions of Beech-Nut Life Savers, Inc., Life Saver, Inc. has emerged as a major segment of Squibb Corporation. Life Savers Inc. continues to have strong commitment to Canajoharie and the Mohawk Valley.

This year, 1976 substantiates this concept of progress and commitment as Life Savers, Inc. announced the expansion from an already favorable and accepted confection line to add a new product - “Bubble Yum.” This growth plan will require a 6 million dollar investment in Canajoharie, and will add over one million dollars to the Life Savers, Inc. payroll.

The Central National Bank, Canajoharie, with assets in excess of $85 million, has served the Village of Canajoharie and the surrounding area for over 121 years. The original bank charter was filed in 1855 with the State of New York under the name of the “Canajoharie Bank” located in one small building on Church Street.

During its history, the bank has evolved through three name changes. The first change occurred in May 1865 when the bank received a national charter and changed its name to the “Canajoharie National Bank.” 78 years later in October 1943, there was a consolidation of the Canajoharie National Bank and the Nation Spraker Bank in Canajoharie. This formed the “First National Bank of Canajoharie.” The last and most recent change occurred on November 1, 1954 when the merger of the First National Bank of Canajoharie and the First National Bank of Middleburgh created the new corporate title of “Central National Bank.”

Since 1970 the bank has nearly doubled its total assets expanding from 7 to 11 offices and now serves the Counties of Montgomery, Otsego, Schoharie and Schenectady.

Throughout this period, Central National Bank has remained an independent bank which is locally owned and operated.

One of the many blessing that Canajoharie can pride itself in having is Arkell Hall. Arkell Hall, a home for elderly ladies located on Montgomery Street, Canajoharie, N.Y. is operated by Arkell Hall Foundation, which was created in 1940, by Mrs. Bertelle Arkell Barbour and other members of the Arkell Family. The late Mrs. Barbour, a sister of Bartlett Arkell, who was a founder of the Beech-Nut Company in 1891, established the Home by a bequest in her will and the facility opened to its first residents in 1952.

The building occupied as the Home was the former Arkell homestead and the early residence of Senator James Arkell, father of Mrs. Barbour. He came to Arkell Hall in 1853, then a wood frame structure, which was rebuilt and stone faced in 1890, as it now appears. The house was renovated and remodeled in 1951 to accommodate ten residents and the construction of a new section was completed in 1957 providing fifteen additional rooms and a three bed infirmary. The Home now has a capacity of twenty-five residents.

Throughout the last 200 years, Canajoharie has had its share of hotels and boarding houses. The most famous was the Wagner House, built by Webster Wagner on the site of old “Roof’s Tavern.” Mr. Wagner, then residing in Palatine Bridge, was the inventor of the railroad sleeping car. An article in the “Courier-Standard-Enterprise” of Sept. 6, 1972 offered these praises of the Wagner House. “The elegant Hotel Wagner was one of the finest hostelries in the Mohawk Valley. It was built in 1878 on the site of Roof’s Tavern, General Clinton’s Canajoharie Headquarters. Later it was owned and operated by the Beech-Nut Packing Co., and in its final years was known as the Canajoharie Hotel Its elegance and the fine cuisine will be long remembered.”

Not forgetting the disastrous fire on November 19, 1840, where practically all of the buildings on both sides of Church St. and some on Mohawk street were lost, many natives of Canajoharie still count the darkest day in our history as occurring when the Canajoharie Hotel was demolished.

Today, Canajoharie has a fine Youth Center, located on Erie Blvd., two excellent recreational areas, one being Wintergreen Park south of the village; the other the Canajoharie Country Club which offers not only a good golf course to area residents, but also an incentive for prospective business to locate in Canajoharie.

A second sewage treatment plant is presently being constructed, and a new park will be ready this summer, offering a bank stand for the enjoyment of area residents. A new Medical Center opened its doors in 1975, and plans are in the works to enlarge the facilities to give Canajoharie and surrounding communities the medical coverage that has been lacking for so long.

A group of concerned women have formed a beautification committee for the village. Flower boxes are making their appearance on downtown streets, new signs are in the works for the entrance to the village, and shrubbery will be placed in open areas of our business district.

Progress has been made the last 200 years, and we are sure that with the spirit shown by concerned people, Canajoharie will continue to progress in the future.

April 30, 1976 Richard L. Hiller

Transcription thanks to Stevie Rockwell