This image is the cover for the book Forgotten Tales of New York

Forgotten Tales of New York

Learn the Empire State’s little known history—from bone-stealing dogs to the world’s largest puzzle—by the author of Curiosities of the Finger Lakes.

Few New Yorkers remember the night when firemen, in tuxedos and top hats, were dragged from a ball to extinguish a Waterloo blaze, or the typographical error that reported Theodore Roosevelt taking a “bath” instead of his presidential “oath.” Still fewer remember Cephas Bennett, a missionary from Utica and printer of the first Burmese Bible, or H. L. Mencken’s humorous article on the history of the bathtub, still quoted today as factual although entirely invented. Seasoned storyteller Melanie Zimmer seamlessly weaves together these hard-to-believe, yet entirely true, tales. From the monster of Seneca Lake to the man who inspired the American icon Uncle Sam, discover the lost secrets of the Empire State.

Includes photos!

Melanie Zimmer, Marshall Hudson

Melanie Zimmer is very active in the folklore and storytelling community. She is currently a member of the League for the Advancement of New England Storytelling, the Puppeteers of America, the Puppetry Guild of Upstate New York and the New York Folklore Society. She has published numerous books and articles and frequently presents and performs at libraries, schools, museums and historical societies.

The History Press