What Mrs. Bradbury Didn't Say

Yesterday, Gossips featured Anna Bradbury's account of improvements to the Public Square, now Seventh Street Park, and Promenade Hill which were made in 1878. What Mrs. Bradbury didn't mention, which Gossips discovered quite by accident, is that the improvements to Promenade Hill--in particular the construction of the stone retaining walls that separate the grassy areas from the paths--were the subject of an investigation by a Common Council committee. It seems that for the period from April 4 to April 20, 1878, the City was overcharged--billed for more masons and laborers working more hours than was actually the case, or so it was alleged. 

An article that appeared in the Evening Register on Wednesday, July 24, 1878, provides what is almost a transcript of the proceedings of a committee meeting held the night before. It picks up the story in the middle of things, but it makes interesting reading--providing insights both into Hudson government in the 1870s and into the life of tradesmen at that time. Click to read the actual newspaper or a transcript of the article. 

Gossips will share the articles that tell the beginning and the end of this story as soon as they are discovered.