Tour highlights women’s role in local history
By MIKE ZUMMO, The Leader-HeraldArticle Photos
JOHNSTOWN - In the space of about five hours Saturday, about 75 women got a brief, but complete rundown of four of the most famous women in the city's history.
The Johnstown History and Home Tour, which was sponsored by the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Hometown Association, featured talks on Molly Brant, a Canajoharie Mohawk who was a consort of Sir William Johnson; Barbara McMartin, a key player in the environmental movement in the Adirondacks; Rose Knox, a pioneering businesswoman who ran Knox Gelatine until the age of 90; and Cady Stanton, a women's right's activist who partnered with Susan B. Anthony from 1850 until her death in 1902 in the fight to gain equal rights for women.
The most detailed program on the agenda was a walking tour developed by Allison Salamack, a native of Oakland, Calif. Salamack is the granddaughter of the late Johnstown councilman-at-large, Joe Salamack.
Allison Salamack developed the self-guided walking-tour as part of her effort to obtain the Girls Scouts Gold Award, the highest honor a girl scout can receive.
"I learned a lot about her in school and to be able to connect the past from the textbook to her hometown was very inspirational," Salamack said.
She also had a little bit of help on the first of the two tours she gave Saturday as Cady Stanton's great-great-granddaughter, Coline Jenkins, was on hand to help with some of the history.
"I was honored to have her come on the tour," Salamack said. "She added a lot."
Despite living on the West Coast, Salamack isn't a stranger to Johnstown. Her family owns a home at 606 S. William St. that her father, Joe Salamack, purchased about five years ago.
Allison's mother, Lori Salamack, a native to California, gave a talk on McMartin, who she said was "one of the three women in the Johnstown High School Hall of Fame."
Joe Salamack, a principal at a Catholic high school in Oakland, moved to California 25 years ago, but said he and his wife plan to retire to Johnstown after their children finish school.
"We weren't necessarily looking, but when this came on the market, it's such a beautiful property," Salamack said.
Earlier in the day, Edie Lambert of Mountain Lake took in the Molly Brant talk, given by Nancy Brown at Johnson Hall.
"I thought the talk at Johnson Hall was wonderful," she said. "[Brown] was very enthusiastic and well informed."
When she sat down to lunch, Dorothy Holly of Gloversville had only taken in the tour given by Allison Salamack, which was assisted by her mother, Lori.
"I thought [they] were wonderful," she said.
Debra Kolsrud, the chairwoman of the Elizabeth Cady Stanton Hometown Association said the group was "trying to focus on highlighting all the great women from Johnstown."
