https://www.americancityandcounty.com/wp-content/themes/acc_child/assets/images/logo/footer-logo.png
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcast
  • Resources & Events
    • Back
    • Resources
    • Webinars
    • White Papers
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • Municipal Cost Index – Archive
    • Equipment Watch Page
    • American City & County Awards
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Privacy Statement
    • Terms of Service
American City and County
  • NEWSLETTER
  • Home
  • Co-op Solutions
  • Hybrid Work
  • Commentaries
  • News
  • In-Depth
  • Multimedia
    • Back
    • Podcasts
  • Resources/Events
    • Back
    • Webinars
    • White Papers/eBooks
    • IWCE 2022
    • How to Contribute
    • American City & County Awards
    • Municipal Cost Index
    • Equipment Watch Page
  • About Us
    • Back
    • About Us
    • Contact Us
    • Advertise
    • Cookie Policy
    • Privacy Stament
    • Terms of Service
  • newsletter
  • Administration
  • Economy & Finance
  • Procurement
  • Public Safety
  • Public Works & Utilities
  • Smart Cities & Technology
  • Magazine
acc.com

Administration


In our century

In our century

Cities begin the tradition of decorating enormous public Christmas trees to celebrate the holidays.
  • Written by American City & County Administrator
  • 1st December 2009

In the December 1914 edition of The American City, 100 cities from New York to Los Angeles reported celebrating the holidays with municipal Christmas trees. In an editorial comment, the magazine stated that the public Christmas tree “has been called the most delightful innovation of the century,” and it highlighted a variety of ways cities organized their celebrations.

Pittsburgh dedicated $500 for its tree, and a 26-member Christmas Tree Committee appointed by the city council president collected contributions from residents to supplement the fund. An evergreen from Vermont was donated by a private firm and set on a private lot with free access to the public. The Rhode Island Congress of Mothers managed the Providence Christmas tree celebration and solicited donations from the community, “so that the city might feel that the tree was indeed its own.”

The first municipal Christmas tree celebration in Syracuse, N.Y., was organized by the local Consumers’ League with financial support from the Chamber of Commerce, the Rotary Club and the newspaper. The New York State School of Forestry supplied the 50-foot tree from its nearby reserve. The local lighting company donated lights and the electricity for the tree.

In describing Syracuse’s first Christmas celebration, Mrs. Horace Eaton wrote, “Its greatest possibilities appear to lie in developing the already deep interest of the foreigners within our gates. Their pleased surprise when asked to take part was noteworthy, even though their lack of musical organization … prevented acceptance this year. … The promise to collect and train Polish, Italian and German choruses for next year go far to encourage the belief that next Christmas members of all races within our city shall hear carols sung in their own tongue and feel themselves truly citizens of a new fatherland. The ideal municipal Christmas tree should draw to it all classes and kinds of citizens, whether rich or poor, native or foreign-born. It should symbolize to them and awake in them the spirit of brotherhood, while they voice, together with the message of peace and good will, renewed loyalty to their common city, state and country.”

Previous “In our century” Stories

  • In our century — June 1910
    Government accounting methods and reports mature from vague and incomplete records to standard formats.
  • In our century — October 1909
    Investigations into corruption and mismanagement lead to (some) reforms in government policies and operations.
  • In our century — January 1913
    Cities experiment with road surfaces and set out methods for funding road construction and maintenance.
  • In our century — September 1909
    Limits on outdoor advertising are set through cities’ hard-fought battles over billboard sizes, messages and locations.
  • In our century — August 1911
    Fire departments gain authority, modern equipment to prevent and improve response times to structure fires.
  • In our century — June 1910
    Street lights become symbols of communities’ economic success, and lighting technology efficiency evolves.
  • In our century — September 1909
    With urban growth comes city leaders’ desire to control and direct it for the community’s greatest benefit.
  • In our century — September 1909
    Cities embrace playgrounds as valuable public assets for children’s safety, health and social development.
  • In our century — September 1909
    Women embrace public causes, work to improve their communities and expand their societal roles.
  • In our century — March 1910
    Cities develop methods, mechanisms and regulations for residential solid waste collection and disposal.
  • In our century — November 1909
    Occupancy laws and social workers emerge in the early 1900s to clean up inner-city neighborhoods.
  • The way we were
    Publisher’s son remembers American City & County‘s roots.
Tags: Administration

Most Recent


  • Changing recruitment practices can ease retention challenges
    Ahead of the historic investment in American infrastructure, government organizations are facing an unprecedented employment and retention squeeze. But while there’s a lot of economic drivers that are out of administrators’ control, there are certain hiring practices that can soften the blow.  “We’re already constrained in finding the talent we need,” said Elizabeth Kellar, director […]
  • With the digital evolution, equity in accessibility is of utmost importance
    When historians write the history books of tomorrow, they’ll note a sharp divide in the timeline: Pre-pandemic and what came after. This chasm spans industry and locality, impacting just about every aspect of society, such as the way governments interact with constituents in the digital realm. Before stay-at-home orders and mask mandates were issued, residents […]
  • Amid shifting workplace expectations, local government employers must adapt
    Constrained by inflexible budgets, local government employers can’t compete with the lucrative salaries offered in the private sector. And while recruitment has always been a challenge for public employers, the last two years have been especially difficult. From January 2020 to the same month this year, government organizations lost around 600,000 jobs—more than manufacturing, wholesale […]
  • baseball
    Minor league baseball is helping cities hit a revitalization home run
    It’s that time of year again—the crack of the bat, the roar of the crowd when the home team hits a home run, not to mention the peanuts, Cracker Jacks and hot dogs! Nothing compares to the fun of gameday at the stadium, enjoying the national pastime of baseball. Some mid-sized cities have taken the […]

Leave a comment Cancel reply

-or-

Log in with your American City and County account

Alternatively, post a comment by completing the form below:

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Related Content

  • Lessons from your friendly neighborhood public service employees
  • Harris County deploys next-generation security in 150 public buildings
  • How local governments can get ahead of the infrastructure wave: Strategies to mitigate risk
  • Prioritizing rapid restore leads to stronger ransomware attack recovery

White papers


Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters

23rd May 2022

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program

23rd May 2022

Sixth-Largest US School District Saves Over $500,000 by Utilizing a Cooperative

23rd May 2022
view all

Events


PODCAST


Young Leaders Episode 4 – Cyril Jefferson – City Councilman, High Point, North Carolina

13th October 2020

Young Leaders Episode 3 – Shannon Hardin – City Council President, Columbus, Ohio

27th July 2020

Young Leaders Episode 2 – Christian Williams – Development Services Planner, Goodyear, Ariz.

1st July 2020
view all

Twitter


AmerCityCounty

Changing recruitment practices can ease retention challenges dlvr.it/SQzzPt

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

EVs are coming in a big way – Will charging infrastructure be ready? dlvr.it/SQzfL1

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Optimizing the 3 stages of RFP creation for faster results | June 16, 2022 at 2 PM ET dlvr.it/SQzV7d

24th May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid digital evolution, equity in accessibility is of utmost importance dlvr.it/SQwZ3b

23rd May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Hand Hygiene: Compliance Matters dlvr.it/SQwL8f

23rd May 2022
AmerCityCounty

What it Takes to Build a Winning Esports Program dlvr.it/SQwJRj

23rd May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Sixth-Largest US School District Saves Over $500,000 by Utilizing a Cooperative dlvr.it/SQwHPv

23rd May 2022
AmerCityCounty

Amid shifting workplace expectations, local government employers must adapt dlvr.it/SQm2RT

20th May 2022

Newsletters

Sign up for American City & County’s newsletters to receive regular news and information updates about local governments.

Resale Insights Dashboard

The Resale Insights Dashboard provides model-level data for the entire used equipment market to help you save time and money.

Municipal Cost Index

Updated monthly since 1978, our exclusive Municipal Cost Index shows the effects of inflation on the cost of providing municipal services

Media Kit and Advertising

Want to reach our digital audience? Learn more here.

DISCOVER MORE FROM INFORMA TECH

  • IWCE’s Urgent Communications
  • IWCE Expo

WORKING WITH US

  • About Us
  • Contact Us

FOLLOW American City and County ON SOCIAL

  • Privacy
  • CCPA: “Do Not Sell My Data”
  • Cookies Policy
  • Terms
Copyright © 2022 Informa PLC. Informa PLC is registered in England and Wales with company number 8860726 whose registered and Head office is 5 Howick Place, London, SW1P 1WG.
This website uses cookies, including third party ones, to allow for analysis of how people use our website in order to improve your experience and our services. By continuing to use our website, you agree to the use of such cookies. Click here for more information on our Cookie Policy and Privacy Policy.
X