HOMETOWN HISTORY

February 11, 2021

150 Years Ago

Home & Vicinity: It is fortunate for people desiring to locate in Oneonta that plenty of desirable building lots are in market at reasonable prices. Buyers can take their choice as to streets and localities. E.R Ford, T.D. & H. Watkins. S. Huntington, S. Wood, C.L. Michael. H. Wilcox, J.H. Peters, H. Baker and S. Parish all have good lots ready for purchasers, many of them finely located. All of these men are ready to sell lots for cash or on time, and we hear of sales every week, most of them for immediate occupation. This is the true policy for the speedy growth of the village.
It is now the universal rule with newspapers that the name of an author should accompany his communications. It is required as a guarantee of good faith, and not for a public or needless use
of the name.

February 1871

125 Years Ago

The bull is a dangerous animal. Frank Timms of Dunkirk, New York was gored to death by an enraged bull yesterday morning. The farmer went into the barnyard to milk. He had hardly closed the gate behind him when the bull charged on him and gave him a toss into the corner of the fence. Before he could regain his feet the animal was upon him. He tried to beat it off with a milk stool, without avail. His cries brought his son from the house, and running to the barn he seized a pitchfork and leaped the barnyard fence. The bull turned on him, and a desperate battle ensued. The animal sent him skyward, and coming down on a fence he broke his leg. The hired man seized an ax and opened the gate leading to the barnyard. The bull made a dive for him. A well-directed blow with the axe caught the animal almost between the eyes and it fell to the ground.

February 1896

100 Years Ago

Verdict of $1,750 was handed in Wednesday morning by a trial jury in Binghamton in the case of Bone DiFelice, an Italian boy of 18 years who was shot in the leg by John Carroll manager of the Happy Hour in that city. The evidence allowed that Carroll had been annoyed by disorderly boys in front of his theatre and that he discharged his revolver, accidentally hitting DiFelice
who was passing by.
Safety’s Path – A Quotation: “Teach reverence and obedience to the Constitution and laws of our country and we are safe; otherwise there’s danger ahead.”
Abraham Lincoln.
Oneida – Several years ago, the late Judson W. Warner secured a charter and the rights of way for a railroad between Oneida and Oneonta. The matter got no further and the project died. Word that a Mr. Chase from Washington has been here looking up the matter. The promoters plan to lease the road to the D. & H. railroad for a long term of years, the route becoming mainly a coal road for the transport of D. & H. coal to Oneida, thence to the O. & W. to Oswego, and then by barges to Canada.

February 11, 1920

60 Years Ago

Otsego County Council of Churches – The extension of legalized gambling in this state is opposed by the Directors of the Otsego County Council of Churches. In session last week they urged Assemblyman Paul L. Talbot of Burlington Flats and other legislators to vote against any such proposal. At the same time they renewed their plea to Mr. Talbot and his colleagues to favor raising the legal age for drinking of alcoholic beverages from 18 to 21. The Council also approved plans for several leadership training projects for the coming months. Rev. Ronald Tryor will conduct a school for adult and youth leaders in understanding the Bible and various Christian beliefs. The Rev, Alfred Bentall of Oneonta, minister-at-large, said the six-week school will be
conducted between Easter and Pentecost. A Vacation School Teachers workshop for Otsego and Delaware Counties will be conducted May 4, preceded by a workshop for Vacation School Administrators.

February 1961

40 Years Ago

Assemblyman Anthony J. Casale (R-C, Herkimer and Otsego Counties) the ranking member on the Assembly Environmental Conservation Committee, has been appointed to the Assembly’s Special Committee on Nuclear Power Safety by Assembly Speaker Stanley Fink. The committee was created in 1979 to look into issues raised by the state’s use of nuclear power. The committee will hold public hearings on the recent operating mishap at the Indian Point nuclear facility, and make recommendations to the legislature on the future of nuclear power in New York State.
Revenue Sharing Revisions: The Otsego County government will lose $104,184 in revenue sharing funds according to information released by State Assemblyman Anthony Casale. The state-imposed freeze will cost Otsego County and all its cities, villages and towns a total of $648,758, according to Casale. New York City localities will lose a total of $261 million. The big loser in the freeze, Casale said, are the City of Oneonta which will receive $319,344 less than it did through revenue-sharing a year ago. “While the state is taking in huge increases in tax revenues as a result of inflation, the governor is apparently calling for a reduction in the amount of money which is due our local governments,” Casale complained.

February 1981

20 Years Ago

Pineapple Cheese – “I’ve eaten Pineapple Cheese and it was good,” recalled Hartwick resident Stuart Ainslie. The production of pineapple cheese began in Milford around 1900 and reached its fame shortly thereafter. Pineapple cheese consisted of a waxy, pineapple-shaped shell filled with cheddar cheese. The cheese, which did not taste like pineapple, was scooped out of the shell with a spoon and served. It was said to be “uniquely delicious.” O.A. Weatherly and Co. produced it for almost half a century in a factory right near the railroad tracks in Milford. The cheese had a world-wide market and provided a source of employment and pride for local residents. The word “pineapple” referred to the molds into which the cheese was poured. These molds were then hung in individual nets that impressed a diamond pattern on the cheese, creating the appearance of a pineapple. They were then shellacked and aged until they were ready to sell.

February 2001