Bound Volumes, Hometown History

March 14, 2024

135 YEARS AGO

An enthusiastic and crowded meeting of those interested in the Richfield Springs & Oneonta Railroad was held at Laurens Wednesday afternoon. President of the road, A.C. Couch was present and made a statement of the estimated cost of the road completed. The necessary bridges, cost per mile, and the cost of the rolling stock were included. He then proved to the satisfaction of the audience that the road would be a paying one from the start. The need of a road and its value to the Otego valley was vividly shown. After the meeting, twelve men, representing five miles of the road gave the right of way through their property. President Couch was in Oneonta on business yesterday. The new system projected takes in the towns of Earlville, New Berlin, Laurens, Richfield, Oakville and Oneonta and includes about 75 miles of road. It will probably require $1,500,000 to $2,000,000 to complete the system. A prospectus estimates the total tonnage of the road at 187,000 tons and the cash receipts as $410,000 per annum. If 50 percent of the receipts are allowed for running expenses of the road there will be $200,000 in round numbers left, affording a handsome percentage on the amount invested. A grant of $50 per acre is offered for right-of-way.

March 1889

70 YEARS AGO

Oneonta’s Jon Crain has achieved the zenith of all great opera singers—The Met. The 27-year-old tenor robusto made an unexpected debut the other night at the Metropolitan Opera House in New York City—on only three hours of notice. Mr. Crain sang the lead role of Alfred in the lilting Richard Strauss comic opera Die Fledermaus (The Rat). The New York Times stated: “He has made a fine beginning.” Brian Sullivan was to have sung the role, but reported in as “vocally out of sorts.” A physician advised him not to sing. Sullivan’s alternate Thomas Hayward was out of town and unavailable. Just hours before the curtain was scheduled to go up Crain received a call from Rudolf Bing, the Met general manager, wanting to know if he could sing the role that night. Crain skipped his supper and headed straight downtown for the Met. Mr. Crain, who sang in Oneonta several months ago at a Kiwanis luncheon, got a rave review from the New York Times. “A useful Metropolitan career may be expected,” the Times opined.

March 1954

30 YEARS AGO

If you use a piece of plastic wrap to cover a bowl of food in your refrigerator, you can crumple it up and throw it in the garbage when you’re done. But, what do you do with a piece of plastic wrap the size of a round hay bale. That is the question many Otsego County farmers face every day. And, it’s not just what to do with one piece of plastic, but with the plastic used to store many bales of hay. Solutions to this problem currently used by area farmers include burying the plastic, hauling it to a landfill, or burning it. Each of those solutions has drawbacks – and some pose significant health risks to present and future generations. New York State has begun looking into providing funding for farmers’ organizations to market the agricultural plastic as a recyclable.

March 1994

20 YEARS AGO

The United States Colored Troops Institute (USCTI) for local history and family research at Hartwick College was honored on February 28 by the Maryland Legislature with Senate Resolution 432, “in recognition of its contributions to genealogical and historical research, thus enhancing the understanding of African life in America.” An official copy of the resolution was presented to Harry Matthews, associate dean and Director of U.S. Pluralism Programs at Hartwick College. Matthews is also President of the USCTI.

March 2004