HOMETOWN History

Aug. 8, 2019

150 Years Ago

Humorous – This world is full of music, even as an egg is full of meat, or as my neighbor Jones is full of beer. We see it everywhere – Where’er there’s harmony of sound. All harmony is music. Now, my next door neighbor Mr. Love-a-pet – he keeps only three dogs and just six cats. And they, sweet songsters of the night, do make the peaceful hours of sleep resound with melody harmonies to the deafened ear. Oft from my quiet slumbers do they rouse me up, and stir my tranquil soul, even to its very depths. Sometimes these feline warblers ‘neath my window “git” and “set,” and sing at midnight’s quiet hour. And then the canine songsters raise their notes of bass, which mingling, sounds like dying wails of demons in despair, and makes my inmost soul, and wakes the babies up, and makes my better half
to ask, in bitter terms inspired, “Oh, why do other folks keep dogs and cats?”

August 1869

125 Years Ago

News from Nearby Counties – The Baptist Church at Oneida will use individual communion cups at their next communion service. This is an innovation in church circles due to the liability of communicating disease by the use of the common chalice.

Miss Laura Gay, who died last Saturday left to Christ Church, Walton, the house that was her home and which had been that of her parents also, together with its furniture to “The Gay Memorial Parish House of Walton, N.Y.” She also left to the church a life insurance policy for $2,000 and $500 to be used for the erection in the church of a suitable memorial to her father, David Hyde Gay.

James A. Parshall of Delhi enumerates a list of 36 persons in that town over 80 years of age. Nearly one-fourth of that number were born in Scotland.

August 1894

100 Years Ago

Dr. Alexander Graham Bell, inventor of the telephone, has found a way to cool a house and make it comfortable on the hottest day of the year. Recently, while other Washington people were sweltering, he worked in a room which had been cooled to 65 degrees. His plan which can be used by anybody,
is to store ice in the garret and conduct the cooler air to rooms below. Bell explained his discovery to the National Geographic Society. “You heat your house in winter. Why not cool it in summer? We get up to the Arctic regions and heat our houses and live. We go down to the tropics and die.”

August 1919

80 Years Ago

Miss Betty L. Bresee and John A. Bookhout were wed in an outdoor ceremony at Goodyear Lake. The nuptial rites of these two popular Oneonta young people were solemnized Saturday afternoon by Dr. Boyd McClary, First Presbyterian pastor before an arbor in the garden of the Bresee summer residence at Goodyear Lake. Mrs. Jerry Wilson of Oneonta was at the piano.

The bride is the daughter of Mr. and Mrs. Bert E. Bresee of 8 Taft Avenue. John Andrew Bookhout is the son of Mr. and Mrs. I.J. Bookhout of 357 Main Street. About 80 guests attended the wedding reception. Refreshments included a wedding cake made by the groom’s grandmother, Mrs. John Bell of Oneonta.

Mr. and Mrs. Bookhout graduated from Oneonta High School in 1934.

Mrs. Bookhout graduated from Simmons College, Boston, Massachusetts as a librarian in 1938. Mr. Bookhout received his degree from Amherst College and completed a course at the Renouard Training School for Embalmers, New York City. He is now associated with his father as a licensed embalmer and funeral director.

August 1939

60 Years Ago

A standard 30 miles per hour speed limit on all city streets with one exception was ratified last night by the Public Safety Board, subject to approval by the Common Council. The one exception would be Main Street from River to Pine Street where a 20 mph zone would remain. In effect, the board favors abolishing all 20 mph zones except the one on Main Street.

The official ambassadress for the 1959 New York State Fair will arrive in Oneonta by helicopter Wednesday night. The whirlybird will land in Wilber Park’s upper level at 7 p.m. with pretty Jane Snell, also known as the Princess of the Fair. The winner of last year’s Miss Syracuse title, Miss Snell will spend several hours in Oneonta as part of a nine-day air tour.  She will be welcomed at the park by Lucien Bowen. Oneonta’s acting mayor. All 23 candidates for the regional State Fair Queen title are invited to join Miss Snell to ask any questions they wish. As a surprise for children, Miss Snell will be carrying buttons designating them as junior State Fair ambassadors in their communities. The dark-haired Miss Snell, age 20, will give to the City of Oneonta a replica of the Vanguard I satellite. The gates of the big fair will be opened by radio signal from the Vanguard as it passes from Texas to the African coast some 2,000 miles away in outer space.

August 11, 1959

10 Years Ago

Oneonta native Don Sherwood, famed creator of the nationally syndicated cartoon strip, “Dan Flagg,” signed autographs during the opening of an exhibit of his work at the B. Sharp Gallery, Route 28, Franklin Mountain. The signing was a chance for Sherwood to get together such such Oneonta pals as David W. Brenner, the former mayor and county baord chairman, and Joe Campbell, the legendary voice of local radio.

August 7, 2019