Bound Volumes, Hometown History
September 4, 2025
135 YEARS AGO
Base Ball—After the game of Tuesday afternoon, lost by the home team to the Trojans by a score of 10 to 7, the Oneonta State League Base Ball team disbanded. The history of the club from its inception to the close of its checkered career has been marked by many vicissitudes of fortune. Starting at the foot of the ladder it came on one occasion within a single game of the top, only to fall so low by successive defeats that apparently only the present action has prevented it from again reaching the bottom. Great as were these changes, the change in the personnel of the club was as great. Not a single player of the original nine was with Oneonta at the close of the season. At the end, the Oneontas had a record of 36 games won and 42 lost, a percent of .461. The causes which have led to this result are various. It is doubtful if a town of this size can support a paid club. The team was handicapped from the first by a manager distasteful alike to club and citizens. It is doubtful if the wholesale discharge of old players late in the season was a wise movement. There are many who will regret the loss of the league club. But, to the majority of citizens, it will not matter
September 1890
50 YEARS AGO
State Troopers K.C. Butcher, R.T. Bobnick and M.H.Worden from Oneonta were among a contingent of state police officers manning the gates at the Great American Music Fair on the State Fair grounds at Syracuse this past weekend. A melee erupted when an estimated 100 youths in a crowd of 1,500 to 2,000, who were being held outside the gates, tried to pull up a fence and force their way into the concert. About 75 helmeted troopers rushed the crowd outside the gates, tossing tear gas canisters and swinging nightsticks. Rocks, bottles and other objects were hurled at police from the crowd,” State Police Captain Kenneth Crounse said. “There were some nasty kids out there. We took their crap for about four hours before we used the gas. We took a lot of injuries, before we went after them.” State police reported that one trooper suffered a broken elbow and another reported broken toes. The clash occurred during a heavy, but brief rainstorm. State Police said it took about 40 minutes to disperse the crowd and round up the “prime agitators.” About 60 arrests were made. Injured troopers and youths numbering about 40 in all were treated at infirmary on the grounds. During the disturbance the concert continued uninterrupted. The crowd, estimated at 60,000, heard such groups as the Beach Boys, the Doobie Brothers and America. State Police told promoters to end the event at 8:30 p.m. instead of the projected 11 p.m. closing.
September 1975
30 YEARS AGO
After more than an hour of discussion, Oneonta school board members agreed not to consider requiring high school students to stay on school grounds during their 38 minute lunch period. They also decided to send the question of whether to limit students’ driving and parking privileges to the high school building team, which includes four parents. With Wilber Park and the woods neighboring school property, board President Marilyn Helterline said parents are worried about students leaving school to drink or do drugs at lunch.
September 1995
20 YEARS AGO
Fewer people are smoking locally, according to a survey conducted by the Rural Three for Tobacco Free Communities of Otsego, Delaware and Schoharie counties. A telephone survey of 750 adults in the three counties (250 from each) was conducted in 2003 and again in 2005. Delaware County’s smoking rate declined from 23 percent in 2005 to 15 percent in 2003; Otsego dropped from 18 to 13 percent and Schoharie, 17 to 14 percent.
September 2005
