hometown history

HOMETOWN HISTORY: September 24, 2020

By: Larissa Ryan 09/24/2020 10:15 am

Court Proceedings: At the Circuit Court last week at Cooperstown, Hon. Wm. Murray presiding, the following was tried: Charles E. Winn vs. James M. Winn. Action: To Recover Horse. The parties both reside in Oneonta. The horse was taken up and detained by defendant under the highway act of 1867. The plaintiff claimed the law to be unconstitutional. The court held otherwise and directed a verdict for the defendant. S.S. Burnside and E. Countryman for plaintiff. J.H. Keyes and L.L. Bundy for defendant.
Simeon Uhlmann vs. Jacob Quackenbush. Action for the non-delivery of hops on a contract made in 1869. Verdict for plaintiff $79.45. L.L. Bundy for plaintiff. M.J. Cook and E. Countryman for defendant.
Base Ball: The Haymaker Base Ball Club of New Lisbon has accepted the challenge of the Otsego Base Ball Club to play for the championship of the county.

September 1870

HOMETOWN HISTORY: September 10, 2020

By: Larissa Ryan 09/17/2020 10:13 am

HOMETOWN HISTORY

September 10, 2020

150 Years Ago

Local: A large number of seedy tramps of both sexes pass through this county daily. They are not afraid of padlocks and manage to get into cellars and outhouses with but little difficulty. Farmers had better rub the rust from their guns.
L.H. Blend has the contracts for erecting elegant new houses for A.C. Moody and E.M. Vosburgh on Elm Street. The houses will be nearly alike and built on adjoining lots between James Cope’s and H.N. Rowe’s to cost about $3,000 each. We have seen the plans and can assure our villagers of a handsome addition to the beauty of the place. Mr. Vosburgh has sold his lot on Grand Street to Rev. H.H. Allen, a one-fourth acre at $250.
A clergyman had a milk-white horse, which, on account of his beautiful form, he called Zion. Having ordered his horse to the door, a friend asked him where he was going. “Why,” said he, “to mount Zion.”
Rockford, Illinois recently had a baseball match between married and single women in which the latter won an overwhelming victory. Male spectators were ruthlessly denied admittance.

September 1870

HOMETOWN HISTORY: September 17, 2020

By: Larissa Ryan 09/17/2020 9:47 am

HOMETOWN HISTORY

September 17, 2020

150 Years Ago

Real Estate is unusually active in our village, and many houses are in progress and under contract. Oneonta is to be a railroad center, business is lively, and lots can be had at reasonable rates. We are to have the central round-house and repair shops of the A. & S. R.R., and probably their car and general machine works, all of which indicate growth of population and great increase of business.
On Thursday night last, a horse belonging to John Gifford was run over and killed by the 11 p.m. train from Albany. The engine was thrown from the track. It must be that the fences are in a poor condition as this is the fourth or fifth time accidents of this kind have taken place within a year. The horse was valued at $200.

September 1870

HOMETOWN HISTORY: September 3, 2020

By: Larissa Ryan 09/03/2020 10:38 am

HOMETOWN HISTORY

September 3, 2020

150 Years Ago

Oneonta and Area Items – Quoit pitching seems to be the popular game at the depot.
Just received at the Crockery Store of J. B. Roberts, some fine plums and delicious grapes.
The rain of Saturday night raised the brook on Dietz Street – the first it has run this summer.
Our thanks is due to A.A. Whitcomb for a quantity of large tomatoes.
A young man named John Bonfoy, who has for some time been employed in New Berlin, committed suicide by hanging himself. He was a young man of excellent character.
French’s Grand Oriental Circus and Egyptian Caravan, with a renowned and rare exhibition of animals, gave two exhibitions in this village on Friday afternoon.
The Singer Sewing Machine is used by all of the manufacturing tailors and clothing merchants of Oneonta.

September, 1870

HOMETOWN HISTORY: July 3, 2020

By: Libby Cudmore 07/01/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN HISTORY

July 3, 2020

150 Years Ago

Wanted to Know!!! The whereabouts of a man who came to Oneonta and purchased a sewing machine on December 18, 1868, giving his note for it, and calling himself J.E. Wentworth, and claimed to reside four miles east of East Davenport, over east of Rattlesnake Hill. He was about five feet, nine inches in height, weighed about 175 pounds, was dark complexion, had dark eyes and dark whiskers, and was about 35 or 40 years of age. He drove a pair of medium-sized horses; the off one being brown and the near one bay. $100 reward will be paid for any information leading to the finding of this man, by leaving same at the Post Office in Oneonta, or at Russell Crego & Son, 564 Broadway in Albany N.Y.

July 1870

125 Years Ago

Of interest to some Otsego County farmers – The flurry in the European horse market has opened the eyes of American horsemen. The value of horses weighing from 1,000 to 1,400 pounds has advanced 20 percent. European buyers are continually arriving and are making large purchases. Of course, fast horses have been exported in great numbers during the past year, but the draft horse now receives attention, Men like Mr. H.L. Wardwell have done a good thing in introducing some of the best horses into this county.
J.W. Chamberlain, formerly of Oneonta, shot himself and his mistress in Norwich on Monday last. The man fell dead. The woman may recover.

July 1895

100 Years Ago

Local – Rattlesnake in Park. Thursday afternoon, while John O’Brien was walking through Neahwa Park, he came upon a large rattlesnake in the grass near the road. Picking up a stick, he dispatched the snake with a couple of well-directed blows. With the assistance of Vincent Martucci, O’Brien carried the snake through the business streets and attracted considerable attention. Later the reptile was put on exhibition in the show window of the New York State Gas and Electric Corporation and later removed to Shippey’s Cigar store on Broad Street. The reptile measures five feet, three inches in length and, as it has eight rattles, this would indicate it is 13 years old, as it is said the snakes do not begin to grow rattles till they are 5 years old. A year ago a sideshow with one of the carnivals showing in the park reported that a rattlesnake was missing and they were unable to find it. It is thought that the reptile had been making its home in the park ever since. O’Brien, whose home is at 8 Liberty Street, says he intends to convert Mr. Rattler into a belt for his personal use.

July 1920

60 Years Ago

A 33-year-old Middlefield farmer, Arthur A. Wannamaker pleaded guilty to a charge of first degree grand larceny in County Court here, appearing before Judge Frederick W. Loomis. Wannamaker was charged with holding up the Upstate Loan Company in Oneonta last March 29. He was captured by Oneonta City Police within minutes after he brandished a gun on a cashier and made off with an estimated $1,400 in cash.
Advertisement – Wee Toy and Miniature Fox Terriers at Nabob Kennels, Route 205, Oneonta, New York. Open Evenings and Sundays. Phone Oneonta GE 2-2031 weekdays. Phone Oneonta GE 2-2818 Nights, Sundays.
Neil H. Burton, aged 34 of Oneonta, was injured critically in a near head-on crash Thursday night while enroute to the bedside of his wife who had undergone surgery at Albany hospital. He suffered a fractured skull and other injuries in the collision which occurred about 9:27 p.m. on Route 7 at Worcester, His condition at Fox Memorial hospital remains critical. Mr. Burton is a June graduate of the State University College of Education in Oneonta. He is also a past president of Oneonta Aerie 1250 Fraternal Order of Eagles. Driver of the second car in the crash was William S. Mattice, aged 50, of Worcester. State Police said Mr. Burton, who was driving a 1959 Rambler owned by Hinman Motors of Oneonta, was eastbound while Mattice was headed in the opposite direction. Mr. Burton is a 1944 graduate of Oneonta high school and was employed as a lifeguard at Gilbert Lake State Park near Laurens.

July 1960

40 Years Ago

Planned Parenthood Produces Videotape About Sexuality – “Do You Hear Me? – Four Moments Between Mothers and Daughters” is a 15-minute color and sound videotape produced by Planned Parenthood Association of Delaware and Otsego counties and by the Evelyn R. Hodgdon Instructional Resources Center of the State University College at Oneonta. The production was made possible by a grant from the Dewar Fund of the St. James Episcopal Church of Oneonta.” Do You Hear Me” was developed by the Teen Outreach Program and Education Department of Planned Parenthood as part of a one-day workshop on communication about sexuality with a focus on obstacles to communication within the family and the concerns of early adolescents 12 to15 years of age.

July 1980

30 Years Ago

Supporters of retaining a County Administrator Speak Out: The League of Women Voters for Oneonta and Cooperstown Areas issued a joint statement in support of a county administrator, after conducting separate studies of county government. The Cooperstown League report noted in its study of how the county operates: “Because you must spend so much time on detail, we observe that you are often forced to react to problems rather than anticipate them. Your time for looking ahead and setting policy becomes limited.” The joint statement favored a non-political appointee of the board thus freeing the board for policy and long-range planning.

July 1990

10 Years Ago

All of a sudden, assisted living is nothing new. In much of the nation, it’s been around for 50 years. And, with the opening of the Heritage at the Plains at Parish Homestead, it’s in Otsego County. Plains patio homes – independent living – have been open for two years now, but the Heritage apartments has just begun renting its 64 independent-living apartments and 44 assisted- living apartments. Also a first – the complex includes 16 secure Memory Care units for individuals with Alzheimer’s disease or dementia.

July 2010

HOMETOWN HISTORY: June 26, 2020

By: Libby Cudmore 06/25/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN HISTORY

June 26, 2020

130 Years Ago

Local News – Monday morning about two o’clock, the residence of Hiram Osterhoudt, who lives about four miles from the village in the Town of Milford, was discovered to be on fire. The house, together with the furniture, provisions and wearing apparel of the family was destroyed, and the inmates themselves narrowly escaped. The loss was about $600, insured in the county.
Strawberries, though selling on the street for ten cents per quart, are still far from plentiful. There have not been enough in market as yet to supply the daily demand.
While working on the corporation, John Hanrahan had his skull fractured Friday by a pick in the hands of another workman. As both tables of the skull were fractured, trepanning was resorted to by Drs. Church, Brownell and Brockway, the attending physicians. Ten pieces of bone, the largest equal in size to a ten-cent piece, were removed. The injured man is now at the house of Dr. Church, where he receives careful attention.

June 1890

110 Years Ago

As the result of more than three years of persistent effort on the part of Congressman Fairchild of this district, Oneonta has this week the assurance that it is to have a public building. As soon as he entered congress Mr. Fairchild began working for an appropriation. The sum of $20,000 was appropriated for the purchase of a site. With this as a nucleus, the effort for the building appropriation was pushed vigorously and with such success that the sum of $75,000 was included in this year’s public buildings bill. This measure passed the House of Representatives on Monday. The movement for a public building in Oneonta began about 16 years ago during the term of the Hon. D.F. Wilber as congressman. Mr. Wilber devoted all his well-known energy to the task but conditions were not favorable and the bill did not pass. The building will be located on the southeast corner of Main and South
Main streets, the latter street being moved west so that it may be in direct line with Ford
Avenue. The old Briggs and Miller shops and the Chicorrelli building will be removed and
the public building will occupy the space now covered by these buildings and by South Main Street at its present intersection.

June 1910

90 Years Ago

Twelve-year-old Ivan Grant, of London Avenue, was the hero of the street boys near his home. On Mothers’ Day he bought boxes of chocolates for his mother and the mother of each one of his buddies. However, it has come to light that the money for his gifts was obtained under false pretenses from the triple-buttoned pockets of Main Street businessmen. Young Grant’s ploy was to draw his victims mysteriously into an inner room and there ask in fearful Robin Hoodish whispers for a small loan in order to buy some candy at wholesale. The candy would be sold that night, he averred, and the next day his “Shylock” could have the loan repaid. The ruse worked in a majority of Main Street establishments and he collected sums ranging from half a dollar to $8, accumulating a total of $30.80. However, when the debts went unsatisfied, the police were notified and Mrs. Hazel Foster Brady, Oneonta Police Matron, nabbed Grant who is scheduled for an appearance at the next session of Children’s Court.

June 1930

70 Years Ago

Advertisement – Del-Sego Drive-in Theatre at Emmons, N.Y., 2 miles east of Oneonta on Route 7 – Two shows nightly – begins at dusk. Children under 12 admitted free of charge. Friday, June 22-23 – Kiddie Show – Before Features – One Complete Hour of Cartoons. Features – “I’ll Reach for a Star” starring Frances Langford and Phil Regan – also – “Wyoming” with William Elliott; Saturday, June 24 – “Angels Alley” with Leo Gorcey and Geneva Gray – also – “Dangerous Venture” starring William Boyd and Andy Clyde; Sunday, June 25 and Monday, June 26, “War of the Wildcats” starring John Wayne – also – “Joan of the Ozarks” starring Joe E. Brown and Judy Canova.

June 1950

45 Years Ago

Law enforcement officials appear to be thinking more seriously about equipping their men with bullet-proof vests following an incident last week in which Kenneth Beijen, an Oneonta State Trooper’s life was saved because he was wearing a nylon vest. Oneonta Mayor James Lettis said a decision was made to purchase vests for the 30 policemen in Oneonta the day after the shooting. When it became evident, however, that the vests would run into a large sum of money, he said it became necessary to send out bid requests. William Wilsey, President of the Police Benevolent Association stressed the necessity of having the vests. Wilsey said he expected a few men would purchase the vests for themselves if the city doesn’t come through.

June 1975

15 Years Ago

The Del-Otse-Nango Kennel Club will sponsor classes in dog obedience and show handling starting at 6:30 p.m. Monday at Neawha Park by the Red Caboose. Instructors will be Sue Pierro and Barbara Scholz of the Suffolk Obedience Training Club and Tom Parotti, an AKC-licensed judge, for show handling. The fee is $50 for eight sessions. All dogs must have proof of rabies vaccination. A Canine Good Citizen Test will be offered at the end of the classes for an additional fee.

June 2005

10 Years Ago

You may know Dean Roberts as the helpful presence at The Green Earth, the health-food store he founded a half-dozen years ago on Oneonta’s Market Street.You may not know that, when Dean’s
dad Anthony was 9 years old, he built the replica of a cathedral at his home in Brooklyn, and that launched the family on a trajectory now in its fourth generation. The latest manifestation is the Doll House Hall of Fame, which had its grand opening Saturday, June 19, on Route 33, a mile or so north of Brewery Ommegang, and contains 46 samples of the family’s creations.

June 2010

HOMETOWN History June 13, 2020

By: Jim Kevlin 06/11/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN History

June 13, 2020

135 Years Ago

Preparations for the laying of the cornerstone of the new state armory next Thursday indicate that, should fair weather prevail, there will be an immense crowd in Oneonta. The parade in the afternoon will be the grandest ever seen in the Susquehanna valley, comprising as it will two or three richly uniformed commanderies, a score or more of blue lodges, several military companies and the Albany cadets besides the Oneonta fire department, and the post of the Grand Army of the Republic. The governor and staff, the secretary of state and staff, and the grand master of masons of the state, and the grand lodge, in carriages, will also form part of the parade.

June 1885

110 Years Ago

Clyde S. Tripp, a conductor on the D. & H., was fatally injured while working in the Oneonta yards early Wednesday morning. The accident occurred just below the Fonda Avenue crossing. He was standing on the rear running board of a switch engine, which was backing toward a string of cars, when the tender crashed into a box car and he was struck by the lever, which punctured his abdomen. When picked up it was found that his left leg and arm were broken, and that he had received fatal abdominal injuries. He was taken to the Fox Memorial Hospital, where he died about ten o’clock. The deceased was 30 years of age and a son of Mr. and Mrs. David Tripp of this city. He is survived by his wife, a daughter of five years, one brother, and his parents. He was a member of the United Presbyterian Church. Interment will be at the Plains.

June 1910

90 Years Ago

With interest gaining momentum each week and with its factory already three weeks behind on its orders, officials of the Linn Trailer Company are adding a few experienced machinists, blacksmiths, and toolmakers to the list of employees. It is now expected that within a week the production of the plant will have been more than doubled. As one of Oneonta’s youngest industries, and as an organization producing an article of established merit in a field which has seen little development in more than a score of years of use, the Linn Company’s patented design stands out.
Eugene Lee Ward, who may be appointed sales manager for the company, recently made a road trip with a demonstrator trailer towed by a Chevrolet Coupe and met with unusual success in interesting dealers and securing orders well exceeding the production capacity of the factory.

June 1930

70 Years Ago

Two new library alcoves dedicated Sunday afternoon at Hartwick College, will serve as a source for Otsego and Central New York State historians. The Traver Alcove contains the library of the father of Hartwick institutions, Johann Christopher Hartwick. Even though a good portion of the texts are written in German and Latin, they contain an accurate picture of life in the early 1800s. Many of Hartwick’s own original texts are included in the library. Several are written in the form of a diary thus accurately outlining his contacts with the settlers and prominent people of the area. The Traver Alcove is given in loving memory of Dr. John G. and Mrs. Ettie Traver, faithful servants of Hartwick Seminary from 1886 to 1941, by former students and friends. For many years Dr. Traver served as a teacher at the Seminary and as headmaster. An alcove dedicated to Richard H. Franchot and his brother Charles, given by descendants, will house a collection of writings and volumes of this area. The alcove is to be known as the Franchot Alcove of Otsego History. Charles P. Franchot presented a small round trunk once owned and used by his grandfather Charles when he enrolled at Hartwick Seminary in 1830. Both Richard and Charles Franchot attended Hartwick Seminary between 1830 and 1832.

June 1950

50 Years Ago

A five-member County Narcotic Guidance Council was appointed by the Board of Representatives at its June meeting on Wednesday of last week in response to a request made by Representative Stuart P. Taugher of Cooperstown. Appointed to the Council were Lewis Sturgess, a Unadilla druggist, the Rev. Robert Heffner, a member of the campus ministry at Hartwick College in Oneonta, Oneonta post-master Samuel J. Bertuzzi, who was named Chair of the Council, Dr. Joseph Lunn, an associate physician at the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital in Cooperstown, and George S. Kepner, Jr., a Cooperstown attorney. Each
member will serve three years.

June 1970

40 Years Ago

The asphalt, gravel and curbs taken from Oneonta’s Main Street are to be melted down and recycled for use as fill and patching material for potholes around the city. Asphalt removed by the Cerasaro Construction Co. in the Main Street reconstruction project is being hauled away to Neawha Park. A machine purchased by the city for $12,000 to $15,000 is used to melt and remix the old paving asphalt. Asphalt recovered from River Street earlier added to the Main Street asphalt will provide sufficient recycled fill and patch material to last 25 years, city engineer Richard Olton says. New asphalt costs about $35 a ton whereas the recycled asphalt about $2 a ton as remix for patch work.

June 1980

20 Years Ago

Classified advertisement: Program Coordinator (full-time) – Seeking motivated self-starter to implement the Leatherstocking Promise ACT for Youth Program. Work with various audiences including youth, parents, volunteers and media to enhance and build youth programs. B.S. in Social Work, Human Ecology, Social Sciences, Health Services, Education, or related field and two years of experience. Transportation required. Deadline June 23, 2000.

Bassett Healthcare’s Mobile Mammography Program will host three mammography and osteoporosis screening sessions in June. On Monday, June 19 and Tuesday, June 20, the van will stop at Bassett Healthcare Oneonta. Women who would like to have a mammogram or an osteoporosis screening test at this time may call 1-888-416-3409 to schedule an appointment. Free or reduced cost mammograms are available through the New York State Breast Health Partnership to income eligible, underserved, or uninsured women.

June 2000

10 Years Ago

Damaschke Field is alive again. The Oneonta Outlaws hosted the Mohawk Valley Diamond Dawgs at Damaschke Field on Tuesday, June 8, for their inaugural Opening Night at Damaschke Field.

June 11, 2010

HOMETOWN HISTORY: June 4, 2020

By: Libby Cudmore 06/03/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN HISTORY

June 4, 2020

135 Years Ago

Home & Vicinity – A few nights ago a fair damsel who was coming out of one of our churches was approached by a young man who requested the pleasure of seeing “her home.” The young lady replied,” “No, sir; if you want to go home with me you must go with me to church, sit with me during the exercises and thus show yourself worthy of my company!” Sensible girl, that! If others would follow her example, the young men who loaf around the streets until service is nearly over and then station themselves near the church door, and when the ladies appear ask to go home with them, would soon become more familiar with the inside of the churches than at present.

June 1885

110 Years Ago

Halley’s Comet has now got safely around to the west of the sun, and every evening when it is clear enough the celestial wanderer is on exhibition. Every day it recedes farther and farther from the sun, so that now its hour of setting is about 11 p.m. Its tail, however, which for a few days was a spectacle to wonder at, grows less and less as the nights go by, and by next week the comet may be well toward invisibility again, at least to the naked eye. Those, however, who fail to see it now should take courage from the thought that another chance will be theirs in 1985.

June 1910

90 Years Ago

The National Association for the Advancement of Colored People today announced that 55 Negro Gold Star mothers have declined to make the pilgrimage to the graves of their sons under rules they said the War Department has laid down providing for segregation by color. The mothers have appealed to President Hoover to abolish the ruling. Their petition terms the War Department’s attitude “gratuitous insult.” Their petition states: “Twelve years after the Armistice ending WW I, the high principles of 1918 seem to have been forgotten. We who gave and who are colored are insulted by the implication that we are not fit persons to travel with other bereaved ones. Instead of making up parties of Gold Star mothers on the basis of geographical location, we are set aside as a separate group, Jim Crowed, segregated and insulted.” However, despite the protest, according to Toubee Davidson, Acting Secretary of the U.S. War Department, the policy of grouping all Negro Gold Star mothers and widows making the pilgrimage to their sons’ and husbands’ graves on European battlefields will be continued.

June 1930

65 Years Ago

Peter Axhoj, 18, son of Mr. and Mrs. Axel Axhoj, Winney Hill road, outdistanced a field of 32 contestants to win the second annual Teenage Road-e-o sponsored by the Oneonta Junior Chamber of Commerce
this weekend. Peter scored 352 out of a possible 400 points to win the skilled driving tests. He came in second last year. He will compete for the New York State Jaycees title at Oswego on June 26. For the Oneonta contest held at Webb Island, Peter won a trophy, a suitcase, auto seat covers, a camera and $75 in U.S. savings bonds. Second place went to Russell Hanson, Milford. Three girls who entered the contest placed 15th, 16th and 19th.

June 1955

45 Years Ago

The best in television shows: “Good Times” This series usually bypasses street life for blacks, but in this two-part program, young J.J. is forced to run with a gang or else. Characters like Mad Dog, Neck Bone and Sweet Pea pressure the skinny artist until the comedy turns serious. There’s a light touch to the loving family life that dominates the early scenes of part one, as if to say, this is the way ghetto life can be, as opposed to life with marauding street gangs.
“M*A*S*H*” Nonsense played with style, as this ace series has a little fun with the CIA. Colonel Flagg, from the intelligence agency, investigates a penicillin robbery in the unit, and everyone the colonel questions appears to have an alias, in this wacky, tricky story. Poor Colonel Flagg doesn’t stand a chance playing detective, checking out wise guys like Hawkeye, Trapper John, and Klinger.

June 1975

30 Years Ago

The Upper Catskill Community Council of the Arts will present three railroad films outdoors on the deck of the Autumn Café, 244 Main Street, on Monday, June 11. The screening which starts at 8:30 p.m. will feature the premiere of Director Marco North’s Grass Will Grow, followed by Buster Keaton’s comedy The Railroader, and the saga of the American railroad produced by the Brotherhood of Railroad Trainmen, Moving On. Grass Will Grow documents the D&H’s Oneonta Roundhouse, once the largest structure of its kind in the world. North presents an evocative picture of a thriving past and an uncertain present by using images of the decaying roundhouse, vintage railroad film, and the memories of railroad people who remember its heyday. In The Railroader, Buster Keaton crosses North America from east to west on a railroad track speeder. The comedian’s sight gags are as spry and ingenious as they were in the days of silent slapstick comedy. By using early prints, and newsreel and silent film footage, Moving On tells the exciting history of America’s railroads to the accompaniment of folk songs, train noises and voices of the past.

June 1990

20 Years Ago

The following births were reported at A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital in Oneonta in the past two months: April 17, born to Lisa and Daniel Tiska of Oneonta, a daughter; May 4, born to Edith and Robert Platt of Davenport, a son; May 9, born to Jack and Randy Tweedie of Walton, a son; May 11, born to Becky and Brian Cutting of Unadilla, a son; May 12, born to Amy Peters and Matthew Wheeler of West Winfield, a daughter; May 14, born to Shanda Whitbeck and Jason Olsen of Bloomville, a daughter; May 15, born to Irene and Geoffrey Hassard of Oneonta, a son; May 18, born to Rebecca Swart and Sean Obryon of Stamford, a son; born to Amy and Jeff Sloven, a son; May 24, born to Jennifer Northrup and Wade Johnson of East Meredith, a daughter; May 25, born to Kimm and Tim Hungerford of West Laurens, a daughter; May 28, born to Carlene Meyer and Matt Girard of Oneonta, a daughter.

June 2000

10 Years Ago

Damaschke Field, one of the oldest minor league fields still in use, will see a lot of excitement and play this summer as the Oneonta Outlaws, formerly the Saratoga Phillies, move into the recently renovated 3,700-seat ballpark this summer.
Opening Day for the Outlaws and Damaschke Field will be on Sunday, June 6. The gates open at 3 p.m. and the game starts at 5, and fans attending the game will receive a free refrigerator magnet of the Outlaws 2010 schedule

June 4, 2010

HOMETOWN History May 22, 2020

By: Libby Cudmore 05/20/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN History

May 22, 2020

135 Years Ago

Why We Go To Church – Some go to church to weep; others go to sleep. Some go their wives to please; their conscience others go to ease. Some go to hear the preacher; others like the solo screecher. Boys go to reconnoiter; girls go because they oughter. Many go for sage reflections;
precious few to help collections.
Two perfect rings around the sun at Noon on Wednesday, which when looked at through a dark glass presented nearly all the colors of the rainbow, attracted considerable attention. The coronae were more perfect than are usually seen in this locality. A sun-dog was also plainly visible between the two circles. Altogether the sight was quite remarkable.

May 1885

130 Years Ago

The Local News – About 200 dogs have been registered in the Town Clerk’s office in compliance with the provisions of the new state law.
Shooting at the rifle range on the Odell Brown farm began Wednesday.
Preparations are making for the fine new residence of George B. Baird at the corner of Chestnut and Church Streets. The dwelling will cost about $20,000.
The dynamo placed in Auburn prison for the first electrical execution is the machine formerly in use in the Oneonta electric light company’s plant. It is a Westinghouse machine, designed to supply 650 lights. The execution of the murderer Kemmler, who was to have died by electricity in Auburn prison this week, was stayed yesterday by virtue of a writ of habeas corpus issued by Judge Wallace of the United States Circuit Court on the application of Roger M. Sherman. The application on which the writ was granted and Kemmler’s life was spared, for a time, was made in order to determine whether the proposed killing by electricity is in violation of the Eighth and Fourteenth amendments of the Constitution of the United States.

May 1890

110 Years Ago

Halley’s Comet, cynosure for weeks of human eyes, has swept between the earth and sun and, receding into space, has made its nearest approach to our planet. Though by mathematical calculation astronomers announced long ago that the tail of the heaven-wanderer would impudently switch across the face of the earth, nothing really happened to disquiet anybody. The night was uneventful, and mankind awoke this morning to renew the rounds of human activity, assured that for 75 years at least, Halley’s Comet was not to be the cause of earth’s undoing. The chief glory of Halley’s Comet is not in the orb itself, but in the manifestation which it gives of the powers of the human mind. Brilliant it is and wonderful – but more wonderful is the intellect which traces its way through space, which measures the comet’s course beyond the telescope’s multiplied vision and foretells to a day the date of its return. Surely that the greatest – the God-given power to see, to compute and to foretell what through the world’s long early ages it had never entered into the mind of anyone to observe, to reckon, or to predict.

May 1910

50 Years Ago

Although education is far and away the most costly item of local government in Otsego County, the other public expenditures add up to a sizable figure. They include outlays for such services as roads and highways, police protection, health, public welfare, sewerage, water supply, and general administration and maintenance, among others. According to the latest figures, the annual cost for such services amounts to $136.84 per capita for residents of Otsego County.
Five years ago, by comparison, the cost of these services per capita amounted to $112.56. The average outlay for local services across the United States averages $156.22 per capita. However, local services across the state of New York average $280.94 per capita. Of the current $136.84 per capita outlay, some $53.45 is estimated as the amount spent for construction and maintenance of highways, exclusive of interest on debt. Across the country the average is $23.05 per capita.

May 1970

30 Years Ago

The board of directors for the United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties, Inc. has announced the appointment of officers and new directors. Chairperson for the 1991fund drive will be Dr. Alan Donovan President of S.U.N.Y at Oneonta. His appointment to chairperson follows the conclusion of a fund drive that raised more than $223,000 for service agencies in Delaware and Otsego counties. Steven Amell, vice-president and regional area manager for Key Bank will serve with Dr. Donovan as co-chair for the fund raising drive. Erna McReynolds, financial consultant with Shearson, Lehman, Hutton, was elected president of the United Way Board of Directors.

May 1990

20 Years Ago

The Safe Kids Coalition of Otsego County and Scoville-Meno Honda have planned their third annual Child Safety Awareness Day for Saturday, May 20, from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. at the Honda Dealership on Oneida Street in Oneonta. Child Safety Awareness Day is a way for families to get a variety of free child health and safety information and services in a fun-filled setting.

May 2000

15 Years Ago

Mike Connolly, Oneonta native and Oneonta high school graduate, struck out four and walked one in six innings Sunday to lead the Altoona Curve to a 6-2 Eastern League victory over the Binghamton Mets at NYSEG Stadium. Connolly allowed two runs, both earned and eight hits before leaving the Double A minor league game with the 6-2 lead. “I’m throwing real well right now – can’t complain,” Connolly said. “I just go out and pitch and do the best I can.” Connolly is now in his sixth season in professional baseball. The Pittsburgh Pirates, Altoona’s parent club, selected Connolly in the 19th round of the 2000
major league baseball draft. Connolly’s record is now 3-3 with a 3.33 ERA.

May 2005

HOMETOWN History May 8, 2020

By: Libby Cudmore 05/06/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN History

May 8, 2020

135 Years Ago

The Delaware & Hudson Canal Company held their annual meeting in New York, Tuesday. The old board of managers was re-elected with the exception that Thomas Cornell resigned in favor in favor of John A. Stewart, who was chosen as his successor. A set of by-laws, the first ever possessed by the company, was adopted. The leased lines of the company, the report showed, have shared in the general business depression that marked the year, and show an aggregate loss of $174,489.65, a result which has its encouraging feature in being relatively better than the showing of very many railroad properties. Of the gross receipts, $5,177,353 were from passenger, freight and miscellaneous business on the railroads, and $10,755,137 from the sales of coal, canal tolls, interest, etc.

May 1885

90 Years Ago

A Great New Industry – The roadside stand, where the American motorist buys hot dogs, ice cream cones, green corn and pink balloons while he pauses in his travels, doesn’t look like much of a business, perhaps; yet cold statistics show that it is becoming one of the foremost industries of the country. Dr. Julius Klein, assistant secretary of commerce, reveals that there are now between 110,000 and 125,000 roadside stands in the United States. They are increasing at the rate of 3,000 a year, and more than half of them remain open all year round. More impressive yet, however, is the fact that these stands last year had a total sales volume of fully $500,000,000. A half-billion dollar turnover is not to be sneezed at. The automobile, which has turned American life topsy-turvy in many ways during the last couple of decades, has provided a new business of mammoth proportions here.

May 1930

70 Years Ago

State Comptroller Frank C. Moore says that New York State is “determined to provide the new teachers required for its schools.” Moore spoke at ceremonies last Friday during which the cornerstone was laid for an $800,000 dormitory and student union building at Oneonta State Teachers College. Sheldon H. Close, president of the local Board of Visitors, laid the cornerstone of the new building accepting the trowel from Orlando B. Rowe, former president. Approximately 1,000 persons attended the ceremony. Construction began on August 9, 1949 and it is expected the building will be ready for occupancy by September 1, this year. Moore predicted that the enrollment at Oneonta would increase to about 1,000 in the next five years. Enrollment has increased from less than 400 in 1942 to more than 600 this year.

May 1950

50 Years Ago

May 1970

50 Years Ago

The Lot of Women – Some say that job discrimination against women will be the issue in the 70s that job discrimination against blacks was in the 60s. Certainly, statistics support the need for change. Fifteen years ago full-time women workers’ wages were 63.9 percent those of men. Now, they have fallen to 58.2 percent of men’s earnings. In terms of median income, white men last year earned $7,870, black men $5,314, white women, $4,580, and black women $3,478. In terms of education, women with four years of college earned less than men who didn’t graduate from high school and only half as much as men with the same degree. Whereas ten years ago unemployment was the same for both men and women, by last year, the rate was twice as high for women. The U.S. Senate Judiciary Committee’s Subcommittee on Constitutional Amendments has begun hearings on an amendment that would upgrade the job and legal status of women. One of the odder provisions of the amendment (first proposed in the 1920s) would require women to register for the draft just like men. And while a case could be made for filling the multitude of supportive jobs with distaff soldiers, one can hardly think of a sphere where women would have a harder time breaking into the chain of responsible
command than the military.

May 1970

40 Years Ago

The Delaware & Hudson Railway Co. is considering expanding its freight service through northeastern Pennsylvania because of significant growth since the service began a year ago. Richard E. Long, D. & H. secretary, said that the carrier showed a profit in March and April, the first time in four years the line has operated in the black. Long credits the north-south corridor service that connect major southern points through the Potomac yards near Washington, D.C. with markets in New England and Canada. The D. & H. began service to Potomac Yard last year and since then volume has grown from 1,250 cars to 2,750 cars a month. “The line shows very significant growth, but we cannot go further unless we put on a second train,” Long noted. Only one train a day currently moves out from Potomac Yard. The D. & H. is awaiting a response from Conrail, the federally chartered rail system, on a proposed agreement to acquire the line, Long added.

May 1980

30 Years Ago

The board of directors for the United Way of Delaware and Otsego Counties, Inc. announces the appointment of officers and new directors. Chairperson for the 1991fund drive will be Dr. Alan Donovan President of S.U.N.Y at Oneonta. His appointment follows a fund drive that raised more than $223,000 for service agencies in Delaware and Otsego counties.

May 1990

10 YEARS AGO

The history of Oneonta Little League resides in one man, Oren “Doc” Knapp, (who’s also a pretty good golfer). So he knew of what he spoke when, after opening ceremonies Saturday, May 1, at, yes, Doc Knapp Field, at the end of Park Avenue, he said: “Oneonta has been very supportive of Little League. I’m very grateful to Oneonta for that.”

May 2010

HOMETOWN History May 1, 2020

By: Jim Kevlin 04/29/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN History

May 1, 2020

135 Years Ago

Home & Vicinity – Lewis & Smith, liverymen, are about to supply a long felt want in Oneonta, and one that will prove a great public convenience, having purchased one of the Boston standard cabs, which is to be stationed at some convenient point on Main Street, where it can be secured to make trips to any part of the village at a fare varying from ten to twenty-five cents, according to distance. The cab will also do parcel carrying at the same reasonable rates. There seems no doubt that the enterprise will be heartily sustained, as it deserves to be.

May 1885

130 Years Ago

May 1890

110 Years Ago

The requests of proprietors of the overall factory which contemplates locating in Oneonta were considered at a special meeting of the Chamber of Commerce on Tuesday. Briefly, what the company asks is a building, about 110 by 70 feet, two stories high, with basement, and with heating plant installed. Such a building the company would expect rent free for five years, and in return it would employ at least 100 hands and expects to make the number 200. At the end of the five years free rental, the company is asked to agree to five years additional rental, paying nine percent annually on the investment. It is proposed to organize a stock company and to erect such a building on the Meigs Case lot at the corner of Chestnut Street and Fonda Avenue. The building will cost $14,000, and citizens are expected to guarantee six per cent rental to the company erecting the building. It is hoped to have the building ready for occupancy in the fall.

May 1910

90 Years Ago

Fire, said to have broken out on the farm of William Hungerford, behind Colliers, which swept over 1,000 acres of dry woodland yesterday afternoon, and which at a late hour threatened the city watershed, was reported under control at an early hour this morning. According to W.W. Watkins, superintendent of the city water works, he and his men were called in to aid in the fight shortly before 9 o’clock last night. Twenty men were stationed at this end of the blaze during the night, and patrols made rounds over the whole section, under the direction of H.A. Pearsall. One hundred Hartwick College students, released from their afternoon classes, together with members of the Oneonta and Cooperstown fire departments, and Colliers farmers fought the blaze on the hills behind the village through the daylight hours. The flames, running from the top of one pine to another, jumping creek beds and dirt roads, swung down to within a hundred yards of the village at one time. A valiant fight made by 40 Hartwick students equipped with five gallon hand pump tanks about 3:30 o’clock stopped the fire in that direction, but other sectors continued to burn in several directions before all were brought under control.

May 1930

70 Years Ago

A county-wide campaign to vaccinate all dogs against rabies will open on Monday of next week it has been announced by Supervisor James M. Mead of Oneonta, who is in charge of the Board of Supervisors rabies eradication program. There is no charge to dog owners for this service. Clinics will be set up at designated times and places throughout the county and it is hoped that the owners of Otsego County’s 7,000-odd dogs will take their pets for immunization shots. There will be 38 separate clinics from May 15 to 25, staffed by 13 county veterinarians. Cards will be sent to all dog-owners
in the county notifying them of clinics in their area. All clinics will be open from
7 to 9 p.m. on the days designated.

May 1950

50 Years Ago

With a flourish of bagpipe and drum, the Scout-O-Rama ’70 was opened by Ed Griffin, acting mayor of Oneonta. The scout show offered 50 different views of boys in action through the program of cub scouting, boy scouting and exploring. A stage show was also a highlight of the day on the SUCO Campus. The show was opened in SUCO’s physical education building with ceremonies presided over by the Hon. Walter Terry, Walton, Delaware County Judge and President of the Otschodela Council. Cub scouts and boy scouts from the three-county area displayed handicraft items, special projects, and their knowledge of various scouting skills. An uncountable procession of parents and the general public wandered about the show area learning more about what the scouting movement can do for youth. Highlights of the stage presentation included the Delaware Scottish Pipe Band, the Manhattan Transfers, a Rock Band from Cobleskill, Indian dancing by Troop 27, and the Rockhearts, a folk group from Troop 30.

May 1970

10 YEARS AGO

Ladies shopping for new clothes in Oneonta had something to be excited about as the newest store at the Southside Mall opened. Maurice’s – “the leading small town specialty store and authority for the savvy, fashion-conscious customer with a 20-something attitude” – opened with a sneak peak Wednesday, April 21, and celebrated a grand opening and ribbon cutting on Friday, April 23.

April 2010

HOMETOWN HISTORY, 4-24-20

By: Jim Kevlin 04/22/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN History

April 24, 2020

150 Years Ago

News Items – The Buffalonians are taking 90 pound sturgeon. On April 4, a foot of snow fell at Scranton, Pennsylvania. There are over 250,000 Odd Fellows in the United States. Wyoming farmers plow with tame Buffalo. Rhode Island has abolished imprisonment for debt. Lotteries are not tolerated in Russia – not even for religious purposes. There are said to be 500,000 French Canadians in the United States. Steps are being taken in India to put a stop to the common custom of destroying female infants. Cincinnati has a curiosity in the shape of a Mulatto barber who has unmistakable red hair. The estimated number of members of the Masonic Order in the United States and British America is 468,455. Four young ladies were recently baptized in the Rum River at Aronka, Minnesota, when the thermometer marked ten degrees below zero. The New York Assembly has agreed to the Bill making eight hours a legal day’s work, except where by contract a different time is specified.

April 1870

125 Years Ago

Advertisement: JACK’s – Corner Main and Chestnut Streets Oneonta – Have you ever considered how much you can save by buying goods from us, notwithstanding the big advertisements of some of our competitors? We, in our “Little Store,” are MAKING PRICES to SUIT the TIMES. If our prices are right, you will be satisfied. COME and GET YOUR MONEY BACK. W.H. JACK.
Advertisement: M. GUNEY’S & SONS, ONEONTA – Having enlarged our store and increased our stock, we can now show the finest line of Dry Goods ever brought in this Section. WASH GOODS in PROFUSION; DRESS GOODS and SILK DEPARTMENT; CLOAK DEPARTMENT; CARPETS, RUGS and OILCLOTH; UPHOLSTERY DEPARMENT; TRIMMINGS
– Agents for Butterick’s Patterns.

April 1895

100 Years Ago

Reverend Dr. Edmund M. Mills, acting secretary for the General Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church, which opened Saturday at Des Moines, Iowa, stated tonight that the Conference would probably revise the ban on amusements, changing it from a mandatory act in the Book of Discipline to a “word of advice.” Memorials submitted to Dr. Mills from Conferences in all parts of the country showed that about one-third of the preachers want to eliminate all reference to dancing, theatres and card playing. In view of the fact that preachers do not put men and women on trial for these amusements, Dr. Mills will move the elimination of the following words in that part of the Book of Discipline dealing with the trial of a member for “Imprudent Conduct: Dancing, playing games of chance, attending theatres, horse races, circuses, dancing parties, patronizing dancing schools, or taking part in such other amusements as are obviously of misleading and questionable moral tendency.”

April 1920

80 Years Ago

A retired United States Marine Corps Officer told New York State Methodists that he had observed a “marked similarity” between the doctrines of Christianity and the work of Chinese Communists. Addressing ministers and lay delegates at the annual New York Conference of the Methodist Church, Major Evans Carlson spoke on “The Duty of Christian America in the Japanese-Chinese Conflict.” “The so-called Chinese Communists are practically Christians, though they do not profess the faith,” he said. “As a group they are humble in spirit and compassionate of their enemies.”

April 1940

60 Years Ago

The Oneonta Youth Council has grown up and will become 15 years old next Tuesday. Suitable anniversary observances have been arranged, according to Chairman E.C. Damaschke of the Oneonta Recreation Commission. The public is invited to join a sociability night at the Youth Center, on the top floor at the Y.M.C.A. on Tuesday night at which new officers will be elected and installed. On Thursday night there will be a dinner for Council members and the election of new officers. On Friday night the large game room will be the site of a Teen Age Record Hop with prizes and a birthday cake cut. On Saturday, there will be tournament play in games with prizes and dancing in the record hop room. The Youth Council was organized April 26, 1945, with James T. Catella as first president. Last night the top floor of the “Y” building was crowded with upwards of 200 young people.

April 1960

20 Years Ago

Laura Jean Oliva, a physician’s assistant in Oneonta, made her first medical relief trip to the Dominican Republic in 1996. Since then she has been back about five times each year, sometimes staying for as long as a month. Oliva offers exams, medications and vaccinations, as well as more specialized orthopedic care to residents in the southeastern part of the Dominican Republic, an agricultural area that produces sugar cane and tobacco. Eight months ago, Oliva started Esperanza Dominican Relief, a non-profit, nonsectarian, humanitarian organization – to provide her efforts with a formal structure and facilitate fund raising for a new clinic and laboratory. “After four years, I’m still working out of the back of my car,” Oliva said. Oliva is a 45-year- old Bronx native who stays in the Dominican with a host family and has two godchildren in the country.

April 2000

10 Years Ago

Armed with signs, songs and speakers, Tea Party patriots gathered in Norwich on Thursday in East Side Park across from the Chenango County Courthouse to rail at perceived governmental excesses and failures. Organized by Gilda Ward of Guilford, Charlie Ressiguie of Norwich and others, the Chenango County gathering, slated to run seven hours, drew scores of people at a time, some staying all day, others moving on. “Tea Party Patriots are tired of being ignored and controlled by their governments, both state and federal, Ressiguie said. “It’s come to the point where we’ve got to speak up.”

April 2010

HOMETOWN History April 17, 2020

By: Jim Kevlin 04/15/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN History

April 17, 2020

150 Years Ago

News Items – Ohio has 25 different female suffrage associations. Boston uses 7,646,020 gallons of milk annually. Nearly 700 Philadelphia girls were married to foreigners last year. Boston expects to
pay $1,400,000 for its public schools the coming year. A farmer in Schuyler County lately lost a colt from bleeding at the nose. The new five-cent pieces will be ready in a few days. Ole Bull’s famous violin is said to be over 400 years old. A worm, three feet long and half an inch in diameter, recently ate the stomach of an Iowa dog to pieces. A horticultural school for young ladies has been opened at Springfield Massachusetts. Tennessee has a Negro secret society known as “The United States Roses of Old John Brown.” Iowa has been compelled to discharge a “lady” teacher in one of its public schools for drunkenness.

April 1870

125 Years Ago

For Sale: Fine recorded Percheron stallions at bargain cash or credit. Chas. P. Bassett, Walton. A good two-year-old bull, R.J. Blair, Delhi. One span of grey work horses and new double harnesses. Horses weigh 2,100 pounds. Will sell cheap. Frank Welton, Unadilla. Five choice yearling heifers; also one dry cow. G.B. Harkness, Kortright Centre. One thoroughbred Jersey bull, two years old, solid color with good points from good stock. H.C. Munn, Mundale. One two-horse lumber wagon, nearly new; also one hand mill Mrs. M. Hitchcock, Franklin. One span of half-Clyde colts, 3 years old; one young horse, 7 years old, sound and true, A. Barnes, Meridale.

April 1895

100 Years Ago

The New York Conference of the Methodist Episcopal Church today adopted a resolution endorsing a proposal to amend church discipline by striking out specific prohibition of playing cards, dancing and theatre-going. This action was taken after a spirited debate, and after the Conference had reconsidered its previous decision to take no action at this time. “If I were a devil, I would slap myself on the back over the action of the Conference,” declared the Rev. J.J. Dean, one of the oldest members who led the opposition forces. A proposed amendment to prohibit only “voluptuous dancing” was drowned in laughter. Resolutions were also adopted protesting against further increases in overhead church organization and multiplication of officials, urging greater freedom for pastors and demanding that trained laymen do the work of church business organization instead of clergymen.

April 1920

80 Years Ago

Despite protests from pet-lovers, a Senate-House Committee has approved an experimental bombing of 70 goats to ascertain the killing power of the secret “super explosive” which Lester P. Barlow, Baltimore inventor, says he has perfected. The test will be conducted at the Army’s Aberdeen, Maryland proving grounds unless it is blocked by court action. A Maryland law forbids experiments on animals except “when justified by the public interest.” Senator Morris Sheppard (D-Tex), a committee member, said he thought the test was justified “in the interest of national defense.” Barlow’s explosive is made from liquid oxygen and carbon. Barlow told members of Congress that his explosive is capable of killing every living thing within a thousand-foot radius.

April 1940

40 Years Ago

Local U.S. census takers are paid almost a dollar less per completed form than their big city counterparts, Dan Daniels, Director of the Utica Census Office, said Wednesday. The 13 Oneonta area census takers are paid 70 cents less per census form than employees in New York City, he said. The census takers are also paid for mileage. Census
takers in the Oneonta area have started calling on people who have had trouble completing their census forms. The whole process should take about six weeks, Daniels said. “About 20 percent of the population did not return the forms. Each census taker has 550 households to check,” Daniels said. “Since wages are generally higher in large cities, the census department offers more pay to attract workers there,” he explained. At least two Oneonta-area census workers have said privately that they should be paid the same wage for the same work. “The forms are just as long here as they are anywhere else. I think this is regional discrimination,” one census taker said.

April 1980

20 Years Ago

Oneonta Police Reports – Investigations
continue into two burglaries committed earlier in April. More than $500 in merchandise was stolen from an apartment on Myrtle Avenue in the early morning of April 4. A burglary on Cliff Street on April 6 involved the taking of a Hewlett-Packard computer, monitor, printer and keyboard valued at $1,000. On April 9, someone entered a vehicle parked in the Dietz Street municipal lot and stole $450 in clothing, a $40 gym bag, a Panasonic compact disc player and two Nokia cellular phones. On April 12, the Planned Parenthood of Delaware and Otsego counties received two threatening crank calls stating “You’re going to burn” between 1:40 and 1:45 p.m.
On Thursday, April 20, as part of its celebration of National Poetry Month, “Word Thursdays” will feature Thomas Travisano, an Oneonta writer. Travisano and several young poets will read after the open reading which begins at 7 p.m. “Word Thursdays” takes place at the Delaware County Historical Society, three miles north of Delhi on State Route 10. Travisano, a professor of English at Hartwick College is co-founder and first president of the Elizabeth Bishop Society.

April 2000

10 Years Ago

The Kansas City soccer community hopes that its new Major League Soccer stadium, scheduled to open next year, will be the next home for at least some of the National Soccer Hall of Fame’s exhibits that were once displayed in the Oneonta facility.
The Soccer Hall closed its museum in Oneonta in September as it sought to overcome financial difficulties. The museum’s collections were last available to the public during a final, free admission weekend in March. On February 1, Soccer Hall officials signed a management contract with the Otsego County Development Corporation, a private non-profit group, to transition the 62-acre Oneonta site to new ownership.

April 2010

HOMETOWN History April 10, 2020

By: Jim Kevlin 04/08/2020 5:00 pm

HOMETOWN History

April 10, 2020

50 Years Ago

The changes taking place on the surface of our Earth with which the hand of man has nothing to do are very remarkable.

The Islands of Jersey and Guernsey are slowly sinking. People anxious to see them need not be in a hurry, but their places will, perhaps someday, be marked with lightships anchored to what is now fertile soil. Meanwhile, new islands rise in another hemisphere and Chile and Sweden are being slowly elevated to attain a height no man can guess.

To these changes man contributes nothing, but he has a hand in effecting changes which, it is speculated, may alter the features of an entire continent. We have read something lately of the desire of the British government to preserve the forests of India. Deprived of them India would soon become a desert like Sahara. But should Sahara become covered with forests, what would be the consequence to Europe?

April 1870

125 Years Ago

In an address before the New York East Conference at Stamford, Connecticut, Chancellor Day of Syracuse University heartily favored college athletics and particularly football, which, he said, trained young men to sound judgment, lightning activity, and made physiques with which to work out the mental ambitions.

The scare over serious injury Dr. Day said, was absurd, in view of the fact that out of 140,000 students in our universities, only four or five had been seriously injured at football. Bicycling, rowing, and other athletics might be abolished with as good reason as football.

The bill has become a law which requires that every public school building shall be provided with a United States flag and flagstaff.

April 1895

100 Years Ago

“House That Jack Built” Instructive – Trainman’s Hall was well-filled last Saturday night with the wives of D. & H. conductors, trainmen, engineers and firemen when the motion picture “The House That Jack Built,” was presented by J.E. Long, Superintendent of Safety on the D. & H. The picture was for the purpose of emphasizing “Safety First.” After witnessing it one is impressed with the many helpful hints along this line that the film conveys. The “House That Jack Built” should have a wide showing.

Have You Seen Breeze’s Smile? An excellent likeness of smiling Henry T. Breeze, the well-known worker, who
appears in the window of the City Drug Store, attracting considerable attention. The photo is captioned: “Current Events” Oneonta New York “Breeze Blows up Main Street.”

April 1920

60 Years Ago

Eight “Fine-O-Meters” have been installed in Oneonta. The “Fine-O-Meter” is a device for paying for parking violations. The new parking tickets, red in color, are actually envelopes. Now, when a motorist gets a ticket he can slip his fine money into the ticket-envelope and place it in the fine-o-meters. Collection of the fines will be made daily and turned over to the City Court. City Judge Ronald E. Rowley, who has championed this method of paying fines since he was inaugurated last January, said “the method is more convenient for the violator.” The new ticket urges violators to pay the fines within five days. Two “Fine-O-Meters” are located in the municipal parking lot. Others are installed in front of the Oneonta post office, the Woolworth’s store, Hoffman’s dry cleaners, the Army and Navy store, near Brown Park and Huntington Library.

April 1960

40 Years Ago

The sound is deafening. Huge diesel presses pop railroad wheels from their axles with a piercing metallic scream. “It takes about 9,000 tons of pressure to get one of those wheels off, D&H Shop Supervisor Edward Burns shouts over the din. For the railroad buff, a visit to the Delaware & Hudson Railroad’s repair shop in the Oneonta yard is like going back stage at a play. The illusion is gone. But, some of the awe remains. The Oneonta yards, the major railroad car shops, for the entire line, repair about 1,200 cars annually. Last month, the railroad completed the refurbishing of 80 freight cars under a $240,000 New York State grant. The grant meant that some 16 otherwise slated for layoffs kept their jobs.

April 1980

20 Years Ago

In his introduction, the moderator described Christian Evangelist Josh McDowell as “a white Bill Cosby,” and a “hundred percent daddy.” The 60-year-old McDowell opened his speech by talking about his family. He’s
been married 29 years and is a father of four, including a 19-year-old blonde-haired daughter who is a student at Auburn University in Alabama. He recalled warning one of her dates against considering sex or anything that might be construed as such. “I said, ‘Don’t you ever think of touching my daughter or I will become your worst nightmare,’” the evangelist told an audience estimated at 3,200 assembled Monday night at the Alumni Field House at the State University College at Oneonta. Then, using two students from the audience, McDowell got to the heart of his message – the importance of truth, love, honesty, righteousness, and purity. “These morals,” he said, “must be adhered to absolutely. The very personal character and nature of God is truth. Lying is wrong because God is truth,” he said. About 80 local churches combined to sponsor McDowell’s appearance. Perhaps the size of the crowd served as the strongest testament to the power of McDowell’s message, said Treadwell resident Julie Shea, one of the organizers. “McDowell helps young people and adults understand there is an absolute truth and it’s not moral relativism anymore,” Shea said.

April 2000

10 Years Ago

Even while growing up on a farm just over the Delaware County line, Meg Hungerford was always “playing bank.” “I always knew what I wanted to do,” she said Monday, April 5, the day before Common Council was expected to appoint her permanently to the job of city chamberlain. “I get excited to go through numbers and have them come out right in the end,” said Hungerford. After a retirement, two new hires and two resignations, City Hall must be equally excited about having its top financial position filled with a candidate who has been proving what she can do since her provisional appointment last September.

April 2010

HOMETOWN History April 3, 2020

By: Jim Kevlin 04/02/2020 4:02 pm

HOMETOWN History

April 3, 2020

150 Years Ago

Death of Bees – During the past few weeks, mortality among the bees about Portlandville has been very great. One gentleman having 48 hives has lost 43 out of the number, and others have lost in nearly the same proportion. The cause is attributed to a scarcity of the store laid up last season, which may be true, and if true, makes neglect on the part of the owners the more culpable.
Chicago is receiving California quail, salmon, asparagus, cauliflower, green peas, and mounting trout, by express from the Pacific Coast.
The edition of The London Times is now printed upon presses that take in the paper in a continuous roll.

April 1870

125 Years Ago

Records of a Week – The Yale faculty has ordered Harry Moffat Wilson to leave the college for refusing to be vaccinated. He is a freshman from Newburgh, New York. His father is opposed to vaccination.
The U.S. Supreme Court on Monday rendered its decision on the income tax law. By a majority of five to three the court declares unconstitutional so much of the law as taxes incomes from rents and state, municipal and county bonds. By an even division, four to four, it fails to affirm or deny the constitutionality of what remains in the law. The first effect of this decision will be to cut down by at least one-third, the estimated revenue of $30,000,000 which the Treasury Department expected to receive from the income tax law during the first year of its operation.

April 1895

80 Years Ago

Oneonta Sports Chatter – After opening the baseball season at Utica, on the afternoon of May 9, the Oneonta Indians will play the Braves at Neahwa Park the following day. The Indians will be at home for 63 games, including two or three holiday dates. “Jumping Joe” Polcha, tall substitute center for the Troy Basketball Celtics, will be farmed by Albany to Gloversville. Polcha hit over .500 with two fast semi-pro leagues. Carl Delberta wired us yesterday that he came through his bout with Melio Theodorescu without a scratch. Delberta was a “last-minute” substitute for the Cocoa Kid and scored a unanimous 10-round decision over the Rumanian welter-weight champion. The National Boxing Association has ranked Arturo Godoy as the number one Heavyweight contender for Joe Louis’s title. But, personally, it’s about time for the boys along “Jacob’s Beach to check their fountain pens for a spell and seek a “white hope” capable of giving the “Brown Bomber” and the customers a fair run for their money.

April 1940

60 Years Ago

The United States bolted past a new frontier in space Friday by firing the first-known weather-eye satellite into orbit. It photographed the Earth and its cloud cover from 450 miles up and televised back the images. A triumphant space agency rushed the pictures to President Eisenhower who exclaimed “I think it’s a marvelous development.” NASA Chief Dr. T. Keith Glennan brought Eisenhower a four-picture sequence showing an 800-mile-square area comprising the Gulf of St. Lawrence.

April 1960

40 Years Ago

West Oneonta – Danny Forbes is ten pounds lighter this morning – and he’s glad. The ten pounds he lost yesterday comprised the weight of a metal head brace that he wore for more than two months to help heal a broken neck. The five-year-old son of David and Kathy Forbes of Route 23, West Oneonta, had the brace removed Monday afternoon, his mother said. Mrs. Forbes said Danny’s first words when he woke Monday morning were “Look Ma, my brace is all off.” He was able to come home tonight,” his mother said. Danny suffered a broken vertebra on January 27 in a sledding accident on a hill behind his home. The brace was installed by two physicians, Bruce Harris, a neurologist at Bassett Hospital, and William Hopper of Fox Hospital. Danny now wears a foam-filled neck collar.

April 1980

20 Years Ago

Construction to replace the Rose Avenue Bridge in the City of Oneonta could begin by the end of April. The concrete and steel structure which crosses Glenwood Creek on Rose Avenue at the intersection of Hudson Street was closed by the city on March 3 after a significant section of its top deck broke off and fell into the water. Work on a replacement, estimated to cost close to $90,000 is hoped to begin soon. The city is expected to award a construction contract on April 18 Oneonta City Engineer Joseph Bernier said. Meanwhile, nearby businesses have suffered as normal through traffic has been diverted. Even though local traffic is permitted past a barricade at the top of Rose Avenue, the barriers have discouraged customers from patronizing Coddington’s Florist at 12 Rose Avenue, said Kathryn Kroll, owner of the business. “I am truly affected by this,” Kroll said. The Oneonta Tennis Club and Otsego Iron and Metal are also affected by the bridge closing signs.

April 2000

10 Years Ago

The mission of the Oneonta Mural Project is “To realize a vision for original and professional murals that promotes community and economic growth.” The project, founded in 1999, is under the umbrella of the Upper Catskill Community Council on the Arts and was adopted by the City of Oneonta Beautification Committee. Now, 10 years later, at least 13 interior and exterior public murals have been painted in the Oneonta area by various artists and students. Why murals? Because public art communicates ideas.

April 2010

News of Otsego County

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HOMETOWN History

April 3, 2020