BOUND VOLUMES

December 10, 2020

200 YEARS AGO

Village Ordinance: “That the owner of every dwelling-house, office, shop or store, shall provide on or before the first Day of October next, under the penalty of one dollar for neglect or refusal so to do, one Leather Fire Bucket for every two fire places in each and every dwelling house, office, shop, or store; and that each dwelling house, shop or store, that may have but one fire place, shall nevertheless furnish and provide one fire bucket, and that the said fire buckets may be easily obtained at all fire alarms, it shall be the duty of such owners to place or suspend the said fire buckets in the most convenient place therefor. And further, it shall be the duty at every fire alarm, to place or cause to be placed, such bucket without the door for use.” The Trustees expect every citizen will be prepared to exhibit his fire bucket as required by the above ordinance, on the fifteenth of December inst., at which time they will inspect each house, store, office, etc. and in case of non-compliance the penalty may be expected to be enforced.

December 11, 1820

175 YEARS AGO

It is a weakness to put editorial thoughts in type, when matter of more interest to the public is at hand. So we have collected all “the news” and pass it to the reader in this paper, less editorial comment of our own; and this proceeds more from a desire to serve the public well, than from a disposition to evade mental exercise. Our time has been fully absorbed in doing what the reader will find we have done making a “omnium gatherum” of our sheet.

December 13, 1845

150 YEARS AGO

The 21 dwellings and one storehouse put up in Cooperstown during the present year are all located in the south and west ends of the village. Not a single building in all this year has gone up in the older parts of the town – not from any lack of vacant lots, for there are plenty of them. But they are either not for sale, or are held so far beyond their value that there are no purchasers. Let those who delight in the growth of the place rejoice over the fact that all the vacant spots about it are not owned by one or two men who are waiting to see what they will be worth twenty or fifty years from now.

December 15, 1870

125 YEARS AGO

At the Gymnasium – a large audience gathered at the Gymnasium Tuesday evening to witness the contest between members of the boys’ class for honors in the running high jump, fence vault and high kick. As an introductory feature, under the direction of Professor Martin, sixteen small boys dressed in tights, marched and countermarched in intricate movements in a very credible
manner. An exhibition with dumb bells called forth well-deserved applause. Charles Raubacher seems destined to carry off all the high honors of his class. In the running high jump he safely cleared the bar at four feet, seven inches. Fred Fuller was second at four feet, six inches. (Ed. Note: These exercises took place in the original Clark Gymnasium building, a frame structure
destroyed by fire in 1929. It was replaced with a stone building that later became part of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum in the 1980s when the present facility was opened in Middlefield on the former estate of Frederick Ambrose Clark)

December 12, 1895

100 YEARS AGO

Where Nature Smiles – The girls of the school faculty and a few other invited guests were most delightfully entertained at the Village Club building last Thursday evening as the guests of Mrs. Edward S. Clark. Reisman’s Novelty Orchestra furnished music for dancing, and delicious refreshments were served.
We are informed that the Leatherstocking Corporation which was chartered at Albany last week, is merely a holding company to take over some of the property of the Clark Estates in Cooperstown, particularly the hotel and garage interests. The officers of the corporation are Edward S. Clark, President, Waldo C. Johnston, first vice-president; Stephen C. Clark, second vice-president; George Shaw, Secretary, W. Beach Day, treasurer. Mr. Day and Mr. Shaw are connected with the New York office of the Clark Estates.

December 15, 1920

50 YEARS AGO

Otsego County has just completed its first year as a member of the Federal Food Stamp Program. During the 12-month period ending November 30, $465,630 worth of food stamps have been issued at a cost to purchasers of $250,155. The program is administered by the Otsego County Department of Social Services which carries out all operations of the program from the application through the sale of food stamp coupons to eligible recipients. Commissioner Kenneth G. Engell characterized the first year of the program here as “very successful.” The program staff is headed by Albert DeLong. Staff members are Mrs. Anne Boyer, Mrs. Mabel Volgelien, Mr. Wilma Dodge, Mrs. Suzanne Barrett, Mrs. Julia Slentz and John Atwell.

December 9, 1970

25 YEARS AGO

“Eagle Scout – The Story of Henry Nicols,” an HBO documentary film that tells the story of the Cooperstown Boy Scout who has become an international spokesperson and AIDS educator, has been honored with the Cable Television ACE Award. The 30-minute documentary has also received recognition as the best “Children’s Short Documentary” and was first aired in the summer of 1995 as well as other awards and international recognition. The film tells the story of then 17-year-old Henry, a hemophiliac who contracted the AIDS virus from a blood transfusion.

December 10, 1995

10 YEARS AGO

Brand-new rooms will be complete any day now at Lake Front Motel after the west wing of the Fair Street establishment collapsed on Thanksgiving Weekend. When the clapboards and interior walls of the 1950s vintage motel were removed during a renovation project, there wasn’t enough left to hold the building up and it collapsed, said Village Attorney Martin Tillapaugh. Lake Front owner Paula Wikoff plans to have the work complete by next April, in time for the motel to open on schedule.

December 9, 2010