Bound Volumes

185 YEARS AGO
If a man by digging a well obtains good water, the product may be of immense value to him, and yet, this water which is the product of the labor of digging the well, is of little or no exchangeable value. That is, he cannot exchange it for any other product. The products of statesmen and professional men have improperly, it is believed, been called immaterial products. The labor of these classes is, or ought to be, directly subsidiary, or assistant to, the labor of the other classes. A people that are well-governed and live under good laws, will certainly have, with equal industry, a larger aggregate of products, than a people living under bad laws, and that are ill-governed. The labors of statesmen then, have a direct tendency to increase production.

February 13, 1837

160 YEARS AGO
Good Investments – The man who owes money can make no better investment than to take up his notes or mortgage, and thus close his interest account. Farmers out of debt, with increasing means, can make capital investments in improving their lands and buildings. That is better, in most cases, than to invest in buying more land. Don’t be afraid of the expense incurred in ditching, tilling, enriching your soil, building permanent stone or other fences, good dwellings and outbuildings, setting out orchards, &c., if you are out of debt and have the cash to invest in that way. It all pays. It does you good to look upon such improvements – you enjoy them while you live – they attach your children to the old homestead when you pass away.

February 7, 1862

135 YEARS AGO
The Concert given at the close of the Musical Convention on Friday evening last, was attended by a large audience. Prof. Cobb managed his well-drilled chorus most admirably. Miss Swayne is not only a very sweet singer, with a voice of rare purity and cultivation, but is personally a young lady of charming manners. Her rendering of the difficult Swiss echo song, was almost beyond criticism, and each piece called out hearty encores, to which she kindly responded with more simple ballads.

February 12, 1887

85 YEARS AGO
Members of the Cooperstown Rotary Club attending the regular weekly luncheon at the Village Club on Tuesday doffed their neckties and turned them over to Alfred J. Peevers who sold them back to the donors at auction. The proceeds, including $1.40 paid for the remaining cigars in a box circulated by the proud father in celebration of the arrival of a new son in the Peevers family, amounted to over twenty dollars which was devoted to the fund for the assistance of physically handicapped children. A good time was had by all.

February 10, 1937

50 YEARS AGO
The pretty smiling blonde who greets visitors and handles public relations for the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital is actually a young lady with several unusual hobbies and abilities. She is also the leading lady for the Cooperstown PTA production of “Finian’s Rainbow” to be presented March 15, 16 and 17. She is Miss Cynthia Toussaint who writes short stories, trains horses, and owns a lovely soprano voice. Miss Toussaint, a graduate of Mount Holyoke College, lives in Oaksville with her family. Their country home gives Miss Toussaint a place to keep her horses, which rank second to singing in her hobbies.

February 7, 1962

25 YEARS AGO
Last week, the Cooperstown Redskins boys’ basketball squad clinched their fourth consecutive CSC championship dating back to the 1983-84 campaign with a 106-52 win over the Warriors of Morrisville-Eaton and a 79 to 51 victory over Waterville. The Redskins fought off a spirited assault by the Waterville Indians in a steamy gymnasium filled with the deafening noise of Indians’ fans screaming for scalps and harassing the referees with eye charts and catcalls. The Redskins are ranked 17th in the state’s small school poll.

February 11, 1987

10 YEARS AGO
A new restaurant is in the works on the corner of State Highway 28 and County Route 26. Deborah Kantor and her family of Burlington Flats plan to open Portabello’s Restaurant at the site of the former Crossroads Inn. The family will use the existing building for a 50-seat restaurant, initially open for dinner only. An adjacent old liquor store building will be removed to provide parking for 13 cars. The restaurant atmosphere will be Mediterranean with warm colors. A full bar will be available.

February 8, 2002