Bound Volumes

March 9, 2023

185 YEARS AGO
A recent transaction at Washington having resulted in the murder of Jonathan Cilley, a Representative in Congress from the State of Maine, by an adherence of certain individuals to a relic of barbarism falsely termed the law of honor, (peculiar to bloody-minded men in all ages) the undersigned deem it expedient that a meeting of citizens of the County of Otsego be called and a public expression of their opinion on the subject be made known; it is therefore suggested that a meeting for that purpose be held at the Court House in the Village of Cooperstown on Thursday, the 15th inst. At 12 o’clock. March 7, 1838. Signed: Schuyler Crippen, H.S. Harper, Lewis Nash, S.S. Bowne, G.S. Gorham, John Hurd, E.B. Morehouse, S. Doubleday, P. Becker, C.S. Butts, W.L. Crandall, G. Pomeroy, Leander Plumb, Calvin Graves, Russell Brownell, Daniel Babit, Daniel Carpenter, George B. Wilson, Henry P. Metcalf, Samuel Griffin, Robert Davis, Jacob Gates, A.E. Campbell, Martin Bridges, O. Whiston, S.W, Bingham, Andrew M. Barber, Heman Lloyd, John Hannay, G.S. Bowne, W.H. Brainard, H.B. Sprague, John Sutherland, A. Williams, Laban Mathewson, Cornelius Van Horne, Demas A. Doubleday, Timothy Waterman, Joseph Bennett, James I. Paul, Zebulon Gibbs, E.D. Richardson, Phillip Roof, Isaac Lewis, John Gaskin, David Fisk, James Aplin, Alexander H. Clark, C.D. Pease, Geo. A. Starkweather, Henry Clark, Thomas Bourne, Halsey Spencer, Samuel M. Ingals, H.B. Ernst, Rufus Utley, Erastus Curtiss, Joseph Griffin, Jr., James Hyde, Horace C. Fish and Lyman J. Walworth.

March 12, 1838

160 YEARS AGO
The Skedaddlers to Canada – The immigration statistics of Canada show that the number of Skedaddlers from the United States who became frightened at the prospect of a draft, numbered 1,942. These persons took with them an average of $1,000 each in American silver, making an aggregate of nearly $2,000,000. This accounts, in part, for the plethora of United States coin, of which the Canadians make such complaint.

March 6, 1863

135 YEARS AGO
Excerpts from a description of Cooperstown in 1888: “In all the good qualities of the inhabitants of Cooperstown we notice that the most prominent and commendable one is, they are a church-going people. Praise more worthy and merited cannot be given to any populace. Six church steeples rise above the town, and on the Sabbath Day is heard the ringing and joint echo of the solemn bells, call all, young and old, rich and poor, high and low, sinner and saint, to worship the Most High God. Wending their way into their respective churches, they listen to the Word of Truth which is so logically and fluently uttered by their beloved Pastors. One of the most delightful, profitable and indispensable improvements in this town is the electric lights. Their refection toward the blue vault of heaven can be seen for miles around. Wires are continually being put up, and the time is not far distant when the electric web will encompass the whole village.”

March 9, 1888

110 YEARS AGO
In Our Town – Several little lassies are skirmishing the town for votes upon a beautifully dressed doll which is now on display in the Taylor & Ellsworth window and which is to be given by the Ladies’ Aid Society of the Methodist Church at their Centennial Bazaar on March 26th to the little girl collecting the greatest number of votes at ten cents each. The contest began Saturday afternoon and at the count Monday afternoon Miss Marjorie Freeman had secured the greatest number – 54 votes. The contest promises to be an interesting one and will, incidentally, add a goodly sum to the Methodist ladies’ treasury.

March 12, 1913

85 YEARS AGO
Where Nature Smiles – A new stop light equipped to meet the requirements of the Stokes traffic law enacted by the legislature last year was installed last week at the corner of Main and Chestnut streets.
Christian Science services are being held each Sunday morning at the home of Mrs. M. Elizabeth Lloyd, 40 Elm Street, with informal group meetings Thursday evenings at 7:30 o’clock at the home of Mr. and Mrs. Fred W. Greene on Pioneer Street. The public is cordially invited to these meetings. Sunday evening services are held regularly at the First Church of Christ Scientist, 61 Chestnut St., Oneonta.

March 9, 1938

60 YEARS AGO
Northern Otsego County is on the threshold of a school reorganization program which could result in the consolidation of six present central districts and a common district into one big district with an enrollment of close to 4,000 students. A first step in the program would be the construction of a new junior high school in Cooperstown and continued efforts to get the Milford Central School District and the Westville Common District into a consolidated district with Cooperstown. A gradual consolidation of other schools in northern Otsego County would follow. These would include Cherry Valley, Springfield, Edmeston, and Van Hornesville in southern Herkimer County. A new senior high school would be constructed somewhere in the northern part of Otsego County to accommodate 800 students in grades 10, 11 and 12.

March 9, 1963

35 YEARS AGO
Cooperstown residents Peggy McChesney and Carol Bordley were recently honored by the New York State Office of Parks, Recreation and Historic Preservation for their “truly outstanding” work as founders and co-directors of the Glimmerglass Triathlon. The triathlon has become one of the outstanding races on the New York State circuit. The First Annual Glimmerglass Triathlon was held in 1982 at Glimmerglass State Park. More than 320 athletes competed and more than 2,000 spectators attended and the event has grown every year since.

March 9, 1988

20 YEARS AGO
A 66-57 victory over the Little Falls Mounties at Manley Field House on March 2 and a 51-47 win at Rome Free Academy over the Onondaga Tigers took the undefeated Cooperstown Redskins to the Class C, Section III championship. Cooperstown is 24-0 on the season and fourth-ranked in the state. Their next opponent will be Seton Catholic, the Section 4 champions in Binghamton.

March 7, 2003