BOUND VOLUMES, May 31, 2012
200 YEARS AGO
Financial matters – Congress has made appropriations for the support of government for the year 1812, passed February 26, 1812, for $1,264,412.54. Congress has passed a bill appropriating fifty thousand dollars for the relief of the sufferers by the late earthquake at Venezuela. The president is empowered to purchase provisions to that amount and cause them to be exported to Carraccas. The Treasury Department statement of the probable application during the year 1812 of the annual appropriation of $8,000,000 for the public debt, distinguishing the sums payable for the interest on the Louisiana debt, and for the interest and reimbursement of the domestic debt.
May 30, 1812
175 YEARS AGO
There is a class of men in whose power it is, by their position in society, and by virtue of the influence which their offices gives them, to do much for the cause of general education. I allude to my reverend and respected brethren of the clergy. If it be true that intelligence is favorable to the interests of morality and religion – if, to make men steadfastly and eminently virtuous, and rationally, as well as fervently devout, we must enlighten their understanding – that knowledge enlarges the mind, and opens it wide to the reception of truth – that intellectual culture, and intellectual enjoyments, are a powerful security against the seductive influence of error and of vice – that the best affections of the heart, no less than the highest powers of intellect, are refined and strengthened, and improved by a broader, and more elevated, and more accurate view of the being, in all his complicated relations – to God, to his fellow men, to himself, to his country, to society, to his family and his friends, to the external world around him, and to that untried state of existence, which awaits him hereafter.
June 5, 1837
150 YEARS AGO
The Burnt District – Through the patient and industrious efforts of a few gentlemen who have devoted time and money, and assumed responsibilities in carrying out the project, the plan for widening Main Street to the Court House has been perfected, and nearly the entire amount needed to carry it out is pledged. These gentlemen, whether directly interested in the improvements or not, deserve the thanks of this community for the successful prosecution of their labors – a result which adds vastly to the beauty of the village and confers upon it permanent benefits. On the south side of Main Street, it is probable all the vacant lots but one, eleven in number, will be built upon the present season, and of those buildings only two will be of wood.
May 30, 1862
125 YEARS AGO
At 20 minutes past twelve o’clock last night (Wednesday), the large barn of Mr. E.F. Beadle, located between Pine Street and Nelson Avenue, was discovered to be on fire. The fleet-footed firemen were soon on their way to the scene accompanied by scores of citizens. The contents of the building being of such inflammable material, the fire had gained rapidly in its devouring course before a stream was playing on it. The building contained a fine gray carriage, horse, carriages, sleighs, harness, robes, hay, grain, etc., all of which were consumed. Mr. Herman Farmer, who is an employee of Mr. Beadle, and lives near the barn, was scorched about the head in trying to rescue the horse from the flames. This was an excellent illustration of the lack of sufficient hydrants for the use of the firemen. The water used at this fire had to be conducted from the Court House grounds, exhausting all the hose carried on two carriages – over 1,200 feet.
June 3, 1887
100 YEARS AGO
The banquet given by the Cooperstown Board of Trade in the Fenimore Hotel last Tuesday evening was pronounced a great success by the nearly 200 who were in attendance. The event marked the opening of the Fenimore under the proprietorship of Garrett J. Benson of Albany, who has renovated the hotel in a genuine manner and is giving the public the best service possible. During the dinner, which was of fine quality and served in a most satisfactory manner by Mr. Benson’s corps of colored waiters, music was furnished by Bronner’s Orchestra and many popular songs and parodies that were printed upon the menu were sung.
June 5, 1912
75 YEARS AGO
Motorists who come to Cooperstown on Thursday, Friday and Saturday of this week to take advantage of the Great Dollar Day Sale being held by the Merchants’ Association of the Chamber of Commerce will find a special advantage here that few places possess and which means much to every visitor who comes in an automobile. This is in the provision that has been made by this village in the form of free parking space for unlimited periods. Drive anywhere today for any special event and the problem of where to leave your car is a serious one. In Cooperstown, parking in the streets, with certain mild restrictions as to location, is free and unlimited, while the village has provided excellent parking space under ideal conditions at the entrance to Doubleday Field, the exact center of the shopping district.
June 2, 1937
50 YEARS AGO
Five organizations in Otsego County netted profits totaling $9,132 from bingo games during the six-month period ending March 31. The three top organizations and their profits were Holy Name Society of St. Mary’s Church, Oneonta, $4,340; Fraternal Order of Eagles, Oneonta, $3,980, and Susquehanna Tribe, No. 575, Improved Order of Red Men, Cooperstown, $464. The number of players during the six-month period for the five organizations totaled 10,214, who paid in $44,201 to play, and received $32,531 in prizes.
June 6, 1962
10 YEARS AGO
Bill Rigby, Leatherstocking Railway Historical Society director of restoration projects presented designs for a temporary train depot in an empty lot at 53 Walnut Street. The society operates an excursion train out of a restored train station in Milford and offers round-trip tours north to Cooperstown along the scenic Susquehanna River valley.
May 31, 2002
