HOMETOWN HISTORY, July 5, 2013

125 Years Ago
Few places excel Oneonta in facilities for obtaining an education. About 20 years ago a union school was established with a building which most of the inhabitants thought extravagantly large; but three extensions have since been added, each in size almost equaling the original structure, besides a two-story building in the western part of the village. The entire system is now under direction and management of Prof. N.N. Bull, who has under his charge an able corps of assistants reaching in number up into the teens.
July 1888

100 Years Ago
The annual report of the Oneonta Public Library for the year which ended July 1, 1913, shows a total of 12,284 books in the library, of which 750 have been added during the past twelve months. Of general literature 2,876 volumes were loaned during 1913; 19,195 of adult fiction, 7,317 juvenile fiction, making a total of 29,379 volumes, or practically three to every resident of the city. There were 3,910 borrowers in all, of whom 190 were new during the past year. The increase in circulation during 1912-1913 was 2,505 volumes.
July 1913

60 Years Ago
Julian B. Jackson, an attorney by trade, is an active stamp collector with a special interest in old postmarks. Through postmarks Mr. Jackson links the history of small Oneonta area communities the post offices of which have been abandoned. Through old letters and the stamps they bear, Jackson has been able to establish the evidences and the dates of the extinct offices. He pursues his quest for old letters and stamps through newspaper ad columns. His collection shows that Oneonta Plains had a post office in the mid-1800s. Another gone and all-but-forgotten post office was one at Ayre on the west branch of the Otsdawa Creek about four miles from Otego. Altogether Jackson has a list of 35 post offices that have been discontinued, not counting name changes.
July 1953

40 Years Ago
Throwing away or ignoring a parking ticket is a common practice in Oneonta and the Oneonta City Court is planning a crackdown on these scofflaws. Only about 30 percent of the 200 to 250 parking tickets issued by city police are paid. Most are thrown out or just shoved into glove compartments and purses. Presently there are $1 tickets in metered areas, $5 tickets in non-metered zones and $2 tickets issued by Oneonta State College officers. If these tickets are not paid within a 24-hour period, the person receiving the ticket is considered a scofflaw. Now, because Oneonta has opted to join a New York State program authorized by law in 1970, anyone ignoring three parking tickets within an 18-month time period will not be able to renew his car registration until he has appeared in court and paid the fine on the tickets. Motorists who drive vehicles without a valid registration are subject to traffic tickets.
July 1973

30 Years Ago
Oneonta City residents and visitors will be able to walk directly from the third level of the municipal parking garage to Main Street along a pedestrian bridge by November based on design plans approved by the city council. The $85,000 walkway was designed by Daverman and Associates of Syracuse. The bridge will be constructed of wood in two sixty-foot spans meeting at an angle over a support pier on Water Street. One end will connect with the parking garage with the other end meeting a pedestrian arcade extending through the Ford Block to Main Street.
July 1983

20 Years Ago
Mirabito Fuel Group crews spent Wednesday cleaning up an estimated 12,000 gallons of heating fuel oil that gushed out of a 70,000-gallon storage tank near the Gar Avenue entrance to Neahwa Park. Some unknown person opened the tank’s safety valve to release the oil which then spilled into a containment area surrounding the large tank and several smaller tanks. Two other valves were also opened and oil spewed from their openings onto areas outside the containment barriers. None of the three valves have been used for several years according to Daniel Parsons, Mirabito’s vice-president for marketing.
July 1993

10 Years Ago
People looking for a way to celebrate the Fourth of July at a slower pace will find just that if they visit the Hanford Mills Museum on Independence Day. The program schedule calls for potato sack races, a game of Tug-of-War, ice cream and butter-making, and the wisdom of the 26th U.S. President, Theodore Roosevelt. A crowd of 300 is expected at the East Meredith site.
July 2003