HOMETOWN HISTORY, June 20, 2014
125 Years Ago
Silver Creek, which winds its way through the eastern center of the village, got on the rampage early Monday morning after a heavy downpour of rain, and did considerable damage. The bridge across Center Street had a portion of its foundation wall washed away and was damaged $150. At the Walnut Street bridge, owing to obstructions caused by flood debris, great damage would have been done but for the timely arrival of men who removed the obstructions. At Front Street, where the bed of the stream has become nearly filled with gravel, the creek overflowed its banks and washed away to sidewalk. Further down the street water flowed into the cellar of Matt O’Rourke and saturated with water up to 50 barrels of flour.
June 1889
100 Years Ago
The annual Flag Day outing of the local chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution was held on Saturday, the event being a luncheon served by the chapter at the camp of Mrs. J. Olney Rowe at Goodyear Lake. The day and the scene were alike ideal and the 36 ladies who participated declared it one of the most delightful and enjoyable events of the organization. Those attending were all conveyed to the camp in motor cars and the luncheon was served at 1 o’clock. The camp was gaily decorated with flags, displayed conspicuously in every room and about the porch, the table also bearing small ones, giving the scene a very patriotic appearance. Later, a business session was held at which committees were named for the various activities of the year, and other matters discussed. The afternoon was passed in various amusements not the least of which were motorboat rides about the lake in the Rowe and Van Wie launch. The air was delightful and the view from the spacious porch of the camp house fairly enticing and the ladies seemed not too weary gazing upon it.
June 1914
80 Years Ago
Russell Brothers Three-Ring Circus played to crowds of over 4,000 at its two performances here yesterday. General remarks were voiced of the excellence of the program which surpasses anything ever before given excepting the largest companies. It is Russell Brothers’ first visit through the East, but they have already demonstrated that a motorized circus can provide a program that fully satisfies in both quality and quantity of entertainment. With the crack of dawn small groups began gathering at the show grounds to see the circus city take form, and as the motor caravan continued to arrive, the ever-changing crowd assumed sizeable proportions. The pony herd, including many young ones only a few weeks old, drew more than their share of attention. The climax of the program was that of Bob Fisher’s Fearless Flyers. Fisher himself brings the act to a close with a double somersault from the trapeze to the hands of a fellow trapeze artist while completely blindfolded, and a return, catching his own trapeze.
June 1934
40 Years Ago
Despite warnings to the contrary, children have begun to play on the newly installed equipment in Neahwa Park. “I don’t see why the playground can’t be opened in 30 days,” said Superintendent of Streets and Parks James Catella. His only real worry is the grass. The land has been graded and three softball fields have been plotted and capped with backstops. A new basketball court has been built near the old pavilion. But the most unusual piece in the 10 acres of new park land is a sprawling play gym near the center of the park which has already attracted the attention of scores of children who play on the grounds daily. Catella is particularly concerned about car parking on freshly seeded areas. “The city will be putting up new signs warning not to park on the grass,” he said. Parking spaces for 75 cars have been built near the ball field and more will be available near the pavilion.
June 1974
30 Years Ago
Marcella Drago, a first grade teacher at the Center Street School, has been named “Teacher of the Year” in the Oneonta School District. Mrs. Drago already had been declared “Teacher of the Year” by one of her first grade students. Geoffrey Hahn had made a blue ribbon for her to wear earlier in the week. After receiving the district’s official recognition, Mrs. Drago held up the child-made ribbon with equal pride. One of the student nominations submitted in support of Mrs. Drago read: “She is very patient and didn’t get mad easily. She has us write a lot of stories and she corrected them for us. We later made them into books.” A parent wrote: “Mrs. Drago never seems to be too busy to listen to a child, or to spend extra time helping a child master a difficult problem. Her patience is exemplary.” Mrs. Drago has been at the Center Street School for 12 years. She is the wife of high school athletic director Tony Drago, who retires this year.
June 1984
20 Years Ago
The draft version of Oneonta’s comprehensive plan envisions a city 10 years in the future with a strong Main Street, better cooperation with the surrounding town and an improved infrastructure. A comprehensive plan, which is used as basis for a municipality’s planning, zoning and development rules, was first established in the City of Oneonta in 1965. It was updated last in 1974. Among other concerns, the report cites declining enrollment at the colleges and the possibility that many converted student apartments could go vacant, presenting the potential for urban blight.
June 1994
10 Years Ago
R. Albert Mohler, Jr., president of Southern Baptist Theological Seminary, in Louisville, Kentucky, recently voiced concern about women in the U.S. Armed Forces. “Christian moral teaching holds that military service is for men, not women,” he asserts. “The inclusion of women in combat military units is a challenge to the moral character of the American people. The presence of women in combat forces degrades humanity, putting women in the line of fire, while sending all the wrong messages about family, gender and moral honor.”
June 2004
