One good first impression a visitor to Oneonta receives when they come into the city via the James F. Lettis Highway is the attractive park at the corner of Main and Maple streets. Just a bit over 30 years ago, that corner wasn't so attractive. In fact it was a bit controversial, dating back to 1925.
For any business to succeed, as the old saying goes, it's location, location, location. That area has always had attractive homes, so when someone proposed a gasoline filling station at the visible and busy corner, adverse reaction soon followed.
"Opposition, which was quite universally expressed privately during the day Tuesday to the construction of a gasoline station," reported The Oneonta Herald of Aug. 6, 1925, "on the Wright property " following the presentation of the question of curb cutting to the Board of Public Works on Monday evening, was publicly voiced that evening in no uncertain terms when the petition of Reginald R. Potts of Binghamton for consent of the construction of the necessary equipment incident to a station at the corner named was presented to the Common Council."
There was a hearty turnout of citizens opposed to this station. Former Mayor A.E. Ceperley was first to speak and argued how the entire congregation of the Main Street Baptist Church was opposed.
It would not only interfere with services, Ceperley said, but would monopolize space "which should be available for parking purposes for those in attendance at the church." St. Mary's church was also nearby at the time, at the corner of Main and Grand Streets, now the Hughson-Benson Agency, and would suffer as well, Ceperley felt.
Frank H. Bresee and his son Clyde H. Bresee had attractive homes in the immediate vicinity.
They felt that corner was already a dangerous one for vehicular traffic and pedestrians, and by adding two driveways to this station, it would make it even more dangerous.
The concerns went by the wayside, as Common Council approved the station, which first began as a Standard Oil Co. business.
In Oneonta's 1927 city directory, the station was operated by Clifford J. Eldred, who had more stations around the city.
That busy intersection got even busier during the 1950s, as a Grand Union supermarket was built almost directly across the street, where today's entry and exit from the James F. Lettis Highway is found.
The St. Mary's church was torn down in the late 1950s, replaced by a gasoline station after the new church on Walnut Street opened in 1957.
By 1967, the station was listed in the directory as Walt Crandall's Mobil Service. Right around that time, news of Interstate 88 being built was emerging, and that the intersection of Main and Maple would become an access route to the new highway.
There was nothing listed at 337 Main St. in the 1969 directory, the former gas station. It eventually was torn down and became property of the state Department of Transportation.
There was a vacant lot there for a few years as Interstate 88 was built in the Oneonta area, with the local section opened in October 1974.
It was announced in December 1975 that a group had formed, called the Friends of Catherine Curtis.
It was founded to do something to preserve Mrs. Curtis' memory, chaired by Mrs. Edith Wilk.
The Daily Star reported on Dec. 20 that the group had obtained permission to use that vacant lot for a memorial park.
Mrs. Curtis had died in 1973. She was an active member of the League of Women Voters and served as a member of the Oneonta school board for five years.
"She was an outspoken intelligent woman and when she died we decided we wanted to do something to match her spirit," said Mrs. Wilk at the time. "This corner looked ugly so we thought it would be the perfect place to put up a tiny park."
Working with the state DOT, plans were drawn up and funds were raised for the park. The mini-park was dedicated in a ceremony on Saturday, Oct. 2, 1976. Park benches had been placed and trees and shrubs were to be planted the following spring.
The park is now maintained by the Oneonta Federated Garden Club.
On Monday: Blenheim is blasted in a gas explosion 20 years ago.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/marksimonson.
