For those of us living today in either the southern section of Otsego County or northern edge of Delaware County, we might have had a different county name if some had gotten their way in a few instances during the 19th century. That name would have been Susquehanna County.
Nowadays most of us give little thought if we need to do business with Otsego County government in Cooperstown. It's a short drive, but back in the early to mid-1800s, having to get to Cooperstown was a task that took most of a day or more to get to and from the Oneonta area. The same was true for those living in Delaware County to get to Delhi.
As early as 1823, 11 men of prominence petitioned the state Legislature to create a new town of Susquehanna, composed at that time of parts of the present towns of Milford and Davenport, to be part of Otsego County. The Town of Oneonta hadn't yet been formed, as it was still within sections of Milford and Otego. That effort didn't get far.
Once the Albany & Susquehanna Railroad reached Oneonta in 1865, thoughts of local residents along the line turned to having a new county seat, which to many meant the village of Oneonta. It was still a long journey to get to Cooperstown, and people grew tired of it. This was the first attempt to form a new Susquehanna County.
As read in The Oneonta Herald and Democrat of Wednesday, Feb. 6, 1867: "What we want and what we will have, sooner or later, is a new County on the line of the Railroad. Not that we love our Cooperstown friends and Northern brethren 'less,' but our own interests 'more.' So let all the towns interested, circulate petitions at once and let us have action taken in the matter by the present Legislature."
Nothing came of that 1867 proposal, or another bill introduced in the state Legislature in 1875. For example, the Herald and Democrat noted that the people in the town of Milford held a meeting in Portlandville during February 1867, petitioning the Legislature "to remove the county buildings to Colliersville," not Oneonta.
A closer call came in 1879 when an improved county courthouse was proposed, the one now standing in Cooperstown. Oneonta made an offer to build it without expense to any other town in the county and to become the county seat. Solon Huntington offered to give some land on today's Church Street.
From the "Proceedings of the Board of Supervisors of the County of Otsego" of June 1879, a county Committee on the Court House said, "Therefore, we would respectfully recommend that your Honorable Body accept the offer made by the town of Oneonta, and erect such County buildings in that town, believing that the saving of the cost of said land and buildings will be a great benefit to the whole County at this time."
Henry G. Wood of Oneonta was half of this two-person committee, making the recommendation. Meanwhile, residents of the village of Cooperstown had donated $10,000 toward the more than $50,000 needed to build and keep the courthouse in Cooperstown. When it came time to vote, the county supervisors voted no to Oneonta's offer -- 20 to 3.
In what appeared to be another and final effort to part ways with Cooperstown, the formation of a new county was proposed during January 1887.
The Oneonta Herald reported, "The towns which it is proposed to incorporate in the new county are: Worcester, Decatur, Maryland, Oneonta, Otego, Laurens, Morris, Butternuts and Unadilla from Otsego and Sidney, Franklin and Davenport from Delaware.
"It is probable that a meeting will be held in Oneonta at an early day to consider seriously the project, when representative men from each of the towns named are expected to be present. In the meantime, The Herald will be glad to receive brief communications bearing upon the subject from any of the towns."
There were plenty of letters printed in subsequent editions, for and against a new county. An examination of later editions never mentioned a meeting of representatives to act on the formation, suggesting the idea was abandoned. Other newspapers called the idea wasteful.
The Cherry Valley Gazette said of the current arrangement with Cooperstown as the county seat, "Good county buildings have been erected, a railroad has been built connecting Cooperstown with the Albany and Susquehanna, thus making it easily accessible to the towns which formerly desired a separation."
On Monday: 1962 was a big year for new motels in Oneonta.
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 email him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com. His columns can be found at www.thedailystar.com/marksimonson.
Columns
Proposed new Susquehanna County never caught on in 19th century
- Big Chuck D'Imperio
- Cary Brunswick
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Some wisdom is best passed down through books
I was visiting a friend out-of-town recently and the subject of providing a "reading list" to young people came up in conversation. He said years ago he had asked a respected acquaintance in Oneonta to compile such a list for his teenage daughter, to help her be better prepared for life, culture, education, politics and people.
Continued ... - Let pragmatism, not politics, determine birth control debate
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- Chuck Pinkey
- Guest Column
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If we don’t develop a sustainable system, who will?
In Otsego County’s local elections last fall, a number of candidates — most of them on the independent Sustainable Otsego line — ran on an anti-fracking, pro-sustainability platform. They recognized that our current way of life — dependent on increasingly scarce, costly and polluting fossil fuels — cannot continue.
Continued ... - Time to get off the bus and on the computer
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If we don’t develop a sustainable system, who will?
- Lisa Miller
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Being a parent is a constant learning process
I am sitting cross-legged on the floor in the dressing room, waiting for Allie's dance number to be called. The cave girl costume has been donned, the jazz shoes double-tied, the hair pulled back, the requisite dab of lipstick applied.
Continued ... - Healthy doesn't have to mean expensive
- A family era ends with close of Potter series
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- Untethered from the cable box
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Being a parent is a constant learning process
- Mark Simonson
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Perfect attendance by Saturday’s Bread for 20 years in Oneonta
Oneonta became a settlement and has been a place to do one's "trading," whether it was the 18th century, or 2012, because of the five valleys that converge here. Only the places of doing the "trading" have changed a bit over the last 100 years, and Oneonta remains a place that attracts visitors and has always been a decent place to live and work.
Continued ...
100 Years Ago - Recalling the Hindenburg, John D. Rockefeller in May 1937
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- Damaschke essential to ensuring Oneonta baseball in 1927
- Area tunes to WONT in November 1972
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Perfect attendance by Saturday’s Bread for 20 years in Oneonta
- Rick Brockway
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Climbing is one thing, but skydiving?
OUTDOORS COLUMN BY RICK BROCKWAY ... Last week, my friend George and I returned to the Gunks for another rock-climbing adventure. After last week's column, I asked about the rattlesnakes and was told not to worry. Rattlers are usually quite timid and will avoid people as much as possible. It's the copperheads that'll give you trouble. They're aggressive and will stand their ground to defend it. Oh great!!
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- Pass down the rush of turkey hunting to your kids this weekend
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Climbing is one thing, but skydiving?
- Sam Pollak
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I'm happy with our kids to a certain degree
It was several years ago, and I was in the kitchen, telling my eldest daughter and my then-teenaged son about the person who was taking over as publisher at The Daily Star.
Continued ... - I get by with a little help from my 'friends'
- It’s not easy for a politics junkie to get off the stuff
- The Encyclopaedia Britannica in print, unmourned by me
- Angelo Dundee was always a good man to have in your corner
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- William Masters
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Time for lawmakers who put needs of society first
Richard Lugar, after six terms as a Republican senator -- known for his middle of the road rationality and his foreign policy finesse -- has been ousted by a Tea Party extremist backed by outside right-wing funding.
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War not worth gambling with lives of soldiers
Are you not tired of our war in Afghanistan? It had a point, once, after 9/11. Bush couldn't distinguish his myopic personal agendas from the nation's needs and let Osama escape, dropping the ball entirely, causing many deaths.
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Titanic was a microcosm of U.S. economic disparity
Haunting reminders of the Titanic tragedy have wafted over us with the centenary of its sinking. The maiden voyage of an impressive, state of the art vessel, was a little like that of the Challenger space shuttle, at the cutting edge of developing technology. But the shuttle carried our pride in science and space exploration, not hundreds and hundreds of people.
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William Masters: Nation stands divided between 'us' and 'them'
In February, Trayvon Martin was shot dead as "suspicious" by a volunteer neighborhood watch man. The case has aroused community reaction in Sanford, Fla., and is still echoing across the country.
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A quarterback can't win the game alone
What is the relationship between democracy and wealth? Democracy is a political system, while wealth relates to economics. We have equal political rights, but we don't all have money. Extreme differences destroy the continuity of community solidarity.
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Time for lawmakers who put needs of society first
