Mark Simonson

Mark Simonson

Illness brings an unexpected school vacation in February 1952

Two weeks off from school might seem pretty good at face value, but if you spend the time in sickness, the fun pretty much gets thrown out the window. Back in February 1952, there was an unexpected break when more than 1,000 Oneonta school students could not report to school, due to a "flu-like pandemic."
Railroad a steady newsmaker during January 1912

If you happened to be looking for a place to live in Oneonta in January 1912, the pickings were pretty slim for the most part. You could blame it on the D&H Railroad, which was on a fast and furious growth spurt at the time. The railroad made quite a bit of news that month, in general.
Oasis, Town House motels new to Oneonta in 1962

Not long ago, I said 1952 was the year of modern, large supermarkets making their debut in Oneonta. This time, it was 1962 when Oneonta began to see modern motels established within the city limits.
Proposed new Susquehanna County never caught on in 19th century

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 become Susquehanna County.
Oneonta's first shopping mall, Pyramid Mall, opened in 1972

"Construction of a major new shopping center, the largest to date in the Oneonta area, will get underway this spring in Oneonta's fast-growing East End."
Saturday, January 21, 2012
Building projects planned during January 1922

January is always a good month for planning building projects for when the weather turns nicer. There was plenty of that going on during January 1922. One project is still around, another was a short-lived dream and the last one stood until the later 1960s in Oneonta.
Monday, January 16, 2012
Modern, streamlined supermarkets debuted in Oneonta in 1952

Oneontans got their first look at big supermarkets in 1952, the likes of which hadn't been seen yet in our area. By today's standards, what were the Victory Market on Chestnut Street and Grand Union on Main Street would be quite small. But for that time, these offerings were state-of-the-art, and within the city limits. Many grocery stores were still found in neighborhoods or at small storefront locations in the downtown area.
Saturday, January 14, 2012
Newspaper publishing in 1862 had its difficulties

Mr. L.P. Carpenter was the editor and proprietor of The Oneonta Herald in 1862. Upon reading through the weekly editions of that year, one could sense that his job wasn't the easiest or most popular of the time. The Civil War was pressing onward, subscribers weren't paying their bills and the costs of producing the newspaper were on the rise.
Monday, January 9, 2012
Two charter revision failures preceded the 2011 success

The year 2011 was quite historic for Oneonta, regarding its city charter and the organization of city government. Some may not realize that these changes were a long time in the making and the success achieved in 2011 was the third attempt to make major changes in the charter.
Saturday, January 7, 2012
Educational opportunities expanded in Oneonta in 1917

If Oneonta area residents had a New Year's resolution in 1917 to better themselves in terms of education and life skills, they had an opportunity to keep such a resolution early that year. NetSummary
Saturday, December 31, 2011
A New Year's outlook to 1927 in the area

Here's a headline a lot of people would like to see in their newspaper these days.
Saturday, December 24, 2011
1941 Christmas, despite a new war, was still upbeat locally

One would think that following the Pearl Harbor attack on Dec. 7, 1941, the Christmas holidays might've been highly subdued or somber around Oneonta.
Monday, December 19, 2011
Readers keep me on my toes with facts and figures

I start this entry feeling just a tiny bit smarter by being a former elementary school student at Center Street School. By the time you finish reading this, I'll feel back to normal as I quickly approach the completion of my 13th year of writing about local history.
Saturday, December 17, 2011
A travel and tourism promotion visited Oneonta in 1927

A number of years back, I had written about how state Route 7 had been designated in 1928 as a scenic highway, called The Schohanna Trail.
Monday, December 12, 2011
Fire leaves present-day Pioneer Park in Cooperstown vacant lot in 1961

Pioneer Park in Cooperstown is a very busy place these days, as youngsters from the area flock downtown to visit Santa Claus or hear stories by Mrs. Claus. The park is all decked out for the holidays. The rest of the year it is busy with inquiring tourists at the information kiosk, or those just taking a break from the work day.
Saturday, December 10, 2011
Oneonta, region had connections with the Andersonville Prison

Time and time again since the 1950s, a large framed drawing in City Hall has drawn interest in how it got there, and why it was of interest to Oneonta. The drawing is of the infamous Andersonville Prison at Camp Sumter, Ga., as drawn from memory by a survivor of the Civil War encampment, Thomas O'Dea.
Monday, December 5, 2011
Area basketball rivalry has long, if irregular, history

When the men's basketball teams of Hartwick College and the State University College at Oneonta tip off at 8 p.m. Thursday in Lambros Arena, it will mark the 20th anniversary of a scheduled modern-day rivalry. The rivalry is substantially older, but there were some major gaps in years the teams didn't play each other.
Saturday, December 3, 2011
Military convoy passing through area displayed U.S. readiness in 1941

Almost everyone I've ever spoken with about Pearl Harbor can remember exactly where they were when hearing news of the attack on Sunday, Dec. 7, 1941.
Monday, November 28, 2011
Local businessman had eventful trip abroad in 1956

Mr. and Mrs. Fred H. Bresee of Oneonta set sail from New York to Turkey on Thursday, July 25, 1956. This was anything but a vacation cruise the couple was taking. Along with being on an economic trade mission, the Bresees also had an unexpected adventure on the way.
Saturday, November 26, 2011
Opening of bridge in Sidney marked with celebration in 1936

New bridge openings just don't attract audiences as they used to. I'm sure the residents and businesses in the Pony Farm Road area of Oneonta are happy to have the recently opened bridge from state Route 7 back in service. Other than perhaps some observant crows flying by or a woodchuck or two in the vicinity, that bridge opening was quiet.