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.
The stretch was about 120 miles long, covering from Binghamton to Schenectady.
The highway was only a small portion of what was called the Appalachian Scenic Highway, which covered the eastern U.S. from the Gulf of Mexico to Canada. The international roadway was designated in 1927 with a festive promotion along its 2,400-mile span.
Oneonta was paid a brief but memorable visit in September of that year by the promotional "ASH Motorcade."
On Saturday, Sept. 10, 1927, Mayor Bertus C. Lauren, Francis H. Marx of the Oneonta Chamber of Commerce and other representatives of the city left for Binghamton to meet up with the ASH Motorcade for a banquet in that city.
They then accompanied the motorcade to Oneonta on Sunday morning for a brief stop in the area.
"It would be creditable to the city if the national colors were displayed along Chestnut and Main streets during the day in honor of the distinguished visitors in the party," The Oneonta Star commented on Sept. 10.
The ASH Motorcade had left Atlanta on Sept. 1 and the number of participants continued to grow as it passed northbound through each city. Other motorcades from New Orleans and St. Petersburg had formed and met in Atlanta for the main journey north.
Many participants were from large city newspapers, writing about what they observed on the way. The motorcade was en route to a final destination, Quebec City.
The idea of the motorcade had been a vision of John C. Cohen, managing editor of the Atlanta Constitution, some 20 years earlier. Most roads of 1907 were sand and dirt, but had since been built of concrete, asphalt and macadam.
Among the notable representatives of the ASH Motorcade was a golfing superstar of the time, Bobby Jones.
While Jones had declined previous invitations to visit golf courses along the 2,400-mile journey, someone had persuaded him to stop at the Oneonta Country Club as the motorcade approached the city.
The Star reported, "The word was passed around to as many as possible Saturday evening late and a crowd of nearly 200 enthusiastic admirers of the great Scottish game had gathered at the Country Club."
"Without his own club and in a business suit with no golf shoes, Mr. Jones went out to the practice tee and drove a dozen balls out. The demonstration was a revelation to local golfers who looked with amazement as the wizard of the driver shot the dozen balls out, all from 280 to 300 yards, and with such accuracy that the caddies who were sent out had to hardly move to the right or left."
Jones then made a brief tour of the clubhouse and autographed a few balls he had hit, and left his name in the club's visitors' book.
The 70-car motorcade made its way next to downtown Oneonta and took about a 20-minute break at the Oneonta Hotel, today's 189 Main St.
Even though it was a church morning, many local residents had gathered downtown, which had been decked out with American flags, to see the festivities.
The motorcade left Oneonta at 11 a.m. and was set to reach Glens Falls that evening. The plan to reach Quebec was by Wednesday, Sept. 14.
On Monday: A check into the mailbag from readers in recent months.
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.
Mark Simonson
A travel and tourism promotion visited Oneonta in 1927
- Mark Simonson
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A Main Street facelift for Oneonta in the 1920s
It has been just a little over 30 years, 1980 in fact, that Main Street in Oneonta went through a major transformation in appearance. Even now I'll hear mixed comments about the changes, which included antique style lamps, trees, planters and brick trim. Some liked the changes while others liked the wider street with the even-sized sidewalks.
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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.
100 Years Ago -
Recalling the Hindenburg, John D. Rockefeller in May 1937
A young person of 75 years ago may still recall where they were or what they were doing in the month of May, as two big news events took place. They were the Hindenburg disaster and the passing of billionaire John D. Rockefeller. There were some local connections with both news items.
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Oneonta residents had diversions aplenty in the spring of 1952
It is always good to keep up with current events. However, it is starting to become an unwritten requirement to seek some diversions from staying up to date on news, as for some it can become overwhelming or depressing.
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Damaschke essential to ensuring Oneonta baseball in 1927
Oftentimes, in the distant past, the place you worked for became a social nucleus in the village or town. Employees at large companies such as Endicott-Johnson Shoe Co. or IBM in the Binghamton area took part in activities after work such as sports, music and theater, both in and out of town, to represent their company.
- Monday, May 7, 2012
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Area tunes to WONT in November 1972
As a youngster growing up in the area and having a fascination with radio broadcasting, I used to consider it a part-time hobby to put the earphone into my transistor radio and go exploring what was out there to listen to, up and down the dial. It was indeed a long-distance journey at night when listening to AM radio, as you could hear live and locally staffed stations from Chicago, Windsor/Detroit, Atlanta and New Orleans, to name a few cities. I never spent a lot of time listening to FM radio 40 years ago, simply because there wasn't the same "excitement" of the long-distance journey. Little did I realize, things were changing locally on that "other" band of radio frequencies that included decimal points.
- Saturday, May 5, 2012
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Congressman Fairchild added downtown growth in 1912
Another case of wandering imagination struck this historian recently, while learning about the building at 244-248 Main St. in Oneonta, storefronts for the Autumn Café and Razzle Dazzle. This structure is known as the Fairchild block, and it turns 100 this year.
- Monday, April 30, 2012
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From no TV to saving eagles, it was life in April 1982
No television. No place to pay the phone bill. No more Spaulding's baked goods. Possibly no more Center Street School. While these were some of the noes in the news of our area in April 1982, there were some yeses as well, including a new structure at Corning Inc. of Oneonta and help to save bald eagles.
- Saturday, April 28, 2012
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A daily newspaper for Oneonta was an achievement in 1887
Depending on the electronic device you have these days, accessing news can be made nearly as soon as something happens. Oneontans of 125 years ago got their news on a weekly basis, courtesy of The Oneonta Herald.
- Monday, April 23, 2012
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Area saw Hollywood stars up close in April 1952
It has been a mighty long time since Greer Garson, Victor Jory, Don Taylor and Audrey Totter drew big numbers of people at the box office of our local movie theaters. Make it 60 years, in fact. Now generations removed from popularity, some are still able to remember the names of these four movie stars who paid a visit to our area in late April 1952.
- Saturday, April 21, 2012
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Spring tree plantings were numerous in 1927
None of my calendars at home or at my other workplaces show that April 27 of this year is Arbor Day.
- Monday, April 16, 2012
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Nuclear weapon debates were plentiful in April 1982
Plan for a nuclear war -- or seek a nuclear weapons freeze. That was a frequent debate going on in our region during the month of April 1982.
- Saturday, April 14, 2012
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A Titanic survivor stopped in Oneonta days after disaster
Edward Bean was one amongst the lucky one-third of the passengers aboard the Titanic who lived to tell about the disaster of the ill-fated ship that sank after hitting an iceberg on April 15, 1912. Only about a week after the disaster, Bean was in Oneonta, on his way home to Cincinnati.
- Monday, April 9, 2012
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Simonson: April 1952 brought educational developments in Oneonta
There were some interesting new developments in education in Oneonta during the month of April 1952. These took place in the public and private schools, as well as on the Hartwick College campus.
- Saturday, April 7, 2012
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Oneonta's first automobile exhibition took place in April 1917
An automobile show as large as those in Albany or Utica. That was the heady claim of the organizers of Oneonta's first such show, set for early April 1917.
- Monday, April 2, 2012
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Thruway bridge collapsed 25 years ago into Schoharie Creek
I had just started my evening music shift at a Binghamton radio station on Sunday evening, April 5, 1987, with a network newscast at the top of the hour.
- Saturday, March 31, 2012
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Oneonta responded to declaration of World War I
"President Asks For War."
- Monday, March 26, 2012
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Devastating fire, loss in sports status, education made major area news in March 1982
A fire destroyed a foundry in Morris, Hartwick College basketball dropped a division level, two schools considered a merger, and a local Odyssey of the Mind was born. These news items and more made for a busy month in March 1982.
- Saturday, March 24, 2012
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Useful advice for farmers came to the area in 1912
It is practically a rite of autumn for high school students, or college students looking to transfer to a different college.
- Monday, March 19, 2012
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St. Mary's Church of Oneonta dedicated 55 years ago
"With solemn, historic pageantry, the Most Rev. William A. Scully, bishop of Albany, yesterday dedicated the new St. Mary's Church."
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A Main Street facelift for Oneonta in the 1920s
