Back in History in the Town of Otsego

The following entries have been compiled by Town Historians Tom Heitz and Sherlee Rathbone from resources provided by the New York State Historical Association Library in Cooperstown, New York, from private collections, and from municipal archives.

February 1856

Two black bears, it is confidently asserted, have been seen by different persons in the neighborhood of this village (Cooperstown), within a few days past. One person says they looked to him like two small-sized elephants!

February 1881

Be careful about your fires, in this cold weather, when water is scarce and a fire company could do but little to save a building in flames. Keep pails of water standing about the house and place of business; one may prevent a conflagration. Wood instead of coal is now being extensively burned in stoves, and the danger is increased.

February 1906

Magnified Ant Life – By adapting the microscope to his uses and magnifying the denizens of the insect world many thousands of times, Lyman H. Howe produces results through the medium of moving pictures that are at once triumphant and sensational. The series revealing “Ant Life” is so weird and fascinating that it commends itself to every class of audience, and it is as beautiful as it is novel and curious. Technically the films are extremely fine, the various species of ants, their life and feats, are arranged with consummate skill of which Mr. Howe may well be proud. Lyman H. Howe’s new “Lifeorama” will be revealed in the village hall, under the auspices of Otsego Chapter, D.A.R.

February 1931

The new snow plow of the Town of Otsego was used to good effect on the streets of this village Wednesday although their condition was such that the possibility of bringing them into anything like passable condition either for motor traffic, teams or pedestrians, was small. Outside the village where the plows were used following each large snowfall the roads are in fine condition having been affected hardly at all by the break-up which came early in the week. In the village great piles of the snow at the sides of the street with deep ruts in the center which intersected at the corners caused the water to rapidly collect to the inconvenience of everybody.

February 1956

A large delegation from Cooperstown was in New York City on Sunday where they attended the annual mid-winter dinner and show of the New York Chapter of the Baseball Writers Association of America, held that evening at the Waldorf Astoria Hotel. The delegation included Sid. C. Keener, Hall of Fame director; Howard C. Talbot, Jr., assistant treasurer; W. Carter Burnett; Simon W. Acoutin; Mayor Ross J. Young; trustees John J. O’Connell, Jack C. Mitchell and Theodore P. Feury; H. Gregory Lippitt; and village attorney Robert C. Tennant. They were joined in New York by Stephen C. Clark, chairman of the board of the Hall of Fame, and Paul S. Kerr, vice-president and treasurer.

February 1981

The escalation of property values in the Cooperstown area and the decrease in school equalization rates threaten to put more financial burden on the backs of school district property taxpayers, according to Paul Lambert, Superintendent of Schools, who spoke to a special session of the CCS Board of Education Monday night. The rise of property valuations and the continuous drop in the equalization rates of the towns that comprise our school district have resulted in our being considered a “rich school district,” Lambert said. Being a “rich district” means that state aid goes down while property owners are expected to make up the difference with their checkbooks, Lambert noted.

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