Chenango County Historian's Office

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Chenango County Historian's Office This office is the official Chenango County Historian's Office.

This view up the Chenango Valley from the Lawrence Hill Road on the border between Smyrna and Sherburne is one of many s...
21/06/2024

This view up the Chenango Valley from the Lawrence Hill Road on the border between Smyrna and Sherburne is one of many scenic vistas in Chenango County. It overlooks the convergence of Pleasant Brook, coming in from Smyrna, and Cold Spring Brook, coming down from the old 101 Ranch in Lebanon. You can see the beautiful South Cross Road Elm just above the silo near the center of the photo. The red barn on the left is the John Lawrence Farm. In the distance is the Village of Earlville. On a clear day, you can see the wind turbines north of Bouckville in Madison County.

I have wanted to photograph this building on the River Road at the south edge of Eaton, New York, for more years than I ...
20/06/2024

I have wanted to photograph this building on the River Road at the south edge of Eaton, New York, for more years than I can count, but I was always in a hurry or had passengers who wouldn't want to stop. Despite the heat, yesterday was the day. I turned around and went back to take some photos. What a gem of a building. It was probably built by the stone masons who worked on the Chenango Canal in the early 19th century. Please notice the size of the lintel stone over the entrance and the hop vine behind the flag. As I recall, it was vacant for many years but is now a museum. Yes, I know it is in Madison County. I do leave Chenango County on occasion.

Below is a nice view looking west, along the south side of Navy Island in Oxford, New York, during Old Home Week in 1908...
03/03/2024

Below is a nice view looking west, along the south side of Navy Island in Oxford, New York, during Old Home Week in 1908. Left to right there was a Billiard Parlor and what looks to be a barber pole, the Washington Meat Market, the Carl & Cronk Grocery Store, the Noyes B. Eccleston Drug Store, a Barber Shop, the Telegraph Office and a Cash Store. It was probably Mowry's Cash Store, but the sign is hard to read. There may have been more stores, but this is all I can identify. If anyone has more information, please feel free to share it. There is also a man with a mobile popcorn stand. There was a big parade along this route during the celebration, so he may have been set up in anticipation of it.

For those of you who have asked, I will be at the Community Center in Smithville Flats tomorrow, February 18, 2024, to g...
17/02/2024

For those of you who have asked, I will be at the Community Center in Smithville Flats tomorrow, February 18, 2024, to give another talk at 2PM, in what has become an "Abandoned in Chenango County" series of presentations, each tailored to the local venue. So, tomorrow's presentation will feature some Smithville barns, not seen in previous programs, like the barn below on Pollard Road.

Back in the Beaver Meadow State Forest last Friday, I finally found the site of the old Thomas Mulligan farm, far back i...
11/02/2024

Back in the Beaver Meadow State Forest last Friday, I finally found the site of the old Thomas Mulligan farm, far back in the woods off George Crumb Road, and photographed both the house and barn foundations. The barn was much larger than I expected it would be. It was a bank barn with a nice concrete floor in the basement stable area. The gutter is clearly visible in the photo below. The farm was a 325 acre operation with 150 acres of improved land, 100 acres of unimproved land and 75 acres of woods. Tom had 11 cows, 3 bulls, and nine heifers. His wife, Nancy, produced 1,100 pounds of butter. He and Nancy, raised chickens and a couple pigs. They made 350 pounds of pork in 1874, harvested 50 bushels of apples from their orchard of 84 trees and produce 1 barrel of cider. They also produced 80 pounds of maple syrup and 3 gallons of maple molasses. Walking around the area in the woods on Friday, it was hard to imagine any of this ever happening. Much to my amazement, I noticed foot prints in the snow near the house foundation, indicating someone else had been there recently. That really blew my mind, because I didn’t think anyone else would crazy enough to be out in these woods at this time of year. I would love to know who it was, so if it was you and you are reading this post, please fess up.

I want to thank everyone who came out today for my "Abandoned in Chenango County" presentation at the Oxford Library. Y...
10/02/2024

I want to thank everyone who came out today for my "Abandoned in Chenango County" presentation at the Oxford Library. You were a great audience and I enjoyed your questions during the Q&A and the cool stories you shared with us. I also want to thank Nancy Wilcox and Jessica Tefft for their wonderful support, as well as the New York State Council of the Arts and Earlville Opera House. Next up is the Smithville Historical Society at 2PM on February 18, 2024.

This is a photo of the employees of the American Basket and Manufacturing Company in Oxford, NY circa. 1908. Check out ...
04/02/2024

This is a photo of the employees of the American Basket and Manufacturing Company in Oxford, NY circa. 1908. Check out the size of the guy with the bowler hat, standing sixth in from the left. He looks big enough to take a horse down, with one hand tied behind his back. Does anyone know the name of any of these men? Also note the woman sitting in the window at left.

Does anyone recognize this house? It is, or was, located somewhere in the Town of Otselic or the northwest corner of th...
28/01/2024

Does anyone recognize this house? It is, or was, located somewhere in the Town of Otselic or the northwest corner of the Town of Pharsalia, based on available information.

This photo was taken in the Town of Smyrna. Can anyone tell me whose house it was and where in Smyrna it is, or was, lo...
22/01/2024

This photo was taken in the Town of Smyrna. Can anyone tell me whose house it was and where in Smyrna it is, or was, located? If so, please call our office know. Thanks.

If you missed the “Abandoned in Chenango County” presentation at the county museum last December, you will have another ...
18/01/2024

If you missed the “Abandoned in Chenango County” presentation at the county museum last December, you will have another chance to hear and view it at the Guernsey Library in Norwich this coming Sunday, January 21, 2024 at 2PM. I will discuss research of abandoned farmland in Chenango County conducted by Cornell University in the 1920s and how it led to the creation of our state forest lands. I will also reveal how abandonment has changed the face of local communities and affected our local culture and economy. The presentation will feature photographs of various kinds of abandoned structures, places and things throughout the county, with a focus on dairy barns and farms. It will show that abandonment often precedes renewal, repurposing or replacement.

Please note, this presentation will be given again at the Oxford Library on February 10th at 1 PM and at the Smithville Community Center, on February 18th at 2PM and my painting, "Abandoned in Chenango", will be on display at the Guernsey Library during January and February.

After my previous post about Dillworth's Restaurant, I found another photo of the same area, after it was destroyed by f...
15/01/2024

After my previous post about Dillworth's Restaurant, I found another photo of the same area, after it was destroyed by fire on July 20, 1937. By then, Dillworth's had become Fowler's Palm Tavern, the Sholes Drugstore was Bigelow's Pharmacy, the meat shop was Gus Anagost's Sweet Shop and Balch's was the northern most and last store south of the old Opera House.

Does anyone remember Dillworth's Restaurant on North Main Street in Sherburne? According to the 1900 census, Hobart C....
15/01/2024

Does anyone remember Dillworth's Restaurant on North Main Street in Sherburne? According to the 1900 census, Hobart C. Dillworth was 39 years old, single, living at home in Sherburne with his mother, Jane, and employed as "2nd Boss" in the Yarn Mill. By 1920 he was married with two children and employed as a cook in an unidentified restaurant in Sherburne. There is an ad in the December 14th, 1923 issue of the Norwich Sun for a "Turkey Dinner" on Sunday at Dillworth's Restaurant in Sherburne. The 1930 Sherburne census shows Hobart's occupation as the proprietor of a restaurant. He died in 1937. So Dillworth's Restaurant was in operation from at least 1923 to sometime in the 1930s. The photo below shows L to R: the law office of Duane Atkyns on the 2nd floor of the bank, Dillworth's Restaurant, the George Sholes Drug Store and a meat market.

My search for the name of the abandoned road in this photo has been unsuccessful. The road lies in the Beaver Meadow St...
08/01/2024

My search for the name of the abandoned road in this photo has been unsuccessful. The road lies in the Beaver Meadow State Forest in Smyrna and runs north from George Crumb Road to the intersection of Graham and Bliven-Coye Hill Roads. The photo was taken at the southern entrance on George Crumb Road. Like most roads in the area and elsewhere, it was probably named for one or more of the families that lived along it. The 1855 Chenango County wall map shows Morley, Parker, Stebbins and Mead families living on it. The 1863 Cortland and Chenango wall map shows Morley and Harrington families, and the 1875 Chenango County Atlas shows a Morley and a French family still living there. Since the Morley family is the only one to appear on all three maps, I wonder if it might have been called Morley Road. The 1927 Rural Directory map indicates it was abandoned by then with no one living there. I would like to hear from anyone who knows what this road was called before it was abandoned. If you know, please respond to this post or contact the Chenango County Historian’s Office.

I spent the day working in the Beaver Meadow State Forest, again yesterday, documenting abandoned farmsteads. Here is a...
02/01/2024

I spent the day working in the Beaver Meadow State Forest, again yesterday, documenting abandoned farmsteads. Here is a photo of what remains of Charles M. Bliven’s old home on Bliven-Coye Hill Road and a view east on the road from near the site. Yes, he is the Bliven for whom this part of the road is named. It is a “Seasonal Limited Use Highway”, which means there is no maintenance of it from November 1 to May 1, so it would usually be impassible at this time of year, unless you have a snowmobile or some other all-terrain vehicle. However, this is not a normal year and the conditions were perfect, with the light dusting of snow making it easier to see and photograph the old foundations. I’ve also included a view of an active farm on Willcox Road in Smyrna, that I took on my way home, just before night fall. Farms like this used to be common throughout Chenango County.

In April 2022, I found and photographed the cellar cavity of what once was the farmhouse on the Lafayette M. Bartlett fa...
27/12/2023

In April 2022, I found and photographed the cellar cavity of what once was the farmhouse on the Lafayette M. Bartlett farm on Gibson-Taylor Road in the Town of Smyrna. I looked for the foundation of the barn, but did not find it. While doing more research to get a better fix on the location of the barn, I learned that the Bartlett farmhouse was purchased by A. J. Wynn and torn down in 1931, after the state purchased the farm for reforestation. According to an article in the Norwich Sun, Mr. Wynn used some of the lumber to build a camp on Hatch’s Lake. When farms were sold to the state during the 1930's, buildings were often sold separately, with the understanding that they be removed within a set time period.

Earlier today, I went back and located the foundation of the dairy barn. It was hard to find and difficult to photograph, because it is hidden beneath a thick cover of brush, reminiscent of images I’ve seen of Mayan ruins in Central America. The foundation is composed of stone and concrete and reveals the barn was modest in size and not built into a bank. Lafayette had a 200-acre farm. The 1875 NYS Agricultural Census indicates he and his family milked 13 cows and made 1,800 pounds of butter. That’s a lot of butter. So, they probably sold much of it. There were 100 apple trees on the farm from which they harvested 300 bushels of apples and made 5 barrels of cider. Presumably, some of the apples were sold, along with cider and cheese. Below are four photographs, one of Lafayette M. Bartlett by A. E. Hotchkiss, one of the Bartlett farmhouse cellar cavity surrounded by Myrtle, and two of the Bartlett barn foundation covered with brush.

The remains of an abandoned barn, several trucks and farm machinery, along Chenango County Road 35 earlier today, just e...
16/12/2023

The remains of an abandoned barn, several trucks and farm machinery, along Chenango County Road 35 earlier today, just east of Guilford Center, New York.

What a beautiful day. I spent the afternoon taking photographs in the Rockdale/Mount Upton area of the Town of Guilford...
15/12/2023

What a beautiful day. I spent the afternoon taking photographs in the Rockdale/Mount Upton area of the Town of Guilford. Here is the view down the Unadilla Valley from Utter Road. You can see the Hanehan Family Dairy Farm in the distance.

Next Sunday, December 3, 2023, at 1 PM, I will give a presentation at the Chenango County Historical Society Museum at...
26/11/2023

Next Sunday, December 3, 2023, at 1 PM, I will give a presentation at the Chenango County Historical Society Museum at 45 Rexford Street in Norwich, consisting of photographs documenting the abandonment of farms and farmland in Chenango County. The public is invited and all are welcome.

This abandoned mobile home and mess is located on the Scouten Hill Road in Oxford near the intersection with County Road...
05/11/2023

This abandoned mobile home and mess is located on the Scouten Hill Road in Oxford near the intersection with County Road 27. It appears the occupant(s) left with little concern for what was left behind. When I encounter abandoned places, I can’t help but wonder what happened to cause abandonment. Why would anyone leave their home looking like this? Did someone lose their job? Was maintenance unaffordable or rent too high? Was there a death in the family or a divorce? I’m certain there is a story, probably a sad or desperate one, to explain why this place was vacated and left in this manner.

Here is one of the last photos I took of the old Chenango Valley Mills. It was built by Eli Haynes in 1836 and stood al...
29/10/2023

Here is one of the last photos I took of the old Chenango Valley Mills. It was built by Eli Haynes in 1836 and stood along the Chenango River in Greene, NY, for 173 years. It had five run of mill stones, propelled by water power from a four foot fall, created by a dam on the river. Originally operated by James Chapman, it was later purchased by Charles Allen in 1901 and operated by him and then his sons, Roger and Ralph. In 1963 it was sold to the Briggs Lumber Co. It was flooded in June of 2006 and dismantled in 2009 by a Texas firm named Heritage Restorations. I did not find it listed in the firm's current inventory, so it has presumably been reassembled, but I don't know where. If you have more information, please share. Thanks.

So much has changed since I took this photo of the Smyrna Wright-Way Discount Store in 1979. Operated for 32 years by Co...
23/10/2023

So much has changed since I took this photo of the Smyrna Wright-Way Discount Store in 1979. Operated for 32 years by Connie and Bob Wright, it was a vital community focal point for many years and now sorely missed. People stopped by to see friends, have lunch, buy groceries and get local community information. I hope Smyrna residents, with memories of this store and its owners, will share them here.

Here is a photo of “Frink’s Tavern”, also known as the North Pharsalia Hotel, taken in 1980. It was built on the north s...
16/10/2023

Here is a photo of “Frink’s Tavern”, also known as the North Pharsalia Hotel, taken in 1980. It was built on the north side of NY route 23, just east of North Pharsalia, around 1839, by Hiram Frink. Later it was operated as a health resort by one Dr. Greenleaf, who prescribed a stay at the hotel as a cure for the ailments of his wealthy city patients. They were led to believe a nearby mineral spring had curative power. However, it was probably the fresh air and good food, from the doctor’s farm, that improved his patient's health, and not the mineral water. The hotel fell down not long after this photo was taken. Little did I know, I'd never get a chance to photograph it again.

I took this photo of the North Guilford Congregational Church 48 years ago. It is located on the southwest corner of Co...
07/10/2023

I took this photo of the North Guilford Congregational Church 48 years ago. It is located on the southwest corner of County Road 36 and Aldrich Road in the Town of Guilford, in what was once known as Van Buren’s Corners. Since this photo was taken, trees have grown in the hedgerow that borders the church on the south and the west. Services are still held, but only during the summer. Eighteen area residents organized the church in 1843. The new church building was dedicated in 1844, as the First Congregational Church of Guilford and Norwich.

On Wednesday, this week, I walked down the abandoned road that runs south from Bliven-Coye Hill Road at the intersection...
06/10/2023

On Wednesday, this week, I walked down the abandoned road that runs south from Bliven-Coye Hill Road at the intersection of Graham Road to George Crumb Road at the YMCA Camp and back. I would like to know what this road was called. It has been abandoned at least since the mid 1920’s. However, according to the NYS census, in 1875 the following families livied on this road: Henry O. and Lucetta Bartlett, Herbert and Helen Morley, William and F***y French, and Frederic Morley with his mother, Mary. At that time this road must have had a name and fields and homes along it. I believe the Bullthistle Hiking Club plans to walk this road tomorrow. They will be walking through history, whether they realize it or not.

Today on Bliven-Coye Hill Road in the Beaver Meadow State Forest in Smyrna. I have traveled this road throughout my lif...
06/10/2023

Today on Bliven-Coye Hill Road in the Beaver Meadow State Forest in Smyrna. I have traveled this road throughout my life, watched the CCC trees grow to maturity, and always felt lucky to live in such a beautiful part of the world. It's hard to believe that many years ago there were farms throughout this area. On a day like today, men and boys with teams of horses were harvesting hay. Their wives and daughters were making butter or canning fruit and vegetables for winter use.

Abandoned in Chenango. Thornbrook Hall today. A storied treasure, now in ruins, rotting into the earth.
16/09/2023

Abandoned in Chenango. Thornbrook Hall today. A storied treasure, now in ruins, rotting into the earth.

Art was celebrated again this year at Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival 2023. The weather looked threatening at first, ...
10/09/2023

Art was celebrated again this year at Colorscape Chenango Arts Festival 2023. The weather looked threatening at first, but we lucked out. What a great event. Art, food and music attracted appreciative crowds from all over central New York. Bryan McCracken was sponsored by the Chenango County Historical Society and Museum to lead an architectural tour of some outstanding downtown buildings and did a fantastic job. Kudos to everyone who worked to make this event a success.

The Flood of 1935 flowed through the village of Smithville Flats at such a rate, it moved a house tilting it to form wha...
01/09/2023

The Flood of 1935 flowed through the village of Smithville Flats at such a rate, it moved a house tilting it to form what became the “Crazy House.”

Built by Andrew Nichols in the early 1870s, a Civil War Veteran and carpenter, the house was undermined by the flood of 1935. The building remained relatively intact but was skewed at a “crazy” angle. The occupants of the house at the time of the flood, Burdette and Emma Nichols, charged thousands of people ten cents each for the privilege of touring the tilted house.

08/06/2023

Thanks to the City of Norwich, New York for starting to hang the Hometown Heroes banners. Banners will continue to be hung in the next few weeks!

Please join us in the official dedication Banner Dedication Ceremony in East Park, Norwich, on Wednesday, June 14, 10:00 am.

Bainbridge - The American Separator Company was formed in 1895 and manufactured cream separators for farm use. Thomas C...
27/04/2023

Bainbridge - The American Separator Company was formed in 1895 and manufactured cream separators for farm use. Thomas Collins and Louis Hartman constructed a machine that would separate the cream from whole milk, using centrifugal force, which was easily operated by the local farmers. With small beginnings located on Railroad Avenue, the industry grew to be a major industry in Bainbridge in the first half of the 20th Century until the company closed in 1950.

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