History of Edmeston, New York/1900s
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The history of Edmeston, New York: 1900 through 1999
Contents |
[edit] 1900
[edit] 1901
Steam heat was installed in the Gaskin House.
[edit] 1902
The following was derived from Otsego county New York Geographical and Historical. Edwin F Bacon, Ph D. 1902 Oneonta N.Y.:
- EDMESTON. Area 27,075 acres [110 km²]. Population 1,767.
- Edmeston was formed from the town of Burlington in 1808. The surface is an elevated upland, broken by numerous valleys. The highest elevations are about 400 feet above the Unadilla river which forms its western boundary.
- The township takes its name from Col. Edmeston, an officer in the old French war (1754-1763), who for his services received from the crown a tract of 110,000 acres along the Unadilla river. To this tract Col. Edmeston sent Percifer Carr, a faithful old soldier of his command, who remained here until carried away with his family captive by the Indians, but after the Revolution he returned.
- In 1818 William Stickney and Samuel Simons built a forge and trip hammer for the manufacture of axes, rifle barrels, scythes, and wrought iron plow shares.
- The first physician was Dr. Gaines Smith, who came with his family from Vermont in 1800. His grandson, Hon. David B. St.John became a resident of the town in 1820.
- Other early settlers in the town who have living descendants were
| David Chapin with his large family, | Nathan Langworthy, | Stepen Hoxie, |
| Adin and Lyman Deming, | John S. Coon, | Charles F. Goodrich, |
| Levi D. Banks, | Daniel R. Barrett, | Abel Matterson, |
| Charles Burlingham, | Erastus Waldo, | Joseph Bootman, |
| James P. Ackerman, | Ephraim Chamberlain, | Edwin Phelps, |
| John T. Richards, | Hiram Wright, | Benjamin Peet, |
| George B. Talbot, | Elder Taylor, | Andrew Hawkins, |
| George Arnold, | Daniel Chapin, and | Jacob Talbot. |
- VILLAGES: There are three villages in this township:
- Edmeston (population 749),
- West Edmeston (population 222), and
- South Edmeston (population 206).
- SCHOOLS:
- Number of districts 13.
- Number of teachers 17.
- Children of school age 266.
- The Edmeston High School is under the supervision of the Board of Regents.
- The academic department has a well equipped laboratory, a library of 1,000 volumes, and all necessary reference books.
- The faculty consists of a principal and four assistants.
- CHURCHES: There are six churches in the township of Edmeston, namely:
- Baptist, Methodist and Free Methodist at Edmeston village;
- Baptist and 7th day Baptist at West Edmeston and
- a Union church at South Edmeston.
- NEWSPAPERS: :The Edmeston Local, established in 1882, circulates also as a local organ in the townships of
- Burlington,
- Pittsfield,
- Plainfield, and
- New Lisbon.
- Caleb Clark, formerly president of the First National Bank of Edmeston, approaches his nintieth year at his home in West Burlington, or with his grandchildren in Oneonta, with a cheerfulness that is an explanation of his long life.
[edit] 1904
In 1904 Mr. Bert Talbot brought the first car to Edmeston, after attending an automobile show in New York City. He bought the horseless carriage (a Locomobile Steamer) and had it shipped by freight to Edmeston. The curious came from miles around to view the wonder of the age and when the time came to run it down the hill from his barn the crowd was so great he could hardly get though. — Sandra Lohnas Haggerty
[edit] 1905
In 1905 the second Edmeston flood occurred. There was no loss of life but damage was determined to be in excess of $100,000. — barns were thrown off their foundations and knocked apart — debris pelted the Opera House — the railroad bridge was washed away and several rods of track uplifted. All communication — both rail and stage — was cut off. A gully was carved across the road in front of the Opera House so large that a bridge had to be built. Many dams were washed out north of the village [editor’s note: hamlet] and their positions are evident today (circa 1960). — Sandra Lohnas Haggerty
