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Sarrusophone

The sarrusophones are a family of metal double reed conical bore woodwind instruments patented and first manufactured by French instrument maker Pierre-Louis Gautrot in 1856. Gautrot named the sarrusophone after French bandmaster Pierre-Auguste Sarrus (1813–1876), whom he credited with the concept of the instrument, though it is not clear whether Sarrus benefited financially. The instruments were intended for military bands, to serve as replacements for oboes and bassoons which at the time lacked the carrying power required for outdoor marching music. Although originally designed as double-reed instruments, single-reed mouthpieces were later developed for use with the larger bass and contrabass sarrusophones.

Sizes and ranges
The sarrusophone was manufactured in the following sizes and had the following theoretical ranges:
 * E-flat Sopranino B♭-G (Sounding D♭$4$-B♭$6$)
 * B-flat Soprano B♭-G (Sounding A♭$3$-F$6$)
 * E-flat Alto G-G (Sounding B♭$2$-B♭$5$)
 * B-flat Tenor B♭-G (Sounding A♭$2$-F$5$)
 * E-flat Baritone A-G (Sounding C$2$-B♭$4$)
 * B-flat Bass B♭-G (Sounding A♭$1$-F$4$)
 * EE-flat Contrabass B♭-G (Sounding D♭$1$-B♭$3$)
 * CC Contrabass B♭-G (Sounding B♭$0$-G$3$)
 * BB-flat Contrabass B♭-G (Sounding A♭$0$-F$3$)

All sarrusophones are transposing instruments notated in treble clef, except the CC contrabass which is notated in bass clef and sounds an octave lower, like the contrabassoon. The sarrusophone has a very similar written range to saxophone; the lowest note is the same written B♭$3$ below middle C$4$ (some have extra keys to go to a low A or G), and the key work usually allows a practical range to high G$6$.

Until the turn of the 21st century, the BB♭ contrabass had the distinguishing feature of being the lowest pitched reed instrument ever placed in production, since it is capable of producing a low A♭$0$, one semitone below A$0$, the lowest note of both the piano and a contrabassoon with a low A key. Both the B♭ subcontrabass saxophone, first built in 2010, and the Eppelsheim B♭ tubax, a similar hybrid saxophone introduced ten years earlier, also have A♭$0$ as their lowest pitch. Leblanc also made prototype subcontrabass clarinets in the 1930s that could go even lower—the E♭ octocontralto to E♭$0$ and the B♭ octocontrabass to C$0$—but neither model went into production, and the prototypes reside at the Leblanc Musée des instruments à vent in France.

Construction
All members of the sarrusophone family are made of metal, with a conical bore, and the larger members of the family resemble the ophicleide in shape. Like the oboe and bassoon, all sizes of sarrusophone were originally designed to be played with a double reed. Later, single reed mouthpieces were developed which resemble alto or soprano saxophone mouthpieces. It is unclear if these were available for all sizes of the sarrusophone family, the most common examples being for the E♭ contrabass. Approximate reed measurements (mm) for certain sarrusophones, expressed as (tip width, distance from tip to first wire, overall length), are as follows:

 * Soprano                    (9, 20, 50)
 * Alto                      (13, 25, 55)
 * Tenor                     (15, 27, 60)
 * Baritone                  (17, 32, 70)
 * Bass                      (19, 40, 80)
 * Contrabass in Eb or C     (22, 44, 85)

The fingering of the sarrusophone is nearly identical to that of the saxophone. This similarity caused Adolphe Sax to file and lose at least one lawsuit against Gautrot, claiming infringement upon his patent for the saxophone. Sax lost on the grounds that the tone produced by the two families of instruments is markedly different, despite their mechanical similarities. However, because the sarrusophone never gained wide acceptance, makers were not inclined to develop its mechanism to the same extent as that of the saxophone.

Features of the sarrusophone's mechanism generally include:
 * Non-automatic octave keys (necessary to produce the "standard" top 4th of its range). From sopranino through bass, 2 octave keys. The contra basses (and perhaps some basses) have 3, the 3rd key being used for the notes D and E♭ directly above the octave break, only
 * No articulated G♯, bis B♭, F♯ trill keys or 1/1 and 1/2 B♭ as found on the saxophone. The top and bottom key stacks are not linked. Surprisingly though, a B to C trill key as found on the saxophone did more or less become standard
 * The key for low B♭ is activated by the left thumb as opposed to the left little finger as on the saxophone
 * A key for rapid alternation across the C-D break. This key can also be used to play high D as well. This may be taken to be an equivalent of the high D palm key of a saxophone, although on the sarrusophone the location of the touchpiece varied.
 * No palm keys for playing the top range. Using the non-automatic register keys, 3rd harmonics are easily available, rendering palm keys unnecessary. The relatively narrow bore of the sarrusophone also aids in the rendering of these 3rd harmonics

On earlier instruments, the use of rollers on the low E♭ and C natural keys seems to have been more common than having them on the G♯, low C♯ and B natural keys. Additionally on some (all?) instruments made by Buffet in the early 20th century, the G♯ key is "semi-articulated" so that a G natural to G♯ trill can be made by an additional touchpiece for the right hand. Saxophones of this time period also have this mechanism. Additionally, there is no connection from G♯ to low C♯ or low B natural, which is also identical to how saxophones were constructed at that time.

Classical orchestra
The sarrusophone is rarely called for in orchestral music. However, around the turn of the 20th century, the contrabass sarrusophones in EE♭ and CC enjoyed a vogue, the latter as a substitute for the contrabassoon (the French model patterned after the German Heckel model, having been introduced later around 1906 by Buffet et al.) so that it is called for in, for example, Jules Massenet's Esclarmonde (1889), Visions (1891) and Suite parnassienne (1912); Maurice Ravel's Shéhérazade overture (1898), Rapsodie espagnole (1907) and L'heure espagnole (1907–09); Ignacy Jan Paderewski's Symphony in B minor "Polonia" (1903–08; 3 sarrusophones are called for); Frederick Delius's Requiem (1913–16) and Songs of Sunset (1906–07); Claude Debussy's Jeux (1913), Lili Boulanger's Psalm 129 (1916) and Psalm 130 (1917) and Arrigo Boito's Nerone (1924). Igor Stravinsky included a part for contrabass sarrusophone in Threni. The composer Paul Dukas used the contrabass sarrusophone to great effect in 1897 in his The Sorcerer's Apprentice.

These parts are now normally played on the contrabassoon, although there are early 20th century recordings of at least some of these pieces where sarrusophones can be heard. In general, the term "sarrusophone" usually refers to the EE♭ contrabass which appears to have been made in larger numbers than any other size. Although the CC contrabass sarrusophone, with its range down to B♭$0$ identical to the contrabassoon, was perhaps envisioned for these and other orchestral works, only relatively few instruments were ever made and were most likely to become the property of orchestras or opera companies. The EE♭ contrabass with D♭$1$ as its lowest note lacks the lowest three notes of the contrabassoon.

The EE♭ contrabass has also been used as an alternative to the EE♭ contrabass saxophone, which due to its large size is impractical in many musical situations, especially marching bands.

The English composer Kaikhosru Shapurji Sorabji used the contrabass sarrusophone in various of his orchestral works.

Concert band
In the concert band literature, Percy Grainger used the EE♭ contrabass in the original scoring of his piece "Children's March: Over the Hills and Far Away". In early 20th century Italian band scores, parts for the B♭ tenor, E♭ baritone, and B♭ bass sarrusophones as well as the contrabass are common. It appears that higher members of the sarrusophone family were not as popular as the lower members, with the sopranino in E♭ along with its distant cousin, the high E♭ oboe, being particularly rare. For the most part, the use of the sarrusophone was primarily in France, Italy and Spain. During or after World War I, US Military personnel noted the use of the contrabass sarrusophone in French military bands and thereafter, commissioned the U.S. firm C. G. Conn to manufacture the EE♭ contrabass for use in U.S. military bands beginning in approximately 1921, as per Conn's advertising of the time. The instrument was offered for sale to the general public as well, but production appears to have ceased in the 1930s. Conns as late as 1936 are known to exist. Beginning in 1921, the John Philip Sousa band used the Conn sarrusophone for an unknown period of time. In 1908 when Sir Thomas Beecham wished to perform the work "Apollo and the Seaman" by the British composer Josef Holbrooke (who had included parts for several sizes of sarrusophones), the sarrusophone parts had to be played by performers brought over from France. Paderewski included three E♭ contrabass sarrusophones in his Symphony in B Minor ("Polonia").

Frank Zappa used the E♭ contrabass sarrusophone in his scores for "Think It Over", "Big Swifty", "Ulterior Motive", "The Adventures of Greggery Peccary", "For Calvin", "Waka/Jawaka", and many others. These pieces can be found on his albums "Waka/Jawaka", "The Grand Wazoo", & "Zappa/Wazoo". The sarrusophone was played by Earl Dumler. In 2013, Franklin Stover composed a Concerto Breve for E♭ contrabass sarrusophone and winds.

Jazz
A very unusual example of the sarrusophone in jazz is on the 1924 recording by the Clarence Williams Blue 5 of "Mandy, Make Up Your Mind," with the sarrusophone played by the jazz soprano saxophone and clarinet virtuoso Sidney Bechet. One can conjecture that the sarrusophone played was most likely a contrabass with a single reed mouthpiece, as Bechet was not a trained double reed player. Bechet later denied having ever played the sarrusophone. According to the biography by Chilton, Sidney "pulled a face" when asked about the solo on "Mandy", though he did not deny playing it.

A soprano sarrusophone is seen and heard in the song "Humpty-Dumpty Heart" played by Kay Kyser's band in the 1941 film Playmates.

In the 1970s and 1980s the American jazz musician Gerald Oshita (based in Chicago and the San Francisco Bay Area and associated with Roscoe Mitchell) played avant-garde jazz on an EE♭ contrabass manufactured by Conn. More recently (1990–2006), recordings using sarrusophone have been released by saxophonists Scott Robinson, Lenny Pickett, James Carter, and Paul Winter.

Rock and Roll
In rock music, They Might Be Giants used sarrusophone in their song "Older", on their album Long Tall Weekend.

Present status
Today, the sarrusophone is used in a handful of symphonic wind ensembles and as a novelty instrument on occasions. There appears to be a resurgence of interest in the instrument and there are amateur players (mostly of the EE♭ contrabass). Bruce Broughton made extensive use of a contrabass sarrusophone in his score for the film Tombstone.

The tone of the sarrusophone is less clear but much reedier than that of the saxophone. In humorous terms, the sarrusophone can be said to sound rather "industrial" or perhaps "unrefined." Historically, the Orsi Instrument Company, Rampone (later Rampone & Cazzani), Buffet (under the ownership of Evette & Schaeffer), Conn (E♭ contrabass only), Gautrot and Couesnon (Gautrot's successor) were the best known and possibly, only makers that produced in quantity.

The somewhat harsh tone quality of the sarrusophone and the need for a double reed may have contributed to it not becoming a standard member of the wind band. Additionally, although originally intended to replace the oboe and the bassoon, the practical ranges of the corresponding sarrusophones, the soprano and bass, as per famed band conductor Edwin Franko Goldman and organologist Anthony Baines, did not lend themselves to proper playing of oboe and bassoon parts, especially in orchestra transcriptions for wind band.

The need for a contrabass pitched woodwind has existed since at least the 19th century. During the 19th century and into the 20th there were sporadic attempts by Sax, Buffet, Besson and others to build a successful contrabass clarinet in either E♭ or B♭. In the early 1930s, upon the suggestion of the American Bandmaster's Association, the French firm Selmer succeeded when they introduced their E♭ contrabass model (the popular E♭ and B♭ contrabass models by the French firm LeBlanc not being placed into production until the late 1940s, although invented earlier). It can be conjectured that the compactness and musical qualities of these instruments may have contributed to the non-use of the sarrusophone, as they are now very common in musical circles ranging from junior high school through professional.

Rothphone
The rothphone, also known as the rothophone or saxarrusophone, is a sarrusophone hybrid that is rewrapped into the shape of a saxophone. It was introduced in Italy around 1900 and intended to replace the oboes and bassoons in military bands, but found little acceptance, and remained unknown outside Italy. They were built in sizes from soprano to bass, with narrower, less tapered conical bores than either saxophones or sarrusophones.

As per advertising of the time, the well-known American saxophone manufacturer, Buescher imported a number of these instruments into the United States during the late 1920s or early 1930s, perhaps as an answer to C.G. Conn's production of the contrabass sarrusophone. Per advertisements for this instrument and photos that have appeared in books, the lowest note on the Rothphone is a low B natural, not low B♭ as with the saxophone and sarrusophone. In the 1930s the band at the University of Illinois under Austin Harding had a full sarrusophone section from soprano to E♭ contrabass that included at least the tenor rothphone. However, this appears to have been an isolated use of the instrument.

title: Sarrusophone


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Scriba, New York

Scriba is a town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 6,840 at the 2010 census. The town is named after landowner George Scriba.

The Town of Scriba is east of the City of Oswego. The town was created in 1811 from the Town of Volney, then known as the Town of Fredericksburg.

The town of Scriba includes an Oswego County fire department, a municipal building, highway department, justice center, buildings and grounds department and a water department, as well as a child care center, town park and sunset bay park with lake access. The Nine Mile Point Nuclear Generating Station and the James A. FitzPatrick Nuclear Power Plant are both also located within the towns territory.

Most of the town lies within the zip code 13126 and possesses an "Oswego" mailing address. However, a portion of the town lies within zip code 13069 and uses "Fulton" as their mailing address. The hamlet of Lycoming, located within the town, has its own post office and uses the zip code 13093 for PO boxes only.

Geography
The town borders Lake Ontario, the City of Oswego, and the Oswego River.

Scriba is approximately 40 miles north of Syracuse.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 43.9 sqmi, of which 40.6 sqmi is land and 3.3 sqmi  (7.50%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 7,331 people, 2,721 households, and 1,937 families residing in the town. The population density was 180.7 PD/sqmi. There were 3,053 housing units at an average density of 75.2 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.19% White, 0.38% African American, 0.38% Native American, 0.56% Asian, 0.03% Pacific Islander, 0.64% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.83% of the population.

There were 2,721 households, out of which 38.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 10.3% had a female householder with no husband present, and 28.8% were non-families. 20.9% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.64 and the average family size was 3.07.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.4% under the age of 18, 8.9% from 18 to 24, 32.5% from 25 to 44, 22.1% from 45 to 64, and 8.1% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 34 years. For every 100 females, there were 105.2 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.7 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $39,550, and the median income for a family was $44,304. Males had a median income of $35,974 versus $25,329 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,939. About 10.6% of families and 14.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.1% of those under age 18 and 2.3% of those age 65 or over.

Notable person

 * Curtis F. Shoup, Medal of Honor recipient

Communities and locations in Scriba

 * Klocks Corners – Located at the intersection of County Route 4 and the Klocks Corners Road. Named after Jermiah Klock.
 * Lycoming – A hamlet located in Scriba with its own zip code 13093 and a US post office, located on County Route 29.
 * Scriba – The hamlet of Scriba located within route 104 and Creamery Road.
 * North Scriba - a hamlet of Scriba, located at the intersection of County Routes 1 and 29. North Scriba Union cemetery is located here.
 * South Scriba - a hamlet of Scriba, located at the intersection of County Routes 4 and 29.
 * Lansing - a hamlet of Scriba, located at the intersection of County Routes 4 and 53.

license: Creative Commons - Attribution Share-Alike - https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-sa/4.0/

title: Scriba, New York


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Volney, New York

Volney is a town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 5,926 at the 2010 census. The town was named after a French author, Constantin François de Chassebœuf, comte de Volney, who toured the area in 1808.

The Town of Volney is centrally located in the county.

History
The Town of Volney was formed from part of the Town of Mexico in 1806. The original name of the town was Fredericksburgh, which was changed to Volney in 1811.

The First Congregational Church and Society of Volney was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2001.

Geography
The western town border is marked by the Oswego River.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 49.2 sqmi or 31,488 acres, of which 48.3 sqmi is land and 0.9 sqmi  (1.73%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 6,094 people, 2,188 households, and 1,686 families residing in the town. The population density was 126.2 PD/sqmi. There were 2,333 housing units at an average density of 48.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 98.08% White, 0.26% African American, 0.30% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.21% from other races, and 0.82% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.69% of the population.

There were 2,188 households, out of which 38.8% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.4% were married couples living together, 9.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 22.9% were non-families. 17.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 6.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.79 and the average family size was 3.11.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.3% under the age of 18, 8.2% from 18 to 24, 29.9% from 25 to 44, 24.0% from 45 to 64, and 9.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 36 years. For every 100 females, there were 104.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 103.0 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $43,532, and the median income for a family was $46,408. Males had a median income of $40,585 versus $25,974 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,029. About 3.9% of families and 6.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 5.9% of those under age 18 and 3.6% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Volney

 * Bundy Crossing – A hamlet in the northern part of the town near the Oswego River.
 * Drakes Corner – A hamlet north of Volney village on Route 6.
 * Farley Corners – A hamlet by the eastern town line.
 * Fulton – Part of the ZIP code for the City of Fulton overlaps the town.
 * Ingalls Crossing – A hamlet in the southeastern part of the town.
 * North Volney – A hamlet north of Drakes Corner on Route 6.
 * Oswego County Airport (FZY) – east of Fulton.
 * Seneca Hill – A location in the northwestern corner of the town by the Oswego River.
 * Volney – The hamlet of Volney is near the center of the town and east of Fulton, New York on Routes NY-3 and 6.

Notable person

 * Horace B. Willard, Wisconsin physician, businessman, and politician, was born in Volney.

title: Volney, New York


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West Monroe, New York

West Monroe is a town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 4,252 at the 2010 census.

The Town of West Monroe is in the southeastern part of the county.

The area was first settled by non Indigenous people in 1806, when four farmers bought land from George Scriba for $2 – 2.50 per acre. Thirty-three years later, the town was established on March 21, 1839, from the town of Constantia, and by 1850 had 1197 residents.

Geography
The town's boundaries traverse Oneida Lake, with the town's southern boundary located at the mean high-water mark on the south shore of Oneida Lake.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 38.5 sqmi, of which 33.7 sqmi is land and 4.8 sqmi  (12.48%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 4,428 people, 1,579 households, and 1,206 families residing in the town. The population density was 131.3 PD/sqmi. There were 1,765 housing units at an average density of 52.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.38% White, 0.14% African American, 0.68% Native American, 0.34% Asian, 0.02% Pacific Islander, 0.18% from other races, and 1.26% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 0.36% of the population.

There were 1,579 households, out of which 39.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 61.9% were married couples living together, 8.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.6% were non-families. 16.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 5.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.80 and the average family size was 3.16.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 29.2% under the age of 18, 7.0% from 18 to 24, 33.2% from 25 to 44, 23.4% from 45 to 64, and 7.2% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 35 years. For every 100 females, there were 108.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $42,043, and the median income for a family was $47,019. Males had a median income of $34,306 versus $25,489 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,534. About 9.6% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 14.7% of those under age 18 and 10.8% of those age 65 or over.

Notable people

 * Hadwen C. Fuller, former US Congressman
 * Tom Murphy, professional baseball player

Communities and locations in West Monroe

 * Gulf Bridge –
 * Little France –
 * Mallory – A hamlet on the western town line.
 * Mud Settlement –
 * Toad Harbor – A hamlet on the shore of Oneida Lake.
 * Union Settlement –
 * Vorhees Corners – A hamlet on the town line in the northwestern corner of the town.
 * West Monroe –
 * Whig Hill –

title: West Monroe, New York


text:
Williamstown, New York

Williamstown is a town in Oswego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,277 at the 2010 census.

The Town of Williamstown is on the county's eastern boundary.

History
After the Revolutionary War, Williamstown did not exist until plans were made to settle west of the Hudson River. In 1791 Nicholas and John Roosevelt purchased 525,000 that covered most of Oswego, Oneida, and a small chunk of Herkimer counties known as the Roosevelt purchase. In 1794 it was then purchased by George Scriba, which then became the Scriba Patent. Scriba then broke up most of the land that he purchased into townships and given what is now Williamstown the name Franklin, Township No.5. Ichabod Comstock was the first to settle in Franklin in 1801. Judge Henry Williams relocated to Franklin from Camden, New York in 1802 and shortly after Williams came to Franklin the people renamed the town Williamstown in Williams’s honor. Williamstown became an official town after separating from Mexico, part of Oneida County at the time on March 24, 1804. Oswego County wasn’t formed until 1816.

Geography
Williamstown is bordered to the northeast by Redfield, to the northwest by Orwell, to the west by Albion, to the south by Amboy, and to the east by the Oneida County town of Florence.

According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 39.2 sqmi, of which 38.7 sqmi is land and 0.5 sqmi  (1.20%) is water.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,350 people, 449 households, and 338 families residing in the town. The population density was 34.9 PD/sqmi. There were 634 housing units at an average density of 16.4 per square mile (6.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.07% White, 0.37% African American, 0.15% Native American, 0.37% Asian, 0.30% from other races, and 0.74% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.19% of the population.

There were 449 households, out of which 43.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.9% were married couples living together, 11.8% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.5% were non-families. 19.8% of all households were made up of individuals, and 7.3% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 3.01 and the average family size was 3.41.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 34.6% under the age of 18, 9.2% from 18 to 24, 28.8% from 25 to 44, 20.0% from 45 to 64, and 7.4% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 31 years. For every 100 females, there were 95.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.5 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $31,509, and the median income for a family was $34,688. Males had a median income of $32,566 versus $21,375 for females. The per capita income for the town was $12,599. About 13.5% of families and 14.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 13.8% of those under age 18 and 13.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Williamstown

 * Checkered House – A location in the western part of the town on Route 13.
 * Happy Valley – A hamlet on the western town line, which was founded in the 1860s. Happy Valley was cleared out in the 1930s after the government decided it would be better used as a nature reserve.
 * Kasoag – A hamlet in the center of the town. Kasoag was originally an old Oneida Indian trail from Oneida Castle to the Salmon River, and many relics of the Oneida are still found in Kasoag to this day. In 1810 the first settlement of Kasoag was built by William Hamilton and the original dam he built for his saw mill still stands to this very day.
 * Maple Hill – A hamlet north of Williamstown village, Maple Hill came to be in 1860. It was created by Calvert Comstock, a prominent business man from Rome who owned a number of timber and saw mills. Between 1862 and 1863 a store, a school, and a post office were constructed on Maple Hill. From 1862 to 1970 Comstock had more track for the Williamstown & Redfield Railroad placed in, those tracks were known in that area as the “Maple Hill Railroad.” Comstock did this to support his timber contract with Rome to the Central. Eventually all the valuable timber was used up and Maple Hill was abandoned except a few farmers in the year 1876.
 * Ricard – A hamlet in the northern part of the town.
 * Williamstown – The hamlet of Williamstown is in the southeastern section of the town on Route 13.
 * Case Wall – The Case Wall, two miles north of the Town of Williamstown, was built by Jonathan Case Jr. from 1838-1880. Case Wall is a famous and historical sight. Case originally built the wall to keep travelers and passerby out of his award-winning apple orchards. Most of the stones for the Case Wall were either pulled from the roads of that day or plowed out of fields. Some of the amazing feats for this time are that the wall has no mortar or cement to hold it together; all the rocks were hand-picked and leveled off with only a chisel and a maul. Some of the stones on the Case Wall weigh as much as 300 pounds and in some places it is seven feet tall by five feet wide and in some areas it was wide enough to ride a horse and buggy on. Case Wall is also two miles long. Officials in Williamstown are working on getting the Case Wall on a national registry which would make it illegal for people to steal the flat stones of the wall which is common at this sight.

Notable people

 * Jerome Case (1819–1891), manufacturer, politician
 * George F. Comstock (1811–1892), judge, federal official
 * Chauncey S. Sage (1816–1890), state assemblyman
 * Wilbur H. Selleck (1850–1913), state assemblyman
 * Lot Smith (1830–1892), Mormon pioneer
 * Harriet Taylor Treadwell (1870–1931), educator and suffragist

title: Williamstown, New York


text:
Burlington, New York

Burlington is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,140 at the 2010 census.

The Town of Burlington is in the northwestern part of the county and is located north of Oneonta.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 45.0 sqmi, of which 45.0 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi  (0.13%) is water. An 1878 history of the county states the acreage as 27,217, with an assessed valuation of $421,450 and equalized valuation of $473,576.

North-south highway New York State Route 51 and east-west highway New York State Route 80 intersect at Barrett Corners. North-south highway county route 16 and east-west highway New York State Route 80 intersect at Burlington Green.

Butternut Creek and Wharton Creek are important waterways in the town.

History

Early settlers came from New England. Township named after Burlington, New Jersey by William Cooper and Andrew Craig, early land patent owners. At an early time the Butternut Creek was dubbed "Burlington Creek" as well but the name did not stick.

Burlington was formed from the Town of Otsego, April 10, 1792. It retained its original dimensions until 1797, when Pittsfield (and what would come to be New Lisbon) was set off. It was further diminished in area by the creation of Edmeston, in 1808.

The 1878 history describes the community of Burlington Green as having two churches, an inn that was a stage coach stop on the Cayuga Turnpike, a doctor, a general store, lawyer office, hotel, gristmill, creamery, cheese factory, two blacksmith shops, two wagon shops, a cooper and shoe shop and photography studio, but "This village at one time was a place of much more mercantile and manufacturing interest than at present, having a comb-factory, a hattery, two tanneries, an iron-foundry, a furniture-factory, three stores, two hotels, a cloth-dressing and wool carding-factory, and a card factory." The heavily textile based economy of the Butternut Valley was an influence in the number of sheep and immigrants that arrived from Scotland and established the United Presbyterian Church at Burlington Green June 8, 1835.

Notable people

 * Benjamin F. Angel, (1815–1894), born in Burlington, former ambassador of the United States
 * William Hulbert (1832–1882), Born in Burlington Flats, President of the Chicago White Stockings baseball club and the National League and member of the Baseball Hall of Fame
 * Jedediah Peck, a.k.a. "Ploughjogger", one of several Lyme. CT natives to pioneer in this town, Revolutionary War soldier, millwright, surveyor, essayist, first town supervisor and member NY State assembly, he promoted the establishment of public schools, and the abolishment of debtors' prison in NY state. Arguing in favor of rule by commoners rather than elitists he wrote: "The people can never mean to do anything that will not advance the public good, and it is only under momentary delusion that they can act wrong." Antagonist of Federalist everywhere he gathered petition signatures against the Alien and Sedition Acts, which led to his arrest by Judge Cooper and transport in open wagon in the fall of 1799, to New York City for trial. It is claimed sympathy at the sight of him convinced the weight of the New York electoral votes to be cast in favor of Thomas Jefferson. Today there are several state historical markers for Peck, one at his grave on route 80 east of Burlington Green, and two on route 20 in Richfield, commemorating his work as a millwright.
 * Parley P. Pratt (1807–1857), born in Burlington, was an early leader of the Latter Day Saint movement whose writings became a significant early nineteenth-century exposition of the Latter Day Saint faith.
 * Daniel H. Richards (1808–1877), Wisconsin legislator and newspaper editor, was born in Burlington.
 * Anna Peck Sill (1816-1889), educator; founder of Rockford Female Seminary
 * George Eaton Sutherland (1847–1899), Wisconsin legislator and judge

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,085 people, 392 households, and 301 families residing in the town. The population density was 24.1 people per square mile (9.3/km2). There were 500 housing units at an average density of 11.1 per square mile (4.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.14% White, 0.18% African American, 0.18% Native American, 0.28% Asian, 0.37% from other races, and 1.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.66% of the population.

There were 392 households, out of which 36.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 65.1% were married couples living together, 7.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 23.2% were non-families. 18.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 8.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.76 and the average family size was 3.08.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 26.5% under the age of 18, 7.7% from 18 to 24, 29.3% from 25 to 44, 22.6% from 45 to 64, and 13.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 38 years. For every 100 females, there were 103.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.6 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,823, and the median income for a family was $42,500. Males had a median income of $28,000 versus $20,667 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,184. About 7.4% of families and 11.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 11.5% of those under age 18 and 17.1% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in the Town of Burlington

 * Barrett Corners – A hamlet south of Burlington Flats on NY-51 at its intersection with NY-80.
 * Basswood Pond – Artificial lake on headwaters of the Butternut Creek built by NYS about 1961 as a day use area west of county route 16 in the north part of town. Inside Basswood Pond State Park.
 * Beverly Inn Corners – A hamlet north of Burlington Flats on NY-51.
 * Briar Hill – An elevation located east or Burlington.
 * Burlington Flats – A hamlet in the western part of the town located on route NY-51. Originally called "Walbridge Flats".
 * Burlington – The hamlet of Burlington is located on NY-80. Unofficially it is still called by its original name "Burlington Green" or simply "The Green".
 * Chapinville – A hamlet south of Burlington Flats on NY-51.
 * Cranberry Bog – Bog or valley in the southeast section of town on the headwaters of the Otego Creek.
 * Gardner Pond – A small pond located south-southwest of West Burlington.
 * Klock Hill – An elevation southwest of Burlington.
 * Methodist Hollow – A location near the southern town line.
 * Patent – A hamlet near the southeastern corner of town.
 * Pecktown – A hamlet near the northern town line. Formally referred to as Wharton.
 * Pigeon Hill – An elevation in the northeastern corner of the town. Partially in the Town of Exeter.
 * Rice Hill – An elevation east of West Burlington.
 * Round Top – A hill north of NY-80.
 * West Burlington – A hamlet near the western town line on conjoined routes NY-51 and NY-80.
 * Wharton – A historic location in the northwestern part of the town.
 * Wharton Creek – A stream flowing through the western part of the town.

title: Burlington, New York


text:
Butternuts, New York

Butternuts is a town located in Otsego County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 1,786. The Town of Butternuts is located in the southwestern part of the county, and is west of Oneonta.

History
Butternuts is generally believed to be named for three butternut (a.k.a. white walnut) trees growing from one stump that originally marked the corner of the townships of what is now New Lisbon, Pittsfield and Morris when this entire section of the county was surveyed by Richard Smith before the Revolution. Said tree was depicted as the corporate logo of the Butternuts Woolen & Cotton textile firm but was cut down by the Lull family to build their log cabin.

In 1787, Abijah Gilbert and Jacob Morris, early owners of land in the county, were among the first who settled the town, Morris giving Gilbert land of his choice as payment for his services. Ample waterpower sites allowed for many industries in addition to agriculture that benefitted by the wide fertile valley floor along the Butternut and Unadilla.

The town was established from part of the Town of Unadilla in 1796. The north part of Butternuts was annexed to form the Town of Morris in 1849, and additional territory was taken from the Town of Unadilla in 1857.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 54.1 sqmi, of which 54.1 sqmi is land and 0.02% is water.

Butternuts Creek is an important stream flowing through the town. It was named by early settlers, who noted some unusual butternut trees growing near it.

New York State Route 51 is a north-south highway in Butternuts, and was one of the first concrete-paved highways in Upstate New York, starting from Mt. Upton northwards circa 1919.

The Butternut Creek flows diagonally through the town, from Morris to the creek's confluence with the Unadilla River in the southwestern corner of the town.

Butternuts town lines

 * The northern line borders the Town of Morris in Otsego County.
 * The eastern line borders the Town of Otego in Otsego County.
 * The southern line borders the Town of Unadilla in Otsego County.
 * The western line lies along the Unadilla River, bordering the towns of Norwich and Guilford in Chenango County.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,792 people, 715 households, and 502 families residing in the town. The population density was 33.1 PD/sqmi. There were 902 housing units at an average density of 16.7 per square mile (6.4/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 97.32% White, 0.78% African American, 0.39% Native American, 0.22% Asian, 0.45% from other races, and 0.84% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.17% of the population.

There were 715 households, out of which 30.5% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 58.9% were married couples living together, 7.0% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.7% were non-families. 24.1% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.50 and the average family size was 2.98.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 25.2% under the age of 18, 5.2% from 18 to 24, 25.4% from 25 to 44, 29.6% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 94.1 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 91.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $40,536, and the median income for a family was $45,368. Males had a median income of $31,473 versus $25,446 for females. The per capita income for the town was $19,223. About 6.6% of families and 8.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 10.7% of those under age 18 and 4.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Butternuts

 * Church Corners – A location on the northern town line.
 * Copes Corner – A hamlet southwest of Gilbertsville on NY-51, most noted for a county-owned campgrounds on the Butternut Creek, once site of a proposed flood control dam that would have flooded Gilbertsville and much of the valley.
 * Filer Hill – An elevation east of Rootville.
 * Freer Corner – A hamlet east of Gilbertsville near the eastern town line.
 * Gilbertsville – The Village of Gilbertsville is located on NY-51. Listed on the historic register, it was formerly called "Butternuts."
 * Heslops Corner – A hamlet northeast of Gilbertsville located at the junction of County Highways 4 and 8.
 * Hugheston Corner – A location near the southeastern corner of the town.
 * Mallory Corner – A location near the southern town line.
 * Rootville -- A location southeast of Gilbertsville, located on County Highway 5, north of Wells Bridge, once a busy hamlet founded by Major Charles Root, a cheese manufacturer who operated many small factories around the region a century ago.
 * Toll Corner – A hamlet east of Gilbertsville on County Highway 8.

Notable people

 * Winchel Bacon: abolitionist farmer and teacher who served in the Wisconsin State Assembly – farmed and taught in Butternuts, and married a local girl, before moving to Wisconsin
 * Samuel B. Garvin: lawyer, judge, United States Attorney and New York County District Attorney – native of Butternuts
 * Jared Comstock Gregory: mayor of Madison, Wisconsin and thrice Democratic nominee for Congressman – born in Butternuts
 * Elisha Mills Huntington: lawyer, Indiana state legislator, state and federal judge, and Commissioner of the U.S. Land Office – native of Butternuts
 * Isaac Van Duzen Reeve: United States Army officer who fought in the Seminole Wars, the Mexican–American War and the American Civil War, rising to brigadier general – born a native of Butternuts, New York
 * Jesse C. Smith: lawyer, New York State Senator, and brigadier general who was a commander at the Battle of Gettysburg – native of Butternuts
 * Joseph G. Thorp: lumberman and member of the Wisconsin State Senate – born in Butternuts
 * E. C. Walker: lawyer, politician and University of Michigan regent in Michigan – native of Butternuts

title: Butternuts, New York


text:
Cooperstown, New York

Cooperstown is a village in and the county seat of Otsego County, New York, United States. Most of the village lies within the town of Otsego, but some of the eastern part is in the town of Middlefield. Located at the foot of Otsego Lake in the Central New York Region, Cooperstown is approximately 60 mi west of Albany, 67 mi southeast of Syracuse and 145 mi northwest of New York City. The population of the village was 1,794 as of the 2020 census.

Cooperstown is the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum. The Farmers' Museum in the village opened in 1944 on farmland that had once belonged to James Fenimore Cooper. The Fenimore Art Museum and Glimmerglass Opera are also based here. Most of the historic pre-1900s core of the village is included in the Cooperstown Historic District, which was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1980; its boundaries were increased in 1997 and more contributing properties were identified.

Native American use
Before European colonization, Iroquois Indians inhabited the area around the village and Otsego Lake. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk or Oneida word meaning "place of the rock", referring to the large boulder near the lake's outlet, today known as "Council Rock". It is a large boulder whose top is above the water's surface and can be seen from shore. It is believed to have been a meeting place for Native Americans prior to the American Revolutionary War. A small parcel of land near Council Rock was presented to the Village of Cooperstown in 1957, on the condition that it remain open to the public as a park.

Settlement
The village was developed within part of the Cooper Patent, which William Cooper – who later became a county judge – purchased in 1785 from Colonel George Croghan, former Deputy to Sir William Johnson, British Superintendent of Indian Affairs of the Northern District. The land amounted to 10000 acre. William Cooper founded a village on Otsego Lake. His son, James Fenimore Cooper, grew up in the frontier town. He later became a noted American author with The Leatherstocking Tales, a series of novels that includes The Last of the Mohicans.

Cooper established the village of Cooperstown in 1786, laid out by surveyor William Ellison. At the time, the area was part of Montgomery County. It was incorporated as the "Village of Otsego" on April 3, 1807. The name was changed to "Village of Cooperstown" June 12, 1812, after the founder. William Cooper was appointed as a county judge in the late 18th century and was elected to the state assembly from Otsego County.

Cooperstown is one of only twelve villages in New York still incorporated under a charter, the other villages having incorporated or re-incorporated under the provisions of Village Law.

Cooperstown today

Cooperstown is best known as the home of the National Baseball Hall of Fame and Museum, which was founded in 1939 by Stephen Carlton Clark. According to an interview conducted in 1906 by the Mills Commission, nearby resident Abner Graves attributed the game's invention to his deceased friend, Abner Doubleday. Graves stated that Doubleday invented baseball on a cow pasture within the village in 1839, the present site of Doubleday Field, but this claim is universally discounted by baseball historians.

Once known as the "Village of Museums", until the 1970s Cooperstown also boasted the Indian Museum (adjacent to Lakefront Park), The Carriage and Harness Museum (displaying a world-class collection primarily from F. Ambrose Clark's estate; now the Bassett Hospital offices on Elk Street), and The Woodland Museum near Three Mile Point. The latter, opened in 1962 by heirs to the Anheuser-Busch company, folded in 1974. It ran a close third in annual attendance to the Hall of Fame and Farmers' Museum.

The Cooperstown Historic District, Glimmerglass Historic District, Middlefield District No. 1 School, Fly Creek Historic District, Otsego County Courthouse, and United States Post Office are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

Business district
Superficially, the downtown commercial district looks not unlike it did in the 1970s. It has undergone significant change since the late 20th century.

Through the 1970s, Main Street was still home to at least five grocery stores, including an A&P. Western Auto had a branch on Main Street and J.J. Newberry's had built, in 1960, a two-story five-and-dime with a fountain and lunch counter. Smalley's, a stage theater converted into a movie theater, had a single screen across from a Farm & Home store. With its post office, library, and the Baseball Hall of Fame, Main Street resembled a true village square.

Today, the village has fewer traditional services for year-round and seasonal residents. Once boasting half a dozen gas stations, the village now has two. Traditional grocers have been reduced to one, and in 1977 Great American was built on the outskirts of town, replacing the town's bowling alley. Most Main Street shops now cater to the tourist trade and feature gifts and souvenirs.

The Cooperstown Chamber of Commerce, established in 1917, looks to develop business and trade in the Cooperstown region. Serving also as a visitor center in its main office, the Chamber also manages a seasonal kiosk on the corner of Main and Pioneer St for tourists.

Cooperstown was formerly served by the Cooperstown Municipal Airport, which was a two-runway facility fewer than two miles to the northwest of town center. That field closed in the 1960s. The village is now served by a small grass field in nearby Westville and a larger paved one-runway facility in Oneonta.

Sister city
The sister city of Cooperstown is Windsor, Nova Scotia. This is due to Windsor's claiming to be the birthplace of ice hockey and Cooperstown at one time being considered to be the birthplace of baseball.

Geography and climate
According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.6 sqmi, of which 1.5 sqmi is land and 0.04 sqmi (2.53%) is water.

The source of the Susquehanna River is in Cooperstown at the outlet of Otsego Lake. Blackbird Bay of Otsego Lake is north of the village.

The junction of New York State Route 28 and New York State Route 80 was constructed at Cooperstown. The village is also served by County Routes 31 and 33.

Climate

Cooperstown has a humid continental climate (Dfb), with cold, very snowy winters, warm summers, and abundant precipitation year-round. Freezing temperatures have been observed in every month of the year, except for July. The record low temperature is -34 F, set on February 9, 1934, and the record high temperature is 99 F, set on July 9 and 10, 1936.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,032 people, 906 households, and 479 families residing in the village. The population density was 1,317.5 PD/sqmi. There were 1,070 housing units at an average density of 693.8 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the village was 96.21% White, 0.94% African American, 0.10% Native American, 1.62% Asian, 0.34% from other races, and 0.79% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 2.31% of the population.

There were 906 households, out of which 23.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 41.9% were married couples living together, 8.7% had a female householder with no husband present, and 47.1% were non-families. 41.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 19.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.05 and the average family size was 2.83.

In the village the population was spread out, with 20.2% under the age of 18, 5.4% from 18 to 24, 24.7% from 25 to 44, 22.8% from 45 to 64, and 26.9% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 45 years. For every 100 females, there were 81.4 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 76.8 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $36,992, and the median income for a family was $50,250. Males had a median income of $39,625 versus $20,595 for females. The per capita income for the village was $26,799. About 5.0% of families and 10.2% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.5% of those under age 18 and 5.4% of those age 65 or over.

Annual cultural events
The Baseball Hall of Fame Induction Ceremony is a yearly ceremony where inductees are officially added to the Hall of Fame. In 2020, the ceremony was cancelled due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

The internationally noted Glimmerglass Festival is closely associated with Cooperstown. Founded in 1975, the company originally performed in the Cooperstown Junior/Senior High School auditorium. In 1987, the company relocated to farmland donated by Tom Goodyear of the Cary Mede Estate 8 mi north of the village, where the Alice Busch Opera Theater was built, the first new opera-specific hall in the United States built since 1966. It has a popular summer season with a reputation for producing high quality opera and commissioning new works.

Tourism
The Baseball Hall of Fame is the main site of the village, and has been attracting baseball fans since 1939. According to the Hall of Fame, 260,000 tourists visit the museum each year, with over 17 million total visits.

Other attractions include the Farmers' Museum, the Fenimore Art Museum and its library, and the Clark Sports Center, a large fitness facility, where the annual Hall of Fame Induction is held. Also close by to the village is the Fly Creek Cider Mill and Orchard located in the hamlet of Fly Creek, and the Brewery Ommegang located south of Cooperstown.

Sports
The Clark Sports Center is an 110,000 sqft recreational center with 17 acre of outdoor fields established in 1986. The Hall of Fame induction is held annually at the center. The facility was renovated and expanded in 2013.

Cooperstown retains a close connection with the baseball world, and "Cooperstown" has become synonymous with the Hall of Fame. Several nationally recognized tournaments are held in the area. Cooperstown Dreams Park in nearby Hartwick Seminary hosts 104 level U12 teams for weekly tournaments in the summer. Several professionals, including David Price and Matt Garza, have attended CDP. In 2010, Cooperstown got an official baseball team of its own, the Cooperstown Hawkeyes, a Perfect Game Collegiate Baseball League team who play against many other teams from the northeast during the summer, with home games played at historic Doubleday Field. In 2014 the team was voluntarily suspended from the league.

Notable people
Notable historic year-round or summer residents of Cooperstown included:

 * Kenneth Bainbridge — physicist, contributor to the Manhattan Project
 * Erastus Flavel Beadle — pioneer in publishing pulp fiction, in particular creating the dime novel
 * F. Ambrose Clark — equine sportsman, philanthropist, art collector
 * Robert Sterling Clark — philanthropist, racehorse owner, art collector
 * Stephen Carlton Clark — philanthropist, art collector
 * James Fenimore Cooper — grew up here and lived here as an adult, novelist of the New York frontier
 * William Cooper — founder and politician
 * Michaela Dietz — actress
 * John A. Dix — Civil War general and political leader
 * Abner Doubleday — Civil War officer and supposed inventor of baseball
 * Bud Fowler — baseball player and member of the National Baseball Hall of Fame
 * Lauren Groff — writer and novelist
 * Kevin Guilfoile — author of Cast of Shadows and The Thousand
 * Samuel F. B. Morse — inventor, painter
 * Samuel Nelson — Associate Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court
 * Thurlow Weed — newspaper publisher and Whig and Republican Party politician

Cooperstown writers
Aside from James Fenimore Cooper, noted Cooperstown authors include his daughter Susan Fenimore Cooper, the author of Rural Hours, and his great-great-grandson Paul Fenimore Cooper, author of Tal: His Marvelous Adventures with Noom-Zor-Noom (1929, 1957, 2001).

Other writers include modern author Lauren Groff, who has written extensively about her hometown, notably in The Monsters of Templeton, a story that brings several Cooperstown legends to life.

The work of Cooperstown-based novelist and poet Marly Youmans has referred to the area, notably in her epic poem Thaliad (2012), in which a group of child survivors of an apocalypse travel north and make their new home in an abandoned village on the shore of Glimmerglass Lake. '

The Clark family

The Clark family, whose fortune originated with a half-ownership of the patent for Singer Sewing Machine, have lived in Cooperstown since the mid-19th century. The family's holdings include interests assembled over a century and a half, which are now held through trusts and foundations. Their dominance is reflected in Clark ownership of more than 10000 acre of largely undeveloped land in and around greater Cooperstown.

In the village, the Otesaga, the Cooper Inn, Clark Estates, and the Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home are all Clark properties. In addition, the Clarks were founding partners of, and retain an interest in, the Baseball Hall of Fame and the Mary Imogene Bassett Hospital.

Cooperstown still receives support from the Clark Foundation, which has donated to a variety of causes including various scholarships, non-profit organizations, and village services. The family has also donated land for the Cooperstown Central School District's new high school location − formerly horse stables − as well as for parks such as Fairy Springs and Council Rock, and recently, for a new Little League baseball field.

Jane Forbes Clark II, the primary family heir today, has continued this commitment. She has purchased strategic land to ensure the preservation of village entry points, as well as overseeing the expansion of the various Clark holdings.

In late November 2013, Clark discussed her family's continued support for the community during a meeting of The Women's Club of Cooperstown. The Clark Foundation supports a variety of Cooperstown and Otsego County organizations and causes with donations of $7.5 million to charitable organizations every year. The family's Scriven Foundation, formed in 1975, donates to only Otsego County nonprofit organizations, such as the Cooperstown Village Library. The Scriven Foundation donates $1.5 million every year. According to Clark's presentation, the family's businesses employ 4,198 people, with 3,100 of those positions being full-time jobs.

Schools
The Cooperstown Central School District has two buildings located in the town. The Elementary School is located at 21 Walnut Street. It was built in the 1950s and was designed with a bomb shelter in the basement. The Cooperstown Junior/Senior High School was built in 1970 at 39 Linden Avenue, on land donated by the Clark family. The school district offices are located in the high school building.

Architecture

There are, and were, significant residential, commercial, and religious structures in Cooperstown. Original residences related to the founding Cooper family, such as Edgewater and Heathcote, are still standing. Otsego Hall, James Fenimore Cooper's residence which once stood in what is now Cooper Park, has been lost, along with his chalet. Byberry, the cottage built for his daughter, remains on River Street, albeit in altered form.

"Fynmere", a grand stone manor from the early 20th century, erected by Cooper heirs on the eastern edge of town, was designed by noted architect Charles A. Platt. Later donated to the Presbyterian Church as a retirement home, the property was razed in 1979. Both its grounds and those of neighboring property Heathcote (extant today), built for Katherine Guy Cooper (1895–1988), daughter-in-law of James Fenimore Cooper III, were laid out by noted landscape architect Ellen Biddle Shipman.

Residences, business, and properties related to the Clark family abound within the village. From the original family seat of "Fernleigh" to the 1928 Georgian manor of "West Hill", the properties are exceptionally well cared for. Fernleigh is a Second Empire stone mansion designed by New Jersey architect James Van Dyke and built in 1869. The original garden at Fernleigh, located to the south of the mansion, included a servants' house and Turkish bath; both details have since been lost. In 1923, Stephen C. Clark, Sr. commissioned Marcus T. Reynolds and Bryant Fleming, a landscape design professor at Cornell University, to design new gardens for Fernleigh.

The manor home of Robert Sterling Clark, Red Creek Farm, remains on the outskirts of the Village. His brother F. Ambrose Clark's "Iroquois Farm" manor house was razed in the early 1980s. Also razed in 1979 was the Mohican Farms manor house, owned by the Clark Estates, in Springfield Center, New York. It was formerly the summer home of the Spaulding sporting good family from Buffalo.

Edward Severin Clark built a farm complex at Fenimore Farm in 1918, which has been adapted as the Farmers Museum. His stone manor, built in 1931, was bequeathed to the New York State Historical Association and today serves as the Fenimore Art Museum.

Other structures, such as the Baseball Hall of Fame, The Otesaga Hotel, Clark Estate Office, Kingfisher Tower, which lies on the east side of Otsego Lake, Bassett Hospital, and The Clara Welch Thanksgiving Home, exemplify Cooperstown's architectural wealth.

The Bowers family "Lakelands" manor, neighboring "Mohican Lodge", and their former estate of "Willowbrook" (1818; presently the Cooper Inn) serve as further examples of grand homes erected by affluent residents. The Bowers family received the land patent extending from current-day Bowerstown to very near Cherry Valley, New York, upon which Congressman John Myer Bowers built Lakelands in 1804. Woodside Hall, on the eastern edge of the village proper, was built c. 1829 by Eben B. Morehouse and was subsequently owned by several prominent individuals, including, in 1895, financier Walter C. Stokes of New York City. Prior to the Stokes' ownership, the home was visited by Martin Van Buren, the eighth President of the United States.

The village offices and Cooperstown Art Association are housed in a neo-classical building designed by Ernest Flagg. He is famed for Manhattan's 47-story Singer Building and the Boldt Castle on the St. Lawrence River. The Cooperstown building was originally commissioned by Elizabeth Scriven Clark in 1898 as a YMCA. Her son Robert Sterling Clark gave it to the village in 1932 during the Great Depression.

Several prominent buildings in town were designed or updated by noted architect Frank P. Whiting, who originally worked under Ernest Flagg. A resident of New York City and Cooperstown, Whiting was also a noted artist. He designed the Farmers Museum farm buildings and the shingle-style manor at "Leatherstocking Falls Farm", the residence of Dorothy Stokes Bostwick Smith Campbell, the landscaping for which was done by the all-female firm of Wodell & Cottrell in the 1930s. Whiting also designed 56 Lake Street. In 1932 Whiting designed and built his residence, "Westerly", on a half-acre lot at the north end of Nelson Avenue. The home is in the Colonial style and today retains many interior and exterior features of the original home. In June 1923 Whiting wrote a featured monograph "Cooperstown in The Times of Our Forefathers" for volume IX of the White Pine Series of Architectural Monographs containing several sketches and measured drawings of homes in Cooperstown.

In 1916, financier William T. Hyde acquired "Glimmerglen", a lakeside property north of Fenimore Farm, from the Constable family. The house burned to the ground shortly thereafter and was rebuilt by society architect Alfred Hopkins, who also designed a new farm complex, gate house, and assorted dependencies. The estate was featured in a multipage advertisement in Country Life magazine in late 1922 when the property was put up for sale. The manor and greenhouses were razed in the late 1960s after their acquisition by the Clark family. The stone gatehouse, featured in the Architectural Record is extant today and owned by the Clark Foundation, as is the boathouse and the distinctive cottage known as "Winter House".

title: Cooperstown, New York


text:
Decatur, New York

The Town of Decatur is located on the eastern border of Otsego County, New York, United States. As of 2020 census, the population was 374, up from 353 at the 2010 census. It is named after the popular early-American naval hero Stephen Decatur.

History
Early settlers began arriving in 1790, settling at the present Decatur village. Decatur was formed from part of the Town of Worcester in 1808. Its surface is hilly, broken by narrow valleys. The principal streams are Oak and Parker Creek, a tributary to the Schenevus. The first settlement was made in 1790 by Jacob Kinney near the present village of Decatur. The first merchant in the town was Nahum Thompson, who was a member of the assembly in 1844. The first supervisor was David Tripp, and the first town clerk was Lemuel Fletcher. Samuel Turber taught the first school in about the year 1798. The first grist mill was erected by John Champion, the grandfather of S.B. Champion, editor of the Stamford Mirror. James Stewart built the first carding mill.

Jacob Brown and his son Jacob came from Columbia county in 1787. Nathan and Gardner Boorn were early settlers. Amos, a son of Gardner, was supervisor for six years. The brothers Elisha, John and Samuel Waterman, came from Norwich, Connecticut, soon after the Revolution. From Elisha was descended Lewis Edson Waterman, inventor of the "Waterman Ideal Fountain Pen", who was born in Decatur in 1837, and died in Brooklyn, New York in 1900.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 20.8 sqmi, of which 20.6 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi  (0.87%) is water.

The eastern town line is the border of Schoharie County.

Notable people

 * John Van Voorhis, former US Congressman
 * Bruce Ritter, Roman Catholic Priest and former Franciscan friar, founder of Covenant House

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 410 people, 158 households, and 117 families residing in the town. The population density was 19.9 people per square mile (7.7/km2). There were 281 housing units at an average density of 13.6 per square mile (5.3/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 98.78% White, 0.24% African American, 0.24% Asian, 0.49% from other races, and 0.24% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.46% of the population.

There were 158 households, out of which 29.1% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 66.5% were married couples living together, 4.4% had a female householder with no husband present, and 25.9% were non-families. 19.6% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 2.99.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.9% under the age of 18, 6.1% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 29.0% from 45 to 64, and 17.3% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 42 years. For every 100 females, there were 115.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 105.3 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $29,896, and the median income for a family was $38,125. Males had a median income of $29,219 versus $21,458 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,541. About 2.6% of families and 4.4% of the population were below the poverty line, including 7.8% of those under age 18 and none of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Decatur

 * Algerine Hill – An elevation south of Furnaceville.
 * Bear Swamp Pond – A small pond on the northern town line.
 * Decatur – The hamlet of Decator is located at the junction of County Roads 37 and 39 and Decatur Creek.
 * Elliot Hill – An elevation east of Gothicville.
 * Furnaceville – A hamlet in the southeastern part of the town.
 * Gothicville – A hamlet in the northeastern part of the town on County Road 38.

title: Decatur, New York


text:
Edmeston, New York

Edmeston is a town located in Otsego County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a total population of 1,826.

The Town of Edmeston is at the western county line. Edmeston is also the name of the largest hamlet in the town. The town is south of Utica.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 44.6 sqmi, of which 44.5 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi  is water. The total area is 0.11% water. The major water features are:
 * The Unadilla River, which forms the entire western border of the town,
 * Wharton Creek, which meanders to the south and west through the southeastern corner of the town,
 * Mill Creek, which flows from north to south from the northern border of Edmeston to the Wharton Creek at the Edmeston hamlet.
 * Summit Lake in the northeastern corner of the town.

The elevation of the town varies by approximately 800 ft: from just under 1100 ft above sea level at the Unadilla River in the southwestern corner of the town, to just over 1900 ft at peaks near Taylor Hill and Summit Lake in the northeastern corner.

New York State Route 80 passes through the southeastern part of the town.

History
The town of Edmeston, in Otsego County, extends to the west as far as the Unadilla River, a line that was established by the 1768 Treaty of Fort Stanwix between the British and the Iroquois, negotiated by Sir William Johnson. The town's name came from the brothers, Robert and William Edmeston, who had been granted 10,000 acre of land in what is now the northwest corner of the town. The hamlets of West Edmeston and South Edmeston are situated in the Unadilla Valley, while the hamlet of Edmeston lies in the Wharton Valley. Earlier settlers came from New England; for most of the settlers, it was planned as a stopover on their way west. A strong Baptist influence came with the settlers. Universalists, Methodists and Roman Catholics soon arrived.

The town was established from the Town of Burlington in 1808.

Dairy farming has historically been the main business of the area. Cheese factories, creameries, livery stables, blacksmith shops, and tanneries were created to support the dairy industry. One room schoolhouses were scattered throughout the town. By damming the creeks, power was created for foundries and mills. Hop growing and maple syrup production were seasonal occupations. Each of the town's communities developed business districts and became self-sufficient. The last spike of the Edmeston branch of the Ontario & Western RR from New Berlin, was driven at Edmeston in January 1889, but a rumored extension to Richfield Springs was never built. Then cars, buses and trucks arrived on the scene. Dams were washed out and electricity became available. The hamlets evolved into bedroom communities. The one room schoolhouses closed and the Central School was developed in the hamlet of Edmeston.

Today residents go in all four directions for employment. NYCM Insurance not only provides positions for many of the locals but also for hundreds that commute into the community each day. On the eastern side of the town is the Pathfinder Village (home for Down syndrome residents) that provides more employment.

The population of the town has not increased much through the years. It still remains largely rural. Organizations like the local Rotary Club, American Legion and Fire and Emergency Squads have active volunteers that provide community needs in lieu of governments in the hamlets. Edmeston Central School is the center of activities.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, the town of Edmeston contained:
 * 1824 people,
 * 658 households, and
 * 480 families.

The population density was 40.9 PD/sqmi.

There were 821 housing units at an average density of 18.4 per square mile (7.1/km2).

The racial makeup of the town was:
 * 98.14% White
 * 0.44% African American
 * 0.27% Native American
 * 0.05% Asian
 * 0.00% Pacific Islander
 * 0.44% of races other than the above
 * 0.66% of two or more races
 * 0.99% Hispanic or Latino of any race

There were 658 households, out of which:
 * 34.2% had children under the age of 18 living with them.
 * 62.2% were married couples living together.
 * 8.1% had a female householder with no husband present.
 * 26.9% were non-families.
 * 22.5% of all households were made up of individuals.
 * 12.2% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older.
 * The average household size was 2.65.
 * the average family size was 3.06.

The spread of the population of Edmeston was:
 * 27.1% under the age of 18
 * 6.3% from 18 to 24
 * 28.6% from 25 to 44
 * 23.5% from 45 to 64
 * 14.5% who were 65 years of age or older

Edmeston population distribution (2000 Census)
 * (*) percent of total population (all ages)
 * (**) percent of population in age bracket

The median age was 37 years.

For every 100 females, there were 100.0 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.6 males.

In the town of Edmeston, median income:
 * per household was $36,800,
 * per family was $41,510,
 * per male was $27,546,
 * per female was $21,089.

The per capita income for the town was $17,507.

13.6% of the population and 8.3% of families were below the poverty line.

Out of the total people living in poverty,
 * 18.3% of those under the age of 18 and
 * 7.5% of those 65 and older were living below the poverty line.

Communities and locations in Edmeston

 * Amblers Crossing – A hamlet south of Edmeston village.
 * Edmeston – The hamlet of Edmeston is in the southern part of the town on NY-80.
 * Manchester Crossing – A hamlet east of South Edmeston.
 * North Edmeston – A hamlet located north of Edmeston.
 * South Edmeston – A hamlet at the western town line near the Unadilla River at the junction of County Roads 18 and 20.
 * Summit Lake – A small lake in the northeastern part of the town.
 * West Edmeston – A hamlet near the western town line, located next to the Unadilla River, partially in the Town of Brookfield.

title: Edmeston, New York


text:
Exeter, New York

Exeter is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The town is located in the northern part of the county. The population was 987 at the 2010 census. It is named after the county town and cathedral city of Exeter in England.

History
The name Exeter derives from the city of Exeter in Devon, England.

John Tunnicliff purchased 12000 acre of a patent that included the town from David Schuyler and others in 1756, but had to abandon attempts to settle the town until after the French and Indian War.

The first settlements were made around 1769 near Angel Hill. The town was formed from the Town of Richfield in 1799.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 32.7 sqmi, of which 32.1 sqmi is land and 0.6 sqmi  (1.75%) is water.

The eastern town line borders, in part, Canadarago Lake. Wharton Creek flows down the western side of the town. Angel Hill is an elevation near the southern town line.

New York State Route 28 is a north-south highway near the eastern town line, and New York State Route 51 is a north-south highway near the western town line.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 954 people, 373 households, and 280 families residing in the town. The population density was 29.7 PD/sqmi. There were 542 housing units at an average density of 16.9 per square mile (6.5/km2). The racial makeup of the town was 96.44% White, 1.57% African American, 0.73% Native American, 0.42% Asian, 0.42% from other races, and 0.42% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.15% of the population.

There were 373 households, out of which 31.4% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 62.7% were married couples living together, 9.9% had a female householder with no husband present, and 24.9% were non-families. 20.4% of all households were made up of individuals, and 11.0% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.56 and the average family size was 2.94.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 22.9% under the age of 18, 8.3% from 18 to 24, 24.9% from 25 to 44, 29.4% from 45 to 64, and 14.6% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 41 years. For every 100 females, there were 100.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 104.4 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $36,607, and the median income for a family was $41,184. Males had a median income of $27,083 versus $20,855 for females. The per capita income for the town was $15,599. About 8.4% of families and 12.3% of the population were below the poverty line, including 20.7% of those under age 18 and 9.9% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Exeter

 * Angel Hill – An elevation near the southern town line.
 * Brainard Corners – A hamlet west of Exeter hamlet on County Road 22 at the junction of County Road 19.
 * Exeter (or Exeter Center) – A hamlet located near the center of the town on County Road 22.
 * Exeter Corner – A location south of Exeter hamlet.
 * Lidell Corners – A hamlet in the southeastern corner of Exeter on NY-28 at County Road 19.
 * Pigeon Hill – An elevation south of Exeter Center. Partially in the Town of Burlington.
 * Schuyler Lake – A hamlet near the eastern town line on NY-28 at County Road 22. Its name is derived from the former name of Canadarago Lake.
 * West Exeter – A hamlet located near the western town line on NY-51.

title: Exeter, New York


text:
Gilbertsville, New York

Gilbertsville is a village in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 399 at the 2010 census. The village is in the town of Butternuts and is west of Oneonta.

Geography
Gilbertsville is located at 42.46944°N, -75.32111°W (42.469492, −75.320980).

According to the United States Census Bureau, the village has a total area of 1.0 sqmi, all land.

Gilbertsville is located on New York State Route 51 (Marion Avenue) and is also served by County Highways 4 (Cliff Street and Bloom Street) and 8 (Vale Street).

Gilbertsville is located by the Butternut Creek.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 375 people, 164 households, and 103 families residing in the village. The population density was 374.0 PD/sqmi. There were 196 housing units at an average density of 195.5 /sqmi. The racial composition of the village was 96.27% White, 0.80% African American, 0.80% aboriginal American, 0.27% Asian, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.

There were 164 households, out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 years living with them, 51.8% were married couples living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were composed of individuals, and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88.

In the village, the population was spread out, with 24.3% under the age of 18 years, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females, there were 78.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.1 males.

The median income for a household in the village was $39,000, and the median income for a family was $46,667. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $26,500 for females. The per capita income for the village was $19,119. About 3.2% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.

Early history
The village was the first settlement in the town, named after landowner Abijah Gilbert of Nuneaton, England, father of the United States Senator from Florida, also named Abijah Gilbert.

Disputes about damming Butternut Creek
According to the article "Goliath Met David on the Banks of the Butternut Creek," by Leigh C. Eckmair, for much of the 20th century, the Village of Gilbertsville lived under threat of destruction by a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flood control project. A dam of the Upper Susquehanna Rivershed Project was to be built on the lower Butternut Creek at a spot called Cope's Corners. This dam was to flood the valley behind it, including the village of Gilbertsville, to create a three-mile long lake. Residents had been watching in horror over the years as communities in the nearby Catskills had become victims of similar projects and had vowed not to let it happen to their small village.

The dam project, originally proposed prior to World War I, met with very strong local opposition every time it was reintroduced. Delayed due to World War I and the Great Depression, the project was reintroduced in 1935 following a flood which did millions of dollars of damage to communities in eight southern tier counties in upstate New York. Funding was appropriated, but the project was delayed because of World War II.

In the early 1950s, the Village of Gilbertsville was again endangered when the U.S. Congress reauthorized funding for the project. A locally-organized protest began to call attention to the negative aspects of the project on a state and federal level. The protest was very active from the 1950s through the 1970s.

During this time, several important studies of Gilbertsville and Butternut Valley architecture were compiled. These studies called attention to the fact that a number of well known architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had been responsible for the design, building and renovation of many attractive village structures. As a result, a number of architectural scholars became involved in protesting the dam project which would destroy this legacy. From that effort came the suggestion that several structures in the center of the village be nominated to the new Department of the Interior's National Register of Historic Places. It was hoped that National Register recognition would afford some protection for the village, on the state and federal level, from the proposed dams.

The Committee for the Historic Preservation of Gilbertsville was formed to work with the N.Y. State Office of Parks and Recreation and to prepare nominations, documentation and photographs. Consultants came to inspect the nominated properties and saw that other structures and sites in the village were equally worthy of nomination. The suggestion was made that the entire village be inventoried as a complete Historic District and that the recognition of the entire village as an Historic District would be even more powerful protection from the dams.

The committee called on the community for help with the expanded project and was not disappointed. Over seven years the full committee of 19 volunteer researchers, typists, 'gofers'," and photographers prepared a total of 194 individual structural inventory reports plus reports for each cemetery, park, bridge and five additional structures just outside the village incorporation.

The committee wrote a sixteen-page pamphlet describing the importance of the Historic District, its setting and architecture, including photographs, and presented it to the congressional committee considering funding of the project.

The same committee analyzed a century's worth of weather history in the Upper Susquehanna Rivershed, documenting flooding on the lower Susquehanna River. The study found that no significant flooding occurred in the areas drained by the Butternut Creek and the Unadilla River during times of damaging floods on the lower Susquehanna River.

The combination of all these efforts was rewarded when deauthorization of funding for the complete Upper Susquehanna River Shed Project was proposed to Congress in 1979, and the threat of the construction of the dams was removed.

The National Register of Historic Places recognition of the entire village of Gilbertsville as a Historic District was awarded in May 1983.

In September 2003, a weathervane of a standing aboriginal American, Uncas, from 1902 created by J.L. Mott Company of New York City, which stood atop the Butternut Valley Grange was sold for $205,000 to Raymond and Susan Egan of Princeton, New Jersey. While replaced with a copy, the sale resulted in significant disputes on its ownership and who had the authority to sell the valuable weathervane.

Architecture
Some of the more noteworthy pieces of architecture that can be found in Gilbertsville include the following:
 * Gilbertsville Historic District – a national historic district listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974 and increased to approximately the incorporated village borders in 1982.
 * Overlook Park – This 100-year-old park sits next to a stone arch bridge surrounded by stone buildings.
 * Gilbertsville Academy & Collegiate Institute – Built in Greek Revival style in 1839, served as a school until 1935.
 * Presbyterian Church – Built in a Picturesque style in 1888.
 * Tianderah – Built in 1887 by Boston-based architect William Ralph Emerson it is a stone Romanesque Revival residence dramatically overlooking the village and complemented by a stone and shingle style stable The estate was placed on the market in July 2007 for $3 million, the highest price ever asked for a private residence in Otsego County.
 * Gilbert Block – This Neo-Tudor Style structure built 1893 – 1895, hosts shops and artists' studios. It was designed by Boston architect Henry Forbes Bigelow
 * The Gilbertsville Free Library – Built in 1818 as a school/academy, it was converted to a library by St. Louis architects Eames and Young in 1888. It was the first Free Association Library in Otsego County.
 * The Major's Inn – Started in 1896 and finished in 1917 on the site of the original Gilbert homstead which burned in 1895. The medieval English Tudor and Gothic building was commissioned by Major James L. Gilbert employing Augustus Nicholas Allen to construct it. Today it serves as a cultural center.
 * Gilbertsville Water Works – listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.

title: Gilbertsville, New York


text:
Hartwick, New York

Hartwick is a town located in Otsego County, New York, United States. As of the 2010 census, the town had a population of 2,110. The Town of Hartwick is located in the middle of the county, southwest of the Village of Cooperstown.

History
The town was named for Lutheran minister John Christopher Hartwick (1714–1796), an early landowner of the town. He bought the area (the Hartwick Patent, granted 1761) that now constitutes the township from the Mohawk Indians in 1763. Discontented with the sparsely settled communities of Palatine Germans in the Mohawk Valley to the north, which Hartwick believed made people immoral, he bought the original Hartwick Patent with the intent to build a "New Jerusalem". Hartwick tried to control development, stipulating that residents look to him as their religious superior. By the 1790s the shrewd land speculator William Cooper had sold most of Hartwick's land against his wishes.

Hartwick requested in his will that a Lutheran seminary be opened with his estate. Upon Hartwick's death in 1797, efforts to do this started but were complicated by the fact that Hartwick left his estate to Jesus Christ. The Lutheran seminary established at Hartwick in 1797 was incorporated in 1816. It moved to Oneonta after 1931 and in 1947 merged with the Hartwick College, established in 1927. The town was established in 1802 from the Town of Otsego. In 1803, the north town line was altered.

The largest commercial enterprise to occur in Hartwick was probably the Southern New York Railroad which was constructed to the town in 1901. It was supported by extensive shops, a car barn and yards on the southeast side of the village. Many of the hamlets and crossings still show architectural signs related to the trolley line nearly a century after the last passenger service.

The Hartwick Historic District, Mathewson–Bice Farmhouse and Mathewson Family Cemetery, Old Hartwick Village Cemetery, and The White House are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

People of note in Hartwick

 * William H. Bissell, born in Hartwick in 1811, later congressman and governor in Illinois.
 * Martin Grover, former US Congressman

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 40.3 sqmi, of which 40.2 sqmi is land and 0.2 sqmi  (0.45%) is water. New York State Route 205 is a north-south highway in the western side of Hartwick. Otsego Creek flows through the western part of Hartwick. The Susquehanna River defines the eastern town line.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 2,203 people, 850 households, and 601 families residing in the town. The population density was 54.9 PD/sqmi. There were 1,098 housing units at an average density of 27.3 /sqmi. The racial makeup of the town was 97.96% White, 0.41% African American, 0.73% Asian, 0.05% Pacific Islander, 0.23% from other races, and 0.64% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.36% of the population.

There were 850 households, out of which 36.6% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 54.7% were married couples living together, 11.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 29.2% were non-families. 24.7% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.9% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.59 and the average family size was 3.06.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 28.1% under the age of 18, 5.6% from 18 to 24, 27.0% from 25 to 44, 25.4% from 45 to 64, and 13.8% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 98.8 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 94.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $30,764, and the median income for a family was $38,889. Males had a median income of $28,529 versus $21,111 for females. The per capita income for the town was $17,473. About 9.9% of families and 13.9% of the population were below the poverty line, including 21.6% of those under age 18 and 10.7% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Hartwick

 * Arnold Lake – A lake near the southern town line.
 * Bowe Hill – An elevation located southeast of Arnold Lake.
 * Bunn Hill – An elevation east of South Hartwick.
 * Burke Hill – An elevation located west of Hyde Park.
 * Chase – A location on County Road 11 in the northeastern part of Hartwick, that once had a trolley line siding.
 * Cooks – site of another former trolley siding halfway between Chase and Summit, one of the more scenic sections of the trolley route.
 * Clintonville – A hamlet in the southeastern part of Hartwick.
 * Field Crossing – A location on County Road 11 near the northern town line.
 * Goey Pond – A lake in the southeastern part of the town.
 * Hartwick – The hamlet of Hartwick is located on NY-205 at County Road 11.
 * Hartwick Reservoir – A small lake east of Hartwick village.
 * Hartwick Seminary – A hamlet on the eastern town line, south of Hyde Park.
 * Hawkins Hill – An elevation located east-northeast of the hamlet of Hartwick.
 * Hemlock Hill – An elevation near the western town line noted for treacherous winter driving conditions.
 * Hyde Park – A hamlet on the eastern town line, south of Index.
 * Index – A hamlet on the eastern town line, south of Toddsville. Part is in the town of Otsego.
 * Jones Crossing – A hamlet south of Hartwick village on NY-205, once a siding on the Oneonta-Mohawk trolley line.
 * Perkins Crossing – A location on County Road 11 near the northern town line.
 * Scotch Hill – A location in the northwest part of Hartwick.
 * South Hartwick – A hamlet on County Road 11, south of Hartwick village.
 * Summit Crossing – A location on County Road 11 near the northern town line.
 * Toddsville – A hamlet at the eastern town line on County Road 26; partly in the town of Otsego. It was once home to a large textile mill.

title: Hartwick, New York


text:
Maryland, New York

Maryland is a town in Otsego County, New York, United States. The population was 1,897 at the 2010 census. It was named for the U.S. state of the same name. The Town of Maryland is on the county's southern border. It is northeast of the City of Oneonta.

History
The town was first settled around 1790 in the southwest part of the town. Maryland was erected from the Town of Worcester in 1808. About 1909 until 1912 an extensive lumber operation by Emmons L. Peck of Carbondale, Pennsylvania, utilizing a steam tramway straddled the county line on South Hill east of Mud Lake, shipping finished lumber from Burnsides Switch on the D&HRR. Peck's personal cabin was later dismantled and rebuilt in the hamlet of Maryland next to the present post office. During World War I, Porter Brothers contracted to build the third rail for the D&HRR "bridge line" through Maryland and Worcester to allow larger eastbound freight trains without extra locomotives to clear Richmondville Hill by an alternate route, much of which was later obliterated by I-88 construction.

Geography
According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of 51.9 sqmi, of which 51.8 sqmi is land and 0.1 sqmi (0.21%) is water. Interstate 88 and New York State Route 7 follows the east to west course of the Schenevus Creek. South Hill, an upland area, is partly in the southeastern quadrant of the town. The southern town line is the border of Delaware County.

Demographics
As of the census of 2000, there were 1,920 people, 773 households, and 531 families residing in the town. The population density was 37.1 PD/sqmi. There were 1,035 housing units at an average density of 20.0 /mi2. The racial makeup of the town was 98.80% White, 0.16% African American, 0.16% Asian, 0.05% from other races, and 0.83% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.09% of the population.

There were 773 households, out of which 29.9% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 55.1% were married couples living together, 10.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 31.2% were non-families. 24.2% of all households were made up of individuals, and 10.5% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.48 and the average family size was 2.93.

In the town, the population was spread out, with 23.7% under the age of 18, 7.6% from 18 to 24, 26.1% from 25 to 44, 27.7% from 45 to 64, and 15.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 40 years. For every 100 females, there were 99.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 97.2 males.

The median income for a household in the town was $33,821, and the median income for a family was $39,020. Males had a median income of $27,245 versus $20,898 for females. The per capita income for the town was $16,120. About 9.4% of families and 12.6% of the population were below the poverty line, including 16.0% of those under age 18 and 9.5% of those age 65 or over.

Communities and locations in Maryland

 * Chaseville  – A hamlet on NY-7 east of Maryland village.
 * Cooperstown Junction – at the southwestern corner on NY-7, where D&HRR connects with the Cooperstown and Charlotte Valley and formerly the Ulster & Delaware RR.
 * Crumhorn Mountain – An elevation partly in the town. On the mountain there is a Boy Scout Camp nearly a century old.
 * Burnsides Switch – siding on the Delaware & Hudson RR near Potato Creek Dip.
 * Dog Hill – An elevation located northeast of Maryland.
 * Elk Creek – A hamlet located on County Road 34 and Schenevus Creek near the north town line.
 * Elk Creek – A stream flowing southward to Schenevus Creek.
 * Hooker Mountain – An elevation near the northern town line.
 * Maryland – The hamlet of Maryland is located on NY-7; it once had its own firehouse, usual stores, train station, a bobbin and acid factory. It still has a post office.
 * Potato Creek Dip – west of hamlet of Maryland on NY-7, once noted for treacherous driving conditions in any season.
 * Schenevus – a hamlet north of NY-7 on County Road 34 and Elk Creek.
 * South Hill – A mountain range partly in the southern part of the town.

title: Maryland, New York