HISTORY COLUMN
By Tom Heitz |
35 Years Ago – April 1973 Advertisement – The Village Brokerage – Don K. Mayhew, Broker. Branch Office, 17 Lake Street, Richfield Springs, N.Y. Phone (315) 858-0222. Country Home – South of West Winfield, situated on an acre with garage and utility buildings. Priced at $22,000; property features 3 bedrooms, bath, modern kitchen, separate dining room, living room and den. Also, “Neat & Clean” 10-room house situated on 2 acres, 4 miles from town; includes 5 bedrooms, separate dining room, 1 and one-half baths, enclosed porch, 2-stall garage, nice yard, shade trees. Priced at only $13,500. Call today for inspection! For professional real estate service, see us today – It’s our only business. For appointment only, call licensed sales agents Judi Stone, Jeanette or Oliver Slocum, or Frank Callahan. 40 Years Ago – April 1968 The Richfield Springs Board of Education awarded bids for new school buses at their special meeting on April 9. Skinner & Damulis of Richfield Springs received a contract to provide a 30-passenger school bus for $6,971.75. Utica General Truck Company received a contract to provide a 67-passenger bus for the amount of $13,590. The bus is of the pusher variety with the engine in the rear of the bus. The board accepted a resignation from Edwin Leslie who has served as school bus driver and mechanic. He will join the U.S. Navy in the near future for service in the Seabees Division. Teacher and administrative contracts were approved and will be mailed to teaching personnel. Contract salaries are to be based on the latest salary schedule whereby a beginning teacher starts at an annual salary of $6,200. The school bus salary for regular school bus drivers starts at $1,400.
50 Years Ago – April 1958 An early morning fire Sunday destroyed 31 head of cattle and caused about $20,000 in loss to a barn and contents on the Michael Volo farm about one-quarter mile north of Columbia Center next to the Petrie-Brown Memorial Town Hall. Volo, who said the cattle were partly insured, had been to the barn about 1:30 a.m. to treat a sick cow. He said he was awakened about 2:30 a.m. by flames from the barn facing his bedroom window. A call to the Cedarville Fire Department brought its equipment to the scene. Under the supervision of Chief Harry Hopkins, the men pumped tons of water from a nearby community fire pond, but could not save the 30’ X 50’ X 30’ barn. A horse and a calf were led to safety. The rest of the cows, 24 of them milkers, died in their stanchions, refusing to be herded outside. The flaming structure, high on a hill, attracted hundreds to the scene. A 1955 tractor was hauled to safety, but badly damaged. Volo said that all milking machines and equipment were lost together with feed and hay. Volo could give no cause for the blaze.
60 Years Ago – April 1948 Richfield Grange Notes – The regular meeting of Richfield Grange was held Monday night. Reports were given of the Grange conference which was held in the Union Presbyterian Church at Oneonta. The ladies of the church served a delicious dinner to some 200 grangers. Those attending the conference from Richfield Grange were worthy master Arthur Leary, worthy secretary Agnes Leary, and worthy lecturer Ada Simmons. The program: the opening song was “Smile, Smile, Smile; reading – “Modern Hardships,” brother Albert Ames; a discussion of Communism; the recreational period featured a cracker race, brothers and sisters taking part; and a closing song.
75 Years Ago – April 1933 Advertisement – Men’s Class Dinner – Presbyterian Church – April 20, 7 p.m., Grapefruit, Celery & Olives, Turkey & Dressing, Mashed Potatoes & Gravy, Cabbage Salad, Rolls, Coffee, Ice Cream & Cakes, Cigarettes – Price: 75 cents – Professor Robert A. Polson will speak on “Where are we going and why.”
Town Topics – Supplies of the new legal beer reached Richfield Springs early last Friday morning, the amber fluid being the product of the West End Brewing Co., Utica. Local supplies had been practically all consumed by Saturday night. It sold here for 15 cents a bottle, a bottle containing less than two ordinary glasses. The beer was palatable and doubtless under the 3.2 content declared by Congress to be non-intoxicating. 100 Years Ago – April 1908 Town Topics – Our cheese factory opened April 1. Frank Miner is the head cheese maker. On account of the Hyder Factory not opening, we expect a larger patronage. Grange No. 771 will hold a maple syrup and warm biscuit supper in their lodge rooms on Friday evening. All are invited. Ten cents each is the price. Coroner Ward of Richfield Springs was called Monday morning to investigate the sudden death of an old lady residing with Mrs. Dr. Curtis. As the cause of death was apparent, no inquest was held.
Resources for this column have been provided courtesy of the New York State Historical Association Library.
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