Oneonta was once a major Native American meeting place. The paths that our children play on in the parks and woods were once the highways of the Iroquois. Folsom man, the earliest American Indian to inhabit North America settled in this fertile valley and evidence has been found to suggest a Paleo-Indian culture lived here around 4,500 B.C. Four later stone age cultures have also been identified through artifacts. The Iroquois Indians found the region ideal for tribal meetings and among the Six Nations of Iroquois who settled here were Mohawks, Oneidas, Senecas and Tuscaroras. The Yager Museum's American Indian Exhibit contains some 20,000 artifacts from the collection of Willard E. Yager. Yager, a native of Oneonta, dedicated his life to studying about Native American cultures and their history in the area.
During the Revolutionary War, Otsego County was a battlefield for bloody confrontations between Patriots, British, Loyalists and Indians. In 1779 General Clinton's Continental Army passed down the Susquehanna River from Lake Otsego to join the forces of General John Sullivan, destroying most of the Indian settlements along the river as they passed. As a result of this campaign, the Indian's strength was weakened in the region and it became more accessible to settlers. In 1775, John Vanderwerker built a log cabin at the present entrance to Neahwa Park and upon returning from the war, built a saw mill and bridge on the Susquehanna in 1780. Simeon Walling, who had passed through the area with General Clinton's expedition, returned and built a log cabin on Main and Walling Streets where the Presbyterian Church stands today. More settlers moved into the area and by 1800 several log cabins had been built. In 1808, John McDonald built a second bridge, replacing Vanderwerker's, and the hamlet in the River Street area became known as McDonald's Mills.
McDonald opened a Post Office in his tavern in 1817 and the settlement was officially named Milfordville, being the southern extension of the town of Milford. Dr. Joseph Lindsey delivered the first mail on horseback on the Cooperstown-Milford-Delhi route. Because the early settlement of mostly Dutch and German origin had a reputation as a rough frontier community it acquired the nickname of Klipnockie, German for "tavern brawl." Eventually Oneonta, the Indian name meaning "place of open rocks" was settled on, probably referring to Table Rock overlooking Chestnut Street.
In 1822, Eliakin Ford came to Oneonta and became a leading figure in the town's physical and economic growth. His first project was to build a stone store on Main and Broad Streets and a stone mansion where Wilber Bank now stands. In 1834, the Charlotte Turnpike came through the village east via Chestnut and Main Streets. This shifted the center of town from the River Street area to the present business district of Main Street.
Along with Harvey Baker and Col. W.W. Snow, the first congressman from the area, Ford was greatly instrumental in the building of the Albany-Susquehanna Railroad (later the Delaware and Hudson Line). By the time tracks reached Oneonta in 1865 the town had already begun its evolution into a railroad center of national importance. In 1883, the first National BrakemanÕs Union was formed here, eventually becoming the National Transportation Union. As the railroad became Oneonta's chief industry the D&H roundhouse grew to be the largest in the world, handling 72 passenger trains a day on two steam lines and one electric line which served the community and, until the early 1950s was still in operation. By the turn of the century, Oneonta was a full-fledged rail town. The former Broad Street was lined with taverns, rooming houses and shipping companies and most of the community was employed by the D&H or railroad service industries.
At the turn of the century, cigar rolling also became an industry of some importance, with several million being hand-rolled each year. Hops and their rail transport was also big business, as was the dairy industry, with this region once yielding more milk than any other area its size in the world.
Harlow E. Bundy tested and marketed a time recorder while postmaster in Oneonta. His brother Willard's invention was subsequently used by George W. Fairchild, another native Oneontan, in his formation of Bundy Time Recorder, which later became the IBM corporation, after re-locating to Endicott. Numerous stockholders of this fledgling company greatly contributed to the wealth of this and many communities in the Upper Susquehanna Valley.
Today, Oneonta's major business settles around the Colleges, Fox Hospital and large industry, which has been on the rise in recent years and involves major employers such as Corning, Astrocom, Medical Coaches and Custom Electronics, to name a few. Arts and tourism have also seen a significant increase in employment in recent years. |
