Town of Oneonta History
Our mission is to preserve the history of the Town of Oneonta and make it available via the web for educational and research purposes.
If you are like us, you have that crate of old photos or that box of letters from your great-grandfather up in the attic. We would like to share these things, to preserve them and help create a sense of history and continuity for our local community.
If you have historical materials related to the Town of Oneonta, we are interested in taking a look! We are seeking photographs, maps, letters, stories, artifacts... anything of historical interest.
If you have an older home that we can correlate with historical images, know of "lost" gravestones or any other kinds of markers that are deep in the weeds, we would love to document that, too. Let us know!
Our objective is to make the history of the Town available online for students, teachers, researchers, or anyone curious about our roots. To do this we are scanning, photographing and transcribing materials that will then be posted on this site. We are not primarily looking for donations of historical materials (although we can discuss that if you like) but rather just want to borrow them long enough to put them online.
We are also interested in relatively recent history. If you have something good, don't discount it just because it isn't 200 years old!
We can make arrangements to pick up and return your items, or we can meet you in your home or in a public venue.
If you are thinking about other kinds of projects, like documenting cemeteries or collecting oral history from our older residents, let us know - we would like to hear about it.
About the Town of Oneonta
Location
Nestled in the foothills of the Catskill Mountains along the banks of the Susquehanna River, Oneonta is centrally located between the urban areas of Binghamton and Albany, with easy access to Interstate 88, the major east/west transportation route between Albany and western New York.
Airport
The Oneonta Municipal Airport is located three miles from the center of Oneonta.
Background
Oneonta has grown from its origins as an Indian council site to become the leading educational, cultural, business, retail, and professional center for the Tri-County area of Otsego, Delaware, and Schoharie.
Learn more about the history of Oneonta.
Employment
Oneonta contains a number of significant employers, including A.O. Fox Hospital, Hartwick College, SUNY Oneonta, the Oneonta Job Corps Center, NYSEG, Verizon, Corning Corporation, Community Bank, the ARC, NBT Bank, Astrocom Electronics, F.N. Burt Company, Custom Electronics, Ioxus, The Daily Star, Key Bank, and the Mold-A-Matic Corporation.
The retail and service sectors also employ a large number of people at major retailers such as Home Depot, Lowe's, T.J. Maxx, Hannaford, BJs, Wal-Mart, and J.C. Penney.
Economic Development
Oneonta works on a number of fronts to strengthen the local economy. These initiatives include support of the arts community, development of new housing options, and job creation and retention.
Healthcare
Oneonta is home to A.O. Fox Memorial Hospital, part of Bassett Healthcare. Founded in 1900 by Colonel Fox and dedicated to the memory of his wife Aurelia Osborn, this hospital offers a 258-bed acute care facility and nursing home with 24-hour physician staffed emergency department as well as five outreach centers and a wide range of clinical and diagnostic services.
Weather
During the summer, daytime temperatures can reach 90 degrees. Mean temperatures in July are between 70 and 75 degrees. Winters are generally cold, with an average January temperature of 18 to 25 degrees.
Climate
Climate in the Oneonta area is generally continental in character. During the summer, daytime temperatures can reach a maximum of 90 degrees. Mean temperatures in July are between 70 and 75 degrees. Winters are generally cold, the mean January temperature being 18 to 25 degrees.
Mean temperature for the growing season is between 60 and 62 degrees. The last killing frosts generally end in early May and the first frost generally appears in early October, giving the city an average growing season of 160 days. Mean precipitation for the season is between 18 and 21 inches.
Mean annual precipitation for the City is between 35 and 40 inches. Snowfall ranges from 55 to 60 inches annually. The amount of rainfall received by the City is generally adequate for industrial and domestic functions.
Wind velocities in the Oneonta area are moderate. The City receives a southerly prevailing wind from May through November, northerly in January, and westerly during the remainder.
Topography
The City of Oneonta lies in the Appalachian Uplands Province, the major physiographic province in southern New York. The topography varies from essentially flat in the Susquehanna River Valley to rolling, steep hills in the adjacent highlands. Elevations range from a low of about 1,060 feet mean sea level, in the southwest corner of the City, to more than 1,730 feet mean sea level on the hill above SUNY Oneonta.
Floodplains
Floodplains extend a distance of approximately 14,000 feet downstream from Neahwa Park. As a result, Neahwa Park and surrounding residential neighborhoods have been subject to flooding in the past. The construction of Interstate Highway 88 (I-88) has alleviated some flooding in previously prone areas by providing an artificial levee effect while exacerbating others, such as, flooding in Neahwa Park and the Sixth Ward. Construction of a levee with a removable flood wall for Neahwa Place and placement of rip-rap along the western end of Neahwa Park has aided in alleviating this problem.
The City recognizes the need to monitor construction activities within the designated floodplain. There are oversight mechanisms in place and are codified in the City of Oneonta Municipal Code in order to monitor construction activities in the floodplain. These oversight mechanisms ensure the safety of persons living in the floodplain and preserves the structural integrity of buildings in the floodplain. The City of Oneonta's regulatory parameters are identified in Chapter 34 of the Municipal Code.
Chapter 34: Flood Damage Prevention:
In passing Chapter 34, the Common Council recognized the potential and/or actual damages from flooding and erosion could be a problem to the residents of the City. The purpose of Chapter 34 is to promote the public health, safety and general welfare, and to minimize public and private losses due to flood conditions in specific areas.
Specifically, Chapter 34 makes provision for the designation of a local administrator to implement said chapter. The Chapter identifies an application process for construction in the floodplain. The applicant must submit technical and other information which describes the proposed project. Chapter 34 also identifies construction parameters for both residential and non-residential construction.
Streams
Many communities learn about their streams the hard way -- after it is polluted or depleted or poses a threat from flooding. These communities measure the value of their water resources by the amount of money necessary to restore the stream's vitality. However, there are other ways by which to recognize the value of streams and creeks. Streams affect the quantity and quality of a community's water resources, as well as contribute to the overall environmental health of a community.
A number of protected streams exist within the City of Oneonta. These streams are protected as per 6 NYCRR Parts 608 and 701. Part 608 identifies permitting procedures for stream disturbance. Part 701 identifies and defines the State of New York's Stream Classification System.
The City of Oneonta amended Chapter 72 of the Municipal Code entitled, "Garbage, Trash and Weeds" to include a new section 72.4 entitled, "No Dumping of Trash or Garbage in Rivers, Creeks and Ditches." The purpose of the ordinance is to protect the rivers and streams which regularly or periodically carry surface water runoff. Any violation of Section 72.4 is a second degree misdemeanor and punishable per the provisions of State Statutes 775.082 and 775.083.
Wetlands
Wetlands have a set of common natural functions that make them valuable resources for society. The resource values of wetlands include the protection of water quality, influencing water quality (e.g., retainage of water during dry periods, etc.), and preserving environmental health and diversity.
The City of Oneonta contains both federal and state protected wetlands. State classified wetlands are protected under 6 NYCRR Parts 663 and 664. Part 663 is entitled, "Freshwater Wetlands Permit Requirements Regulations." Part 664 is entitled, "Freshwater Wetlands Maps and Classification Regulations." The responsible regulatory authority is the New York State Department of Environmental Conservation (NYSDEC). Federal wetlands ae protected under Section 404 of the Clean Waters Act. The responsible regulatory authority is the United States Army Corps of Engineers. The most significant and commonly issued permit is Nationwide Permit Number 26.
State protected wetlands within the City are located primarily in the southern end of the City and total approximately 100 acres. These include ON-10 (located between Lower Oneida Street and the River Street Access Road), ON-7 (former site of the Oneonta Roundhouse and located south of Chestnut Street), ON-9 (between Chestnut Street and the Canadian Pacific rail yard), and parts of ON-6 (between I-88 and New York State Route 23, in the southeast corner of the City).
The most notable federal wetland within the City of Oneonta is Hodges Pond located in Neahwa Park.
Fortin Park
The flatlands and bluffs where the Charlotte Creek meets the Susquehanna River was home to Native Americans for at least four thousand years - excavations conducted by archaeologists from SUNY Albany in the early 1970s show that Native Americans repeatedly occupied the site of Fortin Park over the millenia. Food remnants, firepits, artifacts and patterns of post holes led the investigators to conclude the area was mostly used as an autumn hunting and fishing camp. Carbon-dating of remains show that it was occupied from at least 2300 BC until the local villages were burned and the people forced out of the area by General Clinton's brigade of Continental Army troops during their campaign to destroy the Iroquois in August of 1779.
After the conclusion of the war, the Young family acquired several hundred acres of land around the confluence of the creek and river - the home at the edge of the park dates from the early 1800s.
The farm operated for nearly a hundred and fifty years. The Young family mostly raised dairy cows, and of course grew hay and other crops. They sold their milk and eggs in Oneonta.
At one time the road from West Davenport to Emmons (now County Route 47) ran across the Young farm, crossing the river on a wooden bridge. Apparently a now-forgotten dispute in the 19th century between Mr. Young and the Town Fathers resulted in the rerouting of the road to its current location. A new bridge was built, and it in turn was demolished in 1932 to make way for a newer, wider one.
The farm declined after the Second World War, and in 1959 Mrs. Elise Young and her husband Albert Fortin decided to try their hand at operating an airport. They cleared acres of thornapple trees and graded a runway 125 feet wide and 2400 feet long.
The airport thrived during the 1960s and 1970s, with several instructors training students, and many local aircraft owners using the field for recreational flying, fly-in breakfasts and the like. Governor Rockefeller once flew in to F&F Airpark (as it was known) in his Beach 18.
The Fortins operated the small airport on the site of the park from 1959 to 2000. In 2000, the Town purchased the airport and made it a town park. The converted runway space features large, flat, open, grassy spaces, with pavilions, barbeques, and former aircraft hangars used for skating in the winter and available for other activities in the summer months.
Fortin Park also has a small network of trails used by walkers and local high school runners. A quiet and beautiful spot, it is a great place to hold your event, only minutes from the city of Oneonta and less than a mile from I-88 and a shopping plaza.
Fortin park is open during daylight hours year round.
