New York Almanack

History, Natural History & the Arts

Chenango County

Shoemaking to Sewing Machines: One Central NY Cobbler’s Path to Prosperity

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Russel Crego & Son Business Card, c.1885Shoemaking was a common trade for centuries, but quickly became a casualty of the industrial revolution in the 19th century. The development of the sewing machine in the 1840s, by Elias Howe, Isaac Singer (from Pittstown, Rensselaer County, NY) and others revolutionized the textile industry.

Machines that could stitch leather for shoes soon also appeared and events like the Civil War spurred the technology on. The U.S. Army ordered thousands of machine-made boots for its soldiers. During this time, Russel Crego (1820-1892) was one New York shoemaker who made a very successful leap from making shoes by hand to selling sewing machines, not only to factories but to the home market. [Read more…] about Shoemaking to Sewing Machines: One Central NY Cobbler’s Path to Prosperity

Event Features Women’s Role In Chenango Co Cooperative Extension

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cooperative extension of chenango county womenThe Coventry Museum will host a presentation showcasing the historic circle of women leaders from 1915 to the present who helped build the Cooperative Extension of Chenango County. Attendees are asked to bring uniforms, photographs, badges, souvenirs and memories to share, if possible.

This interactive program and slide show will be presented by CCE’s Community Educator Emily Jane Anderson on Tuesday, August 30,  2016, at 6 pm, at the Community Meeting Room of the Coventryville Congregational Church, 113 County Route 27, Coventryville, NY.

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Chenango County African American Civil War Veterans

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Hannibal Molson“Thursday was a gala day for the colored people of [Norwich] and surrounding towns,” the Chenango Semi-Weekly Telegram reported on September 27, 1879. “The occasion being the reunion of the colored soldiers of the late war, under the auspices of the Rescue Hook and Ladder Company of this village.”

The African American fire company had been organized earlier that year and elected Civil War veteran Hannibal C. Molson its Foreman. The day’s program called for a dinner, a parade, and speeches in recognition of their honoree’s service followed in the evening by a meal at the Spaulding House, musical selections, and a ball at Concert Hall. [Read more…] about Chenango County African American Civil War Veterans

Sesquicentennial Observance of Battle of Cedar Creek

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Cedar Creek Battlefield Association LogoThree days before the Sesquicentennial of the Civil War Battle of Cedar Creek, Sue Greenhagen will deliver the second program in the new Madison County Civil War Series.

At 6:30 p.m. Thursday, October 16, 2014 at the Hamilton Public Library (13 Broad Street, Hamilton NY) Greenhagen will describe the October 19, 1864 battle in Middletown (Belle Grove) Virginia with particular attention to the service of the 114th Infantry Regiment which was recruited primarily from Chenango, Cortland, and Madison Counties in New York State with recruitment headquarters in Norwich NY: Companies A and H were from Oxford, Companies B and C from Norwich. Company D from Eaton, Company E from Greene, Company F from Sherburne and New Berlin, Company G from Hamilton and Brookfield, Company I from Otselic, and Company K from Cazenovia. [Read more…] about Sesquicentennial Observance of Battle of Cedar Creek

Sunday: Southern Tier Event Recalls Civil War Veteran

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04 photo 2014 imThe Coventry Town Museum Association will present its 10th Annual Civil War Commemorative event “Celebrating And Remembering The Life Of Coventry’s Immigrant Son, Private John Shaver – Stonemason, Family Man, Civil War Infantryman”, on Sunday, September 28th, on the grounds of the Coventryville Congregational Church.

This all day event honors John Shaver, ancestor of numerous descendants live throughout the Southern Tier including Chenango, Cortland and Broome counties. [Read more…] about Sunday: Southern Tier Event Recalls Civil War Veteran

George Chahoon and the Richmond Disaster

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GeorgeChahoonGeorge Chahoon, a man who lived in the North Country for 60 years, mostly in Ausable Forks, was the focus of two of the most remarkable incidents in the Reconstruction Era following the Civil War.

When the South seceded, it had named Richmond, Virginia, as its capital city. During the post-war years, appointees chosen by the military were placed in power to guide the recovery. Then in 1868 George Chahoon, a native of Chenango County, but a Virginia resident for most of his 28 years, was installed as mayor of Richmond, replacing a popular leader who had served in the position for 15 years. [Read more…] about George Chahoon and the Richmond Disaster

Roberson Museum Commemorates the Civil War

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150 years ago shots were fired on Fort Sumter off the coast of South Carolina signaling the beginning of the Civil War. A century and a half later, Roberson Museum and Science Center has assembled hundreds of objects and stories to tell the story of how that conflict affected this area in a new exhibition appropriately named The Civil War. [Read more…] about Roberson Museum Commemorates the Civil War