MARCH 2005
FROM THE PRESIDENT
SPRING IS COMING...Have hope, it always arrives! As I write this, though, it really does not look anything like Spring!
BUT inside the Museum it is beginning to look different, with our new paint job in the front of the Museum and different displays already taking place!
Roberta Hudson and her husband Tim have done a beautiful job of painting the trim around the front windows, around the new door and one whole wall in the Museum. Our thanks to Roberta and Tim.
Shari Bukowski, Roberta Hudson, Doris Schulz and I have been busy doing lots of changing and rearranging of artifacts. Be sure to check us out when we re-open June 1st.
The front window has been re-done to reflect life in the Vanderbilt/Corwith Township era of long ago, so be sure to stop by to see that as it will be changing to another Township soon.
We are always looking for more artifacts to display in the Museum, so if you have any that you would like to donate for our displays, please call our Coordinator Ann Wright at the Museum (732-4568) and let her know what you have. Remember, we are in the Museum on our work day (Mondays from 9 am to 12 Noon) and you may either call or come in thru the backdoor during those times.
Looking forward to seeing you after June 1st.
GINNY
NEEDED: Your Talent Survey Immediately!
If you have not filled out and returned our Talent Survey, please do so as soon as possible. We are in the process of setting up programs for the coming year and need your input. Thanks to those of you who have already sent yours in.
2006 CALENDARS
The secrets out for the 2006 Otsego
County Historical Society
calendar! We are featuring the schools of Otsego County and you
won’t want to miss this calendar! It is guaranteed to bring back many
memories for you. The advertising group will be contacting some of you
for your ad to help defray our cost of printing the calendar.
MEMBERSHIP
New membership forms will be coming to you soon and the Membership Chairperson, Maureen Ballenger, is working on some gift ideas for when you renew or become a member for the first time.
NOTICE
We are looking for High School Yearbooks from Johannesburg, Vanderbilt and St. Mary’s. Can you help us out??
GINNY’S GEMS
It’s alright to let your mind wander as long as you don’t lose it!
Museum Greeters
We are calling
volunteers to see if they could like to be a greeter or host in the
Museum this summer. People have been very generous with their time and
we certainly appreciate this generosity!
If you have not received a call and are interested in volunteering, please call the Museum at 732-4568 and leave a message. We will get back with you and place you on the schedule.
Host times are Monday, Tuesday, Thursday, Friday, Saturday.
Shifts are from 10:00-1:00 and 1:00-4:00 p.m.
Wednesday will be our work day so the Museum will be closed on that day of the week.
Volunteer Orientation
We
have two times for our Orientation this year. If you volunteered to be a
greeter, please attend one of these sessions:
Tuesday, May 17
from 10:00-11:00 a.m.
Wednesday, May 18 from 1:30– 2:30 p.m.
Even if you have attended the orientation before it is important that you attend. You will want to know about the new exhibits, different museum procedures, the new walking tour brochure and other changes at the Museum. The museum looks great!
One-Room Schoolhouses
Our special exhibit this year is on the one room schoolhouses of Otsego County. At one time over 40 rural schools were scattered among neighborhoods with young children. This was a special time in our history and we want to acknowledge the important part this educational system played in our county.
We
are collecting artifacts from former students and their families as well
as stories about the school days of this time. Do you have any items
that you would like to donate to the Museum that might add to the
exhibit? If so, please call the Museum and leave a message. We will get
back in touch with you.
Vanderbilt
The first settler in the Corwith Township area was Robert Menzies, who built a small house southwest of Vanderbilt in 1873. He was soon followed by a number of homesteaders. Many of these were Civil War veterans who were given preference for homestead patents in the 1870’s.
The site of Vanderbilt was established in 1875 when the Jackson, Lansing and Saginaw railroad made the decision to extend the railroad north from Gaylord. This decision meant that the railroad would be built to what is now Vanderbilt rather than through the existing village of Berryville, northwest of Gaylord. Vanderbilt grew with the anticipation of the railroad coming. In 1880 the population was listed as 50 people. Land sold from $6.00 to $30.00 an acre. The stage to Gaylord ran three times a week and cost one dollar. The village was named after Cornelius Vanderbilt, an executive of the New York Central Railroad.
The track was laid to Vanderbilt in 1881. The village grew rapidly. Virgin hard and soft woods attracted timber buyers from all over the country to the Corwith Township area. A large number of houses and commercial business were built. A two-story, four room school was built on the east side of Vanderbilt. It operated as a ten grade school. Two churches, a post office, three doctor offices, a newspaper, and library serviced the community. A drug store, a number of grocery , clothing and hardware stores, an ice house, three hotels, a blacksmith shop and a livery were among the other enterprises in the village.
Lumbering-related businesses and manufacturing plants were also found in this bustling community. The Vanderbilt Manufacturing Company made wooden bowls, some of which were shipped to New York. There was a chair manufacturing plant and a stave mill as well as sawmills in or around the village. By 1885 the village had grown to 300 residents.
The Yuill Brothers played an important role in the business community. The four brothers, John, Tom, Sam and Jim came to Vanderbilt in 1880. John and Tom formed the Yuill Brothers and were involved in lumbering, the mercantile business, farming, real estate and various other enterprises. Their central operating hub was Logan, a village located two miles south of Vanderbilt. By 1910 The Yuill Brothers were producing about 20 million feet of lumber a year. The village of Logan disappeared when the timber in the area was depleted.
With the depletion of timber, much of land was sold . Homesteaders, new arrivals in the country and displaced lumberman cleared the stumps and farmed the land. Potatoes, grain, hay, dairy and beef made up a large part of the average family farm.
Source: A Step Back in Time Volume I And II