Production Note Cornell University Library produced this volume to replace the irreparably deteriorated original. It was scanned using Xerox software and equipment at 600 dots per inch resolution and compressed prior to storage using CCITT Group 4 compression. The digital data were used to create Cornell's replacement volume on paper that meets the ANSI Standard Z39.48-1984. The production of this volume was supported in part by the New York State Program for the Conservation and Preservation of Library Research Materials and the Xerox Corporation. Digital file copyright by Cornell University Library 1994.Clinton, New York And VicinityCLINTON HIGH SCHOOL. Building erected 1892CLINTON, NEW YORK AND VICINITY BEING A LOCAL HISTORY COMPILED BY THE CLASS IN AMERICAN HISTORY IN | CLINTON HIGH SCHOOL A. D. 1912 PRINTED BY THE COURIER PRESS CLINTON, N. Y.Co tfjt JWttnorp of Cfje jFounters of Clinton MOSES FOOTE JAMES BRONSON LUTHER FOOTE IRA FOOTE BARNABAS POND LUDIM BLODGETT LEVI SHERMANpreface * THIS volume has been written and published by the Class in American History of the Clinton High School. The object of preparing such a book is to take part in a contest which has been arranged and organized by the New York State Teachers’ Association and which is to be held in Buffalo during the Thanksgiving recess of the year 1912. This contest is open to all high schools of Central and Western New York. The reward for the best local history, written and published by the pupils of the class in American History of any high school of this section, is a valuable historical pic- ture. The work of compiling this volume has been done en- tirely by the pupils of the class in accordance with the rules and regulations governing the contest. BONNIE ELLIOTT, WILLIAM L. LEWIS, CHARLES H. HAMLIN, Editors.Contents & Condensed Chronology, Page IS Early Settlement, 14 Geographical and Climatic Advantages, 17 Industries, Past and Present, 21 Historical Places, 22 Historic Landmarks, 26 Historic Relics, 28 Important Local Events, 31 Our Hall of Fame—Biographical Sketches, 34 Local Relations to National Movements, 40 Bibliography and Principal's Certificate, 42 jftapg atrD gjuugtratfottg DRAWINGS BY M. DELIA WILLIAMS Clinton High School, Frontispiece Map of Oneida County, 18 Indian Treaty Stone, 23 Oriskany Monument, 25 Map of Town of Kirkland, 39%\st of Contributors & MILDRED A. CLARK LOUIS N. BROCKWAT 'G. WILLARD BRYANT ETHEL I. DAWES JOSEPH A. FAY JOHN A. JONES I. ELLEN KIRBY AVERY E. LORD DAVID E. POWERS ALICE C. LARKIN JAMES H. SEARLE WALTER A. SIMS HELEN E. SYKES M. FISK WILKINSON JOHN H. WRIGHT M. DELIA WILLIAMS Editing Committee BONNIE ELLIOTT WILLIAM L. LEWIS CHARLES H. HAMLINContrensetr CJronologp /*? 1786 Region of Clinton looked over by a band of Connecti- cut men. 1787 February, first settlement of Clinton. March 4th, first town meeting. April 8th, first religious service. 1788 Samuel Kirkland takes up his residence in Clinton. 1794 Founding of Hamilton Oneida Academy. 1796 Congregational Church built. 1808 Death of Kirkland. 1812 Hamilton Oneida Academy raised to the rank of a col- lege. 1815 Founding of the Clinton Grammar School. 1818 Methodist Episcopal Church founded. 1821 Universalist Society formed. 1831 First Baptist Church organized. Founding of the Clinton Liberal Institute. 1834-35 Building of the Chenango Canal. 1845 First bank opened by Orrin Gridley. 1846 Publishment of the first newspaper. 1851 Establishment of St. Mary’s (Roman Catholic) Church. 1852 Building of Franklin Iron Works. 1854 Founding of the Home Cottage Seminary. Founding of the Clinton Rural Art Society. First telegraph line through the town. 1862 St. James • (Episcopal) Church organized. 1867 Railroad established through Clinton. 1884 Waterworks built. 1887 Celebration of the Centennial of the founding of Clinton. 1892 Building of the present High School. 1901 Building of the trolley line to Utica. 1912 Celebration of Hamilton College Centennial. CHARLES H. HAMLIN.Carip Settlement & IN the fall of the year 1786 a party of Connecticut men, who were exploring the country in search of a suitable place of residence, came upon the present site of Clin- ton. Here they determined to settle. One Ludim Blodgett commenced the building of a log cabin. However, it was im- possible for them to start the settlement in the fall of the year, so they returned from whence they had come, with the intention of coming back the following spring. \ The spring of the year 1787 is marked as the time of the settlement of Clinton. Moses Foote and his three sons, Bron- son, Luther and Ira, his son-in-law, Barnabas Pond, Levi Sherman, Solomon Hovey and Ludim Blodgett were probably of the number who began the settlement. Some other was of this group, but it is not certain who he was. For this reason his name is left unmentioned. The natural leader of this band of sturdy New Englanders was the aforenamed Moses Foote. He was a tall, well-propor- tioned, rather young man of remarkable courage. For that matter, all were men of great worth, for .Connecticut did not send her weaklings to conquer the almost invincible forests. Many stories are told of the deeds of these men. As a gen- eral rule they were pious, sober citizens, who feared God, and save Him, no one. Democracy ruled supremely amongst them. They were not influenced by any logic which tended toward communism. From the very start every man looked out for himself. He had assigned to him his own little plot, from which he received his daily bread by the sweat of his own brow. However, they were always borrowing or lending help, and we are not to suppose that their brotherhood was by any means neglected. Mr. Pomroy Jones describes their first domiciles as huts constructed with crotches and poles, sided and roofed with bark, destitute of floors, doors or windows. When the log cabin commenced by Ludim Blodgett was completed, it isEARLY SETTLEMENT 15 said that it bore quite an aristocratic appearance among its more plebeian neighbors just described. The arrival of Mrs. Solomon Hovey marks the first appear- ance of a female among the settlers. For her something ex- tra had to be provided. This something was a large hollow basswood, felled by her husband, which served the purpose of a pantry, cupboard and clothespress. Soon after the settlers arrived a meeting was held, in which a sort of compact was drawn up. The original articles of this compact were written upon the margin of the pages of a pamphlet. Such was the scarcity of paper. One thing was characteristic of all of these articles. That was the im- partiality which was shown to everyone. We are led to be- lieve from reading this compact that there were none who were considered better than others. No one possessed any privileges which were not common. All were on a par. Any seven persons were vested with the right to call the proprietors or company together, and the secretary should by their application issue out a warrant for a meeting at least four days before said meeting. In all matters of debate the moderator allowed every member to have his turn of speech, provided he did it in an orderly manner. No votes were re- corded, or were binding, except when two-thirds of the mem- bers were of a mind. The religious duties were not forgotten amid the strenuous life which is natural to a new settlement. The first meet- ing or service was held at the half completed log cabin of Captain Foote (Moses Foote). This worthy gentleman offered a prayer in commencing the service. Bronson Foote, Barna- bas Pond and Ludim Blodgett composed the choir. Judging from the lung power of these gentlemen, there is little doubt but that the neighboring hills shouted back echoes, which oc- casioned many sacrilegious chatterings from the numerous squirrels. One Caleb Merrill, who resided near the place now known as Middle Settlement, acted as minister and read a sermon to the assembled body. From that day to this public worship has been appropriately observed in the village of Clinton.16 CLINTON, NEW YORK, AND VICINITY It is easy to imagine the growth of a village such as has been described. It prospered from the very first. Schools were installed in it by the score. Men have been educated here who have made a mark in the world. Our only sorrow is that those who cleared away the dense forests can not see the work which they have accomplished. If only we could ex- tend to them our hearty congratulations. In closing the writer thinks it proper to commemorate the lives of those who gave up homes of ease in a quiet and peaceful country in order to hand down to posterity a. sec- tion of the country which abounds in beauty and wholesome- ness. JOHN A. JONES.#eograpi)tc anti Citmattc &tfoantages STUDY of the map of New York will show that Clin- ton is located in the very centre of the Empire State, about nine miles southwest of Utica. The village is in the bottom, and near the mouth, of the Oriskany Valley, in the midst of a rich and diversified agricultural community. The valley, at Clinton, is about six or seven miles wide, and between seven and eight hundred feet deep. The altitude of the business section of the town is just six hundred feet. Utica, the most important railroad, manufacturing and ship- ping centre in Central New York, with its splendid facilities, is brought within easy reach of the village inhabitants by a half-hour trolley service and the trains of the New York, Ontario and Western Railroad. The New York Central, with its almost unsurpassed train service, is thus easily accessible. These commercial advantages, together with the fine natural resources, have made this locality one of the best farming dis- tricts in the State. Dairying is perhaps the leading farming industry, although it is closely followed by the culture of hops and grain. Because of these advantages Clinton has probably the most favorable location- that could be given to a place of its size and character. From the geological standpoint the location of the village is of very special interest, because it liefs in the midst of a number of classic geological formations. For instance, the village rests upon the Clinton formation, which was first studied and named here and which is now known to geolo- gists the world over. Excellent outcrops occur at the iron mines immediately east of the village, where the formation shows a thickness of over two hundred feet and consists largely of greenish gray shales, together with some lime and sandstone and a bed of red. iron ore called Hematite. This bed of iron ore is from two to three feet in thickness and lies in an almost horizontal position as a continuous layer within the shales. Mr. Charles A. Borst now has a mine in operation here andGEOGRAPHIC AND CLIMATIC 19 large quantities of the ore are daily taken out and shipped to iron furnaces, or to the nearby village of Franklin Springs where it is ground up to make red paint. Another very well known formation is the Oneida Conglom- erate, named after Oneida County, which formation outcrops', extensively between one and two miles northeast of the vil- lage. The formation consists of quartz pebbles and sand tho- roughly cemented together into a hard rock. This represents? a very ancient ocean beach deposit. Beginning at Oriskany Falls and proceeding north and northeastward through the Oriskany Valley past Clinton to Utica, the following geological formations outcrop in regular order: DEVONIAN. Oriskany sandstone. Helderberg. limestone. SILURIAN. Manlius limestone. Rondout waterlime. Cobleskill limestone. Bertie waterlime. Camillus shale. Vernon red shale. Niagara (Lockport) shale and dolomite. Clinton shale, sandstone, limestone and iron ore. ORDOVICIAN. Oneida conglomerate. Frankfort shale and sandstone. . Utica shale. These are all of marine origin, that is, they consist of ma- terials which were deposited layer upon layer upon an ocean bottom. They belong to the Paleozoic Era of the earth’s his- tory ; with the Utica shale the oldest and the Oriskany sand- stone the youngest in the above list. At the close of the great Paleozoic Era these strata were raised above sea level and tilted downward towards the southwest at the rate of forty-five feet per mile. As a result of the long erosion period of millions of years since the great uplift of the strata the valley has been carved20 CLINTON, NEW YORK, AND VICINITY out by the erosive action of the Oriskany Creek and its tribu- taries. It is because of the deep cutting in of the strata that such excellent outcrops of so many rock formations are to be found in the vicinity of Clinton. In fact, there are few places in the State where so many formations are shown in such a short distance. The vicinity of the village is also replete with glacial phe- nomena showing the former presence of the vast ice sheet over the region. The country is strewn with glacial boulders, carried here from the Adirondacks during the Ice Age. There are also many fine examples of ground moraine materials, glacial hills and glacial marks. The variety and importance of the formations found here, together with the ease with which they may be studied, show that Clinton has a splendid geological location. The climate of this locality is very variable, being almost Tree from maritime influence, which would tend to regulate it, and is especially liable to sudden and very abrupt changes of temperature. These changes are caused by barometric dis- turbances which draw in masses of air from the ocean and the south, giving rain or snow, or from the interior, whose winds are dry and cold. These disturbances occur at inter- vals of about three or four days in winter, but not so often in summer. The average rainfall for a year is between forty and forty- five inches, while the snowfall runs from sixty-two to one hun- dred eleven inches. This rain and snowfall is accompanied by fifty-seven per cent, of cloudy days, which is a very fair average of the cloudy days experienced throughout New York State. The temperature of this region for a year averages from forty-four to forty-six degrees. The first killing frost gener- ally occurs in the early part of October, while the last one usually comes in May. Thus the climate, though variable, will be seen to be favor- able to this locality and its industries, and conducive to a hardy, vigorous race. In view of these facts, Clinton may properly be said to have many fine geographic and climatic advantages. AVERY E. LORD.5tttmstfte& Jtesst anti present & MANUFACTURING ESTABLISHMENTS # Clinton Woolen Factory. Established in 1810. ^Kirkland Furnace. Company organized in 1850. ^Franklin Iron Works. Established in 1852. *The Clinton Brick Yard. , The Kirkland Creamery. Established in 1862. * Cider and vinegar mill. #01d iron ore mines. Clinton Metallic Paint Company. Swartwont Manufacturing Company. Clinton Knitting Company. Clinton Canning Company. C. A. Borst Iron Ore Mines. Clinton Saw Mill. OTHER INDUSTRIES Electric light plant. Cedarine Furniture Polish. Mineral water Springs. Farming—Hop growing, dairying, stock dealing, fruit and vegetables. G. WILLARD BRYANT. #Not now in operation.Historical places HE village of Clinton is associated with places of his- torical interest, since in its neighborhood was en- acted one of the important battles of the Revolution- ary War. At a short distance from the business section of Clinton, upon the summit of a lofty hill west of the village, may. be found Hamilton College. The history of Hamilton begins in 1793, when the University of New York State granted a charter to Hamilton Oneida Academy, named in honor of Alexander Hamilton. Samuel Kirkland, who came into this county as a missionary to the Oneida Indians, was the found- er of the institution. The corner-stone of the first building (Old South) was placed by Baron de Steuben on July 1, 1794. This institution was for the education of the Indians and the whites, but soon was compelled to increase the curriculum. Accordingly a charter was granted by the State Legislature on May 26, 1812, and the establishment became a college. The first president was Azel Backus and he has since been followed by nine other efficient men. Hamilton has the peculiarity of always having been classical. About a mile north of Hamilton College is a romantic road leading through Jupiter Hollow, in which St. Leger camped on his way from Oswego to Fort Stanwix during the Revolu- tionary War. Near the foot of College Hill, about a half-mile west of Clinton, is the treaty line between the Colonies and the Six Nations. In the year 1768 the boundaries were adjusted at Fort Stanwix between representatives of the British and the Six Nations, the Delawares, the Shawanese, the Mingoes of the Ohio and a few lesser tribes. A deed of the land to the south and east of a line running from a point just west of Fort Stanwix south through a section of the Oriskany Valley in which Clinton is located to the Susquehanna, thence up West Branch and across to Kittanning on the Al- leghany, was then duly executed to the King of Great Brit-INDIAN TREATY STONE24 CLINTON, NEW YORK, AND VICINITY ain. It was understood by the Indians that no white man was to settle west of the line agreed upon. This treaty held until after the Revolution when the territory west of the line was thrown open to settlement. Several miles to the north of Clinton is the Battlefield of Oriskany. Here St. Leger, on his way to Fort Stanwix, met General Herkimer in a struggle near the junction of the Oriskany and Mohawk streams on the sixth of August, 1777, and it is said that during the battle Herkimer received the wound which afterwards proved his death. However, the “Hero of Oriskany’’ did not leave the field, but directed the battle sitting on the ground. The British soldiers were de- feated and fell back. Nine miles to the northeast of Clinton is Utica, the former site of Fort Schuyler, named in honor of Colonel Schuyler, an uncle of General Philip Schuyler of the Revolution. Fort Schuyler was erected during the old French War. The vil- lage was not settled until after Clinton, and in the year 1793 Utica could boast of but three houses. But at the advent of the Seneca Turnpike in 1800 Utica commenced and has contin- ued a steady and healthy growth. About fourteen miles from Clinton is the city of Rome, the site of old Fort Stanwix, of Revolutionary fame. Fort Stan- wix was erected in the year 1758, during the French War. It occupied a position commanding the navigable waters of the Mohawk and Wood Creek, and was regarded as the key to communications between Canada and the settlements of this neighborhood. General Schuyler, who was in command of this section in Revolutionary times, just before the arrival of St. Leger sent Colonel Dayton to repair the ruins of Fort Stanwix, but he did little, and General Peter Gansevoort was sent in his place. St. Leger besieged the Fort August 3, 1777, with an army which greatly outnumbered the garrison of the Fort. Soon after, hearing that Arnold was coming with a large number of men, the British Army fled to Can- ada, having been deceived about this by “Honyost ” Schuyler and some Indians who were aiding the patriots. It was here also that the first American Flag was raised. JAMES H. SEARLE,ORISKANY BATTLEFIELD MONUMENThistoric ILantimarfes THE OLD UNIVERSALIST CHURCH The old Universalist Church on Utica Street is the only one of the original churches of the village still standing. It was built by the Clinton branch of the Universalist Society in the year 1821, at the cost of about $2500. It is made of brick and has a gable roof but no steeple. The building is a compliment to the men who built it, for it still stands in good condition at its original location. At the time it was built it was thought to be a very fine building, but it is small and insignificant compared with the churches of today. SAMUEL KIRKLAND’S HOUSE Samuel Kirkland’s House was the first frame house built in this vicinity. It was a small, low, one-storied building with .a loft. At the front and only door there is a very small cov- ered porch. The house is set near to the ground and has prac- tically no wall under it. This house today looks more like a modern children’s play house than a real home. The house is now the property of Hamilton College, as a memorial to its founder, and stands near the entrance to the College Cemetery. Its original location, however, was near the foot of College Hill on what is now known as the Harding Farm. KIRKLAND’S FARM HOUSE This house was built by Samuel Kirkland in the year 1776. It is located near the foot of College Hill overlooking the Oriskany Valley. The location of Kirkland’s house was chos- en by the Indians, who told Kirkland that on the hills near there the grass grew green first in the spring time. The building is typical of the best of the old style farm Rouses. It has two stories and an attic with a gable roof.HISTORIC LANDMARKS 27 Across the front is a long veranda with small pillars. In the centre of the south side of the house is a door and a very small porch enclosed by lattice work. At the rear part of the south side is a long, low porch, covered by the steep roof of the rear part of the house. It has a great number of large windows. The general appearance of the house is one of stability and firmness. LOUIS N. BROCKWAY. tiMstortc &eitcs A fish spear found on the old Hastings place in Clinton, now occupied by Eichard Moore. The spear was found eighteen^ inches under the ground by John Nettleton. It consists of five very rusty tines. The centre tine is about nine inches:, long, the two other tines on either side of the centre are bent at their ends in toward the centre. Pair of ladies’ overshoes worn in 1832, made by C. W- Stone’s father. The overshoes are made of leather, being^ about the same height as an ordinary pair of shoes. Cross section of a piece of log taken from the bridge at Oriskany over which General Herkimer passed. It is a small piece of wood and is very well preserved. Two small shot, about two inches in circumference, found, on the Oriskany Battlefield. They are very smooth and slight- ly rusted. Cannon ball found at Oriskauy in 1850 when excavation was going on for the aqueduct for carrying the Erie Canal over the Oriskany Creek. It is about eight inches in circum- ference and quite rusted and misshapen. Indian stone tomahawk found on Tracy Street in Utica. The head of the tomahawk consists of a large stone pointed a both ends and fastened to the handle with heavy thongs. An Indian skull found near the mouth of the Oriskany Creek. A very good specimen of the head of the North Amer- ican Indian. Almanac owned by Mrs. F. Saxton.—This is a small book 4 inches wide and 7 inches long, with a paper cover. It wasHISTORIC RELICS 29 printed in 1785 and has been studied a great deal, as the JBible and almanac were about all the books they had at that time. Sideboard in possession of Miss J. Bronson.—A piece of fur- initure which was brought here from Massachusetts in 1787 by way of the blazed trail made by the Indians. It is a large mahogany sideboard with lion’s claw feet. Fiddleback chairs owned by Miss J. Bronson.—These are .some chairs which were brought here from Waterbury, Conn., in 1787 by James Bronson along with the rest of his house- hold goods. These chairs are low with straight backs. Dresser in the home of Miss J. Bronson.—A large mahog- any dresser which was brought to Clinton in 1787. It is large and high, with considerable carving and scroll work on the tcp. Bible, at Kirkland Town Library.—A Bible which be- longed to Amos Kellogg, who was born August 13, 1792. He was one of the early settlers of the village of Clinton. It is a large sized Bible with a brown leather cover. Paper on file at the Kirkland Town Library.—This is the proclamation which was issued June 22,1812, announcing that war was declared between Great Britain and the United States. It also authorized the President to employ the land and naval forces to carry it on and to issue Letters of Marque and Reprisal. Spinning wheel at Kirkland Town Library.—This wheel was brought tiere in 1787 from Massachusetts. After the wool was sorted, twisted and gathered into a soft roll, one of the ends was quickly fastened to the spindle. Then the housewife showed one of her most skillful accomplishments, which was the family industry of those days. On this she spun the yarn and thread out of which the family clothes "were made.30 CLINTON, NEW YORK, AND VICINITY Sampler owned by Miss Susie Tibbits.—In the days when our grandmothers were little girls, among the first things they had to learn were sewing and knitting; and one of the most highly prized possesions of every young girl was her sampler, made by her own hands. The sampler mentioned was one made by Miss Susan Carpenter, and was worked with blue silk on linen. It was designed to show the stitches, with which the maker was familiar. It consisted of the al- phabet and figures, together with the date and name of the maker. Beaded bag owned by Mrs. A. L. Easingwood.—One which was made by the Indians at Saratoga about sixty-five or sev- enty years ago. It is made of colored beads on black velvet, edged with red silk and white ribbon strings. The various colored beads are arranged in a flower design. I. ELLEN KIRBY. JOSEPH A. FAY.important ilocal Clients * Probably the most disastrous fire that ever occurred in Clinton was that of the Presbyterian Church and Chapel, July 10, 1876. During Saturday night, July .8, 1876, the old Con- don shanty on the corner of College Street, opposite the Pres- byterian Church, caught fire in some way. Prom the unex- pired embers of this fire, stirred by a gentle breeze, the Pres- byterian Church caught fire on Monday afternoon. The fire first started in the west bell deck of the tower. It soon un- dermined the old bell and pursued its path out of a western window to the church roof below. The steeple was soon en- veloped in fire and fell with a crash on the Mannering block near by. The Clinton Excelsior boys did good work but to no avail, so help had to be called from Utica. The fire had gained such headway that it could not be extinguished until the whole was a mass of ruins, although of but two hours’ duration. In the early part of the summer of 1912, beginning Thurs- day, June 13, and ending Monday, June 17, occurred the cen- tennial commencement of Hamilton College. The usual pro- gram was followed out in nearly every particular. The first change was the establishment of a new institution. On Satur- day night the alumni and college assembled on the chapel steps and sang in praise of their alma mater. Monday was the one hundredth commencement. The regular exercises were held in the College Chapel. When they were finished the crowd adjourned to the large open air platform placed on the campus, where President Stryker read the History of the College, giving minute details. Clinton Scollard read a beauti- ful poem which he had written in commemoration of the Col- lege. The late Vice President Sherman gave a short address which Was well received. Governor Dix also addressed the large audience briefly. There were two very interesting events connected with this commencement. One was the do- nation of $100,000 to the college for the building of a new library; the donor’s name not being announced. The other was the finding of the original charter of the Hamilton Oneida Academy.32 CLINTON, NEW YORK, AND VICINITY The history of Clinton Union Free School and Academy dates back to September 7, 1891, when at a school meeting on a motion of F. DeW. Smyth a resolution was passed that & Union Free School be established in District No. 4, pursuant to chapter 555 of the laws of 1864 and the amendments. On September 17th of the same year C. M. Everett, Dr. H. R. Hughes, T. E. Dempsey and R. J. Billingham were ap- pointed trustees to act with the then acting board, consisting of T. Gr. Donovan, T. J. Dempsey and John Rees. Mr. Billing- ham declined to accept the office, whereupon C. E. Watson was appointed to fill the vacancy. On October 5th Prof. T. E. Hayden was employed as principal and opened the school on Kellogg street. January 19, 1892, at a meeting held in Scollard Opera House, it was unanimously resolved that districts Nos. 4 and 5 be consolidated in compliance with chapter 555 of the laws of 1864 and the amendments thereto. E. S. Williams and Peter McCabe were appointed members of the Board of Edu- cation to represent that district. The question of building a new school house large enough for the consolidated districts now came up and was discussed with great vigor. There was a strong sentiment in favor of a fine new building that should be a credit to the town and ample for its needs for years to come. Nevertheless, there was also a number of citizens who argued that there were available unused school buildinge in town which could be re- modelled and made to serve the purpose and thus save ex- pense. At a public meeting held February 18th, of the same year, to consider the question of the site and building, on a motion of Mr. S. W. Raymond it was resolved to dispose of the old Kellogg street school house and site and to purchase a plot on Marvin street. This meeting was a rather spirited one, speeches being made in favor of different sites, and it caused considerable surprise to a large number that the site on which the school house now stands was chosen. The meeting ad- journed to meet at 2 o’clock the next day, at which time Mr. C. H. Smyth offered a resolution that a brick school building that would accommodate six hundred pupils be erected onIMPORTANT LOCAL EVENTS 33 the new school site, according to the plans submitted by Jacob Agne, Jr., and approved by School Commissioner P. E. Payne,, and that $25,000 be appropriated for erecting the same. The Board of Education were authorized to bond the districts for same, and to sell the buildings on the site for whatever they could obtain. The contracts for the erection of the new building were let at once. It was expected that the whole building would be- completed in September, 1891, but owing to various delays it was not finished until the summer of the year 1892. The corner stone was laid June 11th, 1892, by Miss Ruth ■Williams, daughter of the president of the village. At this, time addresses were made by Prof. Oren Root, of Hamilton College, Rev. Father Donohue, Rev. E. P. Powell, Prof. T. E. Hayden and J. T. Montross, Superintendent of Utica Schools Andrew McMillan and D. Francis Searle of Rome. On December 8th, 1892, the Board of Education was auth- orized to bond the district for an additional $7,500. It had been found that it would be impossible to complete the build- ing for $25,000. The new building was opened for use at the beginning of the school year, September 18th, 1893. The building, complete in every detail, which stands as a monument to the intelligence and liberality of the people of the village of Clinton, was dedicated with appropriate exercis- es. The large school room was not large enough to contain all the people gathered there on that occasion. The interior was trimmed prettily and brilliantly lighted. At eight o’clock the exercises were opened with an overture by Rath’s orches;- tra of Utica, after which Chairman C. M. Everett, President of the Board of Education, presented Prof. T. E. Hayden as* the first speaker of the evening. The first school meeting was held on August 22, 1893, and soon after another meeting was held for electing trustees. Since then there have been regular meetings for various pur- poses. WALTER A. SIMS. DAVID E. POWERS, JR. MILDRED A. CLARK.