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  Last week, Cortland celebrated PorchFest on VanHoesen Street and we had a request to see what we could turn up on the origins of the street. Since we were there, it made sense to make Van Hoesen our next topic! I spent all morning going through files, vital statistics, scrapbooks, and city directories to try to find out if the 1908 newspaper article I’ve been using to track down the names of streets was accurate this time. The story states that VanHoesen Street is named after Daniel VanHoesen. Seeing a name always makes me happy because it usually means the research is not goingRead More →

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This piece is more about transportation and work than it is about roads or streets, but it is a fascinating part of the history of America and something we generally don’t think about because the knowledge has not been passed down the generations due to changes in the way we live. Probably about ten years ago I stumbled across a book entitled “Diary of an Early American Boy” by Eric Sloane, and I was completely captivated by the illustrations and the patient recounting of the lives and work of those who settled in America. Sloane collected almanacs and tools, and he had acquired an immenseRead More →

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  When I think of a turnpike, I think of a large highway with fast-moving traffic and tolls. The tolls help to pay for the maintenance of the road. Turnpikes of the past were similar in that they collected tolls to maintain the road. Early turnpikes were developed because local and state governments were inefficient in road building. The United States was developing rapidly after the Revolutionary War, and people were moving from the east coast into western lands, but roads were not adequate for large-scale travel. Smart businessmen saw the value in developing roads and directing settlers to areas that would greatly benefit theRead More →

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  While waterways provide a terrific method of getting from here to there, there are many times when one needs to cross a river or stream to get to one’s destination. Over the years, there have been many solutions to the dilemma of crossing a river. A ferry boat was an easy answer, but what if the ferry was left on the wrong side of the riverbank when you wanted to cross? A bridge was a better solution to this problem because it required no luck! There have been many bridges built in Cortland County over the years and the variety is quite impressive. ManyRead More →

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Last week we talked a little bit about the Plank Road, but I should have really started with earlier roads and ways of traveling in the late 18th and early 19th centuries when white settlers were first making their way to the area which encompasses Cortland County today. The Tioughnioga River was one of the primary methods of transportation for the Indigenous peoples of this area along with well-traveled land trails. These methods of travel were perfect for people without horses and wagons, but not conducive to ox carts laden with people and household goods traveling from New England and other places. One of theRead More →

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  When I started working at CCHS eight years ago, I had never heard the term “plank road,” and I bet many of you have never heard the term, either. A plank road is exactly that, a road made of wooden planks. Two parallel stringers were covered with planks of wood 3-4 inches thick and 8 feet long. The planks were not secured to the stringers, but they stayed in place because of their own weight. The ends of the planks were not trimmed because the extra projections were often useful when wheels went off the road. In my mind, it does not seem likeRead More →

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There is no street sign to indicate it’s there, but believe it or not, Blodgett Street still exists, kind of. If you look at this 1902 Sanborn Insurance map, you can see it is parallel to Port Watson Street and a turn off from Pendleton Street. On the Google map, it is merely the entrance to a parking area. Blodgett Street is named after Hiram Curtis Blodgett, a name we have encountered before when I wrote about the Floral Fountain Trout Park. I’m positively captivated by that place, so if you missed that article last year, here it is: https://www.facebook.com/CortlandCountyHistoricalSociety/posts/3438608786206742   Unfortunately, there is notRead More →

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  Did you know that Maple Avenue used to be called Merrick Street? As near as I can tell, it was named for David or Danforth Merrick, a father, and son who came here from Massachusetts in 1800. The newspaper article I’ve been using as a starting point for research says that the “Merrick family owned a large tract covering what is now Lincoln and Maple.” The 1855 map of Cortland, the 1876 atlas, and the 1888 map do not show a large tract owned by the Merrick family in that area so perhaps they owned land in that area prior to 1855. It’s unclearRead More →

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  A.k.a. Homer Avenue, this street started out as Adams Street. It was named after Major John J. Adams because he owned land along the street. Eventually, the street was renamed Homer Avenue because it leads to Homer. Our maps of 1855, 1876, and 1888 all show it as Adams Street so I’m not sure when the name change occurred. John J. Adams was born on July 12, 1789, in Northumberland, Saratoga County. A family group sheet in the Adams family file lists his parents as Oliver Adams and Catharine Hackely. The Adams family moved to Cortland County around 1804 and settled in Preble. PrebleRead More →

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It is a reality in Central New York that the official coming of spring does not banish the possibility of snow, as we were reminded this week! It certainly makes one long for summer sunshine and warmth, barbeques, and fun in the great outdoors. A long-time favorite spot of Cortlandites for such activities is of course Little York Lake! The history of Little York Lake and the surrounding area begins of course with the Haudenosaunee who it is said had a legend about the nearby Mt. Onagarechny (Mt. Toppin) as the location where pumpkins, corn, and tobacco first grew and were discovered. This legend wasRead More →