#9 Main Street- Beard Building
The first known building on the spot that is now 9 Main Street was a wooden structure that shows up in the same photo depicting the corner of Main and Clinton that has been featured in past posts. The earliest I can trace the businesses back is to a gentleman names James Van Valen who came to Cortland from Madison County and kept a “cash and barter” store from 1845. An ad from 1849 shows it came under the ownership of Daniel Schermerhorn who advertised his takeover of Van Valen’s “old stand” with new a stock of dry goods, groceries, and hardware. In the 1860s-1880s,Read More →