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Cortland County Historical Society
Telling Your Stories Since 1925!
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Photo of the week!![]()
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Rickard Street bridge during the flood of March 17, 1936 following an all-night sleet and rainstorm.![]()
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100 Objects for 100 Years![]()
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A few months back, the sixth-grade class from St. Mary’s School paid a visit to CCHS to learn more about the Great Depression as it played out in Cortland. At the time, we were able to pull out a couple of diaries from the period that provided small glimpses at community members’ attitudes and experiences, along with a binder containing newspaper clippings from local papers that provide an overview of major events as well as local relief efforts, and photos depicting WPA projects that took place in the county. Despite a brief distraction from a squirrel outside toting a slice of pizza around, the students were engaged and interested in discovering that such a major historical event touched their own community!![]()
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For those needing a history refresher, The Great Depression was a global economic downturn lasting from 1929-1939, from which Cortland County was certainly not spared. At the height of the Depression in 1933, 24.9% of the nation's total work force, 12,830,000 people, were unemployed. To provide relief, the Works Progress Administration (WPA) employed millions of jobseekers to carry out public works projects, including the construction of public buildings and roads. The plaque featured in today’s post provides proof that such projects took place in Cortland County and helps to make a major event in the past come alive.![]()
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When looking for objects to feature in a “100 Objects” post, I am often drawn to those items that serve as a jumping off point for exploration in multiple directions. Indeed, those are the kinds of objects that are ideal when being considered for inclusion in the CCHS collections, for it means that they can go beyond being an object of interest merely because it is “very old,” and instead provide a means of educating the community on various aspects of local history.![]()
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In the case of this bridge plaque, it tells us quite a bit about what was going on in Cortland around 1935; for one, there is mention of a “great flood” that deserves exploring, but also that the WPA engaged in projects that included bridge repair and construction in the county. County Route 116 (McGraw-Marathon Road) crosses water multiple times, so I’m not exactly sure where bridge No.4 was located.![]()
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Nonetheless, the products of various Great Depression-era projects remain with us today, including the painted wooden relief in Cortland’s post office entitled “Valley of the Seven Hills” completed in 1943 by Ryah Ludins. It was commissioned by the Section of Fine Arts, a New Deal agency.![]()
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In 2025 CCHS is turning one hundred years old! In preparation of our landmark birthday, we are celebrating the unique collections you have entrusted to us over the years.![]()
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~Sophie, Collections & Research Assistant![]()
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We will be at Holiday in Homer today along with these adorable friends from our gift shop! The museum and research center will be closed. ![]()
Hope to see you on the Green!
Photo of the week!![]()
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Group of motorcycles in front of the Cortland Conservatory of Music on Court Street, about 1920.![]()
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100 Objects for 100 Years![]()
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There has been a recent growth of interest in studying, recreating, and wearing historic fashions. Depending on the era, what we know about fashion history can often come from surviving examples of clothing, so collections like what we have at CCHS can be a great source for learning what residents of Cortland County were wearing over the years.![]()
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This particular object goes even further than that to include the opportunity to look at local industries and the people that they employed. Cortland County was once a commercial hub, sporting several wagon and buggy industries, corset manufacturers, wallpaper companies, box producers, and more.![]()
This corset cover, manufactured by the Gillette Skirt Co. that was located along Miller Street in Cortland, provides a peek at the underlayers of an early 1900s lady’s outfit. In this time period, a woman was wearing multiple layers of clothing; chemise, corset, drawers & corset cover, petticoat(s), and then a dress or suit on top.![]()
Said to be the first concrete building in Cortland, Noah Horace Gillette had it built for the Gillette Skirt Co. after the original wooden structure that housed the business burnt down in January of 1904. The company received a special machine to produce the rock-faced concrete blocks to be used in the construction of a new nearly fireproof factory, and even produced blocks for other buildings and building foundations in the city.![]()
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The Gillette Skirt Co. has gone down in infamy as the setting for the blossoming love affair between Chester Gillette, the company owner’s nephew, and Grace Brown in 1906. Their story ends in tragedy with the murder of a pregnant Grace by Chester’s hand. The Gillette Skirt Co. closed in 1917, and the building has been used by the Newton Shirt Co., Cortland Overall Co., LaFacile Corset Co., L. Werninck & Sons, and many others.![]()
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The fact that a single object can touch upon multiple facets of the past makes it a valuable addition to our collections!![]()
In 2025 CCHS is turning one hundred years old! In preparation of our landmark birthday, we are celebrating the unique collections you have entrusted to us over the years.![]()
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~Sophie, Collections & Research Assistant![]()
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#cortlandcountyhistory #cortlandny #centralnyhistory #experiencecortland #museum #cortlandcountyhistoricalsociety #history #100objectsfor100years