streets (Page 2)

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 →

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 →

  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 →

  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 →

It’s time to tackle Clinton Avenue. As far as I can tell, this street has had three names in its lifetime. The first was River Street because it led to the Tioughnioga River. The second was Mill Street because it was the road leading to the Red Mills. It was renamed Clinton Avenue after New York State Governor DeWitt Clinton (1817-1828, two terms). Clinton is largely remembered for constructing the Erie Canal. According to the maps I consulted at CCHS, in 1855, the street was called River Street, but “Mill” was penciled in beside that. In the 1876 atlas, the street is labeled Mill StreetRead More →

These two streets have more in common than being in the same neighborhood. They were named after James S. Squires’ sons, James Duane and Earl Frank. You might remember when we learned about James Squires that he was married three times. James and Earl were children from his first marriage and his two oldest sons. Our files had more information on James, so we will start with him. James Duane Squires was born in 1855. He went to school at the “old academy” (possibly Cortland Academy) and was one of the first Normal School pupils. He graduated from the Normal School at 17. After graduation,Read More →

Squires Street received its name from James S. Squires, a gentleman we learned about last June. Take a look at the link to his story to learn more about this entrepreneur who was responsible for the original clocktower building. https://www.facebook.com/CortlandCountyHistoricalSociety/posts/3160045764063047 (James S. Squires post from June 9, 2020) Today I’d like to talk a little bit about why Squires Street was named after Mr. Squires. By looking at the 1888 map of the village of Cortland, I found that he owned a number of lots on Tompkins, Owego, Squires, Park, and Duane Streets. In her book on the city of Cortland, former CCHS Director MaryRead More →

Some folks asked about Wheeler Avenue after our post about Dr. Edith Flower Wheeler. Wheeler Avenue was not named after her, but it was named after Benson H. Wheeler. Mr. Wheeler was born on January 19, 1849, in Pitcher, and in 1880, he married Carrie E. Weaver, also from Pitcher. They moved to Cortland not long after their marriage, and they lived on Adams Street (now Homer Avenue) in 1883. The 1888 map of Cortland shows B.H. Wheeler as owning a property that has two different houses on it, one house appears to face Adams Street, and the other looks to be their home onRead More →

Clayton Avenue was opened in the latter half of 1881 between land owned by Moses Rowley and James R. Schermerhorn. Moses Rowley had been farming in South Cortland before purchasing the property which had been previously owned by successive Randalls. The building, which today houses the Cortland County Mental Health Department, was built as a residence by William Randall in 1820. In 1825, he sold the property to his brother Roswell. Roswell lived there until his death in 1871. In 1865, Roswell conveyed the property to his son Henry S. Randall, and after his father died, Henry moved into the mansion until his own deathRead More →