New
Lisbon Holds First School Fair
Postmaster
Chester A. Miller Tells of
Historical
Background of
Town
in Address
New Lisbon, Oct. 24---”I challenge the educators
present to join hands with the people of this area to produce men
equal to those of 100 year ago.” Postmaster Chester A. Miller of
Oneonta said in his address here today which was one of the many
features of the first annual fair of school district one, town of New
Lisbon.
Mr. Miller's challenge came at the conclusion of an
address in which he pointed out the historical background of the
town, the stability of its population and the self reliance and
industry of its inhabitants.
Fully 300 attended the fair, which had all the
earmarks of a county agricultural exposition with exhibits of
livestock, fruit, flowers,and the like. Much credit is due Miss
Lucinda Johnson, teacher of the school, and Miss Marion Brooks,
student teacher of Oneonta Normal school, who planned the fair as a
unit teaching project. Fine cooperation was extended them by Dr. C.
B. Cornell, head of the extension department of Hartwick college,
Oneonta, and Miss Evelyn Hodgdon, supervisor of rural teaching of the
Oneonta Normal school, who acted as judges.
The fair was worthy of a much larger community, and
was complete, even to an eight page catalog and premium booklet. The
exhibition was divided into departments of which each had a
superintendent.
During the morning, exhibits of vegetables were
judged, followed by the judging of pet stock by Dr. F. I. Reed of
Morris.
Four “High School: horse from the Troop C State
Police rough riding team at Sidney gave an exhibition of their skill
as part of the program.
Several floats prepared by the school children were
featured in the parade. The children also presented a play, “Little
Black Sambo.”
James Hall of Cooperstown, former county treasurer
and former supervisor of the town of New Lisbon, was heard in several
Scotch songs. Kenneth Cook of Morris gave an exhibition of magic and
Daniel Mather of Burlington exhibited his antiques.
Mr. Miller in his address mentioned that the valley
was first known as the Chaumont valley, taking its name from the
Frenchman who received the grant of land from the governor of
Pennsylvania. The first three white settlers, whose descendants
still reside in the township, were Increase Thurston, Ebenezear Knapp
and Benjamin Lull. These three settled the section in 1773, but were
driven out during the border warfare.
Settlers returned in 1775 and in 1810, Mr. Miller
said, the population had climbed from practically nothing to 982. It
kept increasing until 1830 when it reached its highest peak, 2,232.
From then until 1875 it declined to 1,526, and today not more than
eight or nine hundred reside in the town.
Mr. Miller showed how the community was self
sustaining, industrious, and self reliant, since it was practically
cut off from the outside world in the early days. Most necessities
were raised in the community and the remainder secured by barter with
neighboring communities.
Saying that “the town probably bred as good men as
we have today,” Mr. Miller pointed out that in both the town of
Morris and New Lisbon in 1875, not one single person was on relief
and there were only two illiterates in New Lisbon.
The postmaster called attention to the fact that in
1875, records showed very diversified farming and farm products,
while today the trend is toward dairying alone. He suggested that
this was not the best situation, since the town's most prosperous
period came from 1825 to 1875 when crops were diversified. During
that period, he said, practically all the houses in town were built
and family fortunes established.
Citing the stability of the population, Mr. Miller
mentioned that in sight of the place from which he was speaking he
could see a farmhouse which the Perry family had occupied for seven
generations and was still occupying.
As an example of the population's stability, he
pointed out that in the entire county of Otsego in 1875, 70 per cent
of the families were born in the county, 15 per cent in other parts
of New York state and only five per cent outside the state. This
stability of population does not exist today, he said.
Transcribed from a scrapbook article from the Mary Boice Gale Collection.
