Otselic History
DeRuyter Gleaner, July 23, 1942
Many years ago a stranger driving from Smyrna to South Otselic [Chenango Co., NY] was asked how he liked the trip. "Oh! It was not so bad, except for those damned Otselic hills, it seemed to be up and down, up and down continually." It's true. I know for I have been over it many times. Say from the Upper Beaver Meadow Baptist church to Smyrna, over by the Bliven farm route, the nearest way. Trust of the matter came out later, when the boundaries of the Chenango County Townships came to be better understood. It proved that those "damned Otselic hills," were in Smyrna Township. But then when all ridicule of the hills is settled, Otselic has still a plenty of her own in the six miles square of territory.
We wonder what wealth of coal or minerals perhaps, or subterranean caverns, galleries and beautiful theatres lie beneath our feet every day. "Why not." there are such things near us, however, no outlets have been discovered, but, and yet, seventy-five years ago, just east of South Otselic, people living on Sturges hill, claimed they could hear rumbling, hollow, empty-like sound as beneath them when a team with a heavy wagon went trotting along the road past the schoolhouse. A lady who taught a term there along in the 1860s told me that she had noticed the peculiar sound. Oh! yes, there was a school there, for I visited it once. The Sturges District, No. 13. Not a remnant of any building now left in that locality. That street, Stanton Hill and Sturges hill was well populated eighty years ago. South Otselic to Beaver Meadow, some six miles. Think there is only one farm left now under cultivation. The highway is supposed to be open yet but it's not inhabited. David Sturges lived and raised his family within sight of the schoolhouse, scarcely two miles from the Burg. His son, Morell gave his life for his country, being mortally wounded at the siege of Port Hudson, July 1, 1863. He died next day. William Sipples also of Company "I" was killed that July 1st.
More about the school of District 13. Country school terms for summer were through May, June, and July, sometimes into August. Winter term, December, January and February. Probably around 1864 or 1865, a party of us youngsters, 6 or 8, of Tallett Hill District no. 1 (I never knew why it was No. One) decided on paying a visit to their former teacher, Emmadeal Thompson, whom they all dearly loved. She was teaching in the Sturges District, quite in sight of Tallett Hill, but a very roundabout way to get there, three or four miles, the ten year olds didn't mind the distance on that beautiful July afternoon for they were a jolly lot. I am the only one left to tell the story. We had a great time playing with the strange children. I remember that one pretty girl was quite stuck on me, and I tho't she was rather nice too. She wore a dress of orange and black stripe, mostly orange. Think I never saw her again. Young girls don't wear dresses now, just a kind of a slip-on affair that comes about half way to the knee and some older girls do about the same. In the history of that street we find large families all along the way. As a kid I heard a story that one family living near the Beaver Meadow terminal to the road had 17 children, some claimed there was a mistake in count, for there was surely but 15, and the story continues with the event of one baby being born in the blackberry lot, when the Mrs. and her daughter were after the fruit. The daughter carried baby home while the Mrs. carried the two ten quart pails of fruit they had gathered.
I am interested about The Gleaner correspondents that have been on the job so long, perhaps I can go one better for I began sending items to The Gleaner in 1878. Here is one, if The Gleaner man cares to use, it called to mind this July 4th, 1942. I turned to an old scrap book for it. Seems there was no regular celebration at the Burg that year of 1880, and that is only 62 years ago. Great Scott, I must be getting old. Here it is:
South Otselic - 1880: July 5--The fine rains of the past week have brightened up all nature and crops are thriving finely.
The dance of the 2nd inst. was rather light. Only 46 numbers, but a grand time with a splendid super and good music caused the merry throng to linger till the morning was fearfully near.
The remembrance of the dance will doubtless remain fresh in the memory of Elton Warner for some time, wrestling in the bar room. He was thrown against the billiard table leg in such a manner as to dislocate his ankle joint and fracture the smaller bone of the leg. Dr. Crumb attended to the broken and injured limb and he is now doing well.
Mr. John Fisher is recovering slowly from a very severe attack of Typhoid pneumonia.
Among the things not mentioned in the programme for the 3rd was an unexpected parade by the ragamuffins through the principal streets, attired in the customary uniforms and armed with musical instruments. Later in the day, as evening approached, the American eagle soared from the top of the Parce Block with fireworks attached. Cheers rent the air and the proud bird came to the ground. he was drawn back by the cord which had caused his descent, and another attempt proving more successful, the noble bird, emblematical of American freedom, finding itself again free, arose in a dizzy height and bidding adieu to the admiring throng of spectators was lost among the clouds. Later--Some persons have intimated that twas not an Eagle after all. Still later--the boys say it was nothing but a poor miserable hawk, and that he was not lost in the clouds either, but went for the nearest wood via a back street. Now after all the patriotic throbbings of the heart in writing up this article and imagining the supposed flight of the bird of our country, to have it turn out like this is really more than our weary brain can endure. Should we recover from this unlooked for disappointment we may write again in the distant future.
Semi-Occasionally, Frank E. Cox at 86, South Otselic, July, 1942.
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