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News Letter December
18, 2008
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Hi folks-
It's Ken Gottry, class of '68. This is my first newsletter since
Pauline anointed me her assistant so I thought I'd introduce myself.
After graduating from CCS in 1968 I went to college and never looked
back. Why would I want to live in this one-horse town. After being
away for 30 years, I returned to my family's red brick house on East
main Street following my mother's death. My wife (Cindy Moses, '68)
and I restored the house and I was "back on main Street". It was as if
30 years had melted away. Any summer day you can find me out mowing
the lawn or doing other yard work (I don't get my $0.25 allowance
unless I finish my chores each week). My teachers, Don Brennan, Don
Record, Clem Crowe, Al Bailey they all stopped to chat as they walk
by. And I found that all the reasons that I *had* to get out of
Cambridge in 1968 were the reasons I loved being back.
My father was the village and town historian for 25 years. I've
dropped into a similar role, spending lots of time learning about
Cambridge's past. I also spend a lot of time writing about Cambridge
today so that future generations will have some history to refer back to.
Lots of what you'll find in my newsletters are stories about CCS,
Cambridge, and its people. I hope these stories don't bore you and are
in line with what you've come to expect from the CCS Alumni Assoc.
Oh yes, did I mention that somehow I became the Vice-President of the
Alumni Assoc? If you're around on the first Saturday of any month,
stop by the CCS high school library from 10-noon. Help us help the
alumni of CCS.
As you'll soon learn I write a lot. I think that's why Pauline picked
me to assist her. She was tired of me sending her stuff that she then
had to edit and send. I think she's trying to cut out the middle-woman.
One final note in this introduction. This newsletter contains a
reference to a donation to a non-CCS organization. I know that's a bit
outside the guidelines of the Alumni Assoc but I often find it hard to
separate CCS and the Village. I'll try to keep these notices to a
minimum, and give you plenty of warning, so you can easily skip those
sections of the newsletter.
And with that (brief) intro ... here's my first contribution to the
CCS Alumni Assoc newsletter.
Ken
Alumni Basketball Tourney ... and more?
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The CCS Alumni Basketball Tournament is scheduled for Friday Dec 26th
and Saturday Dec 27th this year. I believe they're planning on the
unofficial reception (pizza, wings, beer) at the Legion afterward.
The Alumni Association is considering starting an Alumni Volleyball
tourney at Christmas and an Alumni Soccer tourney on Reunion weekend
in July. If anyone has any thoughts or suggestions on the subject,
please let us know.
Article about Cambridge in the National Geographic Traveler
----------------------------------------------------------
Well, OK, it's about Shushan, Greenwich, Cambridge, and Salem, but I'm
biased so I'm calling the 8 pages the "Cambridge article".
Barbara Lazear Ascher writes a series entitled The Place Nobody Knows.
The subtitle this month is "A yearning for authenticity leads to a
rural land in the hills of NYS, where stories, gossip, and goodwill
unite communities".
Article talks about Pork Bentley (trying to guess his real first
name), about Pook, Rosie, and Farmer Adams, about Dennis Yushak's,
Trips antiques, Doug Roundtree's bakehouse in Murray Hollow. There's
a 3/4-page photo of Buzz Spezio in his Greenwich barber shop (I
remember Okie O'Conner kicking Buzz out of CCS one day around 3:15pm
as Buzz waited for his CCS girlfriend by the front office. Okie's
comment was something like "Spezio, you're too ugly for any CCS girl
to go out with" ;-) The article is a folksy piece that does a nice job
of capturing the spirit of the people around here.
I picked up the Nov-Dec edition at Barnes & Noble ($4.95). I couldn't
find anything about this on their website
(http://traveler.nationalgeographic.com/),
but maybe it will be there
once the next issue is published.
The Return of the Yellow brick Road
-----------------------------------
My great grandfather, William L Hitchcock, orchestrated the
installation of the yellow brick road on Main Street in Cambridge in
1914. Growing up I remember when the yellow bricks were paved over,
making my bike ride across Main Street much smoother. (I think the
paving was done in 1962, but not sure. Anyone know for sure?)
Well, the yellow brick road is being re-laid, this time in front of
the restored Freight Yard. The hassles with the NYS Dept of
Transportation delayed the start of the project from Sept to Dec and
the bad weather has been a big hindrance, but by next Spring as you
walk down East Main Street youll be abl e to turn north onto the yellow
brick walkway between the Cambridge Diner and the Wrigley Building
(OK, I'm trying to change with the times ad refer to the buildings by
their "new" names but to me that PINK building next to the RR tracks
will always be Bill Robertson's barber shop).
As you stroll north on the yellow brick walkway, you'll see the old
Beacon Feed building that now serves as the Hubbard Hall dance studio.
Just north of that you'll walk past the old Lovejoy Building that
houses the local agricultural businesses and Farmers' Market (the
famous Cambridge Plow that was used extensively in settling the West
in the 1800's was made in the Lovejoy factory at the corner of East
Main and Rt 313 and shipped from this Lovejoy building). And north of
that, you'll see the Freight Depot that may serve as a scaled-down
Hubbard Hall presentation hall during the winter months. All of these
buildings have been lovingly restored. If you're ever in the area stop
by. If no one's around, go over to Hubbard Hall and ask for Benji
White. He'll love to show you around.
While I'm on the subject of the Freight Yard I also want to mention
two related topics. First, the Passenger Depot has been purchased by
the Cambridge restoration committee and will be restored to its former
glory. But what's even cooler is the old carousel that's inside. I
don't know the details about it but peak in the window of the station
the next time20you're hiking the RR tracks northward from East Main
(that was always the fastest way to get up to the cemetery on your
walk/hitchhike to the lake). The second topic is the Community Oven.
It's an outdoor wood fired clay oven located along the RR tracks
between the Lovejoy building and the Freight Depot. The builders told
me lots about the oven last Sept but I've forgotten most. I do recall
that they plan to have a formal dedication next spring/summer as they
bake pizza and bread for the entire village. Cambridge ... what a
great place to live or visit!
DONATION SECTION … SKIP IF NOT INTERESTED …BTW, the Cambridge Valley
Community Development and Preservation Partnership, Inc. is seeking
donations. The committee is headed by Sarah Ashton, one of the great
driving forces behind the restoration of our village. She has been
responsible for several millions of dollars of federal, state, and
private grants to restore Cambridge. I know everyone is struggling
with the economic woes of our country but I urge you to consider
donating to the restoration project. Sarah has setup a project through
NYS Empire Zone which gives you a 25% tax credit for your donation.
That's a tax credit, not tax deduction! So if you donate $500 before
12/31/2008 when you calculate your NYS taxes next April, you can
subtract $125 from your tax bill. If you'd like more information,
download this document
(http://www.cambridgenychamber.com/NewFiles/Cambridge%20NYMS
%20RFP%202008.doc).
It explains more about what they're doing. At the bottom of the
document you'll find Sarah Ashton's email address. Sarah is a CCS
graduate but I'm not sure what year. She's *much* younger than I so
I'd guess late 1970's maybe early 1980's.
Christmas Ornaments, anyone?
----------------------------
Can you keep a secret? I just bought my sister (Suzanne Gottry
McClure, '65) 3 of the CCS Alumni Assoc ornaments for Christmas. Each
ornament cost $9. There's a $1-$2 shipping charge depending upon how
many I can fit into a packing envelope. The alumni store
(http://ccsindians.com/AlumniStore/alumnistore.htm)
has photos of two
ornaments: the Rice Mansion and the Hotel Cambridge. We also have the
Cambridge Passenger Depot, the Cambridge Historical House, plus the
two from 2008 that I think are the best yet: the Popcorn wagon and
the Union School. Order today and I'll do my best to get them to you
or your loved ones by Christmas.
Are You as Smart as a (CCS) Fourth Grader?
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Each fall I give a lecture to the CCS 4th graders on the history of
the village and the school. That's followed by a 2-hour walking
history tour around the village. Let's see how your knowledge of
Cambridge's past stacks up against the 4th graders?
QUESTIONS:
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(1) How many RR flatbed cars did it take to carry a Cambridge pine
tree to NYC where it was made into a ships' mast?
(2) Was it Susan B Anthony or Mark Twain that spoke at Ackley Hall?
(3) What was Cambridge's primary role in the Revolutionary War?
(4) When was the Washington County Fair held in Cambridge, and where?
(5) Where's the Cambridge Swamp?
(6) Why were the East End and West End always at odds?
(7) Who was Dot Birch Benson?
ANSWERS:
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(1) the Cambridge pines were those huge pine trees that spread from
East Main Street, down Grove Street, along Avenue A, down to the
school. Two of those famous pine trees were behind home plate on the
old CCS baseball diamond. These trees were so tall, so straight, and
so devoid of lower branches that they made great masts for the sailing
vessels of the 1800's. The village archive has a photo of the RR spur
that used to extend eastward behind Hubbard Hall. The photo shows
THREE RR flatbed cars linked together with several Cambridge Pines
strapped down for transit. BTW, Grove Street didn't exist in Cambridge
until the late 1800's. Only after most of the Cambridge Pines had been
cut down could Grove Street be constructed. Walk to the corner of Ave
A and Ave B, face south and look up. You'll see the only remnants of
the Pines.
(2) Ackley Hall was the famous 3-story building on the south side of
We st Main Street where John Imhoff now has his law office. It was
between O'Hearn's pharmacy (aka Cooper's Pharmacy to my generation)
and Curves (aka Wally Fedler's store to my generation). Susan B
Anthony spoke there in the late 1800's. Cambridge was quite a woman's
lib center .. as well as a WCTU center! For bonus credit on this
history test, Mark Twain spoke at Hubbard Hall. Terrible weather that
night, not many people showed up, and Twain didn't have much good to
say about Cambridge after that.
(3) Many of our ancestors fought in the Revolutionary War as attested
by all the local members of the DAR and SAR. However, upon further
research I found that my great, great, great, great, great grandfather
William Lott was in the NYS 123rd Militia for 23 DAYS, that's it! In
the summer of 1777 the American army was reeling, not having won any
battle since Lexington. In fact, we'd lost most battles very
decisively. The British were preparing to attack the Americans at
Saratoga but learned there was a large supply of munitions in
Bennington. So they marched eastward. The Cambridge residents (those
that weren't Tories, of which there were many) took their rifles shot
at the British as they marched down Academy Street, down the Turnpike
on their way to Bennington. We slowed them up enough so that Seth
Warner could get lots of his NH militia to Bennington in time to stop
the British from gaining the munitions. The British retreated to
Saratoga, only to find the Cambridge residents shooting at them as
they past through on their way back to Saratoga. General Horatio Gates
won the battle of Saratoga, a Turning Point in the Revolution, so much
so that Congress was considering replacing Geo Washington with Gates
as Commander of the Continental Army. However, Washington hunkered
down in Valley Forge that fall, toughened his troops, and came out
fighting in the spring of 1778. So, my Revolution War ancestor only
needed to be in the war for 23 days, to shoot at the British on their
way to Bennington and then again on their way back to Saratoga. [OK,
I'm stretching facts here but not much. And believe me, the 4th
graders now are very interested in the Revolutionary War].
(4) The Washington County Fair was started in 1850-51. The plan was to
hold it in a different township each year (there are 17 townships in
Washington County ... extra credit if you can name 10). But carting
livestock to the fair was difficult because the roads were bad and
even worse when it rained. In 1852 the Washington & Rutland RR came
through Cambridge which made it much easier for the farmers to get
their livestock to Cambridge. Avenue A didn't exist and Grove Street
didn't exist, so there was a huge field south of East Main and west of
South Park. And the RR tracks were on the west edge of this field. So
Cambridge hosted the fair in 1853. It was so successful that they
decided t o hold it in Cambridge again in 1854, breaking the idea of
moving from town to town each year. However, in 1855 there were enough
other RR spurs that the fair moved elsewhere. As I left CCS with my
troupe of 100 4th graders following behind I told them we were going
to walk to the Wash Cty Fair. Knowing the current fair is in
Greenwich, you can imagine the look of horror on their faces thinking
of the 10 mile trek. Then we walked one block to Ave A, stood in the
middle of the street and imagined what the field looked like before
all those streets were built.
(5) The Cambridge Swamp is in the low ground between North White Creek
and Cambridge Corners. Don't recognize the names of those communities?
You could ask any CCS 4th grader and you'd then know that the East End
was originally North White Creek and the West End was originally
Cambridge Corners. Of course, then the bright 4th graders would
explain how the two communities located only 3/4 miles apart merged in
1866 to form the Village of Cambridge. Stand on the RR tracks some
day, look west toward the IGA and you'll notice West Main street dips
down quite a bit. That's where the Cambridge Swamp is/was. Look at
Blair's Brook (or as we call it today the Owlkill) and notice the
3-foot stone wall lining the brook in front of Rice's Seed. That's how
low Main Street used to be before JB Rice filled it in to build his
Seed House. Main Street used to flood all the time. You couldn't go
visit your friends on the other end of the village during the rainy
season. And the Cambridge Swamp still exists today. Drive down Spring
Street just east of North Union and you'll see the Owlkill overflowing
its banks every spring.
(6) In 1799 the East End (or North White Creek as the 4th graders now
call it) and the West End decided to build a school. However, when
they voted on where to locate the school the East Enders didn't show
up for the vote (maybe the Cambridge Swamp was flooded and they
couldn't get to the polls) so the West Enders decided to build the
beautiful Cambridge Washington Academy waaaaay over on the West End.
The East Enders said they weren't going to pay for a school they
couldn't get to so the West Enders were left holding the financial
burden. It's been over 200 years since this record of the first
disagreement between the East End and West End, but the battles
continue to this day. John Pemrick (whose house on Academy Street was
next to the original Camb Wash Academy) told me how upset his father
was when in 1948 "those stupid East Enders" decided to build the new
CCS waaaay over on the East End, especially since everyone knew that
under that field was quicksand. And, during this past political
campaign, drive down the East End and you'd see predominantly Obama
signs while the West End favored the McCain signs. My East End
neighbor was confronted at the I GA (on the West End) by a West Ender,
asking "how are things 'over there' in Liberal Land". That's what I
love about Cambridge, no matter how much things change, they stay the
same.
(7) Well, the 4th graders will tell you that Dot Benson was Timmy
Olgivie's grandmother. Timmy played basketball at CCS, coached for
many years, and still teaches 6th grade. One of his daughters is in
4th grade this year. Well, Dot Burch was part of the famous girl's
basketball powerhouse of 1932-1934. In Nov 1930 Dot scored 72 points
in a single game. That's a lot by any standard, but it's even more
impressive when the 4th graders tell you that was more points than the
ENTIRE boy's basketball team scored in the ENTIRE 1930-1931 season!
But, before you anoint Dot as the greatest basketball player in CCS
history, the 4th graders will tell you to consider her sister, Alice
Burch. Alice's team won their first game of the 1933-34 season beating
Berlin 81-2. And in the annual alumni-vs-varsity game, Alice's varsity
team beat Dot's alumni team 54-23. Oh yeah, that same year the boring
boy's game saw the alumni beat the varsity 15-10 (can you say, bor-ing)
So, how'd you do? Do you know as much as a CCS 4th Grader? If not, the
next time you're in the village ask a 4th grader to give you a tour
and point out these and other highlights of their village |
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