Binghamton Township Historical Society
NEWSLETTER
Logo by Doug Webb
Serving Past and Present Residents of the Town of Binghamton, NY
and its Neighboring Towns
Vol. 12 No. 3
JULY-AUG-SEPT 2015
The Binghamton Township Historical Society is dedicated to the preservation of the history of the region and its inhabitants. It meets four times each month, April through October. The 2015 schedule will be first and third Monday
@ 1:00 pm, and second and fourth Tuesday @ 6:00 pm each month. Our business meeting is the first Monday of
the month, and all others are workshops. All meetings are in the old Hawleyton Methodist Church’s Fellowship Hall
located at the junction of Hawleyton Road (an extension of Pennsylvania Avenue) and Saddlemire Road just after the
Hawleyton Rd./Park Ave. junction. Visitors are always welcome. Annual dues are $10.00 for individuals, $15.00 for
families (due by September, the start of our fiscal year) and includes the Newsletter. The Newsletter in color may be
viewed on www.townofbinghamton.com or http://binghamtonhistorical.org.
President’s Corner
Esther Pettengill
Part of this was written while I was traveling in
Idaho. Spending time with grandchildren and a first
great-grandchild causes one to reflect on how the
world has changed during our lifetime, and wondering how to best pass that knowledge and experience
along to our posterity.
ing from old photos of now-deceased movie stars to
things as common as an old black rotary telephone.
I was able to talk with the president of the Rigby
Historical Society and discovered they, too, share
the same concerns that our BTHS Board struggles
with. We shared some ideas and hopefully you will
see the benefits of this interesting encounter.
In Rigby, ID, after seeing signs for the Farnsworth
Pioneer and TV Museum, we decided to investigate.
Touring a museum with grandchildren makes you
suddenly aware of just how OLD you have become
in your short lifetime. Artifacts readily identifiable
to us are suddenly “mystery artifacts” to our grandchildren. (Ack! I really AM “older than dirt” as
those annoying e-mail posts suggest!)
In September we will once again hold our Annual
Meeting and Covered Dish Luncheon. Mark your
calendars for Saturday, September 19, from 112:30. We’ll plan an entertaining and relaxing time.
We appreciate all of you who have stepped up and
helped when we asked. We could not do what we
do without your support and assistance. Thank you
so much!
Even one of the small motels we stayed at one night
had a mini-museum in the office with displays rang-
WANTED
We are looking for old photos of businesses, homes, scenery or history of Hawleyton for display at the
Binghamton Township Historical Society Museum, or for our newsletter. If you’d wish your items to be
returned, please include your name and address. A return-address, stamped envelope would be appreciated.
[Please don’t write on the exhibit itself—that could drastically reduce it’s value.]
Please send exhibits to either of these addresses. Thank you!
Phyllis A. Hawley
BTHS Vice-President
3598 Saddlemire Rd.
Binghamton, NY 13903
Maurice Howe
3775 Brady Hill Rd.
Binghamton, NY 13903
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Another Memory of Wimpy
Cheryl Haines
I am sending my condolences to the Vosburg Family after hearing from my mother Sandra Haines
that he (Wimpy) has passed away.
treat was talking with Wimpy and having him so
kindly and nicely welcome you and patiently help
you make your careful selections.
Though I have been in California for many years
now with few trips back to Hawleyton recently, I
retain very fond memories of growing up there
among such a wonderful community and the people
that made it so.
He was also so patient to help you out with the
math… and even if you were a penny short he
would say that’s okay. ((oops, perhaps I should not
admit that kindness even now)) Some very fond
memories. I am also so glad I had the opportunity
as an adult to meet him once again at a neighborhood party and hear about the updates of what had
been going on there these long years of my absence.
One of the high points of living there were the frequent stops at the Vosburg's country store. Either
on the way to or from Quaker Lake, the Mt. Top
Grove… my grandmother’s house or a host of other
outings, it was so fun coming by the store to “visit”
and to marvel at all the amazing things that lived in
that store. The candy in large glass jars however
always held the most fascination BUT the real
What a lovely guy!!!
And all of us just want you to know that we are
thinking of you at this time. No matter how far and
wide our lives have taken us.
Apple Crisp
In Memoriam
Esther Pettengill
4 c. sliced, pared, cored baking apples
2/3 to 3/4 c. brown sugar, packed
1/2 c. all-purpose flour
1/2 c. rolled oats
3/4 tsp. cinnamon
3/4 tsp. nutmeg
1/3 c. softened butter
It is with deepest sympathy that we acknowledge
the death of two Binghamton Township Historical
Society Members:
Heat over to 375 degrees. Place sliced apples in
greased square 8x8x2 pan or baking dish. Blend
remaining ingredients until mixture is crumbly.
(It’s easier to blend the butter with the flour and
sugar first.) Spread mixture over apples. Bake 3035 minutes, or until apples are tender and topping is
golden brown. Serve with whipped cream or ice
cream.
N
K
osicky, Francis John passed away on April
20, 2015 at the age of 82. He proudly served
in the Army’s 82nd Airborne Division, was an avid
hunter, fisherman, and a long-time supporter of the
Historical Society.
NOTE: For a large group, double the recipe and
use a large glass baking dish. About 11 apples for a
doubled recipe.
You can also use any rolled mixed grain cereal—
Quaker Oats has a delicious one that can be bought
from the Quaker Oats website.
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ewton, Rosemary (Crimmins) died on June
15, 2015 at age 69. She had a long career in
nursing. She and her family lived at the junction of
Milks & Jackson Roads.
Still Growin’ - Part II
Bill Cline
Spring may have been mud-luscious, and summer
seemed cool because of all the swimming we did.
Fall and winter were totally different in the eyes of
a young boy. Living at the second house on Park
Avenue, we still spent a lot of time in the woods,
but now we were the great hunters—tracking everything from rabbits to deer. We didn’t usually
take guns, unless a fresh supply of BBs were secured. One day was different; I got my hands on
my father’s 12-gauge and two shells. I didn’t intend to fire it, but I felt like a man even thought I
was only eleven or twelve. Alas I spied a rabbit
that froze on a woodpile. Dared by my buddies, I
loaded and fired. Even as I fell backwards, I hit
my mark. The buckshot destroyed the back half of
the poor rabbit and the front half dragged itself into
the wood stack. It made me sick! After that, I
never got much thrill over the thought of what
hunting could do. I don’t begrudge it for others,
but I never did it again. Still, we could track with
the best of them.
Winter was sleds and skates. There were three
main trails. It was possible to start a run at Carl
William's house and continue beyond Grandma
Cline’s house and VanVorce’s. However, you
needed to avoid the barbed wire fence, which wasn’t always accomplished. A second option was the
long hill from the Bear Caves to Penn Ave (where
the church now sits). The problem here was the
long walk back to the top. After a couple trips you
were ready to get cocoa. The favorite spot was
Cafferty’s hill. We built a slalom course with a
tunnel at the end—what a blast! We also discovered their driveway which when icy was a great
ride until Mr. Cafferty realized why it had become
almost impossible to get up. Then there was the
night we climbed the mountain from Hance Road
and snuck a ride down the main ski run at the soonto-be opened Innsbruck. We were too young to
sense the danger.
Football was a passion. A man from the church,
Bill Reynolds, invited us to learn the game Saturday mornings. We learned a lot. We would then
spend weekdays plying our skills, playing a nasty
game of tackle football in pick-up games—without
pads! Several bruises and a couple broken body
parts later, we would enter junior high where
‘pads’ awaited. Another pastime was kicking field
goals at the backstop for distance in competition.
We also punted for distance. We thought thirty
yard kicks were NFL caliber. A treat was Mr.
Moses (Leland) taking us to the big high school
games on Saturdays, primarily involving North
High. This was before SV existed. Special days
were Columbus Day (parade), Halloween (the
candy run) and Thanksgiving.
Skating was primarily on Smales Pond, but we
found other options like Brookside’s frozen blacktop and my dad’s little pond behind Bob VanVorce’s. Many a night we would trudge home with
no feeling in our toes.
One final memory involves Elwyn Gaige and Bob
Welter. They ran a gym night at Brookside and
even transported us. These men were faithful to the
task and we enjoyed many nights of fierce competition.
I’ve tried to highlight how a kid in the fifties and
early sixties spent their free time. Chores and family were always there as well, but year round we
found plenty to enjoy.
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Retire at the Holiday Inn!
Maurice Howe
While thinking about retirement, I saw an article
about the expense and accommodations of nursing
& retirement homes. Then it hit me—I don’t need
that! Here’s the plan: I’m checking into the Holiday Inn.
And no worries about family visits. They will always be glad to visit you, and might check in for a
mini-vacation. The grandkids can use the pool.
What more can you ask?
With the average cost for a
nursing home
approaching
$200 per day,
there is a better
way when we
get old and feeble. I checked on reservations at the
Holiday Inn. A combined long-term stay discount
and senior discount is $50 per night. That leaves
about $150 a day for breakfast, lunch, dinner in any
restaurant, or room service. It also will leave
enough for laundry, gratuities, and TV movies.
Plus, there’s a pool, a workout room, a lounge, and
washer and dryer. I’ll also get free toothpaste, razors, shampoo and soap. And I’ll be treated like a
customer, not a patient. Five dollars worth of tips a
day will keep the entire staff happy.
When I discussed my plan with friends, they came
up with even more benefits that Holiday Inn provides. Most standard rooms have coffee makers,
reclining chairs, and satellite TV.
After a movie and a good nap, you can check on
your children (free local calls), then take a stroll to
the lounge or restaurant where you meet new people
every day.
Many Holiday Inns even feature live entertainment
on the weekends. Often they have special offers,
too, like Kids Eat Free program. You can invite
your grandkids over after school to have a free dinner with you.
There is a city bus stop out front, and seniors ride
free. The handicap bus will pick me up if I fake a
decent limp. The church bus is free on Sundays.
For a change of scenery, take the airport shuttle bus
and eat there. While you’re at the airport, fly somewhere. Meanwhile, the cash keeps building up.
Pick a Holiday Inn where they allow pets, and your
best friend can keep you company, as well. If you
want to travel, but are a bit skittish about unfamiliar
surroundings, you’ll always feel at home because
wherever you go, the rooms all look the same. And
if you’re getting a little absent-minded in your old
age, you never have to worry about not finding your
room—your electronic key fits only one door and
the helpful bellman or desk clerk is on duty 24/7.
It takes months to get into decent nursing homes.
On the other hand, Holiday Inn will take your reservation today. And you are not stuck in one place
forever—you can move from Inn to Inn, or even
from city to city. Want to see Hawaii? They have
a Holiday Inn there, too.
TV broken? Light bulbs need changing? Need a
mattress replaced? No problem. They fix everything and apologize for the inconvenience. The Inn
has a night security person and daily room service.
They maid checks if you are OK. If not, they will
call the undertaker or an ambulance. If you fall and
break a hip, Medicare will pay for the hip, and
Holiday Inn might upgrade you to a suite for the
rest of your life.
Being natural skeptics, we called a Holiday Inn to
check out the feasibility of the plan. They were
positively giddy at the idea of us checking in for a
year or more. They even offered to negotiate the
rate. We could have easily knocked them down to
$40 a night!
So, when I reach golden age I’ll face it with a grin.
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The Tripp Family of Hawleyton
((First Published in June 2009 Issue))
Bob Barber
The second son of Abial, James Henry, lived on the
farm, raised a big family and was active in the community. He and wife, Ambrosia Cruiser Tripp retired to Johnson City where he died April 1, 1918
and his wife on February 29, 1932. There was a
new stone for James and Ambrosia. I asked who
ordered it, but was refused the request due to privacy. A week later, I received a phone call from
the daughter of Mrs. Rexford Pratt informing me
that her mother, a granddaughter of James H. Tripp,
had ordered the marker for her grandparents. Mrs.
Pratt then talked to me, and confirmed that her
great-grandfather was Abial Tripp.
Tripp Road, which extended from Hawleyton Rd.
to Conklin Forks, was named for Abial Tripp, an
early settler. It was home for four generations of
Tripps. Abial, the son of Philip and Lydia Taber
Tripp, was born in Schoharie County in 1811.
(Philip died in 1832 and is buried in the Quaker
Lake Cemetery; Lydia is buried in the Truck Stop
Cemetery in Kirkwood.) This family appears in the
1820 census for Liberty Township in the Town of
Lawsville, PA. Abial married Lovica Dewell Kimball, the widow of Lewis Kimball and the daughter
of Judith Potter Dewell, in Liberty. They moved to
Hawleyton. (Note: Judith Dewell married second,
Peleg Butts who is buried in the Butts Cemetery on
the
Dewey
Lyon
Farm.
She was living
wit h
her
daughter,
Lovica, when
she died and
may be buried
in Hawleyton.)
Philip N. Tripp, a son of James Henry Tripp, was
the last to live in Hawleyton. He married Jessica
Gage. Their
son James
attended
school
in
District
4.
They lived
where
the
Town
of
Binghamton
Highwa y
Garage
is
now located.
This Tripp
f a m i l y
moved
to
Corbettsville
and leased the original Corbett Family Farm where
they operated a dairy farm until the tragic death of
son James in a farm accident in 1947. James had
two sons, Kenneth and Arthur.
TRIPP
The first son
of Abial and
Lovica Tripp,
born 18, 1840,
was Philip W.
He was a
schoolteacher and road commissioner. On Aug. 9,
1862, he enlisted in Co. E of the 109 Regiment of
the NY Infantry. He was listed as 21 years old, 6ft
tall, with blue eyes and brown hair, and an occupation of farmer. Promoted from the ranks to 5th Cpl.
on Oct. 13, 1862, then to Sgt. on Jan.1, 1864, and
1st Sgt. on May 5, 1865. He was mustered out with
the Company at Delaney House in Washington DC.
Convalescing from an unnamed fever he returned
home in June 1865 and died of lung fever on the
4th of July in 1867. He was buried on the family
farm on the hill behind Abial’s house. Eugene
Gregory once showed me the tombstone but it has
since disappeared. Philip now has a new marker in
the Abial family plot in the Hawleyton Cemetery.
Philip N. Tripp’s wife, Jessica Gage, (a daughter of
Louis Gage) died in Corbettsville on March 21,
1947. He then moved to Barton Ave. in Johnson
City where he died March 5, 1963, at age 87, leaving daughters, Doris Hoffer and Cecil Stone and a
son, Armond L. Tripp. Thus ended the last Tripp
Family connection to Hawleyton.
Please see Page 8 for Society Officer and Staff
contact information.
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Oral Interview Tips
Margaret Hadsell
Oral history is the systematic collection of living people’s testimony about their own experiences; it is not
folklore, gossip, hearsay, or rumors. Oral interviews are conducted to preserve local history or to record
family history.
Whether for local history projects or family history, oral interviews preserve the first person aspect of an
event. They preserve the person’s language, voice and, when combined with video, the person’s appearance, mannerisms, and facial expressions. It gives future generations the pleasure of seeing Grandma’s
smile, the way she tilts her head… the way in which she tells her story.
The only equipment needed for an audio interview is a digital recorder. These recorders allow you to
download the interview to a computer which makes it possible to burn the file to a CD. The recorders are
small; for example, the Olympus digital recorder is only 2 inches wide and 5 inches long with a strong microphone and 64 hours of recording time for approximately $75.
Preparing for the Interview
Sample Interview Questions
 Ask the person if they would consent to an oral or
1. What was the name of the one-room school you
attended?
video interview
2. Where was it located?
 Setup a time, choosing a comfortable, quiet place
for the interview
3. How close was the school to your home?
 Don’t include multiple people in the interview. It
4. How did you get to school? Walk, horse,
wagon?
often causes confusion when one person remembers a person, place, or event differently for the
other
5. What grades did you attend there?
 Tell them what you’d like to talk about; for exam-
6. Do you remember the names of your teachers?
ple, their teenage years, the store they owned, a
one-room school they attended, etc.
 Plan 1 hour for the interview.
7. About how many students were in the class?
8. What were your favorite subjects?
If more time is
needed, set up a second session.
9. Describe the inside of the school
 Prepare and give them a list of questions you’d
10. Tell me about recess activities
like them to think about
11. Were there other buildings at the school?
 About a week before the interview give them the
list of topics
12. How were children disciplined?
 Contact the person 3 days before the interview to
13. Did each child have their own books?
confirm date and time
14. How did children dress for school?
 Test your equipment before going to the interview
15. What do you remember most about attending
the school?
 Be on time!
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The Interview
Begin the interview with: “This is (your name). I am speaking with Mae (maiden name) Brown on July
22, 2015 who has agreed to share her experiences about attending a one-room school in the Town of Binghamton.”

Speak clearly and slowly

Form Questions to elicit more than a yes or no response

Begin with an easy question to put the interviewee at ease

Listen for clues to related questions you hadn’t thought of

Don’t interrupt them or take up time with your own stories

Allow “pregnant pauses” to give the person time to recall
a memory—don’t rush

Nod or give positive feedback to what they say

Watch body language; let the responses tell you when the
interview “is over”

Ask closing questions such as: “Is there anything else you’d like to tell me, maybe something I haven’t
asked about?” OR “What one thing would you like others to know about a one-room school?”

Thank them at the end of the interview for sharing their experiences

Before closing the interview, tell the person whether they can review the final version before it is released, have a copy for their records, who will hear/see it, and where it will be archived
Close the interview with: “This concludes the interview with May Brown on July 22, 2015.”
NOTE: It is important to include the opening and closing statements even if the interviewee is a relative.
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BTHSNL
Carol Stankevich
65 Sunset Drive
Binghamton, NY 13905
OFFICERS:
STAFF:
President..…...............Esther Freelove Pettengill
669-4151— [email protected]
Editor.…...….....................Michelle Fisher Button
372-0400— [email protected]
Vice-President…...…...Phyllis Robinson Hawley
669-4186— [email protected]
Assistant Editor.…….……….…...Maurice Howe
417-4069— [email protected]
Secretary………….......Frances Maxian Hibbard
669-4279— [email protected]
Town Historian……………........…Judy Zurenda
772-0357 xt.17—[email protected]
Treasurer…………………..…….Kenna Lou Mills
669-4665— [email protected]
Reporter.........................Margaret Banick Hadsell
235-3018 — [email protected]
Reporter………….…….………………Bill Cline
204-0193— [email protected]
If you’re going through
hell, KEEP GOING.
Mailer…….……,…......Carol Haskell Stankevich
222-5253— [email protected]
~Winston Churchill
Distant Guest Writer:…,.Janice Brooks-Headrick
[email protected]
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