You have to give credit to some of the earlier generations of Gilbertsville in the mid-to-late-1800s, as the words "give up" were not part of their vocabulary.
Numerous fires ravaged the village. Residents could only watch as new railroads were built a short distance away. Through it all Gilbertsville not only survived, it thrived.
Fire had destroyed several buildings in 1866, but they were quickly replaced on the north side of Commercial Street, as merchants apparently had faith in the future.
The merchants and several others in the community were watching construction of the nearby Albany & Susquehanna Railroad, later known as the Delaware & Hudson. A branch line was completed between Sidney and New Berlin around 1868, with a depot in Mount Upton.
Railroad fever was running rampant nearly everywhere at the time, as people in communities without one going through their town desired the convenience. There were at least two proposed branch lines to go through Gilbertsville, with Mount Upton and Oneonta on the ends.
Neither branch line got off the drawing boards, as such a project required a sizeable investment. The well-known Gilbert family chose not to invest for reasons never recorded, and others failed to raise the necessary capital. Local farmers made do with bringing their produce to Mount Upton or Otego, which was a great improvement from the former horse-and-wagon mode of transportation to remote places.
Despite the growth of villages along the railroad, Gilbertsville held its own nicely as a commercial center. In 1871 there were mills and a foundry on the Butternut Creek. The village had four churches, two hotels, a cheese factory, four grocery and dry goods stores, a pharmacy, hardware store, two meat markets, a furniture and undertaking business, a marble shop, three wagon shops, three blacksmith shops, three saloons, 110 private houses, a milliner, a tailor and a shoemaker.
Gilbertsville's slight remoteness from the railroad villages actually worked in its favor. Also in 1871, George Yates Gilbert, 56, decided to make Gilbertsville a semi-retirement destination from his New York law firm, re-joining his four brothers as a village resident. Gilbert constructed a mansion, and when completed in 1872 at a cost of $25,000 "" very elaborate for the day "" he simply called it "The Hall." It stood as a landmark until 1949, when it was torn down.
Other changes for improvement were going on in the village. A bank was established and a jewelry store opened. The Empire Hotel had converted its upstairs dance hall into more rooms for boarders.
Things were looking good for Gilbertsville until one or more arsonists struck several times between 1873 and 1875. The destruction of the Baptist church in June 1875 led village residents to contribute to its replacement, the first brick structure in Gilbertsville. The Eagle Fire Co. was formed as a result of these fires, and the firehouse became the second brick structure.
Gilbertsville refused to quit on improving the village. The Gilbert family was determined to make Gilbertsville into a resort. A stock company headed by Benjamin Chapman Gilbert was formed in 1878. Gilbert purchased the Central Hotel and built on it, re-opening a year later as the Stag's Head Inn. The new accommodations had hot and cold running water for 100 guests, plus a ballroom, a billiard room and a barroom. It became a fashionable summer hotel for visitors from New York and other cities. Sadly, it too was destroyed by fire in 1895.
Additional efforts were made in the 1880s to get rid of the scars of the fires of the '70s. One of those efforts was in 1881 as Mrs. George Y. Gilbert organized the Village Improvement Society. Other efforts brought Gilbertsville out from the ashes and ready to celebrate its centennial in 1887.
On Monday: The Broome County Veterans Memorial Arena turns 35.
City Historian Mark Simonson's column appears twice weekly. On Saturdays, his column focuses on the area during the Depression and before. His Monday columns address local history after the Depression. If you have feedback or ideas about the column, write to him at The Daily Star, or e-mail him at simmark@stny.rr.com. His website is www.oneontahistorian.com.
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