STAR
Wednesday, October 16, 2019
West Winfield
STAR BROOKFIELD
COURIER
VOLUME 133 - NUMBER 42
Richfield Springs
MERCURY
YOUR COMMUNITY NEWSPAPER FOR 133 YEARS
Phone: 315.822.6764 geneandmary@westwinfieldstar.com
USPS #677-080 Only
P O Box 6, West Winfield, NY 13491
$1
Serving: Bridgewater, Brookfield, Cassville, Cedar Lake, Cedarville, Clayville, Columbia, East Winfield, Edmeston, Leonardsville, Litchfield, Millers Mills, Plainfield, Richfield Springs, Sauquoit, Unadilla Forks, West Edmeston, West Exeter, West Winfield, Winfield
Our Local DAR Turns 100 This Week The National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR) is one of the oldest historical and patriotic organizations in the United States. It was founded on October 11th, 1890 with a mission to promote historic preservation, education and patriotism. Twenty-nine years later in West Winfield, our local chapter, the General Winfield Scott Chapter was granted its chapter on October 18, 1919. Our chapter and the original members are recorded at the West Winfield Library. When I researched my ancestors to join, I found that I had one who answered Paul Revere’s call at Concord and Lexington and joined the encampment of the British in Boston. One other Patriot lived in the Minden, NY area and fought in the Battle of Oriskany where General Nicholas Herkimer was shot in the leg and later died from that wound. Our organization, the DAR, has been devoted to helping our Veterans in any way we can. Over the years, members of our DAR chapter have traveled to the Veteran’s Home in Oxford, NY bringing them needed items and money. Many lap robes were hand made by our members for them. The Veterans’ Hospital in Syracuse has also received our support. We have collected and donated food items to the Utica “Feed our Vets” program. We held a thank you reception in 2015 at our local VFW for our Vietnam vets. The NSDAR supports five residential schools and one college. Locally our DAR chapter is interested and invested in helping our young people in their educational endeavors. Over the years we have presented a Good Citizen Award to a Mt. Markham and a Richfield Springs senior student. We grant an “Outstanding Student in History” award to a senior graduating with the highest average in History at Mt. Markham. We have also sponsored essays written by
By Betsy Gifford
younger students covering various topics about historical events. We have given out monetary awards for our students attending various colleges. Years ago, our chapter of the DAR had its own house, called the DAR House, located close to Route 20 on the left side of the Federated Church near the top of the West Winfield Park. It was deeded to the DAR by a Mr. Morgan. Over the years, our local chapter held their meetings there. Then, as years went by, it was being vandalized and broken into. And became a liability. Due to these problems, the house was turned
Do you know if any of your ancestors were Patriots? over to the town and in 1982 it was demolished. That was a huge loss to our community. In November of 2002 our chapter was approached by the Richfield Springs chapter of the DAR named “Ganowauges” asking us if they could merge with our chapter. This was agreed on and in April of 2003, we became a joint chapter named the General Winfield Scott-Ganowauges chapter. Our chapter has also been involved in visiting local cemeteries. In 1999 members of our chapter visited the West Winfield cemetery in search of the grave site of a Revolutionary War soldier, Private King. We found it and placed a marker on that site. We also honor our departed members by holding a DAR memorial service at their grave site. We held one in 2005 for a departed “daughter,” Doris Beach, in the Brookfield cemetery. We traveled to East Worcester, NY to hold a service for a departed “daughter’ of the Ganowauges chapter. Recently we went to the East Winfield cemetery to hold a memorial service for Dorothy
Burke, a 50-year member. In 1940, our chapter of the DAR planted a Willow Walk in the West Winfield park for their departed members. There is a plaque embedded in a huge boulder that reads, “Each tree is planted in memory of a deceased member of the General Winfield Scott Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution.” As the years went by, the willows became damaged by storms and needed to be replaced. In 2008, several members and their families met in the park and planted new willows to replace the original ones. In 2013 our chapter purchased and dedicated a marble bench to honor the DAR. It is located near the Willow Walk and has our name on it and also the inscription, “God, Home and Country”. This is the motto of our National Society of the Daughters of the American Revolution. This year our DAR chapter had an American Elm tree planted in the park. During the Revolutionary War the colonists in Boston met under an American Elm tree and held their meetings there. When the British took control of Boston, they cut the tree down. We are in the process of having a plaque placed by the tree that reads: “Our Liberty Tree – stand tall, grow roots and be the continued symbol of patriotism – celebrating 100 years 1919-2019 – General Winfield Scott-Ganowauges Chapter NSDAR.” In conclusion, I would say we are very proud to be members of this very historic and patriotic organization. Our national organization owns an entire city block in Washington, DC. The DAR headquarters complex consists of Memorial Continental Hall, Constitutions Hall and an administration building which are all open to the public. This is the largest group of buildings in the world built, owned and maintained exclusively by women. We are always seeking new members. Information about the DAR can be found at the West Winfield Library, where we meet every fourth Thursday at 11 AM (Except our October meetings which are held at the Tally-Ho to honor our “Good Citizen” students.) We also get together six times a year with other chapters at various locations.
This plaque and marble bench in the WW Park commemorates the local DAR Chapter’s 1940 memorial willow trees planted and DAR motto “God, Home and Country,” respectively. In 2008, DAR members planted new, replacement willows in the Willow Walk. The General Winfield Scott-Ganowauges DAR Chapter meets the fourth Thursday at the West Winfield Library at 11 AM. October’s meeting is at Tally-Ho for student citizen awards.
Move Over Copper, Fiber Optics are Here.
By Tammy Graves, correspondent
Internet Service and Wifi Expands in Our Area When it comes to broadband providers, there is a new method and player in town. Until now, our area’s offering of internet services has been about choosing between copper cable (coax) and DSL (digital subscriber loop). Depending on where you live, your data uploading and downloading now could be delivered to you via light pulses through glass—that is fiber optics— from OEConnect of Hartwick, NY. OEConnect operates a one (1) gigabit per second state-of-the-art fiber optic network to homes and businesses. Their coverage area includes Otsego County and parts of Herkimer, Madison and Chenango counties. “Once fiber is in, fiber doesn’t change,” says Jim Foote, Director of Technology at OEConnect. “The electronics in the system change. We are providing up to 1 gigabit-per-second service which is the fastest service available in the area now and the system could be upgradable to faster speeds someday in the future.”
Think of a fiber cable in terms of a cardboard roll from paper towels coated with a mirror on the inside. If you shine a flashlight in one end you can see light come out at the far end—even if the roll has been bent. OEConnect uses cable with up to 144 fibers in some areas. Glass optical fibers are almost always made from pure silica. The Towns of Columbia, Plainfield, Exeter, Richfield, and Otsego have poles and/or electric lines from Otsego Electric Cooperative, OEConnect’s parent company. Otsego Electric Cooperative, Inc., (OEC) - continued on page 8 Jim Foote, Director of Technology at OEConnect, shows the network interface device installed near the electric meter. This serves as the separation point between OEConnect’s system and your premises wiring. This device will allow us to check fiber optic light levels at the home, if needed, without having to access the inside of the home.