Gilbertsville, New York
Encyclopedia
Gilbertsville is a village
in Otsego County
, New York
, United States
. The population was 375 at the 2000 census. The village is named after its founder, and early landowner Abijah Gilbert of Nuneaton
, England, father of the eponymous United States Senator from Florida
.
The Village of Gilbertsville is in the Town of Butternuts
and is west of Oneonta
.
According to the United States Census Bureau
, the village has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
Gilbertsville is located on New York State Route 51
(Marion Avenue) and is also served by County Highways 4 (Cliff Street and Bloom Street) and 8 (Vale Street).
Gilbertsville is located by the Butternut Creek.
of 2000, there were 375 people, 164 households, and 103 families residing in the village. The population density
was 374.0 people per square mile (144.8/km²). There were 196 housing units at an average density of 195.5 per square mile (75.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.27% White, 0.80% African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.27% Asian, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.
There were 164 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 78.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $39,000, and the median income for a family was $46,667. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $26,500 for females. The per capita income
for the village was $19,119. About 3.2% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
.
of the Upper Susquehanna Rivershed Project was to be built on the lower Butternut Creek at a spot called Cope’s Corners. This dam was to flood the valley behind it, including the village of Gilbertsville, to create a three-mile long lake. Residents had been watching in horror over the years as communities in the nearby Catskills had become victims of similar projects and had vowed not to let it happen to their small village.
The dam project, originally proposed prior to World War I
, met with very strong local opposition every time it was reintroduced. Delayed due to World War I and the Great Depression
, the project came about again in 1935 following a flood which did millions of dollars of damage to communities in eight southern tier counties in upstate New York. Funding was appropriated but the project was delayed because of World War II
.
In the early 1950s, the Village of Gilbertsville was again endangered when the U.S. Congress reauthorized future funding for the project. A locally organized protest was begun to call attention to the negative aspects of the project on a state and federal level. The protest was very active from the 1950s through the 1970s.
During this time, several important studies of Gilbertsville and Butternut Valley
architecture
had been compiled. These studies called attention to the fact that a number of well known architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had been responsible for the design, building and renovation of many attractive village structures. As a result, a number of architectural scholars became involved in protesting the dam project which would destroy this unique community. From that effort came the suggestion that several structures in the center of the village be nominated to the new Department of Interior's National Register of Historic Places
. It was hoped that National Register recognition would afford some protection for the village, on the state and federal level, from the proposed dams.
The Committee for the Historic Preservation of Gilbertsville was formed to work with the N.Y. State Office of Parks and Recreation and to prepare nominations, documentation and photographs. Consultants came to inspect the nominated properties and saw that many other structures and sites in the village were equally worthy of nomination. The suggestion was made that the entire village be inventoried as a complete Historic District and that the recognition of the entire village as an Historic District would be even more powerful protection from the dams.
The committee called on the community for help with the expanded project and was not disappointed. It took a total of seven years but the full committee of 19 volunteer researchers, typists, 'gofer
s',” and photographers prepared a total of 194 individual structural inventory reports plus reports for each cemetery, park, bridge and five additional structures just outside the village incorporation.
A 16 page pamphlet describing the importance of the Historic District, its setting and architecture, including photographs, was prepared for the congressional committee reconsidering funding of the project.
A detailed study was prepared for the same committee documenting weather history in the Upper Susquehanna Rivershed during times of flooding on the lower Susquehanna River
. The author of the study used as her source one hundred years of state and federal government weather records dating back to the 19th century when those agencies first started collecting that data. The study found that no significant rains or storms occurred in the areas drained by the Butternut Creek and the Unadilla River
during times of damaging floods on the lower Susquehanna River.
The combination of all these efforts was rewarded when deauthorization of funding for the complete Upper Susquehanna River Shed Project was proposed to Congress in 1979. Within a year, the threat of the construction of the dams was removed.
The National Register of Historic Places recognition of the entire village of Gilbertsville as an Historic District was awarded in May 1983.
In September 2003, a weathervane of a standing Native American, Uncas
, from 1902 created by J.L. Mott Company of New York City, which stood atop the Butternut Valley Grange was sold for $205,000 to Raymond and Susan Egan of Princeton, New Jersey. While replaced with a copy, the sale resulted in significant disputes on its ownership and who had the authority to sell the valuable weathervane.
Village
A village is a clustered human settlement or community, larger than a hamlet with the population ranging from a few hundred to a few thousand , Though often located in rural areas, the term urban village is also applied to certain urban neighbourhoods, such as the West Village in Manhattan, New...
in Otsego County
Otsego County, New York
Otsego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The 2010 population was 62,259. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk word meaning "place of the rock."-History:...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. The population was 375 at the 2000 census. The village is named after its founder, and early landowner Abijah Gilbert of Nuneaton
Nuneaton
Nuneaton is the largest town in the Borough of Nuneaton and Bedworth and in the English county of Warwickshire.Nuneaton is most famous for its associations with the 19th century author George Eliot, who was born on a farm on the Arbury Estate just outside Nuneaton in 1819 and lived in the town for...
, England, father of the eponymous United States Senator from Florida
Abijah Gilbert
Abijah Gilbert was a United States Senator from Florida.Born in Gilbertsville, New York, Gilbert attended Gilbertsville Academy and graduated from Hamilton College in 1822. He spent 1822 to 1850 engaged in mercantile pursuits in New York City before moving to St...
.
The Village of Gilbertsville is in the Town of Butternuts
Butternuts, New York
Butternuts is a town located in Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 1,792. The town name is derived from a stream flowing through the town....
and is west of Oneonta
Oneonta, New York
Oneonta is a city in southern Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, had a population of 13,901. Its nickname is "City of the Hills." While the word "oneonta" is of undetermined origin, it is popularly believed to mean "place of open rocks" in the Iroquois language...
.
Geography
Gilbertsville is located at 42°28′10"N 75°19′16"W (42.469492, -75.320980).According to the United States Census Bureau
United States Census Bureau
The United States Census Bureau is the government agency that is responsible for the United States Census. It also gathers other national demographic and economic data...
, the village has a total area of 1 square miles (2.6 km²), all of it land.
Gilbertsville is located on New York State Route 51
New York State Route 51
New York State Route 51 is a state highway in the central part of New York state. The highway runs generally in a southwest to northeast direction from the hamlet of Mount Upton to the village of Ilion...
(Marion Avenue) and is also served by County Highways 4 (Cliff Street and Bloom Street) and 8 (Vale Street).
Gilbertsville is located by the Butternut Creek.
Demographics
As of the censusCensus
A census is the procedure of systematically acquiring and recording information about the members of a given population. It is a regularly occurring and official count of a particular population. The term is used mostly in connection with national population and housing censuses; other common...
of 2000, there were 375 people, 164 households, and 103 families residing in the village. The population density
Population density
Population density is a measurement of population per unit area or unit volume. It is frequently applied to living organisms, and particularly to humans...
was 374.0 people per square mile (144.8/km²). There were 196 housing units at an average density of 195.5 per square mile (75.7/km²). The racial makeup of the village was 96.27% White, 0.80% African American, 0.80% Native American, 0.27% Asian, and 1.87% from two or more races. Hispanic or Latino of any race were 1.33% of the population.
There were 164 households out of which 25.0% had children under the age of 18 living with them, 51.8% were married couples
Marriage
Marriage is a social union or legal contract between people that creates kinship. It is an institution in which interpersonal relationships, usually intimate and sexual, are acknowledged in a variety of ways, depending on the culture or subculture in which it is found...
living together, 9.1% had a female householder with no husband present, and 36.6% were non-families. 31.7% of all households were made up of individuals and 20.1% had someone living alone who was 65 years of age or older. The average household size was 2.27 and the average family size was 2.88.
In the village the population was spread out with 24.3% under the age of 18, 4.8% from 18 to 24, 23.7% from 25 to 44, 23.2% from 45 to 64, and 24.0% who were 65 years of age or older. The median age was 43 years. For every 100 females there were 78.6 males. For every 100 females age 18 and over, there were 72.1 males.
The median income for a household in the village was $39,000, and the median income for a family was $46,667. Males had a median income of $33,750 versus $26,500 for females. The per capita income
Per capita income
Per capita income or income per person is a measure of mean income within an economic aggregate, such as a country or city. It is calculated by taking a measure of all sources of income in the aggregate and dividing it by the total population...
for the village was $19,119. About 3.2% of families and 5.8% of the population were below the poverty line, including 6.7% of those under age 18 and 3.9% of those age 65 or over.
Early history
The village was the first settlement in the town, named after its landowner Abijah Gilbert of Nuneaton, England, father of the United States Senator from Florida, also Abijah GilbertAbijah Gilbert
Abijah Gilbert was a United States Senator from Florida.Born in Gilbertsville, New York, Gilbert attended Gilbertsville Academy and graduated from Hamilton College in 1822. He spent 1822 to 1850 engaged in mercantile pursuits in New York City before moving to St...
.
Disputes about damming Butternut Creek
According to the article "Goliath Met David on the Banks of the Butternut Creek," by Leigh C. Eckmair, for much of the 20th century, the Village of Gilbertsville had been living with the very real threat of destruction from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flood control project. One damDam
A dam is a barrier that impounds water or underground streams. Dams generally serve the primary purpose of retaining water, while other structures such as floodgates or levees are used to manage or prevent water flow into specific land regions. Hydropower and pumped-storage hydroelectricity are...
of the Upper Susquehanna Rivershed Project was to be built on the lower Butternut Creek at a spot called Cope’s Corners. This dam was to flood the valley behind it, including the village of Gilbertsville, to create a three-mile long lake. Residents had been watching in horror over the years as communities in the nearby Catskills had become victims of similar projects and had vowed not to let it happen to their small village.
The dam project, originally proposed prior to World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
, met with very strong local opposition every time it was reintroduced. Delayed due to World War I and the Great Depression
Great Depression
The Great Depression was a severe worldwide economic depression in the decade preceding World War II. The timing of the Great Depression varied across nations, but in most countries it started in about 1929 and lasted until the late 1930s or early 1940s...
, the project came about again in 1935 following a flood which did millions of dollars of damage to communities in eight southern tier counties in upstate New York. Funding was appropriated but the project was delayed because of World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
.
In the early 1950s, the Village of Gilbertsville was again endangered when the U.S. Congress reauthorized future funding for the project. A locally organized protest was begun to call attention to the negative aspects of the project on a state and federal level. The protest was very active from the 1950s through the 1970s.
During this time, several important studies of Gilbertsville and Butternut Valley
Butternuts, New York
Butternuts is a town located in Otsego County, New York, USA. As of the 2000 census, the town had a population of 1,792. The town name is derived from a stream flowing through the town....
architecture
Architecture
Architecture is both the process and product of planning, designing and construction. Architectural works, in the material form of buildings, are often perceived as cultural and political symbols and as works of art...
had been compiled. These studies called attention to the fact that a number of well known architects of the late 19th and early 20th centuries had been responsible for the design, building and renovation of many attractive village structures. As a result, a number of architectural scholars became involved in protesting the dam project which would destroy this unique community. From that effort came the suggestion that several structures in the center of the village be nominated to the new Department of Interior's National Register of Historic Places
National Register of Historic Places
The National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
. It was hoped that National Register recognition would afford some protection for the village, on the state and federal level, from the proposed dams.
The Committee for the Historic Preservation of Gilbertsville was formed to work with the N.Y. State Office of Parks and Recreation and to prepare nominations, documentation and photographs. Consultants came to inspect the nominated properties and saw that many other structures and sites in the village were equally worthy of nomination. The suggestion was made that the entire village be inventoried as a complete Historic District and that the recognition of the entire village as an Historic District would be even more powerful protection from the dams.
The committee called on the community for help with the expanded project and was not disappointed. It took a total of seven years but the full committee of 19 volunteer researchers, typists, 'gofer
Gofer
A gofer or go-fer is an employee who is often sent on errands. "Gofer" reflects the likelihood of instructions to go for coffee, dry cleaning, or stamps, or to make other straightforward or familiar procurements. The term gofer originated in North America...
s',” and photographers prepared a total of 194 individual structural inventory reports plus reports for each cemetery, park, bridge and five additional structures just outside the village incorporation.
A 16 page pamphlet describing the importance of the Historic District, its setting and architecture, including photographs, was prepared for the congressional committee reconsidering funding of the project.
A detailed study was prepared for the same committee documenting weather history in the Upper Susquehanna Rivershed during times of flooding on the lower Susquehanna River
Susquehanna River
The Susquehanna River is a river located in the northeastern United States. At long, it is the longest river on the American east coast that drains into the Atlantic Ocean, and with its watershed it is the 16th largest river in the United States, and the longest river in the continental United...
. The author of the study used as her source one hundred years of state and federal government weather records dating back to the 19th century when those agencies first started collecting that data. The study found that no significant rains or storms occurred in the areas drained by the Butternut Creek and the Unadilla River
Unadilla River
The Unadilla River in New York State flows from south of Utica to the village of Sidney, where it flows into the Susquehanna River, which eventually empties into the Chesapeake Bay, an arm of the Atlantic Ocean....
during times of damaging floods on the lower Susquehanna River.
The combination of all these efforts was rewarded when deauthorization of funding for the complete Upper Susquehanna River Shed Project was proposed to Congress in 1979. Within a year, the threat of the construction of the dams was removed.
The National Register of Historic Places recognition of the entire village of Gilbertsville as an Historic District was awarded in May 1983.
In September 2003, a weathervane of a standing Native American, Uncas
Uncas
Uncas was a sachem of the Mohegan who through his alliance with the English colonists in New England against other Indian tribes made the Mohegan the leading regional Indian tribe in lower Connecticut.-Early life and family:...
, from 1902 created by J.L. Mott Company of New York City, which stood atop the Butternut Valley Grange was sold for $205,000 to Raymond and Susan Egan of Princeton, New Jersey. While replaced with a copy, the sale resulted in significant disputes on its ownership and who had the authority to sell the valuable weathervane.
Architecture
Some of the more noteworthy pieces of architecture that can be found in Gilbertsville include the following:- Gilbertsville Historic DistrictGilbertsville Historic DistrictGilbertsville Historic District is a national historic district in Gilbertsville, New York. It was listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 1974. Its boundaries were increased to approximately the incorporated village borders in 1982....
- a national historic districtHistoric district (United States)In the United States, a historic district is a group of buildings, properties, or sites that have been designated by one of several entities on different levels as historically or architecturally significant. Buildings, structures, objects and sites within a historic district are normally divided...
listed on the National Register of Historic PlacesNational Register of Historic PlacesThe National Register of Historic Places is the United States government's official list of districts, sites, buildings, structures, and objects deemed worthy of preservation...
in 1974 and increased to approximately the incorporated village borders in 1982. - Overlook Park - This 100 year old park sits next to a stone arch bridge surrounded by stone buildings.
- Gilbertsville Academy & Collegiate Institute - Built in Greek Revival style in 1839, served as a school until 1935.
- Presbyterian Church - Built in a Picturesque Style in 1888.
- TianderahTianderahTianderah is a historic home located at Gilbertsville in Otsego County, New York. It was built in 1887 by Boston-based architect William Ralph Emerson. It is an "L" shaped, stone Romanesque and Shingle style residence dramatically overlooking the village and complemented by a stone and shingle...
- Built in 1887 by Boston-based architect William Ralph EmersonWilliam Ralph Emerson-Biography:Emerson was born in Alton, Illinois, a cousin of Ralph Waldo Emerson, and trained in the office of Jonathan Preston , an architect–builder in Boston, Massachusetts. He formed an architectural partnership with Preston , practiced alone for two years, then partnered with Carl Fehmer...
it is a stone RomanesqueRomanesque architectureRomanesque architecture is an architectural style of Medieval Europe characterised by semi-circular arches. There is no consensus for the beginning date of the Romanesque architecture, with proposals ranging from the 6th to the 10th century. It developed in the 12th century into the Gothic style,...
residence dramatically overlooking the village and complemented by a stone and shingle style stable http://www.philadelphiabuildings.org/pab/app/pj_display.cfm/669777 The estate would be placed on the market in July 2007 for $3 million, the highest price ever asked for a private residence in Otsego CountyOtsego County, New YorkOtsego County is a county located in the U.S. state of New York. The 2010 population was 62,259. The county seat is Cooperstown. The name Otsego is from a Mohawk word meaning "place of the rock."-History:...
. - Gilbert BlockMajor's Inn and Gilbert BlockMajor's Inn and Gilbert Block is a historic inn and tavern and commercial building located at Gilbertsville in Otsego County, New York. The Gilbert Block consists of three 2-story attached brick commercial structures varying slightly in height in the Neo-Tudor Style. It was built between 1893 and...
- This Neo-Tudor Style structure built 1893 - 1895, hosts shops and artistArtistAn artist is a person engaged in one or more of any of a broad spectrum of activities related to creating art, practicing the arts and/or demonstrating an art. The common usage in both everyday speech and academic discourse is a practitioner in the visual arts only...
’s studios. It was designed by Boston architect Henry Forbes BigelowHenry Forbes BigelowHenry Forbes Bigelow was a Boston, Massachusetts architect in the firm Bigelow and Wadsworth. He became a partner in the firm in 1898.-Biography:... - The Gilbertsville Free Library - Built in 1818 as a school/academy, it was converted to a library by St. LouisSt. Louis, MissouriSt. Louis is an independent city on the eastern border of Missouri, United States. With a population of 319,294, it was the 58th-largest U.S. city at the 2010 U.S. Census. The Greater St...
architects Eames and YoungEames and YoungEames and Young, American architecture firm based in St. Louis, Missouri, active nationally, and responsible for several buildings on the National Register of Historic Places.- History :...
in 1888. It was the first Free Association Library in Otsego County. - The Major’s InnMajor's Inn and Gilbert BlockMajor's Inn and Gilbert Block is a historic inn and tavern and commercial building located at Gilbertsville in Otsego County, New York. The Gilbert Block consists of three 2-story attached brick commercial structures varying slightly in height in the Neo-Tudor Style. It was built between 1893 and...
- Started in 1896 and finished in 1917 on the site of the original Gilbert homstead which burned in 1895. The medieval English Tudor and Gothic building was commissioned by Major James L. Gilbert using Augustus Nicholas Allen to construct it. Today it serves as a cultural center. - Gilbertsville Water Works - listed on the National Register of Historic Places in 2011.