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History of Cortland, New York, USA
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Settled in 1791 and named for a prominent New York family, it is located in one of the state’s richest farming areas. Manufactures include marine equipment, asphalt, machine tools, electronic equipment, filters, and plastic products.
The area was part of a military reservation for veterans of the American Revolution. Settlement grew rapidly in the early 19th century, and industrial development was boosted with the coming of the railroad in the 1850s.
britannica.com
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Discover Cortland: History, News, Travel, and Stories

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1854 - Cortland Village / Cortlandville
Cortland Village, a post-village in Cortlandville township, capital of Cortland county, New York, on the Tioughnioga river, 1 13 miles W. by S. from Albany. It contains, besides the county buildings, churches for the Presbyterians, Baptists, Methodists, and Universalists, several newspaper offices, one or two academies, and a paper mill. There are over 200 dwellings, some of which are elegant edifices.
Cortlandville, a post-township of Cortland county, New York, 33 miles S. from Syracuse, drained by the Tioughnioga river. Population, 4203.
A New and Complete Gazetteer of the United States: Giving a Full and Comprehensive Review of the Present Condition, Industry, and Resources of the American Confederacy ... Thomas Baldwin (of Philadelphia.) Joseph Thomas January 1, 1854 Philadelphia : Lippincott, Grambo & Company 1854.
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1869 - Cortlandville
CORTLANDVILLE was formed from Homer, April 11, 1829, and embraces the south half of the original township of Homer arid a small portion of the north-east corner of Virgil. The name was applied to the town from its being the County Seat of Cortland County. It is situated on the west border of the County, but extends east to the center. The east and. west branches of the Tioughnioga River unite in this town. A considerable portion of the surface is level, but the eastern and southern parts are hilly. An observer, standing upon an eminence a short distance west of Cortland Village, can see seven distinct valleys, separated. by ranges of hills, radiating in different directions. The ridges rise from. 200 to 400 feet above the valleys. The southern part of the town is a broken upland region, the hills being arable to their summit. The Tioughnioga River receives as tributaries in this town, Trout Brook from the east, and Dry and. Otter Brooks from the west. A part of the western portion of... Read MORE...
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1895 - Cortland
Cortland, a post-village, capital of Cortland co., N.Y., is pleasantly situated on the Tioughnioga River, and on the Syracuse, Binghamton & New York Railroad, and the Elmira, Cortland & Northern Railroad, 37 miles S. of Syracuse, and 43 miles N.N.W. of Binghamton. It contains 9 churches, 3 national banks, a savings-bank, an academy, a state normal and training school, 3 newspaper offices, stove works, wire-drawing and wire-weaving works, furniture and cabinet-works, a scale-factory, railroad repair-shops, a box-, loop-, and harness-factory, an omnibus-factory, a corset-factory, a desk-factory, a forging-factory, and wagon and buggy-works. Pop, in 1880, 4050; in 1890, 8590.
Lippincott's Gazetteer of the World: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World Containing Notices of Over One Hundred and Twenty-five Thousand Places ... Joseph Thomas January 1, 1895 J.B. Lippincott
1906 - IN A SHEET OF FLAMES. Mrs. Mary Bassett, 80 Years Old, Horribly Burned. DISCOVERED BY A NEIGHBOR.
John P Murray Went to Her Assistance - It is Thought That a Lamp Must Have Exploded and Set Her Clothing on Fire - Taken to the Hospital.
Cortland, March 10 - Mrs. Mary Bassett, an old lady living at No. 158 Railroad street, was horribly burned at her home shortly after midnight. She was taken to the hospital where she lies in critical condition, death being expected at may moment.
John P Murrary, who lives next door to Mrs. Bassett, was startled by the appearance of a woman upon his side porch, clouded in a sheet of flames. The family went to her rescue at once and put out the fire that was burning all about her. Wright's ambulance was telephone for and Dr. S. J. Sorngerger was summoned to attend her. The woman was scarcely conscious after gaining the attention of the Murrary family.
Mrs. Bassett is nearly 90 years old and lives alone in the house. She has been in the habit of leaving a lamp burning all night by her bed. It is thought that this must have exploded and met her ... Read MORE...
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1916
Cortland, a city, capital of Cortland co., N.Y., is pleasantly situated on the Tioughnioga River and on the Lackawanna, the Lehigh Valley and the Erie and New York Central Rs., 36 miles S. of Syracuse. It is the seat of a state normal- and training-school, and has various machine- shops, stove-, wire-drawing, wire-weaving, furniture- and cabinet-works, manufactures of carriage-trimmings, wagons and carriages, wall-paper, etc. Pop. in 1880, 4050 ; in 1890, 8590; in 1900,9014.
Lippincotts New Gazetteer: A Complete Pronouncing Gazetteer Or Geographical Dictionary of the World, Containing the Most Recent and Authentic Information Respecting the Countries, Cities, Towns, Resorts, Islands, Rivers, Mountains, Seas, Lakes, Etc., in Every Portion of the Globe, Part 1 Angelo Heilprin Louis Heilprin - January 1, 1916 J.B. Lippincott - Publisher
1927 - MAN FALLS FROM TOP OF CHIMNEY; IS KILLED
CORTLAND, N.Y., June 2. - (By Associated Press) Joseph Foley of Lackawanna, fell from the top of a chimney to the roof of St. Mary's church, sixty feet below, and was instantly killed.
Frank Coquine fractured three ribs while lowering Foley's body to the ground.
The Bridgeport Telegram
Bridgeport, Connecticut
June 3, 1927
1946 - CIRCUS LION ATTACKS TRAINER AT CORTLAND
CORTLAND, (AP). - The lion tamer with the James M. Cole circus was attacked last night during his act by one of his lions.
The tamer, Eugene Christie, was putting five lions through their paces, in a large cage set up in a tent. Suddenly he slipped on the wet grass, and one of the lions leaped on him.
An attendant fired a volley of blanks into the cage. The lion retreated, and other attendants were able to carry the trainer to safety.
Christie was taken to a hospital where several stitches were required to close a wound in his leg. He proceeded today with the show to Norwich.
Syracuse Herald Journal
Syracuse, New York
May 28, 1946
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February 4, 1961 - The third great snowstorm of the winter season struck the northeastern U.S. Cortland NY received 40 inches of snow.
WeatherForYou.com
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