Article by Leigh C Eckmair (Village Historian)

Goliath met David on the banks of the Butternut Creek

or

Lest We Forget & For Those Who Do Not Know -

 

 Gilbertsville, NY, at the S.W. end of the historic Butternut Valley in Otsego County, just celebrated the 44^th anniversary of (1973) National Register  of Historic Places recognition and the 34^th

anniversary of (1982)  N.R.H.P. recognition of the entire village as an Historic District.  When the recognition of the entire village as an

Historic District was awarded in May of 1982, it was reported to have been only the second such village (and the only one in NYS) to receive that honor.

 

            The National Register of Historic Places,  created by Congress in 1966, teamed up with the NY State Dept. of Parks and Recreation  to  call  attention to structures and sites worthy of  respect and preservation, by nominating them for inclusion in a national data base.

 

            In 1966, The Village of Gilbertsville, NY     [1960 pop.455]

and some of the best farm land in its township of Butternuts had been living for over fifty years with the very real threat of destruction from a U.S. Army Corps of Engineers’ flood control project.   One dam of the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed Project was to be built on the lower Butternut Creek at a spot known locally as “Cope’s Corners.”  That 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 that happen here.

 

            The dam project, originally proposed prior to W.W.I., met with very strong local opposition every time it was reintroduced. Delayed due to W.W.I. and the Depression, the project became a real threat after the 1935 flood did millions of dollars of damage to communities in the eight southern tier counties. Funding was appropriated but the project was then delayed because of W.W.II.

 

            The dam threat again became very real in the early 1950’s when Congress reauthorized funding for the project.  A tiny but powerful protest was organized locally to call attention, across the state and at the federal level, to the negative aspects of the project. The protest was very active and managed to grow and maintain enthusiasm through the 1950’s , 60’s and, amazingly, into the 70’s .

 

            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 19^th   and  early  20^th  century had been responsible for the design, building  and renovation of many attractive village structure.  As a result, a number of important 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 for inclusion in the new Dept. of Interior 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 officially formed to work with the N.Y. State Office of Parks and Recreation to prepare nominations, documentation and photographs.  Consultants came to inspect the nominated properties and observed 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 would be even more powerful protection from the dams.

 

            The little committee, headed by Anne Gilbert Mangold and Margaret P. Moore, called upon the community for help with the expanded project and were not disappointed.  This took a total of seven years but the full committee of 19 volunteer researchers, typists, “go-fers,” 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.

 

            During this time and in conjunction with the National Register nomination an important detailed study documenting weather history of the Upper Susquehanna River Watershed during times of flooding on the lower Susquehanna was prepared by resident author Myrtie Light.  Her source for the documentary evidence was over 100 years of NY State and federal weather records beginning in the mid 19 ^th  century when those agencies first began collecting the data.  Analysis of those documents proved that no significant storms or rains had occurred in the areas drained  by the Butternut Creek and 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 Watershed Project was proposed to Congress in 1979.  Within a  year the imminent threat of construction was removed.

 

            The U.S. Dept. of Interior National Register of Historic Places recognition of the entire village of Gilbertsville as an Historic District was awarded in May of 1982.

 

© Leigh C Eckmair, 2003. Rev. 2020

     Historian, Village of Gilbertsville & Town of Butternuts