Summer Visitors to Bovina in 1880

In the summer of 1880, the publishers of the Stamford Mirror took a trip around their subscriber area.  They noted that "having a desire to know where and how some of the Mirror subscribers live, we drifted from our moorings the other day and with a horse and carriage, started out for pleasure and in the search of the 'almightly dollar' - which, by the way, is an almighty scarce article."  They wrote about their journey in the August 3 and 10, 1880 issues of the Mirror.  In Part I, they traveled to Harpersfield then into Otsego County to visit friends and relatives before coming back to Delaware County via Davenport.  In part II, they trace their journey from Meredith to Franklin to Delhi then to Bovina.  From Bovina, they carried on to Bloomville.  After their stay there, they headed home, "well pleased with a trip among the hills of Delaware County." 

Their visit to Bovina was not as pleasant as they had hoped, however:

From Delhi we wended our way into the town of Bovina, where some of the best butter in New York State is made.  While riding along enjoying the scenery, pure air, and thinking of the many excellent features of Bovina that could be noted down in our diary, we unexpected ran into a toll-gate.  On looking around we perceived a sign containing the rates of toll, and one sentence we shall never forget.  It read as follows: "For every score of sheep or hogs, six cents."  Upon asking the blue-eyed female attendant how much our assessment amounted to, we felt fairly enraged and insulted by receiving the answer, "Six Cents."  We remonstrated at such treatment, telling her we were neither sheep, hogs, or a score of anything but a single genuine American printer, in search of cents - but not nonsense.  Feeling as if we had passed through a very cents-itive ordeal, we concluded to get out of a town where people were classed as sheep and hogs.