September 1920 - 100 Years Ago "in that Thriving Town"

Here's what was going on in Bovina 100 years ago this month, as reported in the Andes Recorder. 

September 3, 1920
• A storm here Tuesday accompanied by high wind did some damage.
• A picnic was held at Lake Delaware Thursday under the auspices of the church.
• Miss Elizabeth Thompson, is packing her household goods to be shipped to Pittsburgh, Penn.
• Harry Robson is having his residence (the John R. Hoy house) treated to a new dress of paint.
• Charles F. McPherson, in upper Bovina, had his foot badly injured recently by a large stone falling on it.
• Mrs. Frances Whetmore, representative of the department of health, is in town this week giving health talks.
• Miss Jennie Miller has sold her house and a few acres of land located just below Bovina Center to William Burns for $1,200.  The place was occupied by Uncle David Miller for many years.
• Thomas Gordon will attend the dedication of the New York monument at Antietam on September 17, as a representative of his regiment the 79th.  The monument is for the 88 New York regiments participating in this important battle of the civil war.

Bovina Town Picnic
A large crowd of people – probably 1,000 – from the town of Bovina and from the neighboring towns enjoyed a community picnic last Thursday at Bovina Center.  Addresses were made by Assemblyman Long, Ernest Dann of the Farm Bureau and Ernest Bergman, a New York lawyer who spends his vacation with his brother, Arthur Bergman, in upper Bovina, a ball game in which Andes own, and races and sports of various kinds, were features of the day.

September 10, 1920
• Born to Mr. and Mrs. Charles J. Russell in Bovina Center, September 3 a son.
• Ernest Bergman, wife and son ended their vacation and returned to New York on Tuesday.
• Mrs. John L. Gordon, who had spent six weeks at Thomas Gordon’s, return to New York on Tuesday.
• Beatrice Hoy, Wilimina Archibald, Freda Joslin and William Gordon have entered Delaware academy, and Henrietta and Catharine Howden go to Andes.
• Everett McPherson, who has been away from Bovina for a number of years, has purchased the Thomas Miller house and lot in the upper part of the village and will open a blacksmith shop here.
• Mrs. Baldwin, formerly Mary Dickson, who has just returned from her wedding trip spent in Europe, visited her mother, Mrs. G.J. Dickson, the past week.  She and her husband will both teach near New York.
• The schools of the town opened on Tuesday with teachers as follows, viz: Helen Knox and Ruth Ormiston, the Center school; Mrs. Benj Goodman at Lake Delaware; Margaret Reynolds in E.L. Coulter district; Edith Liddle, Coulter Brook; Elizabeth Strangeway, Miller avenue; Hazel Russell, Pink street; Miss Dean, Armstrong district; No 9 contracts with Maynard district.

September 17, 1920
• Frank VanDusen is moving from the Ella Miller house to rooms in the old Strangeway store.
• Thomas Gordon left this week to attend the dedication of the monument for the New York regiments at Antietam.
• William Johnston in upper Bovina, is having his farm house treated to a new dress of paint.  The work is being done by S.D. Oliver and son.
• Robert R. Gladstone has purchased the house occupied by the late Mrs. Ella Miller ad will move from the Jennie Miller house about October 1st.
• John Aitkens has been laid up the past week with a carbuncle on his leg.  His son Harold, cut his knee on a piece of old tin and has had blood poisoning.
• Mrs. James L. Coulter, of New Wilmington, Penn. Spent over Sabbath with old friends in town.  A surprise party with about 40 in attendance was held for her at the home of Mrs. Irvine Monday afternoon.

September 24, 1920
• Everett Joslin has moved into part of Will Armstrong’s house, early opposite the Strangeway store.
• Laurie Terry, of Hamden, has moved from Hamden, to rooms in part of the Dennis house. He will assist his brother in the garage.
• There was no school Monday and Tuesday in the primary department of the Center school, owing to the illness of the teacher, Ruth Ormiston.
• The Bovina Town Board held a meeting Saturday and voted to lease a roller at $20 a day. At the coming general election the question of buying the roller will be submitted to the voters for their decision.