Historic Binghamton - Binghamton, NY - Signs of History on Waymarking.com

This is located on the west side of the bridge which is Court Street on the east side and Main strew on the west side.

text side one: "Historic Binghamton Court Street Bridge City Name, Origins
The confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers was a natural site for settlement, first by Paleo-Indians, later by Iroquois tribes and then by Colonial settlers from eastern New York, New England and the Middle Atlantic states. Following the Revolutionary War defeat of the British and their Iroquois allies, the area was rapidly settled. Originally called "Chenango Point" the city takes its name from William Bingham (1752-1804). a Revolutionary War patriot, financier and merchant who held the land patent that compromised much of the present day city. An advisor and representative to the Continental Congress, Bingham was a United States Senator to Pennsylvania, founder of the Bank of North America and negotiator and financier for the Louisiana Purchase. During the war 24 year-old Bingham served as a Continental agent in French Matinique privateering and conducting a secret trade with European nations that supplied patriot armies with weapons, gun powder and uniforms. Returning in 1780, he married Anne Willing, daughter of merchant Thomas Willing of Philadelphia. Widely regarded as one of the most beautiful women of her day, Anne was the epitome of class, a favorite among social circles and close with the Jeffersons, Madisons, Martha Washington and Abigail Adams. An educated woman, she conducted social salons for leaders of the the republic and openly expressed her views. She was one of the countertops first feminists, believing that women should play an active role in politics. Following the war, William Bingham became involved in a number of land partnerships at one point owning 4 million acres in Maine and Pennsylvania. In New York, Bingham, Colonel Robert Lewis Hooper and James Wilson purchased 32,620 acres that was to become much of Broome County. The partnership broke up in 1790 and Bingham retained the choice eastern 10,000 acre section where the Chenango joined the Susquehanna River. Of all his lands he was particularly interested in Chenango Point and envisioned it as a model village. He engaged a recently transplanted New Englander, Joshua Whitney Jr. to promote and develop the land and attract settlers. As with other areas, frontier lands were frequently purchased by speculators, occupied by a mix of squatters and farmer/land owners. "Itchy feet" was a constant challenge with those who settled briefly and moved west when population or boredom set in. Bingham instructed Whitney, "...give preference to quiet industrious farmers who will give reputation to the neighborhood, as well as from their skill in the management of their farms as their orderly conduct." Bingham's interest in Chenango Point abruptly ended in 1801 when Anne Bingham died following a brief illness. Mourning the death of his beautiful wife, Bingham's health declined and he died of stroke in 1804, never having visited the community for which he was to be named. Bingham is buried at Bath Abbey in England."

"Whitney's Town
A young Joshua Whitney arrived in Chenango Valley in 1780 when his father set up a general store on "Whitney's Flats"v(present day Nimmonsburg_. The elder Whitney ran the store, farm and sold, financed and leased real estate. William Bingham needed a land agent so Whitney contacted him about developing Chenango Point. Traveling to Philadelphia, the elder Whitney contracted yellow fever and died. Responsibilities fell to his teenage son. His first problem was that a village forming to the north near the store needed to locate south to Bingham's lands. News spread that aLucas Elmendorf of Kingston had received a charter for a toll bridge across the Chenango, but nothing happened. Whitney took it upon himself to announce to the patrons of Lewis Keeler's tavern that a new bridge would be built near the point. The next day he and five others floated down the river and cleared land near this sign's location where twin elm trees were spotted on opposite banks. Although the bridge was not built until 1808, the "Twin Elms" story was enough to persuade a few settlers to relocate. Until the bridge, wagons of settlers migrating westward waded or ferried across the Chenango to the western bank which locals called "Canada". In 1800 the State authorized a road from the Hudson River through the Catskills to Unadilla and down to Chenango Point. By 1801, Whitney reported, "We have a tavern, a large store, one distillery, also blacksmiths, carpenters and a potter." Chenango Point was part of Tioga County which had Owego as its county seat. The state divided the county into jury districts and for a time, circuit court was held in Whitney;s house on the northwest corner of Court and Water Streets (near Boscov's). In 1802, Tioga County approved a new courthouse in the county's eastern part. The need for a second courthouse underscored Chenango Point's emergence and a structure was built on the northwest corner of of Court and Chenango Streets. In a few years it moved to its present location on a hilly plot donated by William Bingham for use as a public square. In 1806, New York created Broome County from Tioga County with Chenango Point as its seat, naming the county after Revolutionary War General and Lt. Governor John Broome. The years following Bingham's death proved complicated. The trustees of Bingham's estate insisted on leasing rather than selling lots. Whitney had cleared a large part of the village plot, laid out streets, purchased and moved homes and businesses from the old village, stabled a ferry, relocated the courthouse and collected bridge tolls. The trustees were unmoved and sent an overseer who proceeded to complicate land sales by making side deals. In addition, competitors such as Daniel LeRoy and John Collier attempted to set up a rival village on the western bank of the Chenango. Whitney persisted and became the first elected representative to the NY State Assembly. He built a mansion on the village's eastern edge, was a founder of Christ Church and died in 1845. He is buried in Spring Forest Cemetery.

Art and the Binghams
William and Anne Bingham were close to many of the leaders of the new republic including George Washington. They persuaded Washington to sit for a portrait by Gilbert Stuart (1755-1828) resulting in the 1796 "Lansdowne portrait", a gift to the Marquis of Lansdowne, an English supporter of American Independence. Washington became a hugely popular subject and Stuart reproduced it many times. Dolley Madison rescued a copy from the British troops burning the White House in the War of 1812. Oddly one portrait Stuart never finished became his most famous work, the image found on today's US dollar bill. Early American coins were artistically poor and widely disliked. In 1776, Congress authorized a series of draped bust coins. The Lady Liberty image appearing on coins of several denominations until 1808 is widely thought by modern collectors to be Anne Willing Bingham. See for yourself!"

text side two: "Historic Binghamton
Chenango Canal Goods shipping from the early village moved by a makeshift network of rivers and roads. With the clearing of the land, rivers gained importance. Saw mills were located near waterpower. Rivers became a means to float logs and lumber by raft or flat bottom boat to eastern markets. Agriculture gradually improved from subsistence farming and a number of farmers manufactured lath strips, shingles, barrels, and potash. Still seasonal river fluctuations presented challenges for the local economy. It could take a month to deliver goods outside the the area. A better system was needed. In 1817 under Governor DeWitt Clinton, New York authorized the Erie Canal connecting Lake Erie and Western New York to the Hudson River. Ridiculed at first, Clinton's Ditch proved wildly successful allowing people and goods to move across the entire state. Canal fever spread as communities vied for connector canals. For Binghamton, engineering a route proved challenging, but the bigger problem was the political battle waged by the northern communities who sensed economic benefits. Originally proposed via a more direct route to Whitesboro in 1825, it was not until 1833 that a Utica lobby won out and the state construction. Designed by John Jervis, the greatest civil engineer of antebellum America the completed Chenango Canal consisted of 116 locks, 11 lock houses, 12 dams, 19 aqueducts, 52 culverts, 56 road bridges, 106 farm bridges, 53 feeder bridges, and 21 waste weirs. Budgeted at 1.7 million, the project cost 2.5 million due to delays, design changes, and cost overruns. 76 locks were necessary to lift cancel boats from Utica to the high point at Bouckville (1,128'). On the Binghamton side, 38 locks were needed to lower boats to the Susquehanna and Chenango. A tidal basin and boat turnaround area was located in the area south of State and Susquehanna Street. The 4' deep canal spanned 42' at top and 26' at the base with additional 2' embankments and flanking 10' towpaths. It was constructed by over 500 Irish and Scottish immigrants using picks and shovels chipping rock and wading through marsh - many of whom had built the Erie Canal. Hard work but well paid, canal workers received $11 per month, which was 3 times a common laborers's wages. Completed in 1837, the best built canal in the state opened amid fanfare and became an important east-west communication link. Though never regarded a success, the Chenango Canal cut shipping to Albany by wagon from 9-13 days to 4 days and cost from $1.25 to $0.25 per 100 pounds.The canal froze in winter and operated but nine months of the year. Prior to the canal, Binghamton was a frontier village. With the canal, merchants could ship heavy items such as coal from Pennsylvania, coveted things as coal stoves and manufactured furniture. Village living standards improved. Unfortunately by the time the canal was completed railroads were reaching the region and in 1874 the State legislature acted to close the canal. The bed was filled in creating State Street. No traces remain other than a few buildings where basement doors and windows once opened directly to the canal.
On June 4, 1834 not far from this sign, Samuel Peterson an innkeeper on the stage route between Binghamton and Owego opened the doors of his tavern to the first meeting of the newly incorporated Village of Binghamton. Peterson's was located at the corner of Front and Main, present day location of First Congregational Church. Extending west past Peterson's was dense forest with occasional clearings. Several attempts to incorporate the village in the 1820s were made, one being the first known misspelling of the town as Binghampton. The state was unable to spell the name and incorporate the village until 1834. The act completed what Joshua Whitney had struggled a lifetime to achieve, formally naming the place Binghamton in honor of William Bingham. A disgruntled few insisted on calling it Chenango Point partly in opposition to Whitney and his followers. The village was divided into 5 wards and attorney Daniel Dickinson was named president. Serving in the state senate from 1837-1840, Dickinson replaced US Senator Talmadge in 1844 and was elected to a 6 year term. He believed strongly in States rights and was a leader in the formation of the Compromise of 1850. He was elected State Attorney General in 1861 and was considered a potential Vice President running mate for Abraham Lincoln's reelection. But Lincoln picked Andrew Johnson instead. Dickinson was the only Binghamtonian to serve in the US Senate. Across this bridge you can find his bronze statue in front of the Broome County Courthouse."

Group that erected the marker: City of Binghamton Address of where the marker is located. Approximate if necessary: Main Street-Court Street Binghamton, NY USA 13905 URL of a web site with more information about the history mentioned on the sign: Not listed

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