Senate Resolution No. 1904

BY: Senator AKSHAR

COMMEMORATING the 150th Anniversary of the City of
Binghamton on April 9, 2017

WHEREAS, It is the intent of this Legislative Body to honor and
commemorate the distinguished histories of the communities which
comprise the noble body of this great Empire State; and

WHEREAS, Attendant to such concern, and in full accord with its
long-standing traditions, this Legislative Body is justly proud to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the City of Binghamton, in Broome
County, New York; and

WHEREAS, The City of Binghamton is located in the central Southern
Tier at the confluence of the Susquehanna and Chenango Rivers, a few
miles north of the Pennsylvania state line and midpoint between the
Empire State's east-west borders; and

WHEREAS, Binghamton's location at 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 settlers from
eastern New York, New England, and the Middle Atlantic states; and

WHEREAS, Following the Revolutionary War defeat of the British and
their Iroquois allies, people rapidly settled the area; soldiers, who
fought under Generals Clinton and Sullivan in south central New York
numbered among the first large landowners; and

WHEREAS, Originally called "Chenango Point", the City was named for
William Bingham, a wealthy Philadelphia patriot who purchased a
10,000-acre land patent lying on both sides of the Susquehanna River; he
secured a land agent, Joshua Whitney to develop the town and "...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"; and

WHEREAS, In 1834, village government was organized, and three years
later, the first boat arrived over the Chenango Canal, transforming the
region as stores, hotels and industries sprang up to capitalize on
"canal fever"; and

WHEREAS, The first train arrived on the Erie Railroad in 1848, and
the City of Binghamton was incorporated in 1867; and

WHEREAS, In the years following the Civil War, Binghamton
transformed to a manufacturing boomtown; "Made in Binghamton, NY" came
to mean cigars, sleighs, carriages, scales, book publishing, overalls,
furniture, oil refining, electrical supplies, lumber, washing machines,
pianos, organs, foundries, and machine shops as well as leather tanning;
and

WHEREAS, New wealth from Binghamton's industries transformed many
residential areas with homes of elegance, that one visitor famously
dubbed it the Parlor City; and


WHEREAS, By 1888, the cigar industry was the largest industry
employing 6,000 hands in 50 firms; Binghamton ranked second in
production of cigars only to New York City; and

WHEREAS, Shoe manufacturing was the second largest City employer; in
1891, the Lester Brothers Boot & Shoe Company outgrew its location on
the south bank of the Susquehanna and moved to land west of the City;
and

WHEREAS, The company reorganized and later became Endicott-Johnson
Shoes, which grew to over 20,000 employees in the region and created the
villages of Johnson City and Endicott; and

WHEREAS, Endicott-Johnson ushered in generations of immigrant
shoemakers leaving the area a rich legacy of ethnicities and religions -
Italians, Germans, Poles, Czechs, Slovaks, Lithuanians, Russians,
Ukrainians, and Greeks who included Roman Catholics, Eastern Orthodox
Catholics and Jews - to add to the pioneering mix of English, Scots and
Irish; and

WHEREAS, In 1889, Harlow Bundy organized the Bundy Time Recording
Company in Binghamton; Bundy was successful in attracting investors and
soon, time recorders were distributed throughout the world; and

WHEREAS, After merging with other companies by 1905, the Bundy Time
Recording and Tabulating Company outgrew its Binghamton roots and moved
to Endicott, New York; under the leadership of Thomas J. Watson, the
firm changed its name to International Business Machines (IBM) and
became a world leader in data processing equipment employing over 15,000
local residents; and

WHEREAS, In 1928, Edwin Link, a maker of pianos and organs in his
father's firm, developed the idea for a trainer for pilots of airplanes;
a year later, he invented the flight simulator and began a business that
would revolutionize the aerospace industry; Link further developed the
idea of training simulation to include driving simulators, helicopter,
naval and NASA rocket simulators; and

WHEREAS, Due to the founding of IBM, and the creation of the Link
Flight Simulator, Binghamton became home to a notable concentration of
electronics- and defense-oriented firms; this sustained economic
prosperity earned Binghamton the moniker of the Valley of Opportunity;
and

WHEREAS, Remaining fruitful over the ebb and flow of decades of
growth and change, the City of Binghamton continues its commitment to
enhancing the quality of life of its citizens, ensuring a positive
business, institutional and educational climate, and providing all
essential services; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED, That this Legislative Body pause in its deliberations to
commemorate the 150th Anniversary of the City of Binghamton, recognizing
the significance of the role it continues to play in the life of the
community of the State of New York; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a copy of this Resolution, suitably engrossed, be
transmitted to Richard C. David, Mayor, City of Binghamton.